Usefulness and limitations of decision support systems for improving irrigation scheme management

SIMIS (the FAO Scheme Irrigation Management Information System) is a decision support system that integrates tools and performance indicators to facilitate the planning and management of irrigation schemes. The authors used SIMIS to compute performance indicators in an irrigation scheme in Southern Spain that were used to identify distribution system constraints affecting the flexibility of water deliveries and to identify scheme sectors where deliveries could not meet the predicted crop water demands. Applying SIMIS, the authors and the irrigation scheme manager evaluated measures to overcome the constraints for future irrigation campaigns, and to refine the water orders made every 2 weeks to the basin authority. On the other hand, SIMIS presented limitations to the evaluation of on-demand delivery schedules. To overcome these limitations, an external model, developed outside SIMIS, showed that the current distribution network of the scheme has the capacity to deliver water on-demand only if a slight water deficit is accepted during the peak demand period. The analysis showed that by relaxing the stringency of the quality of operation of on-demand systems, rotation systems may be transformed into on-demand systems without changing their structures. This analysis could also be done using Clément's hypothesis, but doing so resulted in overestimates of the quality of operation and of the relative irrigation supply.     

Low Cost Satellite Data for Monthly Irrigation Performance Monitoring: Benchmarks from Nilo Coelho, Brazil

Irrigation performance indicators can helpwater managers to understand how anirrigation scheme operates under actualcircumstances. The new contribution ofremote sensing data, is the opportunity tostudy the crop growing conditions at scalesranging from individual fields to schemelevel. Public domain internet satellitedata have been used to calculate actual andpotential crop evapotranspiration, soilmoisture and biomass growth on a monthlybasis in the Nilo Coelho irrigation scheme,Pernambuco (Brazil). Satellite interpretedraster maps were merged with vector maps ofthe irrigation water delivery system.Monthly values of a minimum list ofirrigation performance indicators for thevarious service units in the pressurizedNilo Coelho scheme were determined. NiloCoelho is a good performing scheme. Theperformance can be improved further if 25%irrigation water is saved from February toJuly. The benchmark figures from thismodern irrigation system are presented forcomparitive analysis with other systems.The acceptable ranges in space and timeare presented. On average, 65% of thelateral pumping units on a monthly basisfall within the acceptable limits ofirrigation performance. Low cost irrigationperformance data based on low resolutionsatellite images (US$ 1/ha) will help themanagement team to focus on specificpumping units, and discuss alternativeirrigation and farm management strategieswith the stakeholders.     

漳河灌区灌溉用水量及水分生产率变化分析

根据湖北省漳河灌区长系列灌溉用水量、作物产量及灌溉面积等资料 ,从田间、灌溉系统及整个灌区3个不同尺度分析了漳河灌区历年来灌溉用水量及灌溉水分生产率变化情况。结果表明 ,漳河水库农业灌溉供水从第一阶段的 8.5亿 m3减少到第三阶段的 3.94亿 m3 ,单位面积灌溉供水量从第一阶段的 5 94 6m3 /hm2减少到第三阶段的 30 91 m3 /hm2 ,灌溉水分生产率从第一阶段的 0 .6 5 kg/m3提高到第三阶段的 2 .37kg/m3。相应的在灌溉系统和田间尺度 ,单位面积灌溉供水量及灌溉水分生产率呈现同样变化规律。由于灌溉系统和灌区尺度水的重复利用程度逐渐提高 ,使从田间、灌溉系统到灌区灌溉水分生产率逐渐提高。分析灌溉水利用率及水分生产率提高的原因表明 ,节水灌溉技术的推广应用以及通过各类调蓄设施提高水的重复利用率等占一半 ,农业结构的调整及作物品种改进使粮食单产提高等占另一半。     

