Browsing by Author "Pradeep, RMM"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Development of a GIS tool to capture changing land allotment parameters for urban runoff computation
(2010) Pradeep, RMM; Wijesekera, NTS
Urban flush flood is a result of storm water increasing. This increasing is a direct result of the urban land allotments changes done in the view of developments. The work is to isolate individual data layers that affected on storm generation when made changes and incorporate such changes easily to the existing data layers. The tool is GIS enabled non-technical persons target software with on-screen capability. Further it attempted to fortify the tool with a user-friendly GUI. data management capability and security features In order to provide a better solution, the storm water and engineering option affect calculations has to be incorporated to the tool.
item: Article-Abstract
Development of customized tools for GIS modelling to incorporate flexible decision making
Pradeep, RMM; Wijesekera, NTS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and associated modeling enables rational management" of spatially distributed resources. GIS models once assembled with a base data set often require many repeated computations either to seek modifications to the methods or assumptions made during computations. The common GIS software needs customization to cater to such changes with minimum requirement of time. These repeated tasks range from computing an area to reclassification of overlaid layers. This paper presents the development of two simple tools. The tool for computation of area, centroid or length, enables the on-screen operation to save computed values in particular shape file. Tool developed for the classification of spatial information after overlay, demonstrates the tool's capability to easily change the classification criteria to suit a change of values or grouping based on a subsequent decision maker requirement. Both tools are developed using the Microsoft Visual Basic and linked to the GIS software - ArcGIS 9.2, incorporating the systematic planning, design and evaluation methodology. A special consideration was paid to 100% accuracy of the outputs, usefulness and user friendliness of the tools. Hence the work follows the standard requirement assessment systematic software evaluation with appropriate user group selection. The tools demonstrate the capability through applications on actual datasets.
item: Conference-Full-text
GIS Tool to mitigate urban flash floods through computing land allotment modifications and incorporating conceptual detention pit
(2014-01-16) Pradeep, RMM; Wijesekera, NTS
Urban flash flood is a result of storm water increase which is a usually the result of urban land allotment changes done with development projects. The present work is to identify individual data layers that affect stormwater generation,then make changes and incorporate such changes to the existing data. This tool further provides graphical representation of stormwater changes and then allows incorporation of a detention pit. The determination of pit size is dynamic and the graphical comparisons show the influence of detention. The tool allows tooptimize the pit size to compensate the storm runoff increment due to land modifications. This GIS enabled land management tool with on-screen capability was tested for user-friendliness, accuracy, efficiency and use by non-technical land managers.
item: Conference-Full-text
Selecting a Usability Evaluation User Group – A Case Study the Development of a Hydro-GIS Tool Aiming Urban Flood Mitigation
(2014-05-08) Pradeep, RMM; Wijesekera, NTS
Flash floods which are becoming a common occurrence due to poor planning in the urban areas need user friendly tools for land managers to arrive at suitable alternatives. These tools require incorporating spatially distributed assessments performing several maps overlay and hydrologic computations for the evaluation of runoff generation before and after a proposed land development. The most common option for urban flood mitigation is the incorporation of land allotment based detention storages. The land managers need to capture the optimum sizes for these storages. A Hydro-GIS tool development was undertaken to ensure easy user friendly operation with automation of complex hydrologic and GIS computations. The tool with the objective of targeting nontechnical users’ demands high user friendliness and in order to achieve this, evaluations comparing usability becomes very important. Identification of the right number of users to evaluate usability is a requirement yet to be fulfilled. The present work successfully carried out a Hydro GIS tool development for the management of urban land development, achieving its functionality objectives while testing user friendliness with a user group of 23. Analysis shows that a group of over 13 users would arrive at an on average problem area identification rate of 90% or more.
item: Conference-Full-text
Selecting a usability evaluation user group - a case study the development of a hydro-GIS tool aiming urban flood mitigation
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka., 2012-12) Pradeep, RMM; Wijesekera, NTS; Nawagamuwa, U; de Silva, LIN
Flash floods which are becoming a common occurrence due to poor planning in the ur an areas nee user friendly tools for land managers to arrive at suitable alternatives. These tools require incorporating spatially distributed assessments performing several maps overlay and hydrologic computations for the evaluation of runoff generation before and after a proposed land eve opment. The most common option for urban flood mitigation is the incorporation of land allotment based detention storages. The land managers need to capture the optimum sizes for these storages. A Hydro-GIS tool development was undertaken to ensure easy user friendly operation with automation of complex hydrologic and GIS computations. The tool with the objective of targeting nontechnical users demands high user friendliness and in order to achieve this, evaluations comparing usability becomes very important. Identification of the right number of users to evaluate usability is a requirement yet to be fulfilled. The present work successfully carried out a Hydro GIS tool development for the management of urban land development, achieving its functionality objectives while testing user friendliness with a user group of 23. Analysis shows that a group of over 13 users would arrive at an on average problem area identification rate of 90% or more.
