Edwin C. Kraemer III
Jacqueline L. Oravitz, PE
Ali T. Diba, PE
Abstract
The Bay-Delta Estuary covers the confluence of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers, and Suisin, San Pablo, and San Francisco Bays through which the waters flow to the Pacific Ocean. The Bay-Delta Estuary includes wetlands and sloughs and is inhabited by a variety of fish and wildlife species. While the Bay-Delta is a important and unique ecologically, water withdrawn from the Delta provides for much of California's water needs, both for drinking water and agricultural irrigation water. Excessive water withdrawals from the Delta can impact the ecosystem and can diminish the quality of the remaining water. Because of this, many studies have been or are being conducted in the Delta by various agencies, coalitions, and other groups.
The various groups studying the Bay-Delta Estuary have sought to provide a means to share data collected with all interested parties. The World Wide Web interface, allows all users with web access to query the database and includes a Java applet map that provides a brief overview of data by sampling location. The GIS Avenue Interface is available at local workstations.
From the Web, the user selects the type of data he or she is interested in, such as hydro-meteorological, water quality, or biological. The users can pick locations, parameters/analyses/species, and a time frame for the data query. The data meeting the query criteria is retrieved across all studies that have been included in the database. The web interface was developed using Oracle(R)'s WebServer and Java. The GIS interface was developed using ArcView/Avenue.
The Bay-Delta database and geographic information system (GIS) is a comprehensive, integrated data management system that accesses biological, water quality, hydrometeorological, and physical data from the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta (Bay-Delta) regional area. These data are spatially-referenced through a geographic information system. The data includes available, accessible data from public agencies, municipalities, and larger private companies and consultants. Currently, the data that are loaded for a proof-of-concept are data collected from the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) and University of California (UC) Davis. These data are stored in a relational database that can be accessed remotely by a wide range of users. Simple relational queries can be conducted "on-the-fly" by managers through menu-driven or graphical user interfaces; more complex queries can be generated by each entity's database programmer. The web browser interface includes a Java index map (IMAP) that shows sample locations across the web. True database queries across the Internet is state-of-the-art and has several advantages:
The system allows the user to select query criteria and output format. For example, the user can select an ASCII file output, upload the data to a spreadsheet, and plot time-series graphs. The data files can also be used as input for models.
The conceptual design of the Bay-Delta database is based on a data organization which divides the different types of data collected into a six distinct groups: hydrologic, biological, water quality, operations, regulatory, and water rights. The hydrologic data category includes hydrometeorologic and hydrodynamic data. The biological group includes birds, mammals, benthic organisms, plankton, and fish sub-groups. The fish sub-group is divided into different types of studies such as abundance, tagging, and salvage studies. The water quality group is divided into physical/general, inorganic, and organic studies. Operations data are divided into different sub-categories such as reservoirs, pump stations, hydropower, flow control, groundwater, POTW/NPDES, agricultural, and flood control data. The regulatory data group is divided into water quality standards, recreational requirements (flow, storage), NPDES. It is common for a single study to collect data that belongs to several groups. For example, abundance studies may include flow, temperature, and salinity data. Currently, example data sets for the hydrologic, biological, and water quality groups have been uploaded. Data types available for these groups are location, analysis performed, analysis value, analysis units, sample date, and sample time. Biologic data also includes: volume sampled, tow duration, net depth, count factor, life cycle description, parameter name, parameter description, sampling gear description, and lab sample volume.
System Access
Access to the system for users is provided via the World Wide Web (WWW) using a Java-enhanced hypertext markup language (HTML) browser. The system is best operated with a 1152 x 864, 17' monitor, and 28k+ communication line. A large monitor will allow all "frames" of the system to display simultaneously and facilitate viewing of output. For smaller monitors, a "non-frames" version of this interface has also been developed. Response time depends upon query scope and complexity as well as communication speed.
The Bay-Delta Data Browser is a menu-driven system. The only non-menu, user defined inputs to the system are dates and query size, which are input through text boxes. The input dates default to minimum and maximum of the dates within the current database view. Default query size is 1000. All other values are pre-defined selections. Selection choices are based on queries to the database, so options change intelligently as the user submits data forms. Selections are chosen with pull down combo, check, or scrolling selection boxes. Any errors caused by input are trapped and acknowledged. After errors the user may "back-up" to the previous input state and modify the selections. The output from the Bay-Delta Data Browser is tabular. The user may select either HTML or ASCII format data tables. ASCII tables are comma delimited, quoted string, text suitable for input to third party software such as a spread sheet. The main purpose of the inputs is to specify content and format of the output. The Bay-Delta Data Browser database is read only.
