VTEI / Informatics, cartography in water management

Informatics, cartography in water management

Graphical use of AI

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In the June VTEI issue, we got familiar with the AI tool ChatGPT in the form of an “interview”. We continue with the topic of artificial intelligence and this time we present experiences with a more “visual” tool. Our intention was to create different visualizations of the situation using text input, the so-called “prompt”, or from a master photo, for example a watercourse restoration or the idea of building a water tower in the country-side. But before we get to the visualizations themselves, let us say a few words about this topic.

Development of pond locations in the Polabí lowland since the mid-19th century – part 1 – Pardubice region

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This article focuses on mapping the development of the lowland landscape over the last 180 years, related to pressures to use lowland areas for economic purposes, including transformation of wetland habitats (specifically ponds) into arable land.  The Polabí lowland was chosen as the study area because it is currently affected by a lack of water and there is an occurrence of seasonal drying up of small watercourses. This issue will probably be of greater significance in the future, particularly in the context of the expected continued extreme climatic phenomena. Within the Polabí lowland, the results from the Pardubice region (where the biggest change in pond locations occur) are presented here. The area of all types of ponds (according to their stability) makes up 6.83 % of the study area. According to their occurrence from the Second Military Mapping (1836–1852) up to 2022, the ponds were divided into disappeared, continuous, and new. Disappeared ponds have the largest representation – about two-thirds of the total pond area according to stability. They are followed by continuous ponds, and the smallest area is represented by new ponds. The historical, or more precisely, disappeared ponds were more robust than the present ones, i.e., they had a larger average size. Analyses show that almost half of the disappeared ponds have been replaced by arable land.

AI – our first interview

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The idea of interviewing artificial intelligence was brought to us by an article from a completely different field than our water management. However, we also had the idea to test the current level of artificial intelligence on topics that are close to our field. Based on examples of questions and generated answers, you can judge for yourself how useful this tool is in water management. The structure of the questions is built from the simplest to the most complicated in the form of comments on the results of forecasting models, or the effectiveness and efficiency of legal regulations and directives. ChatGPT was chosen for communication. However, if one does not try this tool, one has no idea what it is; it is then up to you to assess the interview itself.

Landscape changes in selected locations of the Polabí lowlands with a focus on wetlands

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This article presents three typologically different sites from Polabí where large-scale wetland sites were located in the past, including ponds. These sites were chosen in order to present disappeared floodplain meadows, disappeared “field” wetlands, disappeared ponds or pond systems, and, simultaneously, to present sites where wetland habitats have been at least partially restored. The main aim was to present easily accessible archival maps, on the basis of which it is possible to assess the spatio-temporal dynamics of wetland habitats in the places of disappeared wetlands with regard to their possible restoration.

Use and popularisation of historical and current water management sources of information for the development of an environmentally friendly society

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Since time immemorial, research in all scientific fields has brought countless new information and broadened the spectrum of current knowledge. In the past, research was made more difficult by the then possibilities of disseminating newly acquired knowledge. Many scientists in the world have asked
the same questions, proposed and tested similar hypotheses, obtained similar scientific results, and reached their own unique conclusions. The problem was the very limited possibility of sharing this new information, thus the possibility of their mutual use and very often their preservation and availability to
future generations. It is safe to say that in the history of science, a huge amount of knowledge and information was discovered that was not used enough, was discovered repeatedly, or was completely lost.

River ferries on old topographic maps

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Medium and large rivers have been a major obstacle to historic trade routes and trails. River ferries were one of the main ways to cross them, so their locations were considered points of strategic importance. Using old topographic
maps of Austrian military mapping from 1763–1768, 1836–1852, 1876–1880, Prussian military maps from 1825 and 1877 and Czechoslovak military maps from 1953–1957, we systematically located ferries throughout the current territory of the Czechia.

Citation analysis of VTEI

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The citation rate of a journal is considered an indicator of the quality of the journal.
In this study, the citation analysis of the VTEI journal is presented. The citation
analysis was conducted to identify the countries and institutions of authors
who cite articles published in VTEI and the subject areas in which articles published
in VTEI are cited.