黑龙江省地表水灌溉水质评价分析

【目的】合理制定管理策略改善灌溉水质。【方法】以黑龙江省2017年5—8月295个测点的16项水质监测指标为基础,以《地表水水质评价标准》(GB 3838—2002)和《农田灌溉水质标准》(GB5084—2005)为依据进行等级分类,采用Office以及ArcGIS软件分析了黑龙江省灌溉水质(主要指地表水)指标时空变化特征。【结果】①黑龙江省灌溉用水的主要污染物为有机污染物类(BOD5、COD和高锰酸盐指数)和面源污染类(氨氮、TN和TP)指标,其中仅有60.9%～76.7%和68.6%～78.3%测点的灌溉水质中COD和高锰酸盐指数能够达到III类标准以上;而面源污染类指标的表现较差,且TN和TP指标的超标问题较为严重;②时间变化方面,随着生育季的进行,有机物和面源污染类指标的劣类水测点均呈现逐渐增多趋势,且这一现象在TN和TP指标上表现更为明显;③空间变化方面,农业面源污染类指标的高风险区主要集中在佳木斯和七台河市,涉及的灌区主要包括鹤立河灌区、金沙灌区、三合灌区、孟家岗灌区和万家灌区。【结论】黑龙江省灌溉水质主要受农业面源污染类指标影响,且以TN、TP为主。制定合理的水肥管理策略是改善黑龙江省灌溉水质的重要手段。     

The quality of service provided by the irrigation department to the users associations, Tunuyan System, Mendoza, Argentina

The quality of service provided by the provincial Irrigation Department (DGI) to the Water Users Associations (UA), and subsequently by the UA's to the related water users, is based on the provincial water law. The intended volume of water being delivered per considered period further depends on the water availability and on the (crop irrigation) water requirements. The Service Level (SL) compares the intended water supply with the water supply that would be required to supply the entire irrigable area with sufficient water. As soon as the intended water delivery pattern is set, the measured actual delivery can be assessed against the intention. Several performance indicators are used in this context. Based on the assessment of the Water Delivery Performance Ratio and the Overall Consumed Ratio recommendations are made on changes which can be made to improve water use and reduce problems of waterlogging.     

Water Delivery Performance in the Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District

A Diagnostic Analysis was conducted in the service area of theMaricopa-Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District in Arizona,USA. The study was an initial step in a managed change process,named Management Improvement Program (MIP), aimed at improvingthe performance of the area's irrigated agricultural system. Partof the Diagnostic Analysis study focused on the performance ofthe irrigation district's water delivery service. The studyidentified areas of high and low water delivery performance,factors contributing to the observed levels of performance, andimplications to on-farm water management. These findings promptedchanges in the delivery system's management. Results from a post-MIP intervention study indicate that the district's waterdelivery performance has improved as a result of those changes,and thus, that the Diagnostic Analysis and MIP methodologies areeffective tools for promoting positive change in a water deliveryorganization.     

灌溉管理应用软件的研究现状及前景

灌溉用水管理是整个灌区的工作重点。决策支持系统等人工智能应用于灌溉管理,辅助管理人员及高层领导正确决策,解决知识处理中的半结构、非结构化问题,缩短预报周期,提高调度的实时性和可靠性,是二十一世纪灌溉系统管理的发展方向。最后介绍了霍泉灌区灌溉用水管理决策支持系统（简记：ＨＱＩＷＡＤＳＳ）的程序结构和主要功能     

Performance indicators for irrigation and drainage

This paper summarises the performance indicators currently used in the Research Program on Irrigation Performance (RPIP).Within this Program field data are measured and collected to quantify andtest about 40 multidisciplinary performance indicators. These indicatorscover water delivery, water use efficiency, maintenance, sustainability ofirrigation, environmental aspects, socio-economics and management. Theindicators now are sufficiently mature to be recommended for use inirrigation and drainage performance assessment.     

模糊综合评判在安西灌区农业水资源安全评价中的应用

通过续建配套与节水改造建设,安西灌区水利基础条件有了明显改善。为了准确把握灌区内农业水资源安全所处状况,采用AHP方法赋权,利用模糊综合评判方法,对安西灌区水资源安全进行了综合评价。评价结果表明安西灌区水资源安全度不高,尚处在基本安全等级。根据影响安西灌区水资源安全的主要影响因素,提出了有针对性的建议,以保障灌区农业水资源安全。     

