Vegetated Treatment of Vehicle Wash Sediments: Designing a Graphical User Interface

1Muralidharan Narayanan, 2Jai Bharath Reddy, 3Suzette Burckhard, 4David A. Gustafson, 5Larry E. Erickson, 6Peter Kulakow, and 7Blase A. Leven

1,2,4Department of Computing and Information Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506; 3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007; 5Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506; 6Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506; 7Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Hazardous Substance Research Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506; 1,2,4Phone: (785) 532-6350; 1E-mail: ; 2E-mail: ; 5Phone: (785) 532-4313; 5E-mail: ; 7Phone: (785) 532-0780, 7E-mail: .

Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) help create user-friendly interactions between a model application and an inexperienced user. A GUI helps to package the various software tools that are essential for effective user interactions. The paper presents a GUI based on mathematical model used for simulating a vegetated treatment of a site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The mathematical model, described elsewhere, helps to simulate fate and transport of water and solute in the subsurface environments. The simulated results are graphically displayed as model predictions to the user in a friendly and clear manner. To successfully develop a GUI, integration of components from various platforms is essential: (1) Databases component may be used to retrieve or update information about specific soil properties, solute properties, plant properties, and climatic conditions of the site; (2) Graphical units such as graphics editor, menu bars, tool bars, and dialog boxes allow the user to generate useful site-specific data as input components to the GUI; (3) The mathematical modeling component, developed in FORTRAN, is coupled and executed using the GUI, based on the generated input component; and (4) The output component of the GUI is used to display to the user the model predictions in a graphical format. These predictions help the user to make effective management-related decisions such as irrigation and fertilization requirements. The GUI could also include various estimates such as the desired cleanup levels, amount of time required for these cleanup levels, and cost incurred in this treatment process. This GUI would also be a useful tool for environmental professionals who are making decisions with regard to phytoremediation treatment of any contaminated site.

Key words: GUI, contaminated site, decision making