Discover Geography - Explore catchment management with augmented reality

Exploring catchment management, flood risk and geographical information systems (GIS) using an augmented reality (AR) sandbox

The increasing levels of floodplain development, combined with the intensification of agricultural land management has led to a change in the hydrological response of river catchments and flood risk. An AR sandbox using a GIS projecting rainfall onto a digital elevation model (DEM) simulates runoff on a catchment surface, highlighting the issues with historic river and land management, including channelisation, deforestation, and floodplain urban-creep. This session aims to give students an interactive experience of catchment hydrology and GIS technology, as well as an opportunity to understand the challenges in managing catchments to multiple stakeholders’ contested claims.