An information base for a decision support system for management of the Mhlathuze River
type: CreativeWork
description: Effective integrated catchment management is dependant on suitable information describing the physical, social and economic conditions in the catchment. It also depends on knowledge of the processes controlling the environmental systems in the catchment. This thesis describes the development of an information base (IB) for a computer-based decision support system (DSS) to support the effective management of the Mhlathuze River system. The IB has been developed to contain most of the available data, which are analysed and processed by models, for utilization by catchment managers. The DSS and accompanying IB was developed during the formulation and implementation of the new Water Act (1998) in South Africa. It attempts to support the implementation of this Water Act, which stipulates the integrated management of water resources on a catchment basis. The database was designed to contain all hydrologically relevant data and information on the Mhlathuze River catchment. Extensive data collection has identified information on rainfall, evaporation, flow measurements, the soil type map of the area, 1:50 000 topographical maps and 1:500 000 maps, 1991 census data, lithology and groundwater, national, regional and local boundaries, pollution and water quality monitoring points, water consumption and details of water users, etc. The database is still growing with the identification and collection of more data and the creation of additional information about the Mhlathuze River catchment from various models. A structure was developed in the IB to give access to the megabytes of information on the database in a structured manner. The operating environment of Arcview 3 (running on Windows 95) was used to develop a user - database interaction system. The Windows concept of interactive icons was used to customise the user interface by incorporating buttons and tools to the IB. Scripts, written in Avenue, were attached to these buttons and tools, to add to the functionality of the…
abstract: Effective integrated catchment management is dependant on suitable information describing the physical, social and economic conditions in the catchment. It also depends on knowledge of the processes controlling the environmental systems in the catchment. This thesis describes the development of an information base (IB) for a computer-based decision support system (DSS) to support the effective management of the Mhlathuze River system. The IB has been developed to contain most of the available data, which are analysed and processed by models, for utilization by catchment managers. The DSS and accompanying IB was developed during the formulation and implementation of the new Water Act (1998) in South Africa. It attempts to support the implementation of this Water Act, which stipulates the integrated management of water resources on a catchment basis. The database was designed to contain all hydrologically relevant data and information on the Mhlathuze River catchment. Extensive data collection has identified information on rainfall, evaporation, flow measurements, the soil type map of the area, 1:50 000 topographical maps and 1:500 000 maps, 1991 census data, lithology and groundwater, national, regional and local boundaries, pollution and water quality monitoring points, water consumption and details of water users, etc. The database is still growing with the identification and collection of more data and the creation of additional information about the Mhlathuze River catchment from various models. A structure was developed in the IB to give access to the megabytes of information on the database in a structured manner. The operating environment of Arcview 3 (running on Windows 95) was used to develop a user - database interaction system. The Windows concept of interactive icons was used to customise the user interface by incorporating buttons and tools to the IB. Scripts, written in Avenue, were attached to these buttons and tools, to add to the functionality of the…
author: Snyman, Nina-Marie
keywords: Hydrology--Thesis and dissertations., Hydrology--Kwa-Zulu Natal--Mhlathuze River.
license: https://devspace.unizulu.ac.za/bitstreams/68ed0f43-64a7-446a-9cbd-4cfc68035b93/download
date published: 2000
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:16:50Z
provider: University of Zululand
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Zululand