In the modern geographic information systems, COTS software has been playing a major role. Customizing COTS software is inevitable because large organizations' needs usually exceed COTS built-in functions. However, this is often a challenge to COTS users, since the source code of COTS is rarely available. In my thesis project, I have enhanced some functions of a GIS COTS product, ArcIMS, by taking advantage of this web publishing tool's well-thought architecture of services and its applications of the XML messaging technology. Multiple users now can access the same ArcIMS map service but with only constrained viewing power. Login dialog has been added to the map service, and query tools have been modified to ensure the viewing restraint. Another aspect of this thesis project is to enhance the interactive features, which makes the HTML viewer be capable of carrying out all the functions that the ArcIMS Java plug-in viewer can do.

The objective of the research is to develop a user friendly framework for an internet GIS (Geographic Information Systems) application. The study aims at providing a map with GIS capabilities without requiring the clients (users of the website) having to install ArcGIS (a product of ESRI) software on their personal computers along with the facility to download hydrological data. It also aims at providing a methodology to synthesize data in case of data gaps. High resolution data was collected in a small watershed in west Central Florida to measure hydrologic storages and fluxes during 2001-2004. Meteorological, surface and groundwater data were collected at 5 to 10 minute intervals. A watershed database was constructed using Microsoft Access and was normalized to 3NF (third Normalization Form) for easy update. The databases available do not involve user-friendly tools to map data collection locations or to facilitate interactive delivery of data. In many fields like hydrology, it is important to provide spatial location of the data points with the data. In addition there is also a need for one platform wherein various user communities (students, planners, hydrologists etc) can be served. Thus there is a need for an online user-friendly environment, which allows for interactive delivery of data along with mapping and spatial analysis. To address this need an ArcIMS website was constructed. It includes ortho-photography of the site, which can be overlaid with the shapefile of the data locations thus giving the user reference orientation of the data locations. The user is allowed to download data in the form of text files based on the required temporal resolution and date ranges. Furthermore, users are provided with valuable data sets to parameterize or test hydrologic models applied to west-central Florida conditions. The website has a feature to generate synthetic data using linear correlation in cases where data are unavailable for the requested period of time. The website also serves the dual role of providing accessible surface and groundwater information to the public. It can also be used as a desktop geographic work tool for engineers, planners and developers, to help better understand the surface water, vadose zone and groundwater interaction. Hence this website is useful not only for professional hydrologists but also for graduate research.

The study was aimed at developing a simple methodology for flow prediction in ungauged basins using existing data resources. For this purpose, the streamflow measurements across the Kentucky River Basin located in Kentucky, USA were obtained from United States Geological Survey (USGS) archive. The flow transferring characteristics of the subbasins of the Kentucky River Basin were obtained by combining downstream and upstream stream gauges. The flow transferring function thus derived were related to watershed, channel and flow characteristics of the subbasins by multiple regression analysis. The gauge pairs were divided into two classes of subbasins representing Upper and Lower Kentucky, which were characterized mainly by the geology of the watersheds. The regression models corresponding to the two groups of subbasins were applied to example gauge pairs to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed model to predict streamflow in downstream channel. The estimated hydrographs agreed with the observed hydrographs with the performance efficiency of greater than 90%. The proposed method was tested for its applicability in first-order streams in the Goose Creek, a tributary to the Kentucky River. The overland flow component for the first-order streams was determined using TOPMODEL with topography, soil and climatic factors as inputs. The overland flow was routed to the Goose Creek outlet using the transfer function obtained from measured flow records. The simulated hydrographs were reproduced with 80% accuracy when compared with the observed hydrographs. The flow prediction of first-order ungauged streams was automated by the back-calibration algorithm. The algorithm is supported by the Shuffled Complex Evolution - University of Arizona algorithm for its optimization routine. The back-calibration procedure optimizes each first-order stream with the aid of the flow transferring function. The back-calibration procedure was imbedded in a Visual Basic.NET environment to automatically predict flow on a daily time scale and predicted was published on the internet using ESRI Arc Internet Mapping Server (ArcIMS). The project thus provides daily streamflow estimation for streams on a first-order level on every day basis, which will facilitate flow prediction of streams regardless of the size of the watersheds.

The purpose of this study is to assist TxDOT engineers in the field of traffic control planning. This is to be done via the creation of a Geographic Information System (GIS) based tool. By bringing together information about TxDOT’s on-system roadways’ geographical locations, traffic demands, and capacities, one aggregate database has been established. Using the tools of GIS, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and VBA programming, a static clickable interface has been constructed. It enables users to access properties for any selected roadway link they desire. Expansion of the product to ArcIMS is ongoing to allow easy access for end users via the internet. / text

<p>Products are displayed in a shelf to market and sell to the public. It creates an interest and attracts people towards it. Likewise, any country or city can showcase itself by using Web over the internet which will attract the tourists from around the world. This example can be used for the city of Hyderabad. Hyderabad has truly become an international city and there are many multinational companies establishing themselves. It is rapidly becoming a hot spot for tourists from around the world because of its exotic locations and facilities provided by the government. The city has been famous for historical monuments and culture, but in the recent years it has developed into a world class IT destination for many multinational IT companies and due to this it has attained world recognition on the global scenario. The time is to reap the benefits of this image and promote the city’s tourist sector by globally marketing the tourist attractions, facilities and services in an innovative and better way so that tourists from around the world visit the city and thereby contribute to the country’s economy with the foreign currency.</p><p>This research deals with developing a Web-based GIS application that can promote the city’s tourist activities and also provide the users with an innovative way to access the spatial content of the city. GIS content forms the core component of this application as it provides the users with the spatial information about the place that is very close to reality. It supports the human tendency of “What you see is what you believe” by displaying the spatial information on the map. The application has been developed with the latest mapping server technology provided by Environmental Science Research Institute’s ArcIMS 9.1. This server software provides simple and easy methods to launch a Web-based GIS application over the Internet.</p>

Products are displayed in a shelf to market and sell to the public. It creates an interest and attracts people towards it. Likewise, any country or city can showcase itself by using Web over the internet which will attract the tourists from around the world. This example can be used for the city of Hyderabad. Hyderabad has truly become an international city and there are many multinational companies establishing themselves. It is rapidly becoming a hot spot for tourists from around the world because of its exotic locations and facilities provided by the government. The city has been famous for historical monuments and culture, but in the recent years it has developed into a world class IT destination for many multinational IT companies and due to this it has attained world recognition on the global scenario. The time is to reap the benefits of this image and promote the city’s tourist sector by globally marketing the tourist attractions, facilities and services in an innovative and better way so that tourists from around the world visit the city and thereby contribute to the country’s economy with the foreign currency. This research deals with developing a Web-based GIS application that can promote the city’s tourist activities and also provide the users with an innovative way to access the spatial content of the city. GIS content forms the core component of this application as it provides the users with the spatial information about the place that is very close to reality. It supports the human tendency of “What you see is what you believe” by displaying the spatial information on the map. The application has been developed with the latest mapping server technology provided by Environmental Science Research Institute’s ArcIMS 9.1. This server software provides simple and easy methods to launch a Web-based GIS application over the Internet.