An open source version of the Nonpoint-Source Pollution and
Erosion Comparison Tool Dave Eslinger, Shan Burkhalter, Matt
Pendleton 10 May, 2012 Slide 2 Outline Background Getting started
Installation Activation Basic analysis Advanced analysis Slide 3
Background Why this tool? Why open source? What does OpenNSPECT do?
What do you need to run it? What does it produce? Who else has used
it? How can you get involved? Slide 4 Why this tool? Hawaii
managers needed a simple, quick screening tool Usable in a public
setting Could run on a laptop Initially applied in Waianae region
in Oahu, Hawaii Pressure from residential development Sensitive
coastal habitats 2004: Esri ArcGIS 8.x extension Updated for 9.0,
9.1, 9.2, 9.3 2011: OpenNSPECT Slide 5 Why Open Source? N-SPECT
Requirements Esri ArcGIS Desktop Spatial Analyst Extension ArcGIS
10 changes Customer requests easy, online and free MapWindow
GeoTools 2007 EPA BASINS Slide 6 Open Source and ESRI versions
Strengths Speed Free Community support Weaknesses Different program
learning curve, anxiety, distrust Some features missing Community
support Slide 7 What does OpenNSPECT do? Water quality screening
tool Spatially distributed (raster-based) pollutant and sediment
yield model Compares the effects of different land cover and land
use scenarios on total yields User friendly graphical interface
within a GIS environment Slide 8 Processes Simulated Topography
determines flow direction and slope Soil characteristics, land
cover, and precipitation determine runoff Runoff, land cover, and
pollutant coefficients determine pollutant loads Runoff,
topography, soil characteristics, and land cover determine sediment
loads Slide 9 Uses Existing Approaches Rainfall runoff Soil
Conservation Service (SCS) curve number technique Nonpoint
pollutant Event mean concentration technique Sediment erosion
Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) Modified (MUSLE) Revised
(RUSLE) Slide 10 Assumptions/Limitations Omitted processes
Stormwater drainage Stream diversions Snowmelt Landslides No time
component for Runoff dynamics Sediment redeposition Pollutant
dynamics Source: NASA Earth Science Enterprise Slide 11 What do you
need to run it? National sources* Land cover data Topography
Precipitation Soils data Pollutant coefficients Rainfall erosivity
Local sources Water quality standards Additional pollutant
coefficients *Local tuning improves accuracy Slide 12 Topography
Defines flow direction, stream networks, watersheds Default U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) 30 m resolution digital elevation model
Resolution impacts processing speed and file size Slide 13 Land
Cover Foundation for runoff quantity, sediment yield, pollutant
yield Default Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) 30 m
resolution Flexible Can easily substitute any land cover grid Slide
14 Soils Runoff and erosion estimates are dependent upon soils and
land cover Default SSURGO soils County level resolution
Infiltration rate Hydrologic group Soil erodibility K-factor Soil
Survey Geographic Database provided by the Natural Resources
Conservation Service Slide 15 Precipitation Derived from point
estimates or modeled OSU PRISM data Annual average Single event
rainfall Slide 16 Pollutants Pollutant coefficients Event mean
concentrations Land cover specific Defaults Nitrogen Phosphorus
Lead Zinc Userdefinable New pollutants New coefficients Different
criteria Slide 17 What does it produce? Runoff volume Accumulated
runoff Sediment yield Accumulated sediment load Pollutant yield
Accumulated pollutant load Pollutant concentration Slide 18
Baseline Runoff Flow directions derived from topography
Precipitation grid provides amount of rainfall Uses soils and land
cover data to estimate volume of runoff Validated Flow direction
Slide 19 Baseline Erosion Estimates total annual sediment load
delivered to coast Provides a conservative estimate A worst-case
scenario Slide 20 Baseline Nitrogen Estimates total annual
pollutant load delivered to coast Focuses attention on source areas
Slide 21 Baseline Nitrogen Estimates total annual pollutant
concentration Focuses attention on source areas Slide 22 Who else
is using it? Pelekane Bay, Hawaii Sediments from extreme events.
Slide 23 Who else is using it? Kingston Lake Watershed Association,
near Conway, SC Nutrient loads under different growth scenarios
Slide 24 Getting involved OpenNSPECT: Nspect.codeplex.com
MapWindow.org Esri N-SPECT: www.csc.noaa.gov/nspect NSPECT
listserver https://csc.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/n-spect- community
Slide 25 Questions? Project Contacts: Dave Eslinger, Project lead
[email protected] 843-740-1270 Shan Burkhalter
[email protected] 843-740-1275 Matt Pendleton
[email protected] 843-740-1196 Slide 26 Example Application
Makaha Valley, Oahu, Hawaii Annual time scale What-if scenario 1.
Baseline 2. Land cover change New residential development 3.
