Abstract
The regional ecological risk assessment of water resources has spatial, nonlinear and stochastic characteristics. GIS technology
can handle large volumes of spatial information, conduct spatial analysis and spatial data management operations. It visually
displays the distribution trend of environmental factors and the relationship between topology and regional water ecological risk
pattern. This paper presents the five stages of the application of GIS in the regional ecological assessment of water resources and
establishes a GIS water environmental risk information database. A hierarchy water resources risk assessment index system has
been set up using the AHP method. The composite index method is used to estimate the size of ecological risk. The water risk
value is divided into five levels which are the low-risk areas, lower-risk areas, medium-risk areas, higher risk areas and high-risk
areas, respectively. For example, through the spherical model fitting and assembly analysis of GIS, the variations and divisions of
water risk and their influencing factors in the Shaanxi Province, China, can be better described and analyzed. Therefore, GIS can
be employed as a better tool to reflect the spatial distribution of water environmental quality. Accordingly, it can be used to
quantitatively study the water resource risk, and to reflect the spatial variation of the water resource risk. Moreover, early
warning of water resources utilization can be given, thus providing a basis to improve and enhance the water resources risk
management and scientific decision-making.