HydroloGIS | Ecosystems Knowledge Network

Overview

Description:

HydroloGIS is is an in-house tool from Viridian Logic Ltd run on a consultancy basis that identifies, ranks and prioritises the best interventions to create and where to create them in order to maximise the provision of nature-based solutions to local problems. It splits ecosystem services into two categories: water-flow services (flooding, water pollution, erosion and drought reduction), which are modelled mathematically; and place-based services (all others such as recreation and carbon sequestration), which are modelled using simple GIS data layers and rules. The output maps show how to maximise ecosystem service benefits, habitat connectivity and return on investment, in order to tackle problems such as meeting water quality targets and providing natural flood management (NFM). The tool can also estimate avoided flood damage costs due to NFM.

Input:

Maps / GIS data (sourced and managed by Viridian or provided by user).

Output:

Maps

GIS databases

Tables / statistics / reports

Scale:

Local scale

Landscape scale

Regional scale

Cost of the tool (and guidance):

Fee (consultancy service)

Context:

A range of land uses.

Resource requirement (software):

None - the tool is a proprietary tool provided by the developer.

Level of technical expertise required:

None – tool is run in-house by a consultant

Types of ecosystem service included:

Regulating

Provisioning

Cultural

Habitat type (UK NEA habitats):

Mountains, moors and heaths

Semi-natural grasslands

Enclosed farmland

Woodland

Freshwater, wetlands and floodplains

Urban

Coastal margins

How does it work?:

HydroloGIS combines hydrological and GIS algorithms to rank every 5 metre pixel across the study area for its current and future ability to solve water-flow problems, such as flooding, diffuse pollution and erosion/siltation. Services such as recreation, air quality and carbon services can then be added to show trade-offs, synergies and options for improvement. The platform provides raster map outputs that indicate where habitat creation will offer the greatest benefits in a study area, including maximising return on investment and habitat connectivity. These maps show prioritised opportunities for nature-based solutions to tackle water resource provision (including pond creation and groundwater recharge); pluvial, fluvial and groundwater flooding; water quality; and enhanced agricultural management. Local preferences can be taken into consideration – for example, flooding may be more important than diffuse pollution in some areas – as well as protected sites or species. The local analyses can be expanded to regional or national scale.

Where can I get it?:

Available on a consultancy basis whereby clients can commission Viridian Logic to run the tool and supply the resulting GIS layers, maps, tables and other materials. https://viridianlogic.com/

Case Studies

Number of case studies in the uk:

Two sites

Examples of case studies in the uk :

The Nant Crew, Brecon Beacons

Whilst at Landmark Information Group, the team modelled the Nant Crew, Brecon Beacons: [85], a stream in a small SSSI and sheep grazing valley that discharges into a reservoir used for drinking water. The Nant Crew can deposit fine silt which renders the reservoir unsuitable for abstraction. Landmark was used to identify areas where habitat creation could help to ameliorate reservoir silting events (the maps were also compared with the Scimap [89] Diffuse Pollution Risk Mapping Model). Landmark identified areas where trees should be planted to intercept maximum flows and areas where woodland should be retained. Scimap only maps source and flow regimes, whereas Landmark was able to identify the best locations for intervention, and this was not always in the high-source, high-risk areas. Nant Crew stakeholder groups are now implementing tree planting in response to the Landmark results.

Natural flood management mapping

Since starting HydroloGIS in late 2016, the team has created natural flood management maps in Warwickshire and the Peak District using a variety of open source, commercial and client-supplied datasets. The modelling showed the best places to create new woodland, wetland and grassland to most reduce flooding for different degrees of investment. The Peak District modelling had to account for the conservation of protected species, and the Warwickshire modelling had to consider existing hydraulic modelling and flood defences. We modelled the differences between focusing on flood mitigation alone and providing a wider range of ecosystem services. Outputs were simple, intuitive maps to facilitate subsequent discussions with stakeholders and help make decisions.

For further details of these case studies see here.

Detailed information

Key data sources:

How HydroloGIS works documentation provided by Angus Middleton. Accessible here.
HydroloGIS Platform information provided by Angus Middleton. Accessible here.