Development of citations of the magazine VTEI

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This article is available in Czech only. For translation or more information on this topic, please contact author. Časopis Vodohospodářské technicko-ekonomické informace (VTEI) vychází již 63 let. Zároveň je to pět let od ukončení spolupráce s časopisem Vodní hospodářství a začátku vydávání časopisu VTEI v současné modernizované podobě. V úvodním slovu k číslu 4–5/2015, jež… Read more »

The analysis of agricultural landscape development shown on selected cadastral districts in the upper part of the Výrovka River basin

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V tomto článku jsou ve vybraných katastrálních územích s převažující plochou zemědělské půdy porovnávány aktuální land use a struktura krajiny s historickým stavem z podkladů Císařských povinných otisků stabilního katastru. Jsou zde nastíněny možnosti využití analýz historického vývoje krajiny ke krajinné obnově v zemědělských oblastech, zejména s ohledem na obnovu mokřadních ekosystémů a revitalizaci vodních toků.

Support for open data, data sharing and data articles

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Výzkumný ústav vodohospodářský T. G. Masaryka jakožto vydavatel časopisu Vodohospodářské technicko-ekonomické informace (VTEI) a zároveň veřejná výzkumná organizace v rezortu Ministerstva životního prostředí dlouhodobě podporuje otevřený přístup k datům a sdílení datových sad pro využití dalšími uživateli. Již od roku 2001 jsou na internetu dostupné datové sady vodního hospodářství zahrnuté do Hydro-ekologického informačního systému (HEIS), který VÚV vyvíjí již od 90. let [1]. Naplňuje tak Národní strategii otevřeného přístupu ČR k vědeckým informacím na léta 2017–2020, kterou Vláda České republiky schválila 14. června 2017 [2] a jež navazuje na už dříve deklarované potřeby a výhody sdílení vědeckých a odborných dat.

Automatic watershed delineation in the Czech Republic using ArcGIS Pro

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Manual watershed delineation by watershed divides has traditionally been performed by means of an analysis of topographic maps and contour lines. With the availability of digital elevation models, watershed and streams delineation is performed automatically, which reduces the time spent on manual delineation. In this study, we introduce the process of automatic delineation and the models available within the toolbox Arc Hydro Tool Pro, created by the company ESRI for the ArcGIS Pro software. Automatic delineation was implemented by means of different methods for selected watersheds in the Czech Republic, varying in area and elevation.

Zero isochion in the framework of geomorphological regions in Czechia: its extraction from the MODIS imagery and its dynamics

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Since December 2012, during every winter season, the altitude of the zero isochion (snowline) has been determined at the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute for the purposes of operational hydrology. The reason is the estimation of the amount of water stored in snow cover, which is inevitable activity for Czech hydrologists who naturally want their forecasting models to give relevant results. In order to get a better idea about current spatial distribution of snow cover in Czechia, the information on the zero isochion has been extracted from the MODIS imagery coming from the Terra satellite.

Practical examples of using GIS in hydrology at the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute

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GIS technologies are widely used in the Hydrology Department of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI). The processing of geospatial data, which are used in hydrology for analytical tasks, and the development of GIS technologies in the last two decades have contributed to the spread of GIS in the CHMI practice. The use of GIS tools is shown in four examples. The first one focuses on the creation of GIS data. The second example concerns the preparation of input source data for the derivation of the hydrological characteristics of M-day discharge, which, according to Czech Standard 75 1400 Surface water hydrological data, are among the basic hydrological data. The third example describes the use of GIS in the preparation of hydrological assessments according to the above-mentioned standard (75 1400), which usually result in M-day or N-year-flood discharges in a specified profile of a certain watercourse. The fourth example focuses on the use of GIS in operational hydrological service, specifically in the development of the Flash Flood Indicator, which determines the level of risk of flash flood formation or occurrence based on current land saturation and radar rainfall estimates.

IAHS International Commission on Remote Sensing

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The International Commission on Remote Sensing (ICRS), as one of the current ten scientific commissions under the umbrella of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS; [1]), has emerged as a logical response to the availability of spatial data associated with the launch of the first satellites in the 1970s that were designed to observe the Earth’s landscape sphere from space, providing a completely new perspective in which the spatial extent of the territory under observation played the major role.

GIS and cartography at the T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute

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Geographic information systems (GIS), data processing, evaluation and interpretation are an essential and integral part of research at present as most information can be related to a specific location on the Earth’s surface. The GIS and Cartography Department at the T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute deals with research and commercial projects by means of the application of GIS tools.

