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Automation of the design of agricultural water management projects

Abstract:

The widespread use of computers and the vast development of software have drastically changed the traditional approach of engineering design. Whereas in the past, most of the design work was geared to the proper selection of the system components, today the emphasis is not only focused on the selection of the size and shape of components, but increasingly on the intergration of the individual components into a workable, least-cost system, that generates the greatest gain. This change in approach has been strongly induced by the use of computers and softwares as design tools for automating and improving the quality of the design process. With the introduction of the computer it has become feasible to draft for a given project, at an acceptable cost of production, several alternative designs that fit the local situation, and to select from the feasible solutions the least-cost design. A second main advantage that can be achieved in the design process using computers and software as design tools is the standardization and uniformization of design steps. Although there is not a blueprint for the design process, it can be stated that most agricultural water management design projects involve a large number of similar design steps. By breaking up the design process into a logic hierarchic sequence of design steps, it becomes obvious that similar design modules can be used for the design of a subsurface drainage system as for a micro-jet spray irrigation system. This paper successively highlights the conceptualization of the design process, the similarity between the design steps for agricultural water management projects, a drainage or an irrigation system design, respectively, possibilities of automating the calculation process, and the description of a feasible approach for automating the design process including the drawing of design maps. Throughout the text, a number of examples will be used to illustrate more clearly the impact of the use of computers and software on the design process. © 1991 Kluwer Academic Publishers.