Original purpose:

HydroloGIS shows clients how to gain the greatest benefits from creating the right habitats in the right locations. This goes beyond the standard 'opportunity mapping', as the tool aims to maximise return on investment and prioritise actions into the future. The intention is to provide a simple, rapid and robust tool to scope out the best ways for clients to achieve their aims, helping them to create a costed proposal and constructively engage stakeholders. Potential applications include water quality and flood risk management, biodiversity compensation, climate change mitigation, landscape planning, infrastructure appraisal and natural capital accounting.

User groups:

The tool has been developed for a range of users making or influencing decisions about land or water, including:

Catchment Partnerships
Land managers
Regulators

Original geographic scope:

UK wide
International (some local data restrictions apply)

Terrestrial, freshwater or marine focus?:

Terrestrial

Freshwater

Marine focus

Specific ecosystem services modelled:

HydroloGIS produce biophysical numbers for many modelled services, which convert very well into financial valuation or other metrics.

Erosion control
Reduction of soil adsorbing pollutants
Reduction of water soluble pollutants
Reduction in air pollution
Reduction in noise nuisance
Reduction in heat island effect
Flood mitigation
Groundwater retention/baseflow control
Carbon sequestration
Primary production - using data provided or simple calculations; mainly for trade-off analysis with other services
Pollination
Biodiversity
Recreation
Naturalness/tranquillity
Proxy derived indices for health and wellbeing

About the model:

HyrdoloGIS splits ecosystem services into two categories: water-flow (flooding, water pollution, erosion and drought reduction) and place-based (all others such as recreation and carbon sequestration). The former has to be modelled mathematically to return meaningful and robust results, but the later can be modelled well with simple GIS data layers and rules. HyrdoloGIS therefore models the water services first, using algorithms based on the `Resource Investment Optimisation System' [RIOS 87] developed by the Natural Capital Project. This shows which habitats to create and where to create them to solve real, local water-related problems most efficiently. These results can then be weighted and combined within a GIS system with the place-based services. Appropriate rules are applied and results created to meet client requirements, such as natural capital valuation, decision support evidence or priority maps for taking action.

Datasets (required):

HyrdoloGIS can use a variety of datasets, so there is no absolute data requirement for all objectives.

Datasets (optional):

HyrdoloGIS can use a variety of open source, commercial or client datasets.

Time requirements:

Low

Estimated working days to complete a project:

Client: none Viridian Logic: at least two days

Tool accessibility:

Available on a consultancy basis whereby clients can commission Viridian Logic to run the tool.

License information:

Unknown

Current version:

n/a

Updates:

Continuous improvements to models. Development will lead to creation of an online tool.

Technical support provided?:

Yes.

Developer (organisation):

Viridian Logic Ltd

Developer (organisation type):

Private Sector

Developer (individuals):

Angus Middleton; Leon Baruah

Primary contact:

angus@viridianlogic.com
leon@viridianlogic.com

Publications:

None available

Number of case studies outside the uk:

Three

Examples of case studies outside of uk:

Montserrat, Anguilla and France.

Tool limitations:

HydroloGIS creates rankings across the catchment unit it is modelling. It does not directly quantify the benefits delivered by its suggested interventions in traditional units (such as litres), but in comparative, dimensionless units. These units are robust and quantify the percentage differences in service provision that different options will produce, but to convert these into traditional units requires calibration with monitoring data or similar.

River catchments are diverse, and accurate calibration of landscape interventions often demands more knowledge than is currently available, especially in regard to future climate change.

Other information:

It is important that water-flow services (such as flooding) are modelled properly. Designing solutions using standard GIS methods ofren results in inefficient and misleading 'opportunity maps'. Research by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology found that 50% of natural flood management projects across Europe delivered no benefits or made flooding worse. The tool developers of HyrdoloGIS believe this is largely due to the wrong features being created in the wrong places. HydroloGIS overcomes this problem by fully integrating landscape interactions and connectivity into its algorithms, so it properly identifies the best solutions in the best places. This makes it ideal for planning projects, as well as producing meaningful numbers for natural capital valuation, costing landscape planning proposals and integrating with other projects (such as traditional flood defences). The ranking of solutions also offers stakeholders a range of options and facilitates participatory design.

Third party reviews / cross:

No published review papers found.