Digital Water Distribution Transformation in Interfarm Irrigation Systems: Methodology, Implementation, Results

The objective of the study is to improve the methodology and create a technology for rational distribution of irrigation water taking into account the needs of all participants in the water use process and natural and economic limitations of the infrastructure of inter-farm irrigation systems. The research material was scientific publications and archive documents, current regulatory documents, and the practice of the operation service. The research was based on the principles of systematicity, efficiency, and adaptability of management. The technological platform 1C Predpriyatie 8 was adopted as the basis for software and hardware solutions, ensuring work with information, scenario generation, and support for decisions on water use management in integration with the automated accounting and management system of the organization. Analysis of information flows of the water management organization revealed bottlenecks in water distribution management in stressful natural and economic conditions. Models, algorithms, and technologies for solving priority problems of systemic water distribution under water supply shortages were developed, specialized software for the automated water use management subsystem ACS Vodoraspredelenie was designed. The solution to the problem of water distribution optimization based on a multi-criteria nonlinear objective function has been implemented using artificial intelligence methods with genetic algorithms. Digitalization of system water use management is an important tool for increasing the sustainability of irrigation systems. Testing the ACS subsystem on the materials of the Gorodishchenskaya irrigation system showed that in stressful natural conditions, the efficiency of water distribution planned based on the results of multi-criteria optimization modeling increases by 10 % compared to the traditional approach, which involves reducing water supply to users in proportion to the deficit of water resources. The irrigation area increased by 15 %, the income of the water management organization – by 10 %; gross production volume – by 2 %.