The role of geographical information systems in urban hydrological modelling

'Geographical information systems' (GIS) technology holds considerable bene fits to urban hydrology because of the spatial nature of catchment analysis . The availability of a spatio-temporal database of catchment characteristi cs can eliminate the adoption of simplifying assumptions, which reduce the quality of a research study. This research study was undertaken to demonstr ate the need for accurate spatial and temporal accounting of land-use in an urbanizing catchment. The definition of the extent of GIS use, the approac h to its integration into a study and spatial database development, are cru cial for eventual success.