Home » Blended Learning » Surface water

Surface water

Surface Water: Defining Watershed Boundaries Using a DEM

Water always follows the path of least resistance. But how do you determine which areas drain into a river, stream, or lake? In this blended learning course, you’ll learn how to automatically derive watersheds and drainage networks using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), WhiteboxTools, and QGIS. You’ll gain insight into the movement of surface water, laying a solid foundation for hydrological analyses, water management, and land-use planning.

Introduction to Surface Water: Defining Watershed Boundaries Using a DEM

Surface water plays a crucial role in water management, climate adaptation, and land-use planning. To fully understand water flows, it is necessary to understand how rainwater moves through the landscape and which areas drain into streams, rivers, and lakes. Digital elevation models (DEMs) form the basis for hydrological analyses.

In this blended learning course, you will learn how to use QGIS and WhiteboxTools to automatically derive watersheds, drainage networks, and water flows from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). You’ll work with hydrological analysis techniques such as flow direction, flow accumulation, and watershed delineation to gain insight into the natural drainage of an area.

Through hands-on assignments, you’ll discover how digital elevation data is prepared, hydrologically corrected, and used for modeling surface water. These techniques are applied worldwide in water management, infrastructure, nature conservation, and climate adaptation.

Upon completion, you will have the practical skills to independently conduct hydrological analyses and analyze surface water systems using open-source GIS software.

What will you learn in this Blended Learning course?

During this blended learning course, you’ll learn how to use digital elevation models to analyze the movement of surface water. You’ll develop practical skills for conducting hydrological analyses and automatically delineating watersheds.

You’ll start by preparing and verifying a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Next, you’ll learn to apply hydrological corrections, such as filling sinks and optimizing elevation data for further analysis.

Afterward, you’ll work with WhiteboxTools and QGIS to calculate flow direction and flow accumulation. Based on these calculations, you’ll derive drainage networks and watersheds and gain insight into a landscape’s natural drainage patterns.

Finally, you’ll learn to interpret and visualize the results so that you can apply hydrological analyses in water management, land-use planning, climate adaptation, and infrastructure projects.

Why Choose This Blended Learning Course on Surface Water?

This blended learning program combines flexible online learning with hands-on exercises in which you work with real elevation files and hydrological datasets. You’ll not only learn the theory behind hydrological analyses but also apply it directly within QGIS and WhiteboxTools.

By completing assignments independently, you’ll gain insight into how surface water systems work and learn how digital elevation data can be used to model water flows and watersheds. During the guided sessions, you’ll receive practical tips and personalized guidance from an experienced instructor.

Upon completion, you’ll be able to independently delineate watersheds, analyze drainage networks, and create hydrological maps that can be used in water management, climate adaptation, and spatial planning projects.

Enroll

€395,-
  • Start: 1-hour online session
  • Self-study: Review course materials
  • End: 1-hour online session
Register for this course

You’ll receive 1-on-1 guidance. After signing up, our course coordinator will contact you to schedule your first session.

Learning Objectives

  • Prepare digital elevation models (DEMs) and apply hydrological corrections to them for reliable surface water analyses.
  • Use QGIS and WhiteboxTools to calculate flow direction, flow accumulation, and drainage networks.
  • Automatically delineate watersheds and analyze how water moves through a landscape.
  • Interpret and apply hydrological analyses for water management, climate adaptation, infrastructure, and land-use planning.
  • Create professional maps and visualizations that clearly illustrate the drainage and hydrological structure of an area.

Want to know more?

Do you have questions about the course content? Or are you unsure whether the course aligns with your learning goals or preferences? Would you prefer an in-house or private course? We’d be happy to help.

Blended Learning FAQs: Surface Water

A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a digital elevation dataset that represents the elevation of the Earth's surface. DEMs form the basis for hydrological analyses because they provide insight into the direction in which water flows and help define watersheds and drainage networks.

During this blended learning course, you will work with QGIS and WhiteboxTools. Using this open-source software, you will perform hydrological analyses, prepare digital elevation models, and calculate, among other things, flow direction, flow accumulation, and drainage basins.

The techniques from this blended learning approach are applied in water management, climate adaptation, civil engineering, nature conservation, and land-use planning. They help analyze surface water, assess water runoff, and support decision-making regarding water-related projects.

No, extensive knowledge of hydrology is not required. However, a basic understanding of QGIS is recommended. The hydrological principles and analysis techniques are explained step by step, so you can immediately apply what you’ve learned in practice.