MoRE-Toolbox

Background

Increased inputs of nutrients and pollutants pollute surface waters and prevent compliance with the environmental quality standards laid down in the Water Framework Directive and the Surface Waters Ordinance, among other things. Knowledge of relevant sources and input pathways is crucial for reducing substance pollution in water bodies. In collaboration with the KIT and the Federal Environment Agency, we have made modelling results on substance inputs into water bodies available in a WebGIS application (stoffeintraege-more.de). The data was regionalised using the MoRE (Modelling of Regionalised Emissions) modelling tool and modelled on a pathway-specific basis under the leadership of the KIT.

Among other things, this web application contains nationwide information on the average annual soil erosion by water (derived on the basis of the general soil erosion equation (ABAG)), the resulting sediment input into water bodies and the input of particle-bound phosphorus. In addition, all relevant input pathways are mapped for phosphorus. The transport of solids and thus also of particle-bound phosphorus into water bodies is erosion-driven and thus event-driven. Throughout Germany, empirical or stochastic approaches are used to simulate the transport of solids in conjunction with soil, climate, land use and slope data with the highest possible resolution using the MoRE model. The MoRE-DE model run accessible here represents the management period from approx. 2016 to 2018.

Challenge

The challenge was to accurately balance the substance inputs into water bodies at different spatial levels. It was also necessary to be able to make comparative statements between different scenario calculations. Another important aspect was the transparent presentation of the modeling for all project participants, including the initial data, interim results and final results.

Solution

Containerization (Docker)
Python framework Django
Class-based JavaScript
Release management with OpenProject and GitHub

Implementation

The project was implemented using existing VisDat WebGIS modules, including map, statistics and export. These modules were adapted to the specific requirements of the project. This enables users to make well-founded analyses and decisions in the context of water protection, which ultimately contributes to compliance with environmental quality standards.

As part of the data integration, the pre-processing of the input data for the WebGIS was modernized. The large volumes of data generated by a nationwide view in a 10m grid were converted into powerful column-oriented data formats and processed using automated ETL processes. This has led to considerable improvements in processing times.

Automated end-point tests based on the Apache Airflow workflow management system were introduced for the application for the first time. These tests provide information about the correctness of the production system and the stored data by automatically checking the end points of the application and ensuring that all functions are working properly. They provide a reliable way of identifying potential errors or inconsistencies at an early stage and ensuring the quality of the application on an ongoing basis.

The benefit

The web portal serves to support decision-making, particularly in the localization of measures in terms of water protection. It makes the results of the nationwide MoRE-DE modeling publicly accessible and aims to achieve a high level of transparency by comparing the results with other models. The data is available for numerous catchment-related and administrative reference areas. Users can visualize (map tool), statistically evaluate (statistics tool) and export the data.

All results generated in the project group can be easily published in the web portal for visualization, analysis and regionalization thanks to the automated processes. The web application is continuously updated by integrating future models or model runs. Results of a nationwide modeling of soil erosion risk due to wind in accordance with DIN 19706: 2013-02 have already been integrated. Furthermore, the results of a project to assess the significance of soil erosion for the prevention of harmful soil changes and a compilation of soil parameters derived from the BÜK200 for water balance modeling are available.