GIS Errors and Surface Hydrologic Modeling: An Examination of Effects and Solutions

Abstract

Hydrologic modeling increasingly involves the use of a geographic information system (GIS), usually in order to obtain the topographic features relevant to the hydrology of a study area. However, despite the increasing availability of digital spatial data (in vector and raster formats) and the growing sophistication of modeling softwares, it is important that hydrologists and surveyors be aware of the effects of errors on their models and subsequent applications. This paper examines the nature and consequences of spatial errors in GIS, and explores ways of mitigating the risks of error propagation in digital hydrologic models.