Application of GIS in Rainwater Harvesting Research: A Scoping Review

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Preeti, Preeti^{; *} | Rahman, Ataur

Affiliations: School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Australia

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding Author. [email protected]

Abstract: The spatial and temporal variability of quantity and quality of water are important aspects of water resources management. Water demand has been increasing across the globe, but the fresh water supply is limited. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems are increasingly being embraced as an alternative freshwater source. This study reviews the dynamics of global research on RWH that utilises geographic information systems (GIS). It is found that the interest and use of RWH utilising GIS have increased over the recent years. However, the full potential of GIS in large scale RWH is yet to be untapped. We make recommendations for future research on RWH based on GIS. This includes new software and model development that links RWH with GIS to plan and design large scale RWH and automated building footprint extraction for estimating RWH potential. GIS can play a bigger role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by incorporating GIS with RWH since GIS can handle large spatial data efficiently, which can help in locating areas that are suitable for rainwater harvesting.

Keywords: Rainwater harvesting, GIS, water, SDGs

DOI: 10.3233/AJW210040

Journal: Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 29-35, 2021