An Open Source Toolbox for Integrating Freshwater Social-Ecological Indicators in Basin Management

Abstract

The Freshwater Health Index (FHI) toolbox is an open source software in C# developed to guide ecological management of freshwater systems. It provides functionality to calculate basin-level freshwater social-ecological indicators, with algorithms for selected indicators also integrated with support for processing geospatial datasets. The toolbox archives the data necessary for calculating the indicators and can serve as a collaborative platform in a basin by providing users with the ability to initiate, edit and share a common freshwater basin database. Now available at GitHub and through the FHI website, the FHI toolbox offers a convenient yet rigorous way for basin-level freshwater management to maintain continuity and reproducibility amid numerous indicators assessed for freshwater basins. Funding statement: This paper was written as part of the Freshwater Health Index development, funded by Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited, Betty and Gordon Moore, the Borrego Foundation, Flora Family Foundation and Starwood Foundation.

Keywords

• freshwater
• basin management
• social-ecological indicators
• freshwater health index