Deriving Hydrological Response Units (HRUs) using a Web Processing Service implementation based on GRASS GIS

Authors

  • Christian Schwartze Department of Geography – Chair of Geoinformatics, Geohydrology and Modelling University Jena

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14311/gi.3.6

Keywords:

QGIS, GRASS, WPS, PyWPS, Web Processing Service, Python, HRU, Hydrological Response Units

Abstract

QGIS releases equal to or newer than 0.7 can easily connected to GRASS GIS by means of a toolbox that provides a wide range of standard GRASS modules you can launch – albeit only on data coming from GRASS. This QGIS plugin is expandable through XML configurations describing the assignment of options and inputs for a certain module. But how about embedding a precise workflow where the several processes don’t consist of a single GRASS module by force? Especially for a sequence of dependent tasks it makes sense to merge relevant GRASS functionality into an own and encapsulated QGIS extension. Its architecture and development is tested and combined with the Web Processing Service (WPS) for remote execution using the concept of hydrological response units (HRUs) as an example. The results of this assay may be suitable for discussing and planning other wizard-like geoprocessing plugins in QGIS that also should make use of an additional GRASS server.

References

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Neteler, M. and Mitášová H. (2008): Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach, Third Edition, Springer, ISBN 978-0-387-35767-6

Pfennig, B.; Fink M.; Krause P.; M¨ uller Schmied H. (2006): Leitfaden f¨ ur die Ableitung prozeßorientierter Modelleinheiten (HRU’s) f¨ ur die hydrologische Modellierung

Staudenrausch, H. (2001): Untersuchungen zur hydrologischen Topologie von Landschaftsobjekten fur die distributive Flußeinzugsgebietsmodellierung. Dissertationsschrift. Jena

http://www.qgis.org/ – QuantumGIS

http://grass.itc.it/ – Geographic Resources Analysis Support System

http://pywps.wald.intevation.org/ – Python Web Processing Service

http://markus.metz.giswork.googlepages.com/r.watershed fast version.tar.gz – Metz, M. (2008): r.watershed.fast

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Published

2008-04-12

Issue

Vol. 3 (2008)

Section

Articles

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