Arc Hydro Groundwater Data Model

Gil Strassberg[1], David R. Maidment[2], Norman L. Jones [3], and Steve Grise[4]

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Table of Contents

· Introduction

· Downloads

· Primary Contact

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Introduction:

Since 2003 we have been working on the development of a groundwater data model to be part of Arc Hydro. The initial design and tools were presented in the 2006 GIS Hydro CD (http://www.crwr.utexas.edu/gis/gishydro06/). Since then, the data model has been redesigned to simplify the implementation and the integration with the Arc Hydro surface water model. The base of the new design is the data model framework that represents basic surface water features such as watersheds, hydrography, and monitoring points, and groundwater features such as wells and aquifers. In addition the framework includes a representation of time series related with the spatial features.

Figure 1- Arc Hydro framework includes surface water and groundwater features

Components can be added to the framework to represent more detailed datasets describing the surface water and groundwater environments. This enables users to implement parts of the data model as needed and to extend the data model by adding their own components

Figure 2 – Components of the Arc Hydro data model

The surface water components include representations of networks, drainages, hydrography, and channels, and the groundwater part includes the following components:

§ Geology: Datasets for representing features from geologic maps.

§ Wells and Boreholes: Representation of 3D data along boreholes.

§ Hydrostratigraphy: Description of 2D and 3D hydrostratigraphy with mapped polygons, cross sections, volumes and surfaces.

§ Simulation: Representation of inputs and outputs from groundwater simulation models.

§ Temporal: Objects for representing spatial-temporal datasets.

Figure 3 – Components of the groundwater data model (download as Visio diagram or image)

The contents of the groundwater data model will be published as an ESRI press book that will go together with the surface water Arc Hydro book. In addition groundwater tools, are being developed by Aquaveo LLC (http://aquaveo.com/home.htm).

This is the first year we are having a dedicated preconference seminar at the ESRI user conference to present the current status of the data model and tools. Material from the preconference seminar are included in the following section.

Downloads:

Introduction to Arc Hydro – David Maidment

Introduction to data models – Steve Grise

Groundwater data model – Gil Strassberg

Implementation – Steve Grise

Tool Development – Norm Jones

Groundwater data model schema – XML, geodatabase, html documentation

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Primary Contact

Gil Strassberg

Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin

e-mail: gil.strassberg@beg.utexas.edu

Phone: 512-471-5739

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These materials may be used for study, research, and education, but please credit the authors and the Center for Research in Water Resources, The University of Texas at Austin. All commercial rights reserved. Copyright 2007 Center for Research in Water Resources.

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[1] Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin, ^{gil.strassberg@beg.utexas.edu}

[2] Center for Research in Water Resources, University of Texas at Austin, ^{Maidment@mail.utexas.edu}

[3] Environmental Modeling Research Laboratory, Brigham Young University, ^{njones@byu.edu}

[4] ESRI, Redlands California, ^{sgrise@esri.com}