V''flo'' is a commercially available,

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

-based distributed

hydrologic Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

model generated b
Vieux & Associates, Inc.
V''flo'' uses radar rainfall data for

input to simulate distributed

runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...

. V''flo'' employs

GIS A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...

maps for parameterization via a desktop interface. The model is suited for

distributed Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

hydrologic forecasting in post-analysis and in continuous operations. V''flo'' output is in the form of

hydrograph A hydrograph is a graph showing the rate of flow ( discharge) versus time past a specific point in a river, channel, or conduit carrying flow. The rate of flow is typically expressed in cubic meters or cubic feet per second (cms or cfs). It can al ...

s at selected drainage network grids, as well as

runoff maps covering the watershed. Model applications include civil

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

operations and maintenance,

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

prediction and

emergency management Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

, continuous and short-term surface water

, recharge estimation,

soil moisture Soil moisture is the water content of the soil. It can be expressed in terms of volume or weight. Soil moisture measurement can be based on ''in situ'' probes (e.g., capacitance probes, neutron probes) or remote sensing methods. Water that enters ...

monitoring,

land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long h ...

planning,

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

monitoring, and water resources management.

History

V''flo'' considers the spatial character of the

parameter A parameter (), generally, is any characteristic that can help in defining or classifying a particular system (meaning an event, project, object, situation, etc.). That is, a parameter is an element of a system that is useful, or critical, when ...

s and precipitation controlling hydrologic processes, and thus improves upon lumped representations previously used in hydrologic modeling. Historical practice has been to use lumped representations because of computational limitations or because sufficient data was not available to populate a

model database. Advances in

computation Computation is any type of arithmetic or non-arithmetic calculation that follows a well-defined model (e.g., an algorithm). Mechanical or electronic devices (or, historically, people) that perform computations are known as ''computers''. An es ...

al speed; development of high-resolution precipitation data from

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

and satellites; and availability of worldwide digital data sets and

technology makes distributed, physics-based modeling possible.ASCE, 1999, ''GIS Modules and Distributed Models of the Watershed'', Report, ASCE Task Committee, GIS Modules and Distributed Models of the Watershed, P.A. DeBarry, R.G. Quimpo, eds., American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA., p. 120. V''flo'' is designed to take advantage of the spatial variability of high resolution radar rainfall input,

datasets, and hydraulic channel characteristics. Because it is

-based, it produces

s based on conservation equations and the hydraulics of the drainage network, and can be employed in locations where there are no

rain gauge A rain gauge (also known as udometer, pluvia metior, pluviometer, ombrometer, and hyetometer) is an instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a predefined area, over a period o ...

s or previous modeling studies. In addition, V''flo''’s network approach makes models scalable from upland watersheds to river basins using the same drainage network.

Formulation

V''flo'' is suited for distributed hydrologic forecasting in post-analysis and continuous operations. V''flo'' models may be

calibrated In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Such a standard could be another measurement device of known a ...

by loading precipitation maps for historical events and comparing simulated volume/peak

s to observed hydrographs. Elevation data are taken from a

digital elevation model A digital elevation model (DEM) or digital surface model (DSM) is a 3D computer graphics representation of elevation data to represent terrain or overlaying objects, commonly of a planet, moon, or asteroid. A "global DEM" refers to a discrete gl ...

. A vector channel representation is employed. Parameterization utilizes digital data sets at any resolution, including

LIDAR Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

terrain data and other digital maps of impervious area, soils, and land use/cover. V''flo'' is developed to utilize multi-sensor inputs from

, satellites,

s, or model forecasts. The kinematic wave analogy is used to represent hydraulic conditions in a

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

Specific simulation options

*Rainfall input ** Radar-rainfall: UF,

ASCII ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...

NEXRAD NEXRAD or Nexrad (Next-Generation Radar) is a network of 160 high-resolution S-band Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service (NWS), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the United ...

Level II, CSV **Satellite data **

Rain gauge A rain gauge (also known as udometer, pluvia metior, pluviometer, ombrometer, and hyetometer) is an instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a predefined area, over a period o ...

s, Barnes objective analysis **Quantitative precipitation estimates from model forecasts **Multi-sensor precipitation estimates *

Evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) is the combined processes by which water moves from the earth’s surface into the atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of water to the air directly from soil, canopies, and water bodies) and transpi ...

Snowmelt In hydrology, snowmelt is surface runoff produced from melting snow. It can also be used to describe the period or season during which such runoff is produced. Water produced by snowmelt is an important part of the annual water cycle in many part ...

Sensitivity analysis Sensitivity analysis is the study of how the uncertainty in the output of a mathematical model or system (numerical or otherwise) can be divided and allocated to different sources of uncertainty in its inputs. A related practice is uncertainty anal ...

*Inundation mapping *

Infiltration Infiltration may refer to: Science, medicine, and engineering *Infiltration (hydrology), downward movement of water into soil *Infiltration (HVAC), a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning term for air leakage into buildings *Infiltration (me ...

**Enhanced Green-Ampt infiltration module with initial saturation calibration factor (slider), saturated hydraulic conductivity, wetting front suction, effective porosity, and soil depth **Abstraction and impervious area parameters with

import/export *Overland flow **Manning's equation *Channel flow **Kinematic Wave Analogy **Modified Puls **Observed flow **Looped rating curve modification (Jones method) **Rating curves and cross sections for complex hydraulics *Flood watch points *Design storms, SCS, user generated

Applications

*Continuous and short-term surface water

*Stormwater prediction and management *

Flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

forecasting *Operational flood alert *Flood event reconstruction *Design Storm development *Recharge estimation *Soil moisture monitoring *

Hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

and

Hydraulics Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

studies *

Land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long h ...

planning scenarios *

Water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

studies *

Hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...

management *

education *

Hydrologic Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

research

References

{{Reflist Integrated hydrologic modelling Hydrology models Environmental engineering Stormwater management Hydraulic engineering Water resources management Finite element software Computer-aided engineering software Finite element method Applied mathematics Mathematical modeling Radar meteorology