Release Date

2012

Description

AgBufferBuilder is a GIS-based computer program for designing vegetative filter strips around agricultural fields that utilizes terrain analysis to account for spatially non-uniform runoff (Figure 1). The core model is derived from the process-based Vegetative Filter Strip Modeling System (VFSMOD-W). A detailed description of the core model and its development is provided in Dosskey et al. (2011). The GIS program runs with ArcGIS (ESRI, Redlands, CA).

Supporting Information

The user's guide is available by clicking the Download button on the right.

The software is available as additional files listed at the end. Program test data sets are provided in the program folder called “Test Fields.”

These files are also available for download as additional files listed at the end:

  • Recommended procedures for acquiring publicly-available digital elevation (DEM) and imagery from the USGS
  • Demonstration Project-Field B: This zip file contains a complete set of prepared input files and results of both a design procedure and an assessment procedure.
  • Example design output from AgBufferBuilder

File Size

AgBufferBuilder 1.0 for ArcGIS 10.0: zip file, 157 MB

AgBufferBuilder 1.0 for ArcGIS 10.1: zip file, 157 MB

Use's guide: PDF file, 2.4 MB

Recommended procedures for acquiring publicly-available digital elevation (DEM) and imagery from the USGS: PDF file, 989 KB

Demonstration Project-Field B: zip file, 3.3 MB

Example design output from AgBufferBuilder: PDF file, 265 KB

Rights

© 2012 Surendran Neelakantan, Tom Mueller, Mike Dosskey, and Eduardo Rienzi

The copyright holders have granted the permission for posting the software here.

Disclaimer

AgBufferBuilder and associated documentation is supplied as-is with no warranty, explicit or implied. The quality of results is highly dependent on the user's skill and ability to select input data and parameters that accurately represent the field site, to run GIS software, and to properly interpret the results.

Notes

Surendran Neelankantan developed the system architecture and authored all Python code. Tom Mueller was the project manager, was responsible the overall GIS design, and provided expertise with model builder. This project was originally conceived by Mike Dosskey, who also contributed to the overall design and quality control. Eduardo Rienzi provided counsel on hydrologic modeling and analysis and had a role in quality control.

Funding Information

Funding to support development of AgBufferBuilder was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, Nebraska and Southern Research Station, Asheville, North Carolina to the University of Kentucky (grant no. 10-JV-11330152-119) and from Kentucky state water quality grants (SB-271) administered by the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Lexington, Kentucky.

Related Content

AgBufferBuilder: A Geographic Information System (GIS) Tool for Precision Design and Performance Assessment of Filter Strips, by M.G. Dosskey et al. Published in Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, v. 70, no. 4, p. 209-217. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2489/jswc.70.4.209

A Webinar describing AgBufferBuilder conducted on September 2, 2015, for the Ohio Watershed Network.

VFSMOD-W: Vegetative Filter Strip Modeling System, by Rafael Muñoz-Carpena and John E. Parsons. http://abe.ufl.edu/carpena/vfsmod/index.shtml

A Design Aid for Sizing Filter Strips Using Buffer Area Ratio, by M.G. Dosskey et al. Published in Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, v. 66, no. 1, p. 29-39. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2489/jswc.66.1.29

AgBufferBuilder_1.0_for_ArcGIS_10.0.zip (161074 kB)
AgBufferBuilder 1.0 for ArcGIS 10.0

AgBufferBuilder_1.0_for_ArcGIS_10.1.zip (161076 kB)
AgBufferBuilder 1.0 for ArcGIS 10.1

Obtaining_USGS_Data.pdf (980 kB)
Recommended procedures for obtaining USGS data

Demonstration_Project-Field_B.zip (3363 kB)
Demonstration Project-Field B

AgBufferBuilder_Figure_1.pdf (264 kB)
Example design output from AgBufferBuilder

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