Comparison Slide 27 Land Cover Change Scenario Develop a
subdivision Change scrub/shrub vegetation to low intensity
development Slide 28 Nitrogen (Pre-Change) Baseline Low nitrogen
runoff Add scenario Slide 29 Nitrogen (Post-Change) Compare
baseline estimate to the new estimated load Can calculate the
difference in annual nitrogen load Slide 30 Questions? Download
OpenNSPECT: www.csc.noaa.gov/nspect Todays Trainer: Dave Eslinger
[email protected] 843-740-1270 Project Contacts: Dave
Eslinger, Project lead [email protected] 843-740-1270 Shan
Burkhalter [email protected] 843-740-1275 Matt Pendleton
[email protected] 843-740-1196 Slide 31 Outline Background
Getting started Installation Activation Import new data Basic
analysis Advanced analysis Slide 32 MapWindow GIS Free Open-source
Desktop GIS Developer driven applications (plugins) OpenNSPECT
BASINS 3D Viewer Slide 33 Installation Two-part installation
1.MapWindowGIS 2.OpenNSPECT Contents of C:\NSPECT TODAY adding
HI_Sample_Data Unzip into C:\NSPECT\ FolderSubfolderFile
BinFixPath.dll NSPECT.dll vbalFlBr6.dll HelpAdvanced Applications
of OpenNSPECT NSPECT.chm TechnicalGuide.pdf UsersManual.pdf
Tutorial.pdf MetadataSeveral.met files ProjectsWaianae.xml
Waianaedata 1 Agriculture.shp annual_prec dem_30 Development.shp
event_prec_1 event_prec_2 event_prec_3 Golf_Course.shp landcover
landcover.lyr rfactor soils.shp soils1 soilsk1 workspace
wsdelinWaianae_15 1 basinpoly.shp dem2b demfill flowacc flowdir
lsgrid nibble wshed nspect.mdb Slide 34 Activation Open
MapWindowGIS MapWindow Pull-Down Menu, select Plug-ins >
OpenNSPECT Slide 35 Import Landcover OpenNSPECT/ Advanced
Settings/Land Cover Types Options/Import Browse to coefficient file
Import with new LC name Slide 36 Import Pollutants OpenNSPECT/
Advanced Pollutants Pick Pollutant Coefficients /Import Pick LC
type Browse to coefficient file Import with new Coefficient Set
name Slide 37 Text change in Tutorial Change both NitSet to
NitSet05 Page 4 Page 13 Slide 38 Outline Background Getting started
Basic analysis Baseline Exercise 1 - Accumulated effects Exercise 2
- Local effects Conclusion Advanced analysis Slide 39 Basic
Analysis Baseline analyses Objective Run a basic analysis with
OpenNSPECT and produce baseline runoff, erosion, and pollutant load
data sets for an annual time scale. Important Learning Objectives:
Gain familiarity with the OpenNSPECT user interface. Learn which
data sets are necessary to run the model. Understand the properties
associated with the Pollutants tab. Understand the properties
associated with the Erosion tab. Understand the function of the
Local Effects Only option. Learn to visually assess the data
output. Slide 40 Exercise 1 Baseline analysis (accumulated effects)
Accumulated runoff, nonpoint source pollutants, and eroded
sediments are estimated. Accumulated effects include: Expected
pollutant or sediment concentration at a cell. Contributions from
upstream cells. Page 3 Slide 41 Exercise 2 Baseline analysis (local
effects) Local effects of runoff, nonpoint source pollution, and
erosion are estimated. Local effects include expected pollutant or
sediment concentration at a cell without upslope contributions.
Page 5 Slide 42 Exercises 1 and 2 Results Baseline runoff, sediment
loads, and nitrogen concentrations (accumulated and nonaccumulated)
Model outputs are representative of the landscape conditions during
the time at which the input data was collected. Visual
interpretation Topography was associated with the shape and density
of drainage networks. Land cover types were associated with various
degrees of sediment and pollutant loads. Slide 43 Exercise 1
Results Slide 44 Exercise 2 Results Slide 45 Outline Background
Getting started Basic analysis Advanced analysis Management
scenario Exercise 3 Accumulated and Local effects Alternative land
use Exercise 4 - Accumulated effects Slide 46 Advanced Analysis
Management scenario analyses Objective Run an analysis that
incorporates a hypothetical management scenario and examines the
potential changes to runoff, erosion, and pollution. Important
Learning Objectives: Understand the properties associated with the
Management Scenarios tab. Learn to incorporate a management
scenario. Learn to quantitatively evaluate the data output.
Understand the relative contributions of different land cover
classes to nonpoint source pollution. Slide 47 Exercises 3
Management scenario Integration of a hypothetical land management
scenario Grassland and scrub/shrub converted to low intensity
developed land. Local effects of runoff, nonpoint-source pollution,
and erosion are estimated. Accumulated effects of runoff,
nonpoint-source pollution, and erosion are estimated. Comparison to
baseline results. Page 7 Slide 48 Exercise 3 Results Nitrogen
yields (mg) A.Baseline conditions B.Low density residential
management scenario C.Difference between A and B The 0.2 km 2
development is predicted to yield an additional 86.7 kilograms of
nitrogen under the alternative land management scenario (a 138
percent increase). Baseline Management Comparison % Change Slide 49
Exercise 3 Results Nitrogen yields (mg) This translates to a 0.5
percent increase in the accumulated nitrogen load for the entire
14.1 km 2 watershed. Slide 50 Advanced Analysis Alternative land
use scenario analysis Objective Run an analysis with a new land use
scenario and produce modified runoff, erosion, and pollutant load
data sets for an annual timescale. Important learning objectives:
Understand the properties associated with the Land Use tab. Learn
to parameterize a new land use scenario. Learn to quantitatively
evaluate the data output. Slide 51 Exercise 4 Alternative land use
scenario (accumulated effects) Integration of a hypothetical land
use scenario New pollutant coefficients defined for a golf course.
Accumulated effects of runoff, nonpoint source pollution, and
erosion are estimated. Comparison to baseline results. Page 11
Slide 52 Exercise 4 Results Net decrease in accumulated nitrogen
load Land cover beneath the golf course polygon was recoded. SCS
curve numbers control runoff volume. Runoff volume controls
pollutant load. Slide 53 Questions? Download OpenNSPECT:
www.csc.noaa.gov/nspect Todays Trainer: Dave Eslinger
[email protected] 843-740-1270 Project Contacts: Dave
Eslinger, Project lead [email protected] 843-740-1270 Shan
Burkhalter [email protected] 843-740-1275 Matt Pendleton
[email protected] 843-740-1196