长期再生水灌溉后土壤孔隙分布的多重分形特征

土壤结构是表征土壤质量的重要指标之一.为了定量表征长期再生水灌溉后土壤孔隙分布的非均匀性,以不同年限再生水灌溉后的土壤为研究对象,采用KYKY-2800B型扫描电子显微镜获取土壤数字图像,利用数字图像处理技术测定了土壤的孔隙分布特征,运用多重分形谱参数描述了土壤孔隙分布的非均质性,探讨了土壤孔隙分布多重分形曲线对称性的意义.结果表明:多重分形谱可以定量描述土壤孔隙分布的非均质性,土壤孔隙分布的多重分形奇异谱函数α-f(α)表现为非对称连续性分布,奇异谱宽度Δα表征了土壤孔隙分布的非均质特征,大兴区北野厂灌区农田土壤孔隙分布的多重分形谱宽度Δα普遍大于石景山衙门口灌区土壤,即具有30 a再生水灌溉历史的土壤其孔隙分布的非均匀性较50 a再生水灌溉历史的土壤孔隙分布的非均匀性大,且北野厂灌区土壤小孔隙的数目小于石景山衙门口灌区土壤小孔隙数目.多重分形参数可以作为定量表征土壤孔隙分布非均匀性的重要指标.     

An evaluation of the Porac River irrigation system

An irrigation water management research programme was implemented by Hydraulics Research in collaboration with the National Irrigation Administration of the Philippines on the Porac Area of Porac Gumain Rivers Irrigation System. The objectives of the study are to monitor the response of the main canal network to changes in water availability and assess its capability to deliver crop water requirements to sub-areas jointly managed by National Irrigation Administration staff and existing Irrigator Associations. This paper presents an analysis of the response of the main system to the varying irrigation demands, and assesses the conjunctive use of groundwater with surface water and the potential of computer models to assist management with the preparation of the annual irrigation schedules.     

GIS user-interface based irrigation delivery performance assessment: a case study for Tanjung Karang rice irrigation scheme in Malaysia

Various indicators are used for evaluating the performance of different aspects of an irrigation system, and assessments also differ in terms of the types of performance indicators used. This paper describes a GIS-based assessment system which utilizes a new concept and evaluated the inadequacy of a widely used Relative Water Supply (RWS) concept to characterize the irrigation delivery performance for a rice irrigation system as the season advances. Development of this GIS-based assessment system resulted in the creation of new indicators, viz., the Rice Relative Water Supply (RRWS), Cumulative Rice Relative Water Supply (CRRWS) and Ponding Water Index (PWI). These indicators were determined from field tests and evaluated in a Malaysian Tanjung Karang Rice Irrigation Scheme (TAKRIS). The RWS concept was found to be inaccurate for characterizing the oversupply condition on irrigation deliveries for rice irrigation; and difficult to correctly quantify the oversupply condition for irrigation supplies. Besides, it was found that the RRWS indicator can distinctly characterize the oversupply condition for RRWS > 1.0 and undersupply condition for RRWS < 1.0 on irrigation delivery for any given period. A value of 1.0 for RRWS indicates an irrigation delivery that matches perfectly the actual field water demand. This study presents a cumulative RRWS plot that provides important information on irrigation supplies for any given time interval for management decisions. An increasing slope in the actual CRRWS curve with CRRWS = 1.0, means that irrigation supply can be slightly curtailed in the next period. On the other hand, if the slope is negative, supply has to be increased. If a computed CRRWS line follows the CRRWS = 1.0 line, it means that irrigation deliveries are perfectly matched with the field water demand. A graphical user-interface was developed for structuring the assessment tool within an ArcGIS platform. The system can instantly provide information on the uniformity of water distribution and the shortfall or excess, and provides vital information in terms of decisions that need to be made for the next period. The system helps to maintain continuous updating of input and output databases on real field conditions. Results are displayed on the computer screen together with color-coded maps, graphs and tables in a comprehensible form. The system is likely to be adopted for evaluating various water allocation scenarios and water management options. It can also be used as an analytical and operational tool for irrigation managers.     

