USE OF A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION-SYSTEM IN SITE-SPECIFIC GROUNDWATER MODELING

Ground-water modeling is hindered, in general, by the lack of adequate information about the ground-water system and hence the need for an interactive and efficient system for data preparation and results analysis. Such a lack of information usually necessitates the use of a tedious iterative methodology within a sensitivity analysis scheme. This study facilitates modeling efforts by using the data-handling and graphical capabilities of a geographic information system in site-specific, numerical modeling of ground-water resources. Data for the island of Oahu, Hawaii, are given to illustrate the approach. The modeling procedure is integrated within the GIS as an item in the main menu. A USGS model, known as MOC, is linked into the system and applied to a case study to illustrate the procedure. The linkage is generic in nature and can be extended to other models as well. The availability of a programming language in the GIS package facilitates pre- and post-processing efforts within custom-made dialogue boxes and pull-down menus. On-line help screens for modeling as well as data handling can also be designed.