Technical workshop: SSHIAP Hydro

This morning, Tyson Waldo, SSHIAP North Sound Area Biologist with NWIFC, is leading a technical workshop about the SSHIAP Hydro regional geodatabase.

SSHIAP (Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Inventory and Assessment Program) Hydro is a topologically integrated stream habitat, fish distribution and catchment framework for linear network analysis and aerial watershed assessment.

It allows researchers to ask a question, such as “What is the estimated 100-year peak flow for Illabot Creek in the Skagit basin?”

Steps:

• Collaborate with tribal hydrologists to get information to put into database.
• Create a watershed from the point of interest.
• Collect precipitation information to see mean precipitation across watershed.
• Build model builder tool.
• Run regression equation through model builder.

Using an ArcGIS interface, researchers can put in a regression equation and come up with a drainage area for the watershed.

This gives researchers the tools that can be shared with everyone else using SSHIAP Hydro.

Advantages:

• Makes it easy for users to load data for individual storage.
• Provides data platform for tribes to organize and share information.
• Regional for western Washington.

NWIFC is:

• Working to integrate SSHIAP Hydro.
• Working with tribes individually.
• Planning to integrate with national hydrography dataset
• Transitioning from desktop GIS to web-distributed database

Waldo is leading participants step-by-step through loading the data system, setting it up, entering data, and using the data system for analysis.