When you use WRDB as a BASINS plug-in, it enables you to examine spatial relationships in your data in a way that you cannot with the stand-alone WRDB program. BASINS uses the MapWindow GIS (Geographic Information System) program as a base component, and will automatically download the GIS themes and data you need to create GIS maps for your study area. These data can help answer a question such as "what part of the study area exhibits the highest concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand?" To take advantage of the WRDB GIS, you must provide site location data (i.e., latitudes and longitudes) in the Stations support table.
BASINS is not well suited to quickly interact with large quantities of historic water resources data. To provide the required capabilities, a BASINS/MapWindow plug-in was developed that gives you complete access to all the capabilities of the stand-alone WRDB program as well as addition spatial analysis tools specifically designed to allow WRDB data to be displayed on the GIS map and queried using a click of the mouse.
When you first install WRDB, you are given the option of installing
the BASINS plugin; if you do, a few small files will be placed in
C:\BASINS\bin\Plugins\WRDB. BASINS will automatically recognize that
the WRDB plugin is avalable and display the WRDB icon on the toolbar (
).
After you click this button, the bulk of the WRDB code is loaded
from the main WRDB installation directory (eliminating duplication of
files and versioning problems) and a special version of the main WRDB
form is displayed in a panel to the right of the GIS map pane:
Please click on parts of the image above to learn about each aspect of the BASINS/WRDB user interface or click these links:
When WRDB is used as a BASINS plugin, a new WRDB menu becomes visible (GIS) which contains the following items:
Note: only WRDB 5.0 can be used as a BASINS plugin (5.1 and higher are not compatible at this time).