An integrated land and water information model for natural resource management reporting
Increased pressure on Victoria’s agricultural sector to achieve greater Water Use Efficiency (WUE) has prompted the development of an information model that integrates physical and infrastructural spatial data, pertaining to land and water resources. The model has been developed to support a variety of applications, including the reporting of irrigation WUE indicators.
The principle underpinning the information model is the ability to link property descriptors, climate, enterprise, irrigation infrastructure and water consumption data at the paddock scale.
The model was applied to a pilot “WUE indicator reporting system”. The pilot aimed to test the practicality of the model, including the availability, accessibility and applicability of input datasets for reporting at a range of spatial scales.
Existing data to support the model was identified from a range of sources. Complexity in relation to access, privacy, format and lack of standardisation arose due to disparity in custodial management of the datasets. Where data was unavailable, various techniques were employed to create the required data, including remote sensing.
Through implementation of data sharing agreements, the information model allowed explicit land and water data to be combined enabling the reporting system to visualise WUE trends spatially, graphically and in tabular formats at both the farm and regional scale. This led to trends in irrigation water use, for policy, reporting and investment purposes, to be spatially and temporally tracked.
The applicability of the information model and reporting system at a state-wide level, hinges on formalising the relationships with data custodians to access the identified datasets for all irrigated regions in Victoria. The development of a state-wide ‘Victorian Water Register’ will further support the model to deliver more consistent and accurate information, resulting in improved reporting and Government investment decisions.