Implementing best management practices in hydrologic modeling using KINEROS and the Automates Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool

Abstract

This thesis discusses the development of rangeland and watershed management tools for a GIS-based watershed assessment tool, the Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment Tool (AGWA). AGWA utilizes nationally available datasets for watershed discretization, parameterization, and simulation. The tool was developed to examine the impacts of natural or anthropogenically caused land use and landcover change. The tools developed as part of this research address management actions by integrating scenario development for best management practices, including buffers and state and transition modeling. Other tools improve existing functionality for landcover modification and KINEROS simulation. Finally, new methods for defining watersheds were developed. The components were shown to be effective for developing scenarios to compare best management practices.