Hydrological Atlas of Switzerland
The Hydrological Atlas of Switzerland (HADES) provides basic hydrological information and specialist knowledge by means of maps, graphics and texts. The atlas includes a printed map, a website with WebGIS and download options, a number of thematic excursion guides and a teaching aid for upper secondary level.
history
At the beginning of the 1980s, under the direction of Christian Leibundgut at the Geographical Institute of the University of Bern, work began on developing an implementation concept for the Hydrological Atlas of Switzerland. Rolf Weingartner's concept provided for a national map series that could easily be expanded and updated. This flexibility was achieved by collecting the individual map sheets (the so-called HADES boards) in folders. In 1988 the Federal Council commissioned the implementation of the new map series of national interest. The then State Hydrology under Manfred Spreafico was entrusted with the program management. The project management at the Geographical Institute of the University of Bern is still in the hands of Rolf Weingartner and Felix Hauser.
In 1992, thanks to the support of many research institutions and the collaboration of a large number of Swiss hydrologists, HADES was presented to the public for the first time. The first delivery consisted of 17 tablets; To date, a total of 63 tables have appeared with around 320 thematic maps, around 680 diagrams and over 40 pages of tables. Today the HADES is published by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) . HADES is printed and distributed by the Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo) .
Content
Atlas
The atlas is divided into the chapters “Fundamentals”, “Precipitation”, “Snow and Glaciers”, “Evaporation”, “Rivers and Lakes”, “Water Balance”, “Material Balance” and “Soil and Groundwater”. Each chapter contains, on the one hand, basic information such as measuring network overviews, mean value and extreme value representations, and on the other hand, specialized visualizations of complex content, such as low water or heavy precipitation conditions. Each board is dedicated to a specific topic and consists of a map section (a double page, which allows a Switzerland-wide overview on a scale of 1: 500,000), a page with images and an accompanying text in German, French, Italian and English.
Extensive data is shown on additional table pages and can be accessed digitally. In 2013, the maps and the underlying spatial data will also be made available on a new website. At the end of 2014, HADES will be available on a web-based atlas platform developed in collaboration with the Institute for Cartography and Geoinformation (IKG) at ETH Zurich . From this point on, the analog map series will no longer be updated.
Excursion guide of the series "Paths through the water world"
As part of the International Year of Freshwater 2003, the idea arose to make better use of the potential of the atlas by means of excursions. The excursion guides are developed by a team of proven experts; they offer a well-founded insight into the selected water topics and encourage conscious observation and inquiries.
In addition to the text, the brochures also include images and maps, a selection of literature and other information necessary for the excursion. The series currently consists of 17 excursions in 5 different regions and is ongoing.
Teaching materials for upper secondary level
At the beginning of the 21st century, a teaching aid for the upper secondary level was developed within the framework of HADES with the aim of better anchoring the topic of water in the classroom. Complex processes are presented factually and simply, but still well-founded.
The teaching material includes worksheets on six topics related to water and has been published in German, French and Italian. A follow-up publication with digital expansion is in progress and will gradually supplement and replace the existing teaching material from 2013.
Basics
Catchment area structure
In order to better compare individual statements, a spatial reference system was created for the hydrological atlas, which comprises three levels. The large catchment areas (river basins) with areas of mostly several 1000 km² form the top level. A code number is assigned to each of the nine river basins:
- 10 Rhine - 20 Aare - 30 Reuss - 40 Limmat - 50 Rhone - 60 Ticino - 70 Adda - 80 Inn - 90 Adige
The numbers 10-40 mean that they belong to the Atlantic catchment , 50-70 and 90 to the Mediterranean catchment and 80 to the Black Sea catchment . The Adda and Adige ( Etsch ) river basins are relatively small, while the Rhone, Ticino and Adda basins are divided into two parts on Swiss territory.
A further subdivision is made into the accounting areas (100–200 km²). They are numbered according to the hydrographic principle. The first digit determines the river basin affiliation (e.g. 1: Rhine, 2: Aare). On the lowest level of the base areas (30–50 km²), areas that are as homogeneous as possible are summarized and their representative parameters analyzed (e.g. area height, terrain slope, glaciation, soil cover, water storage capacity of the soil). The catchment areas can be compared directly within one level. The catchment areas of the three levels can be merged through aggregation or disaggregation.
See also
Web links
- Dossier on the subject of water on the website of the Federal Office for the Environment
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hades. Geographical Institute GIUB University of Bern , accessed on January 21, 2013 .