Interfacing soil erosion models for the World Wide Web

Hall, D.E.; Elliot, W.J. 2001. Interfacing soil erosion models for the World Wide Web. In: Ghassemi, F.; Post, D.; Sivapalan, M.; Vertessy, R. (eds.). Proceedings Volume 1: Natural Systems (Part One) of MODSIM 2001 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 10-13 December 2001. The Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand. p. 179-184.

Keywords: Water Erosion Prediction Project; WEPP; CLIGEN; PRISM; FS WEPP

Links: HTML

Abstract: Soil erosion models have been under development since the late 1930s. Technologies for prediction began with simple tables and equations culminating in the 1950s with the Universal Soil Loss Equation. In the 1960s, digital computers allowed scientists to model the processes that cause erosion. These early models required complex databases and a high degree of user skill to operate; therefore they were used primarily by the research community. One such process-based erosion model is the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model. The USDA Forest Service wanted to use WEPP but found, following a number of workshops, that the model was too complex for field specialists to use. To capture the scientific capabilities of WEPP for Forest Service users, specialized interfaces were developed (using HTML, Perl and JavaScript) to allow users to run WEPP over the Internet using a standard browser. Alternatively, with the addition of a small web server application, the same specialized interfaces and erosion and climate models can be installed on personal computers for users without Internet access. The user generates site characterization data and climate data by running the CLIGEN program using several large climate databases. These data are used by the WEPP erosion model to predict runoff, upland erosion, and hillslope sediment delivery. The displays of the results from the WEPP model are designed to meet user needs. These interfaces to WEPP are rapidly gaining acceptance by specialists in the Forest Service and many other agencies and universities. Similar interfaces are under development for cropland and rangeland applications of the WEPP model and for slope stability modeling.

Moscow FSL publication no. 2001a