Going Open Source: Migrating EPA’s BASINS to MapWindow Open Source GIS

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Going Open SourceMigrating EPAs BASINS to
MapWindow Open Source GIS

• Dr. Daniel P. Ames
• Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University
• 2005 Intermountain GIS Conference
• Pocatello, Idaho

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Outline

• What is BASINS?
• Why consider open source GIS?
• What is MapWindow?
• What is the approach?
• What are the challenges and anticipated benefits?

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What is BASINS?

• Better Assessment Science Integrating point and
  Non-point Sources
• GIS-based watershed modeling and data analysis
  software
• Built by EPA to support watershed approaches such
  as TMDL
• Includes spatial and temporal data for the United
  States, analysis tools and models

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SETAC GIS WQ Short Course, 2002
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BASINS 3.1 GIS Interface
Ties all software components together through
ArcView 3.x and extensions.
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BASINS Spatial Data

• Drinking water supply sites
• Dam sites
• EPA region boundaries
• State boundaries
• County boundaries
• DEM (shape and grid)
• Ecoregions
• NAQWA study unit boundaries
• Managed area database (Federal and Indian Lands)
• Soil (STATSGO)

• Land use and land cover (shape and grid)
• Urbanized areas
• Populated place locations
• Reach file 1
• Reach file 3
• National Hydrographic Data (NHD)
• Major roads
• USGS hydrologic unit boundaries (accounting and
  catalog units)

Courtesy of Tetra Tech Inc.
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BASINS Utilities and Tools

• Automatic data downloader and software updater
• Spatial data NED DEM, NLCD land cover, NHD
  stream networks.
• Temporal data USGS streamflow, STORET water
  quality.
• Automatic updater for software updates.
• Data analysis tools
• Target to summarize data by watershed in a
  region
• Assess to summarize stream quality in a
  specific watershed
• Data Mining to link stations to water quality
  and monitoring records
• Watershed delineation tools to identify watershed
  boundaries and contributing areas
• Manual - heads-up digitizing based on elevation
  polygons
• Automatic raster DEM based algorithms for
  finding watersheds

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Data Extractor
Web-linked tool to set up a new BASINS Project
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Downloading BASINS Core Data
Once a watershed HUC is selected, the software
downloads all of the base GIS and observation
data forthat watershed.
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Web Data Download Tool
Additional data can be automatically downloaded
from various web-sites and integrated with the
base dataset.
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Automatic Software Updates
A software updater checks for software updates
which can include bug fixes as well as new
analysis tools and models.
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Models in BASINS

• Multiple Objectives
• Source assessment
• Receiving water evaluation
• Various Scales
• Local scale
• Watersheds
• Basins
• Various Levels of Complexity
• Screening
• Detailed

Courtesy of Tetra Tech Inc.
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Models in BASINS

• PLOAD export coefficient based lumped model
• Steady state, spatial, fit, deterministic.
• Screening level model for looking for spatial
  trends in water quality based on land cover type
• SWAT soil water accounting tool
• Dynamic, spatio-temporal, process, deterministic.
• Agriculture-centered watershed model
• HSPF hydrologic simulation program FORTRAN
• Dynamic, spatio-temporal, process, deterministic.
• Primarily hydrologic process model with water
  quality components.

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Simple Models in BASINSPLOAD Export Coef. Model

• LP ?U(LPU AU)
• Where
• LP Pollutant load, lbs
• LPU Pollutant loading rate for land
  use type u, lbs/acre/year and
• AU Area of land use type u, acres

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PLOAD Output Options
Total pollutant loads by watershed map and
table Pollutant loads per acre by watershed
map and table Event Mean Concentration (EMC) by
watershed map and table
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Complex Models in BASINS
Landuse and pollutant specific Data
Landscape data
Point Sources
Windows interface
GIS
Core Model
Post Processing
Courtesy of Tetra Tech Inc.
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BASINS Architecture

• GIS-based main user interface
• Currently ArcView 3.x
• Spatial data stored as shapefiles
• Temporal data stored in binary wdm files
• All key functions exist in dynamic link libraries
  (DLLs) and executables
• Tight integration ArcView extension provides
  the GUI and calls functions in a DLL
• Loose integration ArcView extension prepares
  input files and launches external executable

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BASINS 4.0

• Due Spring 2006 (prime contractor Aqua Terra
  Consultants)
• Builds off BASINS 3.1
• Significant restructuring
• No third party dependencies or purchase
  requirements
• MapWindow Application and Plug-in Architecture

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Why Open Source GIS?

• Original intent of EPA was to provide all
  software and data freely because it is a
  federally financed project.
• However No PC-based free or open source GIS
  alternatives in 1996.

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Why Open Source GIS?

• Software code licensed under the Mozilla Public
  License can be used for both commercial and
  non-commercial applications.
• Allows user-developers to access update and
  improve core GIS and model functionality.

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Why Open Source GIS?

• Increased distribution and use of BASINS
  including internationally.
• Since MapWindow was released as open source in
  January 2005, download bandwidth from
  www.MapWindow.com has increased from 1 GB per
  month to about 15 GB per month.

