Watershed Analysis of White Mountain National Forest

Study Area

The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a federally managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. The White Mountain National Forest in eastern New Hampshire and western Maine ranges from mountainous hardwood forests to majestic alpine peaks. It has a total area of 750,852 acres (1,225 sq mi). Most of the WMNF is in New Hampshire; a small part (about 5.65% of the forest) is in the neighboring state of Maine. Most of the major peaks over 4,000 feet high for peak-bagging in New Hampshire are located in the National Forest.

Data Collection

Digital Elevation Model (DEM): ArcGIS Online
USA Detailed Streams: ArcGIS Online
White Mountain National Forest Boundary: ArcGIS Online (Administrative Boundary, the United States Department of Agriculture)

Procedure

ArcMap

Data collected from ArcGIS are projected to NAD 1983 UTM 19N coordinate system, same as the administrative boundary.
USA streams and DEM data are clipped by the White Mountain National Forest boundary.
Imperfections of DEM data are corrected by filling sinks in the surface raster.
The flow direction is derived, showing the direction of streams that flow out of each cell of a filled DEM raster.
The flow accumulation is produced, in which high accumulation area are filled with concentrated flows.
A stream network is created from the flow accumulation raster.
Unique values are assigned and each section of stream network is associated with flow direction - generating stream links.
Stream ordering is completed through assigning a numeric order to links in the stream network, classifying types of streams.
Pour points are manually chosen in high flow accumulation area, used as stream gauge stations or dams.
Watershed is created based on selection of pour points, flow direction raster, and stream link raster.

Pyscripter

Arcpy modules are used for taking in user specified parameters, inspect map documents, and extract map properties, layer information and maps.
Scripts are drafted in Python environment, and an ArcGIS ToolBox is developed to take in user specified file paths.
Arcpy modules are used for deriving aspect, slope (reclassified) and hillshade (reclassified) maps.

Server Configuration and Web Design

Final visualization steps including domain obtaining, server configuration and website design on this website.

Audit Report

Data List

Scripts

Output:

An audit report summarizing map document information, spatial reference, project basic information, area statistics, stream statistics, and basin statistics.
A data list file presenting all original and generated data in the workspace, with detailed description of each.
Three map images of DEM, stream network, and final watershed
Three informative surface terrain visualization maps being aspect, slope and hillshade.

Software:

ArcMap is used for generating data for watershed analysis, and executing ArcGIS custom toolbox.
Pyscripter is used for scripting codes that generate the audit report, data list textual files, and three map images.

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