Developing 3-Dimensional GIS Models for Visualizing Aquifer Systems in New Mexico

A critical role for scientists in groundwater resource policy and management is educating and informing the public through accessible products. A new initiative for the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Aquifer Mapping Program, in public-private partnership with the Healy Foundation, seeks to provide accessible hydrogeologic information by developing interactive 3-dimensional visualizations of the geology and hydrogeology of major aquifer systems that can be accessed through common web browsers. We have preliminarily divided the state into 20 major aquifer systems, and for each we will compile existing hydrogeologic data into representative 3-dimensional GIS models. Each model will be uploaded to an ESRI Story Map, a webpage that can display interactive GIS data without requiring GIS-specific software. In the Story Map setting, each GIS model will be navigable, and hyperlinked text can be used to step through “slices” of the model that highlight specific aspects of the geology and hydrology. To date, we have developed representative models for our Estancia basin and Pecos slope aquifer systems. To construct each model, we developed digital elevation models for the upper and lower contacts of each hydrogeologic unit, then built 3-dimensional multipatch shapefiles between these surfaces using ESRI ArcGIS tools. For the Estancia basin, a regulatory MODFLOW model provided subsurface contact elevation control, while for the Pecos slope we processed digital geologic maps and cross-sections from a recent hydrogeologic study for contact control. Hydrologic data was available from published hydrogeologic studies and several water well databases. The crux of our general method of model development is locating adequate subsurface data for a given area. We anticipate significant challenges in developing models for less well-studied areas with sparse and/or imprecise subsurface data.