OPTIMIZING WATER USE EFFICIENCY IN URBAN LANDSCAPES USING GIS

Improved design and management of irrigation systems can lead to significant higher efficiency in water usage and / or better distribution of the water resources in order to have more sufficiently irrigated –hence vigorous- plants. Urban landscapes are usually complicated regarding the plethora of plant species and their spatial distribution which makes the design and management of relevant irrigation systems a hard task. According to the proposed design approach, GIS tools are used in order to analyze landscapes and divide them in irrigation zones. The criteria are based on area parameters (geometry, usage), soil characteristics (type, slope) and landscape evapotranspiration coefficients (species, plant density and microclimate). The use of GIS enhances the design process and gives a strong visual dimension to it. The first outcomes (improvement of the irrigation systems of a 5ha university campus and a 0.2ha public park) resulted water savings up to 36%.