Problematics of archive map data interpretation, specifically the wetland habitats

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The article presents available on-line archive maps from the websites of the Archive of the Surveying Office and the Geoinformatics Laboratory of the J. E. Purkyně University, that provide an overview of the historical wetland habi-
tats location. The main research question is to find out the potential use of historical maps for the identification of the historical wetlands in the Czech Republic and the evaluation of various interpretations of wetland habitats based on these sources. Examples of wetlands on historical map data in the upper part of the Výrovka River basin are presented.

Surface Water Status Assessment for the Third Cycle River Basin Management Plan of the Czech Republic

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The aim of this article is to acquaint the professional public with the summary results of the assessment of chemical status and ecological status/potential of surface water bodies “river” and “lake” categories in the Czech Republic for 2016–2018.
This assessment is one from the basis for preparation of the Third River Basin Management Plan (2021–2027) at all its levels: sub-basin plans, national plans, and international plans of the Elbe, Danube, and Oder river basin districts.

The trajectory of wetlands development in the upper part of the Výrovka river basin over the last 180 years

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The article is focused on analysis of the change of wetlands coverage and the representation of various types of wetlands in the upper part of the Výrovka river basin over the last 180 years. The historical maps of the Stable Cadastre, current orthophotographs and GIS layers of actual localization and classification of different types of land cover were used as data sources.

NAVAROSO expert information system

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The article provides information on the development of the NAVAROSO expert information system built for the needs of components active in the event of an emergency situation on the water. It provides the cross-linked data needed to quickly obtain information on the possible causes of deterioration in water quality, procedures to determine the type of pollution and estimate its spread in the watercourse.

The Clean Water – a Healthy City: The usability of the existing information collection system to fulfillment of goals

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The contribution is part of the Clean Water – a Healthy City project, which deals with the prediction of the possible occurrence of hazardous chemicals during the accidental pollution and floods. Lists the databases that are currently on the subject and with their practical applicability.

Mathematical estimation of watercourse bathymetry – Bathy_supp software

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Topographic data play an important role in the hydrodynamic modelling of flood events. An accurate and precise digital elevation model (DEM) with a bathymetric description of the river channel is often required. DEMs can be derived from various data sources, e.g. ground surveying or remote sensing techniques.

Possibilities of using old topographic maps from the years 1763–1768 for evaluating the development of water bodies and the potential for their renewal

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Potential of water areas restoration is a hot topic in present landscape planning. The focus is usually on water areas from mid-19th century where their location is quite good due to maps’ positional accuracy. Yet, we can also use older Austrian military survey from 1763–1768, which enables us to locate dams of water areas and assess potential for restoration of these areas.

Water towers – research project mapping the development and a form of tower water reservoirs on our territory

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The paper presents a summary of input information about the research project Water towers – identification, documentation, presentation, new use. It deals with the development of tower water reservoirs in the present territory of the Czech Republic from the beginning of their creation to the present.

Bathymetric measurement for determination of morphology of water reservoir bottom

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Information and communication technologies are currently one of the decisive factors influencing economic and social development. Similar developments and trends in relation to information and communication technologies can be observed in the field of water management.

The assessment of the status of surface water bodies in the Czech Republic for the period 2013–2015

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This article aims to present to the general public the results of the assessment of the ecological status/potential and chemical status of surface water bodies categories “river“ and “lake“ for the period 2013 to 2015 in the Czech Republic. The assessment was carried out in 2017 by the Water Research Institute of T. G. Masaryk, p. r. i.

Possibilities of extrapolation of digital terrain model raster DMR 5G

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Airborne laser imaging (LiDAR) has been carried out throughout the Czech Republic, enabling the creation of raster of digital model of terrain. This material is widely used in various fields. From the point of view of hydrology demands, however, the shortcoming of this technology resides in the absence of accurate/complete channel topography due to the absorption of the near-infrared laser beams by water.

Surface water body typology category river in the 1st and 2nd cycle of River Basin Management Plans and its consequence to ecological status assessment

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Surface water body delineation and setting a typology are one of the initial steps during Water Framework Directive implementation (WFD) [1]. The first delineation and typology was prepared in 2004–2005 for the first plans, but all the results were significantly changed in the second cycle 2009–2010.