Development of Database and Graphic User Interface for Farmland Delineation in ArcGIS Environment Based on APEX Requirement

Abstract

A model and a set of tools were previously developed in a separate study. That model is to delineate farmlands into sub-fields based on topography to better simulate hydrological patterns with the assistance from APEX (Agricultural Policy Environmental EXtender) model for further processing. That model requires a lot of manual operations between and within steps, which introduces unnecessary human errors. A GIS database and graphic user interface (GUI) was developed in this study to streamline that model and tools. Because the farmland and delineated sub-fields may contain different attributes, a two-level hierarchical database was proposed. The top level database is used for storing farmlands, with one feature class for each farmer (a farmer may have multiple farmlands). The second level database is used for storing delineated sub-fields, with one feature class for each piece of farmland from which the delineated sub-fields are derived. The GUI provides menus and buttons for user to run the model.