Kansas Adopts ArcGIS Dashboards to Share Water Progress

The state of Kansas has a population of nearly 3 million and an economy strongly tied to the agriculture industry and communities that all depend on a reliable water supply. Managing these water resources across the state is a critical task entrusted to the Kansas Water Office (KWO). 

“Water management is very spatial,” said Katie Goff, manager of geospatial data and GIS (geographic information system) at the Kansas Water Office. “Where water comes from, where it’s stored, where it gets used, and where the risk factors are—is important for legislators and the public to know.”

Established in 1981, the KWO is a state-run agency dedicated to developing and implementing the Kansas Water Plan. The Kansas Water Plan is one of the state’s primary tools to address current water resources and plan for a sustainable future. It is traditionally funded by the State Water Plan Fund (SWPF).

The SWPF is supported through various water user fees and general tax contributions to the state. The distribution of the SWPF funds is guided and reviewed by the KWO and other state agencies to ensure that water policies and programs support the state’s water resource goals. Each spring, the governor and state legislature receives and reviews agency recommendations before passing appropriation bills, and it is essential to clearly communicate program accomplishments and how funds have been invested.

Kansas has contrasting water sources, making water management a complex endeavor. That’s why for more than a decade, the KWO has used ArcGIS Online technology to assist staff in collecting, organizing, and distributing information surrounding water management in Kansas to various stakeholders. Goff’s main role in managing geospatial data for the KWO is to analyze technical water data, convert it into user-friendly formats, and communicate the results effectively.

Western and central Kansas depend on the Ogallala portion of the High Plains aquifer, one of the world’s largest groundwater sources. It sustains communities and agriculture but is being depleted faster than it can recharge, making management vital for the state’s future.

Much of eastern and central Kansas contains many reservoirs, lakes, and rivers, known as surface water. “In the eastern part of the state, federal reservoirs are used for water supply, industry, and recreation,” Goff said. “Sedimentation in those reservoirs is a big issue for the state, as the sediment threatens the capacity of the overall storage, making long-term planning and maintenance crucial.” 

In the past, the KWO utilized ArcGIS Insights, Esri’s location analytics application, which is being retired. Because of this retirement, the agency recently migrated to ArcGIS Dashboards and ArcGIS Experience Builder. Before the migration, KWO staff reviewed articles on the ArcGIS Blog and spoke with Esri’s account team to explore different ArcGIS tools to figure out which would best meet their needs.

“It was nice to have something in place before ArcGIS Insights was retired, so there’s been no lag time or disruption of services,” Goff explained.

Now with ArcGIS Dashboards, the KWO can continue to provide stakeholders with detailed information to answer specific questions. The KWO can also show past areas of focus and identify the need for future funding requests, leading to faster, better-informed budgetary decisions. Agency partners, legislators, and the public can access interactive charts, graphs, and tables to better understand and advocate for their needs. They also appreciate having a quick visual snapshot of financial data.

“Our SWPF Dashboard distills this complex information on multiple sources of revenue and expenditures into a user-friendly format,” said Matt Unruh, assistant director of the Kansas Water Office. “This helps to visually inform decision-makers and stakeholders on how these resources are utilized to conserve, protect, and restore Kansas water resources.” 

“Having all of the data at a single access point makes communication faster and easier, especially for stakeholders who need solutions streamlined,” said Goff. “They can quickly view information important to them, and that helps us facilitate better conversations.”