Integrating Logistical and Technical Criteria into a Multiteam, Competitive Watershed Model Ranking Procedure
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 6
Abstract
A systematic and holistic watershed model comparison and selection process, integrating a full range of relevant criteria, is illustrated here. The process consists of screening for a set of candidate models on the basis of prerequisite model attributes; assessing hydrologic simulation performance using various conventional statistical metrics; assessing operational logistics performance, reflecting somewhat subjective but centrally important issues around relative feasibility and suitability of candidate models in the intended context of use; and integrating the hydrologic and operational performance results, which are each evaluated using a weighted-matrix approach, into a single coherent and comprehensive ranking system. The process was applied to evaluation of watershed models for operational hydroelectric inflow forecasting in British Columbia, Canada. An important feature of the study was its horse-race project management approach, involving a supervised competition between expert teams using different models but the same data sets. Four models passed the prescreening phase, and these were evaluated for three test basins representing contrasting geophysical regimes. The model selection process presented here is believed to be potentially very broadly useful.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Frank Weber, Don Druce, and Scott Weston (BC Hydro), Edward McBean (University of Guelph), Yi Li and Barbara Lence (University of British Columbia), Gerald Day (Riverside), and Martin Serrer and David Watson (NRC-CHC), for their help during the course of this study. The authors also thank Brian Menounos (Western Canadian Cryospheric Network, ) for agreeing to share glacier extent data with the team for the purposes of this study. Finally, the authors wish to express their gratitude for the support of Katrina Bennett, David Bronaugh, and Markus Schnorbus (Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium), and Karl Jones (British Columbia Ministry of Environment).
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Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 6 • June 2013
Pages: 641 - 654
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 3, 2011
Accepted: May 30, 2012
Published online: May 15, 2013
Published in print: Jun 1, 2013
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