Automated Organization and Analysis of Hydrologic and Infrastructure Data

A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity

ERDC seeks applications for methods to automate the organization of databases of stream gauge data, perform data visualization, and compute mathematical operations.

B. Background

The Ecohydrology Team at the ERDC Environmental Laboratory is building the capacity to rapidly evaluate landscapes and water resources in remote locations around the world, with limited data collection and local knowledge. In this context, being able to automate the organization of basic waterway data and perform hydrologic calculations on that network is a fundamental capability. A computer program to support required automation, data analysis and visualization is needed to develop this capability.

C. Program Description/Objective:

This project will develop methods to automate the organization of databases of stream gauge data (examples include USGS stream gauge data, the European water archive, or Global Data Runoff Center data) and storage/riverine infrastructure data (examples include the USACE national inventory of dams, and the NASA Global Reservoir and Dam database) into node and edge networks based on their geospatial location, relative to a database of waterway data (examples include the USGS National Hydrology Dataset, and the HydroRIVERS database). This computer program will include the ability to perform data visualization and mathematical operations, especially baseflow separation and other hydrologic calculations, on the network, node, and edge data.

The R & D objectives will develop this capability, including: (1) development of a network generation algorithm, (2) generalization of this algorithm over various databases, (3) development of a plug-in for performing simple baseflow separation calculations over the network data, (4) generalized plug-in architecture for adding other hydrologic calculation capabilities, and (5) development of data visualization capabilities.

The end product should be stored a web repository, and the methods and tools should be described in at least one peer reviewed publication.

D. Public Benefit

Accurate and timely waterway data are essential for addressing critical water challenges, such as scarcity and flooding. Current maps often fail to provide comprehensive information on water occurrence and flows, leading to inaccuracies in assessing the quantities and locations of occurrence. This research will address those information gaps by providing detailed time series data on flood and drought conditions, which in turn will enhance mitigation measures.