This term project outline presents :

• The project's objectives
• The information sources
• The expected results in terms of knowledge gained or analysis accomplished

1. Project's objective

   The purpose of this project is to explore in depth some aspects of surface water hydrology. As a graduate assistant, I am already involved in a research project on water quality assessment for the city of Austin. So I have naturally enough chosen to focus on Austin hydrologic features.
   My goal is to get some data in order to build some models for :

   • The watershed characteristics (land use, run-off, concentration...).
   • The prediction of future nonpoint source (NPS) loading.

2. Information sources

   My main information sources will be :

   • The cd-rom on Austin produced by the Center for Research in Water Resources.
   • The USGS web site http://txwww.cr.usgs.gov/.
   • And, of course, the people involved in the project.

3. Results expected

   This project will be beneficial at three different levels :

   • I will become familiar with GIS (Geographic Information System), since I need to use such softwares as Arc Info and Arcview.
     
   • I will learn to do analyses since I have to create some models based on the result of my investigations.
   • And I will really know what I may expect to find in Austin surface water.