Articles | Volume 10, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3309-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3309-2017
Model description paper
 | 
08 Sep 2017
Model description paper |  | 08 Sep 2017

The Gravitational Process Path (GPP) model (v1.0) – a GIS-based simulation framework for gravitational processes

Volker Wichmann

Abstract. The Gravitational Process Path (GPP) model can be used to simulate the process path and run-out area of gravitational processes based on a digital terrain model (DTM). The conceptual model combines several components (process path, run-out length, sink filling and material deposition) to simulate the movement of a mass point from an initiation site to the deposition area. For each component several modeling approaches are provided, which makes the tool configurable for different processes such as rockfall, debris flows or snow avalanches. The tool can be applied to regional-scale studies such as natural hazard susceptibility mapping but also contains components for scenario-based modeling of single events. Both the modeling approaches and precursor implementations of the tool have proven their applicability in numerous studies, also including geomorphological research questions such as the delineation of sediment cascades or the study of process connectivity. This is the first open-source implementation, completely re-written, extended and improved in many ways. The tool has been committed to the main repository of the System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) and thus will be available with every SAGA release.

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Short summary
The GPP model can be used to simulate the process path and run-out area of gravitational processes based on a digital terrain model. By providing several modelling approaches, the tool can be configured for different processes such as rockfall, debris flows or snow avalanches. The tool can be applied to regional-scale studies such as natural hazard susceptibility mapping. It is implemented as tool for SAGA GIS and has been released as open source.