Interdisciplinary web-enabled spatial decision support system for watershed management

The process of integrating discipline-specific hydrologic, economic, and fish health models in the context of a web-enabled spatial decision support system (SDSS), WebL2W is discussed. As part of a larger research project, this component focused on the issues of integrating assessment models with different spatial and temporal resolution and providing an interface and modeling/decision processing environment. Spatial decision support systems and the advantages of internet-based, cross disciplinary modeling for the watershed management decision process are described. The importance of GIS base and derived data is highlighted in conjunction with a description of the hydrologic, economic, and fish health model components. Users interact with the map interface of WebL2W using the Back Creek Basin near Roanoke, Va. as the sample watershed and choose one of four available housing templates as the development mode. Following creation of a suitable development "scenario" for the watershed, the models are executed and results are displayed to the user. Tools, methods, and architecture utilized for construction of the web-enabled SDSS are delineated, and a case study illustrates the functionality of WebL2W.