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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #256654
Title: Data model for system conceptulization in groundwater studies

Author
item YANG, XIAOYING - Kansas State University
item STEWARD, DAVID - Kansas State University
item LAUWO, SIMON - Kansas State University
item CHUBB, RICHARD - Kansas State University
item BERNARD, ERIC - Kansas State University

Submitted to: International Journal of Geographical Information Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2009
Publication Date: 5/5/2010
Citation: Yang, X., Steward, D.R., Lauwo, S.Y., Chubb, R.M., Bernard, E.A. 2010. Data model for system conceptulization in groundwater studies. International Journal of Geographical Information Science. 24(5):677-694.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Development of a conceptualization of a hydrogeologic system serves as the basis of groundwater modeling. While existing groundwater data models are designed to store groundwater system information, none is designed to capture its conceptual view. This study addresses this need by presenting a new object-oriented Conceptualization Groundwater Data Model that represents a groundwater system as a series of aquifer layers with defined aquifer properties and water boundary conditions. A case study is presented that develops the conceptual view of the groundwater system beneath Konza Prairie. This single conceptualization is used to support groundwater models across existing technologies of finite difference, finite element, and analytical element methods. While the models each employ different mathematics, data input files, and formats, all models are founded on the same conceptualization process that is represented using this new data model. The case study illustrates the data model's promise as an effective mechanism for groundwater system conceptualization and data storage, and utility for various groundwater computational models. This conceptualization of a groundwater data model suggests a new focus on incorporating system conceptualization into data model design.