Optimization of digital river network and its impact on catchment water management

Digital river network dataset is an important source of information in any aspect of water management decision making. It is also a base for modelling or scientific research in many different fields. Development of the dataset in the Czech Republic had been fragmented in a past and as a result three different datasets have been developed that cover the whole of the state's territory. The datasets contain different geometries, different and often conflicting attributes and serve different purposes. Today the time has come that water management decision makers have realised that the situation is no longer sustainable and make effort to merge the datasets into one. The task brings in several technical issues and a potential for severe legal consequences. The aim of this study is to develop a methodological approach to merging the existing datasets into one. This methodological approach to decision which of the conflicting or different attributes should be adopted is based on assumption that the existing datasets will be merged into one consisting the best of all. Comparison of features in the existing dataset will inevitably lead to many conflicts when it will be necessary to decide which of the considered features should be adopted to the resulting dataset. The study considers the main purposes which..