Essential GIS Technologies for Hydrologic Simulation Applications in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has enormous potential for harnessing the complex technologies associated with hydrologic simulation and the use of models for education, understanding, and decision making. There are a set of underlying cyber-infrastructure tools that are necessary to utilize this potential, and scientists and engineers are engaged in adapting existing technologies and developing new ones to that end. Robust Geographic Information System (GIS) functionality needs to be at the core of any web-based hydrologic application. The advancement in computer technology such as cloud computing is one of the factors that have contributed to the increasing number of developed GIS software systems. In this paper, we review the current state of the art in GIS workflow systems that are compatible with scripting and cloud computing and water resources modeling applications. Our review includes both proprietary and free and open source software. The review is primarily focused on three essential elements: standardized spatial database, scriptable geoprocessing library, and web-based visualization. In addition we have defined attributes for each element that are necessary to cloud computing functionality. We conclude with our recommendations to the water resources community.