An integrated GIS-VBA (Geographical Information System – Visual Basic for Application), model is developed for selecting an optimum water harvesting dam location among an available locations in a watershed. The proposed model allows quick and precise estimation of an adopted weighted objective function for each selected location. In addition to that for each location, a different dam height is used as a nominee for optimum selection. The VBA model includes an optimization model with a weighted objective function that includes beneficiary items (positive) , such as the available storage , the dam height allowed by the site as an indicator for the potential of hydroelectric power generation , the rainfall rate as a source of water . In addition to that (negative) penalty items are also included such as surface area, evaporation rate.In order to obtain precise results, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was formulated and applied to correct the elevations of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) map using real and DEM elevations of available selected control points.The application of the model is tested using a case study of a catchment area in Diyala and Wasit Governorate. The DEM file was corrected for elevations, using the developed ANN model .This model is found using SPSS – software. The correlation coefficient of this model is found to be (0.97) , with 3- hidden nodes and hyperbolic tangent and identity activation functions. Different weight scenarios for the objective function of the optimization model were adopted. The results indicate that different optimum dam locations can be observed for each case. Results indicate also that sometimes equal objective can be obtained but each has different reservoir volume and surface area.

A model using the artificial neural networks and genetic algorithm technique is developed for obtaining optimum dimensions of the foundation length and protections of small hydraulic structures. The procedure involves optimizing an objective function comprising a weighted summation of the state variables. The decision variables considered in the optimization are the upstream and downstream cutoffs lengths and their angles of inclination, the foundation length, and the length of the downstream soil protection. These were obtained for a given maximum difference in head, depth of impervious layer and degree of anisotropy. The optimization carried out is subjected to constraints that ensure a safe structure against the uplift pressure force and sufficient protection length at the  downstream side of the structure to overcome an excessive exit gradient. The Geo-studio software was used to analyze 1200 different cases. For each case thelength of protection (L) and volume of structure (V) required to satisfy the safety factors mentioned previously were estimated for the input values, namely, the upstream cutoff depth (S1), the downstream cutoff depth (S2), the foundation width (B), the angle of inclination of the upstream cutoff (Ɵ1)  and the angle of inclination of the downstream cutoff (Ɵ2), H (differencehead), kr (degree of anisotropy) and D (depth of impervious layer). An ANN model was developed and verified using these cases input-output sets as its data base. A MatLAB code was written to perform a genetic algorithm optimization modeling coupled with this ANN model using a formulated optimization model. A sensitivity analysis was done for selecting the crossover probability, the mutation probability and level,the number of population, the position of the crossover and the weights distribution for all the terms of the objective function. Results indicate that the most factors that affects. the optimum solution is the $ number of population required. The minimum value that gives stable global optimum solution of this parameter is (30000) while other variables have little effect on the optimum solution.

ANN modeling is used here to predict missing monthly precipitation data in one station of the eight weather stations network in Sulaimani Governorate. Eight models were developed, one for each station as for prediction. The accuracy of prediction obtain is excellent with correlation coefficients between the predicted and the measured values of monthly precipitation ranged from (90% to 97.2%). The eight ANN models are found after many trials for each station and those with the highest correlation coefficient were selected. All the ANN models are found to have a hyperbolic tangent and identity activation functions for the hidden and output layers respectively, with learning rate of (0.4) and momentum term of (0.9), but with different data set sub-division into training, testing and holdout data sub-sets, and different number of hidden nodes in the hidden layer. It is found that it is not necessary that the nearest station to the station under prediction has the highest effect; this may be attributed to the high differences in elevation between the stations. It can also found that the variance is not necessary has effect on the correlation coefficient obtained.