IRIS: An Informational River and Reservoir Simulation Display

TitleIRIS: An Informational River and Reservoir Simulation Display
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference2005
AuthorsSwank, L., and Abramovich R.
Conference Name73rd Annual Western Snow Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the 73rd Annual Western Snow Conference
Date PublishedApril 2005
PublisherWestern Snow Conference
Conference LocationGreat Falls, MT
KeywordsNRCS, SNOTEL, water supply, condition display, software
Abstract

Water District #1 has developed computer software displaying statewide water supply conditions for all major river basins in Idaho. This scaleable software visually simulates reservoir contents, river discharges, major diversions, and snow water equivalents. USBR Hydromet data and NRCS SNOTEL data are transmitted through an automated FTP transfer process to Water District #1's server and database, and linked to the R*TIME near real-time software created by SCIENTECH INC. This software allows water managers to quickly display current water supply conditions and graphically compare the data to previous historical years. The computer simulation is a time-scaled replay feature that has pause, rewind, and fast forward buttons; enabling users to animate reservoir, river and snow displays at variable speeds. It is a valuable tool that can be used for water management purposes and will increase understanding of both professionals and the general public concerning water supply and water distribution.

URLsites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/2005Swank.pdf