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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #164295
Title: WEB-BASED GIS APPLICATION OF THE WEPP MODEL

Author
item Flanagan, Dennis
item Frankenberger, James - Jim
item ENGEL, B - PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: ASAE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2004
Publication Date: 8/1/2004
Citation: Flanagan, D.C., Frankenberger, J.R., Engel, B.A. 2004. Web-based gis application of the wepp model. American Society for Agricultural Engineers Annual International Meeting. Paper No. 04-2024.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: WEPP (Water Erosion Prediction Project) is a process-based, distributed parameter, continuous simulation erosion prediction model. Work over the past several years has focused on development of improved user interfaces and linkage of WEPP to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), that can allow rapid and impartial delineation of watersheds and topographic features based upon digital elevation data. However, many potential users of WEPP have little or no experience with commercial GIS packages, and that software can also be quite expensive. This paper will discuss a web-based WEPP-GIS system that only requires a user to have a network connection and web browser. GIS Viewer software allows users to specify an area of interest to model with WEPP, then digital elevation data for the area is sent to topographic parameterization software to delineate watersheds, channels and hillslopes. The digital elevation data are processed on the server side, and then images of the delineated watershed and hillslopes are passed to the user's web-browser window. Once the hillslopes and channels have been located, WEPP model simulations of representative hillslope profiles and channels, and/or all flowpaths in the watershed, are conducted. The modeled soil erosion results in graphical format are sent as images to the client machine. Subsequent model simulations using different land management practices can help to show the impact of use of conservation practices on runoff and soil erosion.