A web based interface for distributed short-term soil moisture forecasts

Abstract

Agricultural non-point source (NPS) pollution is a source of water quality impairment, and demonstrates widely varying spatial and temporal pollution potential. Many efforts to protect water quality are based on seasonal and annual estimates of pollutant loss potential (NRCS 590 nutrient management standard, P-Index) that inadequately address the hydrologic processes driving NPS pollution. One barrier to adopting practices that address NPS pollution is a lack of tools capable of transferring information at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution so that end-users can make informed decisions. We introduce a web-based system displaying distributed hydrologic forecasts using free and open source software. The system consists of three primary components: (1) a hydrology model that provides short-term distributed forecasts; (2) a data structure capable of re-structuring large, high resolution rasters; (3) an interface employing adaptive map-viewing technology that allows end-users to interact with the data to avoid high-risk areas when planning agricultural practices.