Kansas Geological Survey and Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources. Water Information Management and Analysis System, Version 5, for the Web. 2015. http://hercules.kgs.ku.edu/geohydro/wimas/index.cfm
Water rights in the State of Kansas are complex and dynamic entities that permit their owners the privilege of appropriating water for beneficial use. The amount of information collected on water rights is extensive and increases each year. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources (KDA-DWR), currently maintains an Oracle-based RDBMS called the Water Rights Information System (WRIS). The WRIS contains over 70 relational tables that store data on points of diversion (e.g. ground-water wells and surface water intakes), place of use, authorized quantity and rate allocations, historic reported water usage, and a host of other parameters. The ability to extract out information from the WRIS data system requires a [...]
Water rights in the State of Kansas are complex and dynamic entities that permit their owners the privilege of appropriating water for beneficial use. The amount of information collected on water rights is extensive and increases each year. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources (KDA-DWR), currently maintains an Oracle-based RDBMS called the Water Rights Information System (WRIS). The WRIS contains over 70 relational tables that store data on points of diversion (e.g. ground-water wells and surface water intakes), place of use, authorized quantity and rate allocations, historic reported water usage, and a host of other parameters. The ability to extract out information from the WRIS data system requires a strong working knowledge of not only the water rights data themselves, but the business rules, table structures, and underlying relationships of the WRIS
This web-based version of WIMAS allows, for the first time, true public access to water rights data. The advantages of this type of application environment are numerous. Users of WIMAS 5 are no longer required to purchase specialized software. All that is needed is internet access and a standard web browser. The web site is powered by Macromedia´s ColdFusion and ESRI´s ArcIMS internet software. This allows all the retrieval and processing of the water rights data to occur on the web server itself. This means even the most basic computer internet connection (i.e., dial up versus DSL) will operate with the same speed and capability.
Data access by WIMAS 5 covers a much broader range of time periods and topics. This includes access to the entire history of reported water use and spatial mapping of authorized irrigated acreage, both of which are unavailable in the older versions of the program. It has a broad range of selection options to query water rights and a host of tools and functions that summarize both current and past water usage. Data accessed by WIMAS 5 is updated nightly from the KDA-DWR WRIS system.
Information access by WIMAS 5 is public record. However, user should be aware of several issues. This program cannot be used to determine if a water right is in good standing with its terms and conditions. It can also not be used for selling, offering of sales, and other marketing activities that are in violation of K.S.A. 45-220(c)(2).
The WRIS data accessed by WIMAS represent one of the most comprehensive data sets for water rights in the United States. However, like all database systems, it is a representation of reality and thus will always contain some level of error. For example, these errors may be blatant (i.e. a typo), occur in the manner of how the data model is structured, be introduced by the methods of data collection, or be found in its use such as implying a false level of accuracy to a subject matter that has an inherent level of uncertainty.
The data accessed by WIMAS is complex because water rights themselves are complex. The purpose of this report is to outline the functionality of the WIMAS 5 web site and not water rights administration. Users of WIMAS should have at least a basic understanding of the Kansas Water Appropriation Act and how that applies to water rights analyses. The tools and functions described represent conditions as of the date of this report. It is anticipated that new capabilities will be added over time.
Information contained in the WIMAS program is a public record; however, by accessing the WIMAS program, associated data, and any products generated by WIMAS (i.e. maps, graphs, tables, and reports) the user agrees that they will not use them for selling, or offering the sale, of any property or services in violation of K.S.A 45-220(c)(2).
