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Updated in [July 25th, 2023]

This course provides students with an easy to learn and apply guide to spatial mapping of water erosion with the use of MCDA tool in ArcGIS. It is designed to help students understand and apply GIS instruments and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to delineate areas that are highly or low susceptible to water erosion. Water erosion is a widespread phenomenon that can cause a variety of negative consequences to the environment and human activity, including damage to agricultural productivity, reduction of soil fertility, and harming biodiversity. AHP is the most widely applied multi-criteria decision analysis tool and is used for multiple purposes during GIS analysis, including soil erosion modeling. In this course, AHP will be used to assign weights for seven thematic layers that directly influence water erosion. These layers include land use and land cover, precipitation, slope, curvature, topographic wetness index, soil texture, and stream proximity. The course will teach students to prepare all those thematic layers for any study area. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to create a map of water erosion susceptibility for any study area and understand the factors causing soil erosion. The results can be used for thesis dissertation or publication of an article, as well as conducting a research project. The course includes both theory and practice lectures, with a focus on the latter (80%). It is suitable for both beginners and those with an intermediate knowledge of GIS and soil science.

Course Syllabus

Introduction

Basic theory on soil erosion

Multi-criteria decision analysis tool

Analytical hierarchy process (AHP)

Data for the project

LULC thematic layer

Slope thematic layer

Curvature thematic layer

Topographic wetness index thematic layer

Stream proximity layer thematic layer

Soil texture thematic layer

Precipitation thematic layer

Water erosion mapping with AHP in ArcGIS

Map presentation in ArcGIS