WOF-SWAT: A Web-Based Open-Source Framework for Investigating the Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities Through Online Simulation and Visualization of SWAT Models
Xingwei Chen 1
College of Computer and Information Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, Ligong Road 600, Xiamen, Fujian 361024, China
2
Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Information Atlas, Fujian Provincial University, Xueyuan Road 1133, Chengxiang District, Putian, Fujian 351100, China
3
School of Civil Engineering, Putian University, Xueyuan Road 1133, Chengxiang District, Putian, Fujian 351100, China
4
Department of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Quanzhou Normal University, Donghai Street 398, Quanzhou, Fujian 362000, China
5
College of Geographic Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350007, China
6
Cultivation Base of the State Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350007, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8(9), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi8090368
Received: 4 July 2019 / Revised: 15 August 2019 / Accepted: 21 August 2019 / Published: 23 August 2019
This study developed a web-based open-source framework based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), named WOF-SWAT (web-based open-source framework for SWAT), to investigate individual and combined impacts of climate change, land use change, and point-source pollutants on watershed-scale hydrological and chemical processes. The architecture, workflows, interfaces, and key processes of WOF-SWAT are described and discussed. Using a previously developed well-calibrated hydrological model of the Jinjiang River basin, four scenarios were simulated in WOF-SWAT and other traditional desktop-based tools (i.e., ArcSWAT and SWAT-CUP) to examine the credibility, efficiency, and functionality of WOF-SWAT. The results show that, in combination with a well-calibrated watershed model, WOF-SWAT is sufficiently sound and reasonable to investigate individual and combined impacts of climate change, land use change, and point-source pollutants. We thus conclude that WOF-SWAT can be used as a substitute for other tools to carry out similar tasks in a web-based environment while providing more user-friendly interfaces, accessibility, and efficiency. We also discuss ongoing and possible future efforts to develop WOF-SWAT into a fully-fledged watershed research and management framework.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Zhang, D.; Fu, W.; Lin, Q.; Chen, X. WOF-SWAT: A Web-Based Open-Source Framework for Investigating the Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities Through Online Simulation and Visualization of SWAT Models. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2019, 8, 368.
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