The International Hydrogeological Map of Europe, scale 1:1,500,000 (IHME1500) is a series of general hydrogeological maps comprising 30 sheets, some with explanatory notes, covering almost the entire European continent and parts of the Middle East. The national contributions to this map series have been compiled by hydrogeologists and national experts in related sciences under the auspices of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH). The project is supported by the Commission for the Geological Map of the World (CGMW).
The scientific editorial work is financially supported by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). BGR and UNESCO were responsible for the cartography, printing and publication of the map sheets and explanatory notes.
The IHME1500 aims to represent the hydrogeological environment of Europe as a whole, without regard to political boundaries. The map can be used for scientific purposes, for large-scale regional planning and as a basis for detailed hydrogeological mapping.
The preparatory phase of this project began in 1960 during the XXI International Geological Congress in Copenhagen, when the IAH Commission on Hydrogeological Maps was appointed to prepare a small-scale European hydrogeological map project. With the support of UNESCO, an International Legend for Hydrogeological Maps was published. Based on these activities, the General Legend for the International Hydrogeological Map of Europe (1974) and the first IHME map sheet C5 Bern (printed in 1970) were compiled.
The compilation of the IHME1500 was based on the International Geological Map of Europe 1:1,500,000 (IGME1500) applying the same scale, topography and projection. Moreover, the delineation and lithological attribution of the aquifers was partly derived from the geological information mapped in the IGME1500.
Initial attempts to incorporate quantitative data, such as specific capacity, well yield, transmissivity and groundwater recharge, into the map revealed a wide range of data heterogeneity that was incompatible with the objective of a consistent map presentation. Therefore, such information is not included in the IHME1500 map sheets, but selected topics are presented regionally according to their importance for hydrogeological descriptions.
The small scale of the map allows only a limited amount of hydrogeological information to be presented. To provide additional information, e.g. on climate, groundwater chemical composition and any geological features relevant to groundwater flow, explanatory notes have been published for 18 map sheets.
The publication of the printed IHME1500 map sheets was completed in 2013. Both, the printed maps and the raster files of the scanned map sheets are entitled as "IHME1500 print".
In addition, several themes of the IHME1500 have been digitised, resulting in two spatial vector datasets in shapefile format for the purposes of visualisation and data processing using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Completed and ongoing enhancements to the IHME1500 vector data consist of the incorporation of unpublished IHME1500 sheet drafts and IGME1500 mapping units that can be characterised as IHME1500-compliant using auxiliary mapping information (mostly large scale hydrogeological/geological maps). It should be noted that information on mapping units outside the separately published IHME1500 map sheets cannot be qualified and is therefore preliminary. Future updates of map content and the addition of attributes will only affect the vector data. Therefore, the spatial vector datasets of the IHME1500 are versioned. The current version is "IHME1500 v1.2".
"IHME1500 v1.2" includes the harmonised and multi-level generalised vector dataset of all previously printed map sheets and additionally a draft of the map sheets D1 Nordkapp, E1 Kanin, F1 Vorkuta, F5 Tbilisi and F6 Halab. The IHME1500 vector dataset is currently being expanded to include the African parts of sheets A6, B6, C6 and sheets C7, D7, E7 and F7.
Literature
- ANONYMOUS (1970): International Legend for Hydrogeological Maps. – UNESCO/IAHS/IAH/Institute of Geological Sciences, 101 pp., London.
- ANONYMOUS (1977): Hydrological Maps. A Contribution to the International Hydrological Decade. – Studies and Reports in Hydrology, 20:204 pp., UNESCO/WMO, Lausanne.
- ANONYMOUS (1983): International Legend for Hydrogeological Maps. – Revised edition (UNESCO technical document, SC-84/WS/7, 51 pp., Paris).
- BGR, EGS & UNESCO (2008): International Hydrogeological Map of Europe 1:5,000,000. – Special map mosaic printed on the occasion of the International Year of the Planet Earth 2008. Hanover. Link
- BGR & UNESCO (2013): International Hydrogeological Map of Europe 1:1,500,000. 25 sheets and 18 explanatory notes; Hanover. Link
- GÜNTHER, A. & DUSCHER, K. (2019): Extended vector data of the International Hydrogeological Map of Europe 1:1,500,000 (Version IHME1500 v1.2). – Technical note, 13 pp, BGR, Hanover.
Download (PDF, 798KB, File does not meet accessibility standards) - DUSCHER, K., GÜNTHER, A., RICHTS, A., CLOS, P., PHILIPP, U. & STRUCKMEIER,W. (2015): The GIS layers of the "International Hydrogeological Map of Europe 1:1,500,000" in a vector format. – Hydrogeol J 23(8): 1867–1875; DOI: 10.1007/s10040-015-1296-4
- GILBRICH, W. H. (2000): International Hydrogeological Map of Europe. – Feature Article, Waterway No. 19, 11 pp., 1 fig. 1 tab.; Paris.
- GILBRICH, W. H., KRAMPE, K. & WINTER, P. (2001): Internationale Hydrogeologische Karte von Europa, 1:1.500.000. Bemerkungen zum Inhalt und Stand der Bearbeitung. – Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung 45, H. 3, S. 122–125, Koblenz.
- KARRENBERG, H., DEUTLOFF, O. & STEMPEL, C.v. (1974): Generallegende für die Internationale Hydrogeologische Karte von Europa 1:1.500.000. – IAH, Krefeld.
Download (PDF, 2MB, File meet accessibility standards) - STRUCKMEIER, W. F. & MARGAT, J. (1995): Hydrogeological Maps – A Guide and a Standard Legend. – IAH Int. Contrib. to Hydrogeol. 17, Heise (Hanover).
Download (PDF, 10MB, File does not meet accessibility standards)