GIS as a Tool in Water Policy Planning
GIS as a Tool in Water Policy Planning: an Annotated Bibliography
Geography 565
Introduction:
I am interested in how GIS can be used as a tool for water policy planning throughout the world, specifically in the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA). The MENA region is the most water-scarce region in the world, and faces many challenges related to water availability, food security, pollution, and environmental degradation. My current research is focusing on water policy analysis in the region. Spatial analysis may prove a crucial element in recommending feasible policy options, and I am therefore investigating the literature on GIS and water policy. I am interested in studies that have been conducted in any area of the world, as well as studies specific to the region.
If further information on the topic of GIS and water policy is desired, please feel free to contact me.
Peer-reviewed Literature, Books, and Websites:
Al-abed N., Abdulla F., and Abu Khyarah A. 2005. GIS-hydrological models for managing water resources in the Zarqa River basin. Environmental Geology 47: 405-411.
This study explored the potential of GIS-based hydrological models as tools for water management in Jordan, an extremely arid nation. Jordan’s surface water resources are comprised of over 50% base flow, meaning that over-pumping groundwater resources can significantly impact surface water flows. Two models were examined in this study—the Spatial Water Budget Model (SWBM) and the Hydrologic Engineering Centre-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) with the HEC-GeoHMS extension for ArcView. The SWBM is a continuous simulation of water supply of space and time; the HEC-HMS is also a continuous simulation, but focuses on rainfall-runoff processes. The two models were calibrated and validated for the Zarqa River basin, and tested using a sensitivity analysis. The authors found the HEC-HMS model to be more accurate than the SWBM model, and therefore concluded that the HEC-HMS model will be part of a future study on the effects of different climate and land use scenarios in the basin. This study represented how GIS can assist with choosing a model for water resources and policy analysis.
Al-Adamat R. 2008. GIS as a decision support system for siting water harvesting ponds in the basalt aquifer/ne Jordan. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management 10(2): 189-206.
Reducing water demand is crucial in water scarce nations such as Jordan. A current management strategy consideration in Jordan that can potentially curb demand in the agricultural sector involves the construction of water harvesting ponds, which would provide water for livestock watering and thereby reduce pressures on the already limited water resources of the aquifer. GIS was used for this study to locate ideal sites for potential water harvesting ponds; this information can assist policy makers and water managers with future planning of these projects. Using ArcMap, the buffer and union tools and the raster calculator were applied to the hydrologic and socio-economic data for the aquifer region. The analyses yielded 72 different potential water harvesting pond locations. This information will prove useful to managers, and save valuable time and money. This study demonstrated that simple GIS tools (rather than complex models) can be utilized for water policy.
Assaf H. and Saadeh M. 2008. Assessing water quality management options in the Upper Litani Basin, Lebanon using an integrated GIS-based decision support system. Environmental Modeling and Software 23: 1327-1337.
Water in the Upper Litani Basin is unsuitable for most uses, due to the consistent dumping of untreated wastewater into the system. The Lebanese government and NGO efforts in the country would like to create wastewater treatment facilities to improve conditions. Currently, there are two alternative strategies proposed—one by the Lebanese government, which is a large-scale wastewater treatment plan that includes major cities but excludes smaller towns, and one by USAID, which is a decentralized, community-based plan that aims to include the smaller towns. GIS was used for this study as part of an integrated decision support system (DSS) to help policy makers assess and evaluate the alternative management strategies in order to determine the best possible course of action. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model, which involves policy, water resources, and financial variables, is able to graphically represent multiple natural and human-related variables across broad spatial scales. The WEAP model was used to analyze three scenarios—1) no change in practices, 2) the Lebanese government’s plan of action, and 3) the USAID decentralized plan of action. Using this GIS-based system, the researchers were able to draw scientific conclusions pertaining to which management plan will produce the greatest benefit with the least cost. They concluded that the USAID plan would be the best wastewater management plan for the Upper Litani Basin. This study is an excellent example of how GIS can be used to consider multiple variables concurrently, and therefore weigh costs and benefits of various policies.
Cluckie I.D., Park J.S., Christian R., and Candy H. 2003. An integrated approach to river basin management based on EU Water Framework Directive using GIS and remote sensing. River Basin Management 2: 449-460.
This study used GIS to analyze data related to basin water management in order to determine focal areas for water quantity and quality management. The authors use the river basin as the unit of analysis, as the EU Water Framework Directive acknowledges that surface and ground waters are connected at the basin level, and thus water policies should follow basin delineation rather than political boundaries. GIS was used to analyze data pertaining to catchment management, flood risk management, socio-economics, nature, water quality, and EU Directive data. The goal was to create a long-term dynamic analysis approach that will allow managers to conduct repetitive analyses as conditions change. The authors conclude that GIS was an essential component of their analysis, and will prove useful at multi-disciplinary approaches to watershed management. This study demonstrated how multiple variables or “layers” can be analyzed at once, encompassing not only geospatial data but also socio-economic data.
