Application of Decision-Tree Model to Groundwater Productivity-Potential Mapping

For the sustainable use of groundwater, this study analyzed groundwater productivity-potential using a decision-tree approach in a geographic information system (GIS) in Boryeong and Pohang cities, Korea. The model was based on the relationship between groundwater-productivity data, including specific capacity (SPC), and its related hydrogeological factors. SPC data which is measured and calculated for groundwater productivity and data about related factors, including topography, lineament, geology, forest and soil data, were collected and input into a spatial database. A decision-tree model was applied and decision trees were constructed using the chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID) and the quick, unbiased, and efficient statistical tree (QUEST) algorithms. The resulting groundwater-productivity-potential (GPP) maps were validated using area-under-the-curve (AUC) analysis with the well data that had not been used for training the model. In the Boryeong city, the CHAID and QUEST algorithms had accuracies of 83.31% and 79.47%, and in the Pohang city, the CHAID and QUEST algorithms had accuracies of 86.18% and 80.00%. As another validation, the GPP maps were validated by comparing the actual SPC data. As the result, in the Boryeong city, the CHAID and QUEST algorithms had accuracies of 96.55% and 94.92% and in the Pohang city, the CHAID and QUEST algorithms had accuracies of 87.88% and 87.50%. These results indicate that decision-tree models can be useful for development of groundwater resources. OPEN ACCESS Sustainability 2015, 7 13417