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AUTOMATED GEOSPATIAL WATERSHED ASSESSMENT (AGWA): A GIS-BASED HYRDOLOGIC MODELING TOOL FOR WATERSHED ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS
Citation:
GUERTIN, P., D. GOODRICH, W. G. KEPNER, D. J. SEMMENS, M. HERNADEZ, S. BURNS, A. CATE, L. LEVICK, AND S. MILLER. AUTOMATED GEOSPATIAL WATERSHED ASSESSMENT (AGWA): A GIS-BASED HYRDOLOGIC MODELING TOOL FOR WATERSHED ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS. Presented at American Water Resources Association, 2007 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, November 12 - 15, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
Healthy Communities and Ecosystems - by providing ecosystem research and methods development at multiple scales, utilizing landscape ecology and associated techniques
Description:
The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool (AGWA) is a GIS interface jointly
developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the University of Arizona, and the University of Wyoming to automate the
parameterization and execution of the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and KINEmatic
Runoff and EROSion (KINEROS2) hydrologic models. The application of these two models
allows AGWA to conduct hydrologic modeling and watershed assessments at multiple temporal
and spatial scales. AGWA's current outputs are runoff (volumes and peaks) and sediment yield,
plus nitrogen and phosphorus with the SWAT model. AGWA uses commonly available GIS
data layers to fully parameterize, execute, and visualize results from both SWAT and
KINEROS2. Through an intuitive interface the user selects an outlet from which AGWA
delineates and discretizes the watershed using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) based on the
individual model requirements. The watershed model elements are then intersected with soils
and land cover data layers to derive the requisite model input parameters. AGWA can currently
use STATSGO, SSURGO and FAO soils and nationally available NLCD land-cover/use data.
Users are also provided the capability to utilize their own classified land-cover/use data. The
chosen model is then executed, and the results are imported back into AGWA for visualization.
This allows managers to identify potential problem areas where additional monitoring can be
undertaken or mitigation activities can be focused. AGWA can difference results from multiple
simulations to examine relative change from alternative input scenarios (e.g. climate/storm
change, land-cover change, present conditions and alternative futures). In addition, a variety of
new capabilities are being incorporated into AGWA including pre- and post-fire watershed
assessment, options for user-defined land-cover and climate change, implementation of stream
buffer zones, and installation of retention and detention structures. There are currently two
versions of AGWA available; AGWA 1.5 for users with Environmental Systems Research
Institute (ESRI) ArcView 3.x and AGWA 2.0, released in Fall, 2007, for users with ESRI
ArcGIS 9.x. For more information on AGWA visit the AGWA website located at:
http://www.epa.gov/nerlesd1/land-sci/agwa/index.htm or htp://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/agwa/.