You are here:
AUTOMATED GEOSPATIAL WATERSHED ASSESSMENT (AGWA): A GIS-BASED TOOL FOR WATERSHED ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING
Citation:
Guertin, D. P., D. C. 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 TOOL FOR WATERSHED ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING. Presented at Soil and Water Conservation Society, 2008 Annual Cofnerence, Tucson, AZ, July 26 - 30, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation
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 models. 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. 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 also has tools to apply an array of best management practices. 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 for users with ESRI ArcGIS 9.x. For more information on AGWA visit website located at: http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/agwa/ or http://www.epa.gov/nerlesd1/land-sci/agwa/index.htm.