Diagnosing irrigation performance and water productivity through satellite remote sensing and secondary data in a large irrigation system of Pakistan

Irrigation policy makers and managers need information on the irrigation performance and productivity of water at various scales to devise appropriate water management strategies, in particular considering dwindling water availability, further threats from climate change, and continually rising population and food demand. In practice it is often difficult to access sufficient water supply and use data to determine crop water consumption and irrigation performance. Energy balance techniques using remote sensing data have been developed by various researchers over the last 20 years, and can be used as a tool to directly estimate actual evapotranspiration, i.e., water consumption. This study demonstrates how remote sensing-based estimates of water consumption and water stress combined with secondary agricultural production data can provide better estimates of irrigation performance, including water productivity, at a variety of scales than alternative options. A principle benefit of the described approach is that it allows identification of areas where agricultural performance is less than potential, thereby providing insights into where and how irrigation systems can be managed to improve overall performance and increase water productivity in a sustainable manner. To demonstrate the advantages, the approach was applied in Rechna Doab irrigation system of Pakistan’s Punjab Province. Remote sensing-based indicators reflecting equity, adequacy, reliability and water productivity were estimated. Inter- and intra-irrigation subdivision level variability in irrigation performance, associated factors and improvement possibilities are discussed.     

Statistical methods for irrigation system water delivery performance evaluation

There are several different parameters that can be measured and used to describe the performance of water delivery service; flow rate, volume, duration, pressure, and frequency. The proper one(s) to consider depends on the project conditions and objectives. The overall performance of an irrigation water delivery system can be broken down into two components; the delivery schedule and operations. The performance of the delivery schedule can be evaluated by looking at the ratio of intended to required water (volume, rate, duration, etc.) and the performance of operations by the ratio of actual to intended water. The overall performance is expressed by the product of these two ratios; the actual divided by the required water. Statistical relations are provided to express equity, adequacy and reliability from measurement of these ratios.     

Performance assessment of an irrigation scheme using indicators determined with remote sensing techniques

In this work, remote sensing-based assessments of actual evapotranspiration using METRIC integrated with a water balance model provided accurate estimates of irrigation performance. This new methodology was applied and tested in the Genil–Cabra Irrigation Scheme located in southern Spain during the 2004–2005 irrigation season. The performance indicators used, the annual relative irrigation supply (ARIS) and the irrigation water productivity (IWP), required ET input data which were calculated using either METRIC or standard FAO methodology. The new procedure that used METRIC detected overirrigation (ARIS of 1.27) in situations where the ARIS calculated with the standard FAO methodology indicated near-optimal irrigation (ARIS of 0.98). Additionally, the proposed methodology allows the estimation of the volume of applied water at the field scale. Comparisons between the ARIS and IWP values obtained from actual applied water records against those calculated with the new methodology resulted in good agreement. It is concluded that the integration of the METRIC method to calculate actual ET with a water balance model allowed the determination of performance indicators in an irrigation scheme in a reliable and accurate fashion, requiring only very limited information at the field level.     

Performance analysis of pressurized irrigation systems operating on-demand using flow-driven simulation models

On-demand pressurized irrigation systems are designed to deliver water with the flow rate and pressure required by the farm irrigation systems, sprinkling or micro-irrigation, and respecting the time, duration and frequency decided by the farmers. Due to the variation in farm demand along the season and the day, a large spatial and temporal variability of flow regimes occurs in these systems, which may affect the performance of the farm systems and the yields of the irrigated crops. Therefore, there is a need to analyse those systems to identify and solve performance problems. In this research, two simulation models for the analysis of irrigation systems operating on-demand, ICARE and AKLA, are used and compared to assess the hydraulic performance of the irrigation network of the Lucefecit Irrigation System, in Southern Portugal. ICARE assesses the global performance of the irrigation system through the indexed characteristic curves, while AKLA provides for the identification of the relative pressure deficit and reliability at every hydrant. Both models adopt a flow-driven analysis approach, performing the analysis for multiple flow regimes. To support the hydraulic characterization of the system and for calibration of the steady-state hydraulic model, field measurements were performed at selected nodes of the network, including four hydrants. The analysis with ICARE does not provide for a sufficient identification of problems. In fact, poor performance is indicated when a few hydrants operate below the minimum pressure set at design. Differently, the analysis with AKLA, applied at the hydrant level, shows that the performance of the Lucefecit system is generally acceptable. AKLA identifies which hydrants operate below the required pressure and, therefore, allows to support any eventual related improvement. Results show that the performance of the system highly improved when changing the piezometric elevation from 260 to 265 m a.s.l. However, this improvement is not sufficient because three hydrants still have high relative pressure deficit and low reliability. Solutions for those hydrants require increasing diameters of network pipes supplying them.     

