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drainage basin

vr.tr.drainage-basin · thing-q166620

Let an agent identify drainage basins and their boundaries, explain hydrology and water balance, support water management and flood risk questions, and describe transboundary governance.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.PLC
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identify Which basin.

Locate

Basin of a place.

Locate

Basin.

  1. Which drainage basin and sub-basin does this place belong to, according to hydrological data? provenance
  2. Where does its water end up? definition

Delineate

Boundaries.

Delineate

Delineation.

  1. How are basin boundaries delineated from elevation data? action
  2. How is basin area computed? measurement
Hydrology Water in the basin.

Balance

Water balance.

Balance

Water balance.

  1. What are the precipitation, evaporation, runoff and storage of this basin? measurement
  2. How does land use affect runoff? provenance

Endorheic

Closed basins.

Endorheic

Closed basins.

  1. What is an endorheic basin, and why are its lakes sensitive to change? definition
  2. Which examples are notable? provenance
Manage Water management.

Flood

Flood risk.

Flood

Flood risk.

  1. What is the flood risk in this basin, according to official maps and warnings? provenance
  2. Is a flood warning in force now? boundary

Plans

Basin management plans.

Plans

Plans.

  1. Which basin management plan applies, and what are its objectives? provenance
  2. How can the public participate? provenance
Governance Shared basins.

Transboundary

Cross-border basins.

Transboundary

Transboundary basins.

  1. Which countries share this basin, and which agreements govern it? provenance
  2. Are disputes described neutrally with attribution? boundary

Teach

Teaching.

Teach

Teaching.

  1. How can drainage basins be taught with maps and models? action
  2. Which misconceptions arise? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.PLC
Other names and narrower kinds
lake system, endorheic basin, Class B river system, Class A river system, sub-basin, zero-order basin, coastal river basins, experimental watershed, artesian basin, River Basin Management Unit (Indonesia), Zonation piscicole de Huet, arheic basin

What it is Filled

The area of land where all surface water drains to a common outlet such as a river mouth, lake or, in endorheic basins, an inland sink, bounded by drainage divides and organised into sub-basins; drainage basins are the units of hydrology, water management and flood risk and often cross political boundaries.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent identify drainage basins and their boundaries, explain hydrology and water balance, support water management and flood risk questions, and describe transboundary governance.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Common outlet
  • Topographically bounded
  • Nested sub-basins
  • Management unit

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Alter water flows, dams or diversions it does not have authority over.
  • Discharge pollutants into any part of a basin.
  • Misstate basin boundaries in planning or water rights documents.
  • Downplay downstream effects of upstream abstraction or works.

Only with a human decision

  • Approving abstraction, diversion or works that change flows in the basin.

May

  • Report the extent, rivers and sub-basins of a drainage basin from hydrological sources.
  • Relay flood warnings for a basin from the competent authority.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Upstream actions affect everyone downstream, often across borders.
  • Water allocation in a basin decides who can farm, drink and live there.

Who is affected

  • Downstream communities
  • Farmers and water users
  • River ecosystems

Owners Filled

Steward

The public: held in common; river basin authorities manage it.

Master systems

  • River basin management plans
  • Hydrological databases

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q55462971 - registry parent class
  • Q813672 - registry parent class
  • Q82794 - registry parent class

related

  • fluvial landform - category
  • region - category
  • ocean - outlet

contains

  • alluvial-fan - landforms

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.drainage-basin
  • Wikidata: Q166620 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q166620)

Direct properties required Filled

  • Drainage area: square kilometres - Measure the area enclosed by the drainage divide for a specified outlet using mapped boundaries or an elevation model.
  • Basin relief: metres - Calculate the elevation difference between the highest and lowest points within the delineated basin using a consistent vertical datum.
  • Mean surface slope: degrees - Calculate local terrain slopes from an elevation model and average them across the basin while reporting the model resolution.
  • Drainage density: kilometres per square kilometre - Divide the total mapped channel length by basin area while stating which permanent and intermittent channels are included.

Recognition required Filled

  • Bounded by drainage divides
  • All water flows to one outlet
  • A river is the channel; the basin is the whole catchment
  • Land areas defined by divides, visible on topographic maps.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • identify the basin of a place or river
  • explain water balance and flow
  • support flood risk and water management questions
  • describe basin governance

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Flooding
  • Pollution transport downstream
  • Upstream-downstream conflicts

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • EU Water Framework Directive basin management
  • Transboundary water conventions
  • National flood risk regulations

Context of use required Filled

  • Hydrology and water resource management.
  • river basins draining to the sea
  • endorheic basins
  • lake basins
  • sub-basins and headwater catchments
  • transboundary basins

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q166620: drainage basin - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Drainage basin - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should each major basin be a separate entry?
  • How should hydrological data be linked?
  • How should governance bodies be linked?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q166620/spec.json