Development and application of a geographic information system for wetland/watershed analysis: Fid-Bau Portal

Development and application of a geographic information system for wetland/watershed analysis

Reinelt, Lorin E. / Velikanje, Joan / Bell, Earl J.

AbstractWetlands have received increased attention in recent years as a result of continuing wetland losses and impacts and the realization that wetlands have many important functions and values. To obtain a better understanding of wetland resources, many local and regional agencies are collecting inventory information on the spatial extent, types, systems, and historical losses of wetlands, and data on plants, animals, soils, hydrology, and water quality. To facilitate the management and use of this information and data for analysis or decision making, it is desirable to have it in an organized structure. In this paper, a Geographic Information System (GIS) is presented that is designed to meet this need for wetlands and their associated watersheds. The first stage of the study involved the development of a process for use in creating a wetland/watershed GIS. Issues examined included: (a) end user data needs, (b) data availability, (c) GIS software capabilities, and (d) updating needs. An advisory committee, composed of local and regional agency persons, aided in the development of this process. In the second stage, the process was applied to a case study wetland in an urban area. The utility of a GIS, especially its use for spatial and data analysis, testing management options, and modeling are discussed.