Des Moines River Basin ESPADP

Riverside Technology, inc. (RTi) worked with the NWS Office of Hydrology, Hydrologic Research Laboratory (HRL) to develop, implement, and test hydrologic forecasting methods and software needed to improve water resources forecasting services. These methods and software were demonstrated in the Des Moines River basin and have been deployed nationally. These new software technologies greatly assisted the NWS in obtaining funding support for the AHPS (Advanced Hydrologic Prediction System) program.

RTi developed functional specifications for, designed, coded, and documented the ESPADP. This program provides a forecaster with an interactive graphical environment to analyze ESP forecast streamflow traces, to display results, and to generate forecast products.

Output Plot from ESPADP Graphical User Interface

ESPADP was designed and developed with object–oriented techniques using a third–party GUI builder. The GUI interfaced directly with high–level class structures that controlled analysis and display capability. Model and data objects were designed for robustness and achieved a high degree of code re–use. The low–level ESPADP code (such as date and time series objects) are re–used across a variety of other applications.

RTi also performed an in–depth analysis of Corps reservoir operations. This information was used by RTi to customize and implement reservoir models within NWSRFS. These models enable NWS to produce ESP forecasts that account for the operation of reservoirs by the Corps. In addition to providing software support and maintenance for the ESPADP program, RTi is currently working with HRL to develop software that will allow a user to develop verification statistics for ESP forecasts using historical data. A GUI and analysis software will be developed in support of this effort.

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