An Open, Extensible Geodatabase for Socio-Ecological System Analyses in the Boise River Basin, ID

Humans have significantly altered spatiotemporal hydrologic processes in the semi-arid West through activities such as irrigation and reservoir operations. These alterations will likely become of greater importance for land managers and stakeholders in the future as climate change and population growth continue throughout the region. Researchers are actively seeking to understand the connections between these biophysical and social systems and how they affect hydrologic demand and supply in southwest Idaho. However, cohesive research is hindered when participants use different datasets from one another.

The purpose of this project is to consolidate geospatial datasets relevant to researchers and stakeholders into a centralized geodatabase. Using ArcGIS, I created a geodatabase with spatial data relating to both social and biophysical characteristics of the region. This resulting database will ease data access and ensure project participants utilize the same data sources when running models or performing spatial analyses.