Sharing Water Resources Data in the Binational Rio Grande/Bravo Basin
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 133, Issue 5
Abstract
The development of relational databases from which simulation models can access data needed to describe the systems being modeled is fundamental to integrated river basin management, especially in shared, transboundary basins. Creating a geographically referenced database, a geodatabase, for the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Basin represents the first major attempt to establish a more complete understanding of the basin as a whole, using both Mexican and United States geospatial and temporal water resources data. From the geodatabase, it is possible to obtain information about climatology, water availability, water uses, hydraulic infrastructure, and watershed properties in the basin. These data can be used in simulation models to calculate the state of basin water availability under different climatic and development scenarios and management plans in the future. This geodatabase is intended to be a tool to assist in sharing data to enhance binational cooperation between Mexico and the United States concerning water in this basin, providing accurate and reliable data necessary for analysis and resolution of water resources issues.
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Acknowledgments
This research project was partially funded by the North American Development Bank, the Comision Nacional del Agua, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The writers would like to express appreciation to the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Mexico (CONACYT), which partially supported the first writer's Ph.D. program at the University of Texas at Austin. ESRI is acknowledged for making available valuable and essential GIS software for this project.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 133 • Issue 5 • September 2007
Pages: 416 - 426
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 14, 2006
Accepted: Sep 20, 2006
Published online: Sep 1, 2007
Published in print: Sep 2007
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