item: Thesis-Abstract
Tool development for dynamic GIS application for watershed management : case study of the Thimbirigasyaya ward of the Colombo municipal council area
(2014-08-04) Pradeep, RMM; Wijesekara, NTS
Diversion of surface runoff from housing allotments directly into stormwater drainage network along roads is a common phenomenon in urban areas which leads to the urban flooding. When urban land changes are made for development, the natural hydrology undergoes changes usually leading to high surface runoff and often flash floods. Calculating the effect of modifications and quickly proposing an optimum solution becomes a difficult task not only to non-technical persons but also to some technical persons. Screening of existing tools identified that there is no single tool which could dynamically capture the land modifications and perform hydrological calculations to manage stormwater from urban lands. Main objectives of the present research was to develop a dynamic user-friendly GIS tool which would capture key land parcel changes and perform calculation of stormwater generation by looking at both pre and post development scenaries. Accordingly a user friendly Dynamic GIS tool which enables on-screen modification of a land allotment was developed for computation of a compsite land parcel runoff coefficient. Then the tool was extended to incorporate a hydrologic model to perform a comparison of before and after modification and then to extend the tool for incorporation of a detention tank model for management of generated stormwater. Thimbirigasyaya ward of the colombo Municipal Council area in the 162 hectares having 1405 land parcels was the study area. The development methodology included, requirement identification, literature survey, conceptual design, coding, testing, modification and product delivery. In the conceptual design, the tool design was carried out for land authorities to optimize development alternatives jointly with the owner. Therefore the tool demanded a hogh level of user friendliness. Through a detailed literature survey, soil, slope and Landcover were identified as the key parameters governing stormwater generation from a land parcel modification. Hydrologic modeling computations within the tool were based on the rational formula, unit hydrographic theory and tank model concept. Detention storage for stormwater management was based on the research monograph of Wijesinghe and Wijesekara (2010). Split, merge and adjust operations were incorporated to the tool to carryout land modifications. Summative and formative evaluation techniques were used to achive user-frienliness and accuracy of the tool. A lookup table cited i Perera & Wijesekera (2010) for runoff coefficient computation was embed in the tool. Tool is capable of following modifications to this lookup table as and when new research findings are known. In the land modification component the tool facilitates on-screen modifications of land parcels and updating of hydrological parameters. GIS model combines the layers and supporting data such as ruunoff coefficients, rainfall etc to compute the time series of stormwater generated from each land. Tool developed by the present work develops a hydrograph and permits a user to incorporate dimensions of a detention pit to observe its effect on stormwater generations. This enables a land owner and a manager to identify a suitable detention pit for the intended land modifications. Unavailability of Graphic User Interface (GUI) guidelines for GIS and the lack of suitable spatial data security algorithms that could be used with confidence, influenced the present work to contribute and develop new techniques. As main results of the work, a user friendly accurate dynamic GIS tool, capable off land management in relation to stormwater, a step by step user manual, guidelines for GUI of land modifications; dynamic change capability of parameter selection, design rainfall and determination pit sizes; and visual presenting the effect of detention pit incoparation are unique features of the tool which increases the user friendliness for non-GIS decision makers. The development of a single tool which provides Hydrologic-GIS capabilities for urban property management activities through the capabilities of identify optimum solutions is a contribution towards successful GIS applications for land and water management. DFue to the possession o "Muscle" to rationally manage urban land parcels, the name "Geographic Information Systems to Manage Urban Stormwater Considering Land Enhancement" abbreviated as "GIS2MUSCLE" is given to the tool contributed from the work. This study through development and testing, satisfactorily concluded that a user friendly dynamic GIS tool enabling on-screen land and attribute modifications had been developed to user satisfaction while achieving 100% accuracy. Development has the capabilities to successfully handle the dynamics of both stormwater generation and process of land management. Present work also concluded that in oder to achieve user friendliness and user satisfaction, it is necessary to incorporate an iterative design process with careful consideration of visual clarity, consistency, compatibility, informative feedback, explicitness, appropriate functionality, flexibility and control, error prevention and correction, user guidance, user support etc., with respect to tool development.