The Bay-Delta Data Browser is a menu-driven system. The system is available in HTML "frames" version and non-frames. This document will introduce the frame version, and focus on the non-frame version.
This is the frame-version opening menu (DWR photos from Berkeley Digital Library)
The user interface consists of seven screen views: Help, Opening Menu, Domain Selection Form, Key Selection Form, Output Screen, and the Data Map Screen. Input forms have "submit" buttons that are used to send the current form-state to the Bay-delta Web Server. All selectable values displayed are based on data in the database and limited in scope to the current state of the session (previously selected forms).
IMPAP
The IMAP allows users to determine what data is available for specific locations. With the IMAP the user can highlight selections from lists of hydrometeorologic parameters, water quality parameters, and biological parameters. When the user is satisfied with the selections and presses the FIND button, a list of locations is displayed. The list shows where data exists for the selected parameters.
The Opening Form Screen.
In the Opening Menu the user selects a Data Category: water quality, hydrometeorological, or biological, and a Primary Search Key: location or analysis. When the user presses the submit button, the Opening Menu is replaced with the Domain Selection Form.
The Domain Selection Form.
The Domain Selection Form allows the user to specify a common characteristic of all data returned. The locations or analyses displayed on this form are based on data available in the database for the current Data Category. The system will allow the Data Category and Primary Key to be re-submitted at any time during the session. Once a location or analysis is submitted, the browser will display the Analysis Selection Form or the Location Selection Form. The two forms differ only in content, so we will discuss only the Analysis Selection Form.
Analysis Selection Form
The Analysis Selection Form allows selection of seven criteria:
Analysis Selection:
In this area the browser displays all analyses that are available for
the current location. The browser also displays the range of sample collection
dates for each displayed analysis. The user selects analyses to include
in the report by clicking on them. Multiple selections are allowed and
will be displayed in the output table.
Start Date/End Date:
The minimum collection date in the ranges of sample collection dates
and the maximum collection date in the ranges of sample collection dates
are displayed as the default values respectively for the report extents.
The user may change these dates to limit the scope of a query. The listed
sample collection dates from the Analyses Selection Area will assist in
selecting appropriate dates for a query. You must use the default date
format of: YYYY-MM-DD.
Min Row/Max Row:
To guard against excessive query response times, the user may limit
the number of rows processed. You may also move down the column of rows
by selecting higher Min Row values. Note: The best way to limit the scope
of queries is by narrowing the date ranges specified; this option is only
intended as a course adjustment.
HTML/ASCII:
The user may format the output tables by selecting "HTML"
or "ASCII" radio buttons.
HTML is the default and is intended for on screen viewing of data.
ASCII format is intended to proved raw data in a form easily transported
into third party software systems such as spread sheets and word processors.
The ASCII data may be saved as a "clean" data file by selecting
Save-Frame-Text with the web browser menus.
Columns:
The columns to include in the report are selected via check boxes.
The default is all columns selected. Click on a check box to select or
de-select the column for inclusion in the output report.
Once the user is satisfied with the inputs to the Analysis Selection Form, and executes the query by pressing the Execute Query button, the results are displayed.
Output (HTML)
Output (Coma Delimited Ascii)
ASCII data
The Bay-Delta Data Browser is designed to supply result data that
are easily ported into third party software such as spread-sheet and text
processors. These applications will usually provide powerful data manipulation
and charting routines.
Confidence Levels
The Bay-Delta Data Browser is designed to provide reliable data.
To quantify the integrity of reported data, each report includes 'Confidence
Level' ratings; a column is displayed automatically that lists the confidence
level for each row of result data.
California Urban Water Agencies, Bay-Delta Database and Geographic Information System Development Project, Draft User Requirements Analysis Report, Prepared for Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Prepared by Diba Consulting Software Engineers, 25 May 1996
Edwin C. Kraemer III
Associate Software Engineer
Diba Consulting Software Engineers
26980 Crown Valley Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Telephone: (714)347-7575
Fax: (714)347-7565
email: eck@dcse.com
http://www.dcse.com
Jacqueline L. Oravitz, PE
Senior Software Engineer
Diba Consulting Software Engineers
26980 Crown Valley Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Telephone: (714)347-7587
Fax: (714)347-7565
email: jlo@dcse.com
http://www.dcse.com
Ali T. Diba, PE
President
Diba Consulting Software Engineers
26980 Crown Valley Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Telephone: (714)347-7575
Fax: (714)347-7565
email: atd@dcse.com
http://www.dcse.com