About
This decision-support tool provides a user-friendly method for selecting appropriate green infrastructure (GI) practices to be integrated into cost-effective stormwater management plans for urban developments. The tool aims to reduce uncertainty in planning-level site design by allowing users to easily consider a range of GI practices and understand the cost tradeoffs between GI and detention storage. The target user for the tool is stormwater practitioners with little to no expertise or experience in watershed management and modeling. The tool was developed by master’s student Ross Ellis with support from Assistant Professor Frances O’Donnell and Associate Professor Jose Vasconcelos in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Auburn University. Financial support for development of the tool was provided by the Alabama Water Resources Research Institute through USGS 104(b) grant #G16AP0037-2019AL195B.
Technical Documentation
Full technical documentation for the tool is provided in the following master’s thesis that is available for download through the Auburn University Electronic Thesis and Dissertation database.
Ellis, J.R., 2020. Developing a practical tool for integrating green infrastructure into cost-effective stormwater management plans. M.S. Thesis, Auburn University.
The tool and its technical documentation have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in the ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering. The article is currently in press. A link will be posted here when it is published.
Version 1.0
The current version of the tool is the first one distributed to the general public. We hope that users will provide feedback at the contact information provided below, and explore future versions as they are released. Future versions will include expanded options for green infrastructure practices, more detailed consideration of permeable pavement design, and improved automation of the optimization algorithm.
Contact
For questions or feedback on the tool, please contact Dr. Frances O’Donnell or Dr. Jose Vasconcelos.
Disclaimer
Execution of the Auburn GI Tool installation program, and modification to system configuration files must be made at the user’s own risk. Neither Auburn University nor the program author(s) can assume responsibility for program modification, content, output, interpretation, or usage.
The Auburn GI Tool has been tested and verified. However, as for all complex software, these programs may not be completely free of errors and may not be applicable for all cases. In no event will Auburn University be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of the programs and/or associated documentation. Read and follow the User Manual carefully before and during installation and use of the tool.
Download
To obtain a download link for the tool, please send an email to auburn.gi.tool@gmail.com. The email you can send can be blank. You will receive an automatic reply email (please make sure the address is not blocked by your spam filter) with a download link. We will store your email address but will only contact you if an error or bug is found in the version of the tool you have downloaded.
If you download the tool, please consider completing this Optional User Contact Form so we can reach you with information about updates and other news about the tool.