Model data

Land Use & Soils

The HARE land-use and soil datasets are preserved first as GIS evidence, then translated into the parameter classes required by HEC-HMS, SWAT and CROPWAT. The objective is to avoid changing the original mapped classes merely to suit one model.

Data principle. The GIS land-use and soil maps remain the primary archive. Model-specific classifications are stored as explicit lookup tables so that every modelling assumption can be traced back to the original spatial data.

Original GIS classes

Water, trees and orchards, cropland, built-up areas, shrubs, bare ground and other mapped classes remain unchanged in the project archive.

Model classifications

Each model receives only the classifications it requires. A lookup table documents how the GIS classes are converted into hydrologic parameters, HRU classes or crop/soil inputs.

Land-use evidence

Reconstructed Land-Use Classes

Modern land-cover mapping for the Hare command area distinguishes agricultural and non-agricultural land while retaining classes that are important for irrigation planning and watershed modelling.

GIS class	Interpretation in Hare study	HEC-HMS use	SWAT use	CROPWAT relevance
Water	River, ponds or permanent water surfaces.	Very low infiltration-loss area; generally not treated as normal land surface.	Water land-use class / open-water HRU where applicable.	Excluded from irrigable crop area.
Trees / orchards	Includes tree crops, orchards and banana where identified.	Contributes to curve-number and infiltration parameter selection.	Converted to appropriate forest/orchard/plantation HRU class.	Tree crops such as banana or orchard can be included as irrigated crops.
Cropland	Existing agricultural fields and cultivable command-area land.	Agricultural land-cover condition used in loss estimation.	Agricultural HRU class according to crop/land-use assignment.	Main source of crop areas and cropping-pattern allocation.
Built-up	Settlement, roads and developed areas.	Higher runoff potential than agricultural land.	Urban/built-up HRU class.	Excluded from irrigable crop area.
Shrubs / rangeland	Non-cropped shrub or grazing areas.	Assigned runoff parameters based on hydrologic condition.	Shrub/rangeland HRU class.	Normally excluded unless converted to future irrigable land.
Bare ground	Exposed land, disturbed ground or non-vegetated surfaces.	Generally high runoff potential.	Bare-ground HRU class.	Excluded from crop area unless specifically reclaimed.

Soil evidence

Soil Characteristics Used in the Models

The Hare watershed soil mapping indicates a relatively simple soil pattern dominated by loam-type soils, with differences in texture and hydrologic response. The same soil evidence is interpreted differently by each model.

HEC-HMS

Hydrologic Soil Group

Soil information is used principally for rainfall-loss estimation, especially when the SCS Curve Number method is applied.

In the current reconstruction, the upland watershed is represented predominantly by Hydrologic Soil Group C, while the lower command area has been treated as more slowly infiltrating Group D where appropriate.

SWAT

Soil Profile & HRUs

SWAT uses soil together with land use and slope to define Hydrologic Response Units. Soil parameters influence infiltration, percolation, available water, runoff and groundwater recharge.

The original mapped soil units should remain traceable through the SWAT reclassification table.

CROPWAT

Root-Zone Water Storage

CROPWAT uses soil properties to estimate total available soil moisture, maximum infiltration, maximum rooting depth and initial soil-water depletion.

These values influence irrigation scheduling and the amount of water that can be stored in the crop root zone between irrigation events.

Model translation

How One Dataset Serves Three Models

Original evidence	HEC-HMS translation	SWAT translation	CROPWAT translation
Land-cover class	Used with soil group to select runoff/loss parameters.	Converted into SWAT land-use codes for HRU creation.	Used to identify crop area versus non-irrigable area.
Soil texture / unit	Hydrologic Soil Group and Curve Number support.	Soil profile properties for infiltration and storage.	Available water and root-zone storage.
Slope	Supports basin response and flow-path interpretation.	Used directly in HRU slope classes.	Not a principal CROPWAT input, but relevant to field irrigation suitability.
Command-area boundary	Not the primary catchment boundary.	Can be analysed as a sub-area within the watershed.	Defines the area over which crop demand is aggregated.

Current status

Land-Use & Soil Data Status

Dataset	Current use	Status
Modern land-use raster	Command-area reconstruction and SWAT HRU preparation.	Available
SWAT land-use reclassification	HRU definition.	Completed
Soil mapping	HEC-HMS, SWAT and CROPWAT interpretation.	Available
Hydrologic soil groups	Curve Number and runoff-loss estimation.	Review / document
CROPWAT soil parameters	Irrigation scheduling and root-zone storage.	To be finalized