Development of a tool for digital terrain analysis

Daria Rapoport

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

Component of many hydrological applications using digital terrain models is the calculation of flow accumulation and specific catchment area, which are broadly used conceptions in hydrological modelling.The goal of this diploma thesis was a proposal of tools for calculation of flow accumulation and specific catchment area by Multiple Flow Direction (MFD) algorithm as more appropriate for many hydrological applications then Single Flow Direction algorithm built-in in ArcGIS. The toolset should serve as an educational and research tool at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, CULS, but not only there.The theoretical part of the thesis gives examples of digital terrain models applications in general and in hydrology, summarizes basic methods that define flow direction and flow accumulation of surface runoff in grid-based terrain models and their significance for hydrological modelling. Selected methods and their implementations are described in details in methodological part of the thesis. The tools were created in Python language and may be used in ArcGIS interface.The functionality of the toolset was tested on a coarse-resolution hydrologically correct digital terrain model of basin Moravian Dyje and simulation results has been extensively compared to those produced by Single Flow direction algorithm. It is suggested that created toolset would be developed further in direction of calculation of additional related terrain attributes (e.g.Topographic Wetness Index), river network extraction with MFD, dealing with flat and sink areas in input DEM, and other flow direction algorithms implementation.

Keywords

Digital terrain analysis, ArcGIS, Multiple Flow Direction, Python, GIS

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 17. 4. 2016

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: Ing. Vojtěch Barták, Ph.D.

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta životního prostředí

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Krajinné inženýrství / Land and Water Management