水资源变化对小开河引黄灌区生态

灌区通过农田水利体系把灌区范围沟通成为一个整体, 在自然和人工生态系统相互交叉融合作用下，使灌区生态系统有了良好的发展和演变。通过对小开河引黄灌区建设前后水资源条件的变化分析，探讨了水资源对灌区生态系统的结构变化及系统演变的影响。结果表明，灌区建设和水资源条件的改善与控制，会增加复合生态经济系统结构的层次性和复杂性，使生态经济系统日趋稳定和完善。     

石津灌区适宜田间灌水技术试验研究

为了研究石津灌区适宜的田间灌水技术，在对石津灌区现有灌水技术调查的基础上，对不同的田间灌水方法进行了田间试验，结果表明，储水灌溉既实现了高产，节水的目的，又适应灌区的运行管理，是今后灌区渠道灌溉地区田间灌水发展的重点技术之一；小畦灌和低压管道输水灌溉，灌水灵活，在井灌或井渠结合地区具有较大的发展潜力。     

On reliability in irrigation service preliminary concepts and application

Without doubt the performance indicator that has so far received least attention in irrigation is the reliability of irrigation service. A review of reliability approaches as reflected in the literature is made and the analysis leads to propose a new conceptual framework for reliability of irrigation.The reliability of irrigation service is defined as the degree to which the irrigation system, and its water deliveries, conform to the prior expectations of its users. The perception of the user is central to the process of defining expectations and to the process of making strategic and tactical choices for the cropping pattern, the quantity of inputs, etc.It is proposed here to use a composite reliability approach, combining two key aspects: the variability and the predictability of the service characteristics. The methodology consists firstly of defining a set of three, non-overlapping, first-order indicators which fully characterize irrigation deliveries. These indicators are: Adequacy, Timeliness and Steadiness. Then the variation (in time or in space) of these indicators leads to Second-order indicators of performance. One second-order indicator is the well-known Equity, which assesses the spatial distribution or the distribution between shareholders.Variability and predictability are the two main aspects of the proposed concept of reliability. The variability is the temporal variation of the first-order indicators while the predictability defines the extent to which irrigation can be forecast. Low variability means high predictability, whereas high variability does not necessarily mean low predictability, as patterns of variation can possibly be deduced from past events.The reliability is inversely proportional to the frequency and the magnitude of failure. Here the magnitude of failure in irrigation service is measured by the deviation of the actual from the expected delivery.Existing approaches and the proposed conceptual framework are applied to a case study in the Punjab-Pakistan. It shows that reliability indicators proposed so far are not doing any better than the classical approach of adequacy. The new proposed approach for reliability, based on the combination of variability and predictability, seems more promising.Finally this preliminary analysis also identifies several key domains for which further investigations should be undertaken to increase the general understanding of reliability.     

Assessment of water delivery efficiency in irrigation canals using performance indicators

Agricultural water is delivered by open irrigation canals in system of reservoirs with a widespread distribution in South Korea. Traditional irrigation management problems include water distribution systems with less capacity than the peak demand, irregular delivery rates, and low irrigation efficiency and uniformity. It is necessary to strategically compare the estimated irrigation demands with the actual water supplies for decision making in order to maintain the water supply according to the demand. Accurate measurement and monitoring of water distribution systems is essential in order to solve the problems of water efficiency and availability. Auto water level gauges installed at the head and tail sections of each irrigation canal in the Dongjin River were used to measure the discharge during irrigation periods. In this study, we introduced an approach to assess the water delivery performance indicators of the open irrigation canals, which is essential for identifying the key issues for water management improvement. The irrigation efficiencies according to the water delivery performance indicators were measured with an automatic water gauge in the irrigation canals and were calculated from the spatial and temporal distribution of the water supply for the lack of planning in water delivery. The calculated performance indicators are useful to understand the irrigator behavior and general irrigation trends. Analysis of the results yielded insights into possible improvement methods in order to develop water management policies that enable irrigation planners to improve the temporal uniformity and equity in the water distribution.