Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Techniques and Applications for Sustainable Water Resources Management in Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue addresses the critical role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in tackling water resource challenges within agriculture. With the growing pressure on freshwater supplies in a climate change context, GIS emerges as a game-changer for hydrologists and water managers.

Articles within this Special Issue will showcase how GIS empowers experts to achieve the following:

• Map Hydrologic Dynamics: GIS integrates diverse data layers, such as precipitation gauges, well records, soil moisture levels, and remote-sensed data, to create detailed maps of surface and groundwater resources. This spatial understanding empowers hydrologists to model water flow patterns and identify areas of potential scarcity or overexploitation.
• Optimize Irrigation Networks: By analyzing soil types, crop water needs, and field boundaries within a GIS framework, water managers can design efficient irrigation systems that deliver water precisely where and when needed to minimize water losses and maximize crop yields, particularly in drought-prone regions.
• Avoid Water Pollution: Integrating water quality data with land use information allows for the identification of potential contamination sources, such as fertilizer runoff. This empowers proactive management practices to safeguard water resources and prevent agricultural pollution.
• Predict and Mitigate Water Extremes: Advanced GIS models, incorporating historical data and weather forecasts, can predict droughts or floods, thus allowing for the implementation of proactive water management strategies, such as reservoir storage optimization during wet seasons or early warning systems for drought preparedness.

This Special Issue highlights how GIS empowers hydrologists and water managers to address complex water resource issues in agriculture. By harnessing the power of spatial data analysis, stakeholders can ensure the sustainable use of water resources, promote crop productivity, and safeguard the future of agriculture in a water-scarce world. Papers proposing innovative GIS techniques used to address the aforementioned topics and articles dealing with the application of GIS techniques to specific case studies are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Iolanda Borzì
Dr. Beatrice Monteleone
Prof. Dr. Hailong Yin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.