The Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) and the Watershed Modeling System (WMS) were developed at the Engineering Computer Graphics Laboratory of Brigham Young University in partnership with the DoD and the EPA. GMS and WMS were developed as comprehensive hydrologic modeling environments and each system supports a wide variety of analysis codes. Recent versions of GMS and WMS include a new "Map Module" which is fully integrated with GIS. The Map Module can be used to build coverages or import/export coverages from ArcInfo or ArcView. These coverages are used to define a high-level conceptual model of the site being modeled including boundary conditions, soil types, land use, etc. The conceptual model is automatically converted to a finite difference or finite element computational model, including boundary conditions, which can be used directly as input to the appropriate analysis code. Example applications using both systems will be highlighted.
This presentation demonstrates how ModelGIS uses ArcInfo data to efficiently manage preprocessing and postprocessing requirements of the USGS three-dimensional groundwater flow model, MODFLOW. In this case study of the Davis Well Field in Shelby County, Tennessee, data were used to characterize the flow system between two aquifers in the vicinity of the site. ArcInfo utilities within ModelGIS were used to generate data sets for the groundwater model, thereby solving complex groundwater problems.