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Open Source GIS Options

• www.OpenSourceGIS.org lists 189 projects (not
  MapWindow!!).
• www.FreeGIS.org lists 235 projects (yes MapWindow
  ?)
• Mostly data conversion, reading and writing
  libraries, specific viewers, web tools and
  Linux/Unix tools.

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What is MapWindow?

• A Programmable Geographic Information System
  that supports
• Manipulation and viewing of GIS data
• Analysis of GIS data and attributes
• Custom GIS modeling
• Custom GIS application development

http//www.MapWindow.com/
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Why MapWindow?

• We needed a spatial component for our modeling
  and data analysis projects to support
• Manipulation and editing of spatial data sets
• Manipulation and editing of attribute data
• Development of custom models using GIS
• We couldnt find a freely distributable GIS that
  was functional enough to support the functions
  and types of analysis we needed
• So...with help from several funding sources
  including the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) we
  built MapWindow

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Data DistributionOption 1

• Build a MapWindow Project and distribute it with
  the free MapWindow GIS application
• The MapWindow application is a stand alone
  software that is freely distributable along with
  your data

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Base MapWindow Functionality

• Map area for displaying data
• Legend and editor for creating custom color
  schemes for layers
• Toolbar and buttons to create, save, and open
  MapWindow Project files
• Toolbar buttons for adding and removing layers
  from the map
• Toolbar button for selecting features
• Toolbar buttons for navigating the map (zoom in,
  zoom out, zoom to a layer, pan, etc.)
• Toolbar button to Print the current map
• Preview Map

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Custom MapWindow Plug-insDistribute data
analysis functionality with your data

• Water Quality Analyst
• Streamflow Analyst
• PhotoViewer
• TIN Builder/Viewer
• Grid Wizard
• Model Manager
• Terrain AnalysisUsing DEMs (TAUDEM)

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For Example Watershed Information System
Launch button
Plug-in List
Map Area
VB Plug-in
MapWindow App
Plug-in Functions
Legend
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Data Distribution Option 2

• Use the MapWinGIS ActiveX control to create your
  own custom tool
• The core MapWindow component is a programming
  object that can be added to a form in Visual
  Basic or other languages supporting ActiveX

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MapWinGIS ActiveX Control

• Open, create, and save geo-referenced image,
  grid, shapefile, triangular irregular network,
  and dbf attribute data
• View, label, color, highlight, shapefile data on
  the map
• Perform spatial queries on the data
• Search for features with specific attributes
• Dynamically edit the spatial data and immediately
  see the changes in the map
• Interact with the data through the map
• Build TINs from Grids, Images from Grids, Shape
  files from TINs and Grids, Grids from Shape
  files, etc.

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Watershed Tools at USU Pre-BASINS

• Nooksack River DSS, WA
• Virgin River DSS, UT
• Big Lost River DSS, ID
• Watershed Information Systems
• Newton Reservoir, UT
• Otter Creek, UT
• Echo Reservoir, UT
• Strawberry Reservoir, UT
• Others

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Plug-in Development Comparison
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ActiveX Control Comparison
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The Approach

• Customize the MapWindow application interface
  using the XML configuration file
• Build BASINS functionality as MapWindow plug-ins
• Link to external DLLs and EXEs as needed (i.e.
  models).
• Embed MapWinGIS ActiveX in some of these as
  needed to provide support maps in specific tools.

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XML Configuration File
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BASINS MapWindow Plug-ins

• BASINS plug-ins will include
• Project management
• Software updater
• Data downloader
• Data analysis
• Models
• All functions that were previously contained in
  ArcView 3.x extensions

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MapWindow Plug-ins Interface
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Challenges

• Although BASINS only uses a relatively small
  number of GIS functions, not all have not been
  implemented in MapWindow (i.e. clip, mosaic)
• Use existing free and open source libraries where
  possible
• General Polygon Clipper (GPC)
• TAUDEM for watershed delineation

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Challenges

• Projections Love em or leave em?
• Read and write ESRI .prj files
• Projection libraries proj4
• Data formats Personal Geodatabase? MrSid?
  GeoTiff? JPEG2000?
• Use other open source and free libraries.
• GDAL

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Anticipated Benefits

• Finally realize the original goal of EPA in the
  development and distribution of a fully open and
  free modeling and data analysis system.
• User community will add and share new functions,
  models, analyses, data viewers, etc.

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Acknowledgements

• Paul B. Duda, John L. Kittle, Jr., Mark H. Gray,
  Paul R. Hummel Aqua Terra Consultants
• Russell S. Kinerson, Paul Cocca, David Wells,
  Marjorie Wellman, Ed Partington, Lauren
  MacWilliams EPA Office of Science and
  Technology
• Kurt Wolfe EPA Ecosystems Research Division
  Athens, GA
• Shane Cherry, Ron Rope Idaho National
  Laboratory
• David Tarboton, Jeff Horsburgh Utah State
  University

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• Whats next?