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GIS Applications in Hydrology and Water Resources

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1906

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Civil & Environmental Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Interests: hydroinformatics; water resources; environmental modellin; geographic information systems (GIS); hydrologic modeling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have evolved from static mapping tools into dynamic platforms that are essential for complex hydrological modeling and sustainable water resource management. This Special Issue seeks to capture the state of the art in geospatial analysis, specifically highlighting the integration of GIS with emerging technologies to address the critical challenges in water security and hazard mitigation.

We invite researchers to submit original papers that demonstrate novel applications of GIS in the field of hydrology. Particular attention will be given to studies that couple GIS frameworks with Machine Learning (ML), Remote Sensing (RS), and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, groundwater potential mapping, water quality assessment using integrated indices, flood risk modeling, erosion modeling, site suitability for water infrastructure, and the optimization of water supply systems.

By bridging the gap between spatial data availability and hydrological process understanding, this Special Issue aims to showcase how advanced geospatial intelligence can support resilient decision-making. We welcome both methodological innovations and robust case studies that validate these integrated approaches in diverse hydro-climatic settings. This Special Issue will serve as a benchmark for how modern GIS workflows are reshaping the future of water engineering and science.

Prof. Dr. Daniel P. Ames
Guest Editor

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. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.

Keywords

  • geographic information systems (GIS)
  • flood risk assessment 
  • groundwater potential mapping 
  • multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)
  • remote sensing
  • machine learning
  • site suitability analysis
  • water quality index
  • erosion and sediment yield 
  • hydrological modeling

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

25 pages, 429 KB  
Review
Mapping Water: A Brief History of GIS in Hydrology and a Path Toward AI-Native Modeling
by Daniel P. Ames
Water 2026, 18(7), 796; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070796 - 27 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1498
Abstract
The integration of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) with hydrologic science has evolved over seven decades from manual catchment delineation and output visualization to AI-native spatial water intelligence, reshaping how the water cycle is observed, modeled, and managed. This review explores that evolution, from [...] Read more.
The integration of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) with hydrologic science has evolved over seven decades from manual catchment delineation and output visualization to AI-native spatial water intelligence, reshaping how the water cycle is observed, modeled, and managed. This review explores that evolution, from the progressively tightening coupling between GIS software and hydrologic models to an AI-assisted future in which the line between these two fields blurs and eventually dissolves completely. The evolution of GISs in hydrology is traced through four eras, stratified as: (1) the formalization of governing equations and digital terrain representations (1950–1985); (2) the initial GIS–model coupling era and the rise in watershed simulation (1985–2000); (3) open source and the start of the open data deluge (2000–2015); and (4) machine learning and cloud-native computing (2015–present). A four-level vision for the role of artificial intelligence in the next generation of spatial hydrology is then articulated, from AI-assisted GIS operation to spatially aware AI water intelligence that reasons directly over geospatial data without requiring a traditional GIS or simulation software as an intermediary. Broader limitations and challenges are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue GIS Applications in Hydrology and Water Resources)
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