An integrated approach to snowmelt flood forecasting in water resource management

Water scarcity and floods are the major challenges for human society both present and future. Effective and scientific management of water resources requires a good understanding of water cycles, and a systematic integration of observations can lead to better prediction results. This paper presents an integrated approach to water resource management based on geoinformatics including technologies such as Remote Sensing (RS), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Enterprise Information Systems (EIS), and cloud services. The paper introduces a prototype IIS called Water Resource Management Enterprise Information System (WRMEIS) that integrates functions such as data acquisition, data management and sharing, modeling, and knowledge management. A system called SFFEIS (Snowmelt Flood Forecasting Enterprise Information System) based on the WRMEIS structure has been implemented. It includes operational database, Extraction-Transformation-Loading (ETL), information warehouse, temporal and spatial analysis, simulation/prediction models, knowledge management, and other functions. In this study, a prototype water resource management IIS is developed which integrates geoinformatics, EIS, and cloud service. It also proposes a novel approach to information management that allows any participant play the role as a sensor as well as a contributor to the information warehouse. Both users and public play the role for providing data and knowledge. This study highlights the crucial importance of a systematic approach toward IISs for effective resource and environment management. 2005-2012 IEEE