Automation of determining the boundaries of river basins of small rivers: the case of Khangalassky district of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Currently, the absence of a GIS system linked to river basins in Russia may complicate the work of important operational environmental and hydrometeorological surveillance services. It is important to note that simplifying and accelerating the allocation of river basins through open source software can significantly optimize the work of researchers, especially in conditions where it is important to respond promptly to floods and floods in a short time. The purpose of this work is to automate the allocation of river catchment areas, which can help in the study of vast territories of the Far East, as well as contribute to the creation of effective forecasting and monitoring systems. The study presents an automated approach to the identification of watersheds based on the use of geospatial data and information processing algorithms. The presented method demonstrates the effective allocation of watershed boundaries, which makes it possible to simplify the research process and increase the accuracy of the data obtained. The study was conducted within the boundaries of Khangalassky district of the SR(Ya). The data obtained using digital terrain models were corrected, and then used for rapid allocation of watersheds by means of an algorithm developed by the authors. The algorithm is a module for QGIS, which uses the QGIS and GDAL tools in turn, which significantly speeds up the process of creating materials for further research. The results of the study emphasize the accessibility of obtaining information about the geosystems of river basins as integral systems and put forward the prospect of improving GIS processes related to water resources for more effective monitoring of ecosystems and decision-making in the field of environmental protection.

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