Lant C.L., Kraft S.E., Beaulieu J., Bennett D., Loftus T., and Nicklow J. 2005. Using GIS-based ecological-economic modeling to evaluate policies affecting agricultural watersheds. Ecological Economics 55: 467-484.
This study used GIS to examine both ecological and economic consequences of various policies related to agriculture, namely ecosystem service-based subsidies such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), using Illinois as a case study. The authors created a spatial decision support system (SDSS), which uses Arcview to link the GEOLP and AGNPS models. This analysis allowed the authors to determine implications of both farm policy and watershed planning, as well as the benefits of combining the two policy arenas. This paper demonstrated how GIS can be used to directly determine water policy implications. This approach may prove very useful in U.S. water policy planning decisions, and could potentially be applied abroad as well.
McKinney D.C. and Ximing C. 2002. Linking GIS and water resources management models: an object oriented method. Environmental Modeling and Software 17: 413-425.
GIS can spatially represent water resource systems, as well as represent social, economic, and environmental factors related to those systems. However, predictive and analytical dimensions are necessary for water management that may be beyond the capacity of GIS systems alone—linking GIS with mathematical models can bridge this gap. This study examined the Kashkadarya River basin in the Aral Sea region as extensive environmental problems exist there. The research involved creating a conceptual GIS data model coupled with a river basin model, and linking the two into a single database using GIS. This allowed the researchers to include both physical and policy attributes in the analysis. According to the authors, this process allows for great flexibility in modeling analysis. This study showed how mathematics and GIS can be combined to influence the water policy arena.
Rangzan K., Charchi A., Abshirini E., and Dinger J. 2008. Remote sensing and GIS approach for water well site selection, southwest Iran. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience 14(4): 315-326.
In order to develop the Pabdeh-Lali Anticline of northern Khuzestan province in southern Iran, groundwater resources must be utilized, because surface water supplies are scarce—Iran only receives an average of 240 mm of rain per year—and already to agriculture and municipalities. For this study, GIS and remote sensing technologies were used together to determine where the most potentially productive well locations would be. By creating various shapefiles, such as spring location and groundwater quality, and analyzing these with remotely sensed data, the researchers were able to locate 43 ideal well locations for the region. This study demonstrated how various spatial data capture methods can be used together to locate water sources, and thus potentially impact policy decisions pertaining to well locations.
Schluter M. and Ruger N. 2007. Application of a GIS-based simulation tool to illustrate implications of uncertainties for water management in the Amudarya river delta. Environmental Modeling and Software 22: 158-166.
GIS-based simulation tools allow managers to test “what if” scenarios for a broad range of potential resulting consequences of management decisions, including social or ecological impacts. They can also help managers predict how results will differ based on unforeseen influences to water systems, such as climate change or socio-economic developments. The GIS-based simulation tool TUGAI was developed specifically to represent relationships between alternative management practices and resulting ecological impacts on the Amudarya river delta (Aral Sea region) in order to determine best management practices and help develop new strategies. Three modules are linked together in ArcView—a water optimization model (algorithm), a habitat suitability model (composite index), and the GIS-based simulations of dynamic environmental variables (multiple regression)—allowing ecological implications to the system over a 30-year period to be assessed. This tool allows for many different scenarios to be examined, highlighting which management decisions will likely yield the “best” results, and how natural and anthropogenic changes will affect those decisions. Therefore, policy makers can ideally make more scientifically informed decisions pertaining to water management. This study showed how GIS can be used to incorporate changing conditions into an analysis of water resources.
The Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database. Oregon State University and the Institute for Water and Watersheds. http://www.transboundarywaters. orst.edu/database
This website contains a plethora of data sets that can be used to conduct GIS analyses of water resources, as well as metadata and background information on nearly every shared world basin. Spatial data included on this site are “Transboundary Freshwater Spatial Database”, comprised of biophysical, socio-economic, and geopolitical data, and “Atlas of International Freshwater Agreements”, comprised mainly of thematic maps. This website is an excellent reference point for accessing world spatial data, as that data can be difficult to locate and retrieve independently.
The World Bank. 2007. Making the Most of Scarcity: Accountability for Better Water Management in the Middle East and North Africa. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Washington.
This book examines the issue of water scarcity that the MENA nations all face, which is primarily related to lack of surface water resources as well as the allocation of around 80% of supplies to agriculture. GIS is used to analyze various climatic, physical, and socio-economic conditions of the region, and multiple map layouts are presented in the book. This book shows how powerful of a tool GIS can be to portray major concerns related to water resources. The GIS-based analyses can be used to inform policy makers where their efforts should be concentrated in terms of curbing water demand or increasing water supply.
