Visualization workflows for level-12 HUC scales: Towards an expert system for watershed analysis in a distributed computing environment. (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Leonard, Lorne; Duffy, Chris
• Is Part Of: Environmental modelling & software. Volume 78(2016:Apr.)
• Page Start: 163
• Page End: 178
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: Visualization as a service -- Model as a service -- Data as a service -- Visualization workflows -- Provenance -- Reproducibility -- End-to-end system; Environmental monitoring -- Computer programs -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Computer simulation -- Periodicals; Digital computer simulation -- Periodicals; Computer software -- Periodicals; Environmental Monitoring -- Periodicals; Computer Simulation -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Surveillance -- Logiciels -- Périodiques; Écologie -- Simulation, Méthodes de -- Périodiques; Simulation par ordinateur -- Périodiques; Logiciels -- Périodiques; Computer software; Digital computer simulation; Ecology -- Computer simulation; Environmental monitoring -- Computer programs; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.70015118
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.01.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1364-8152

Abstract

Abstract: Visualization workflows are important services for expert users to analyze watersheds when using our HydroTerre end-to-end workflows. Analysis is an interactive and iterative process and we demonstrate that the expert user can focus on model results, not data preparation, by using a web application to rapidly create, tune, and calibrate hydrological models anywhere in the continental USA (CONUS). The HydroTerre system captures user interaction for provenance and reproducibility to share modeling strategies with modelers. Our end-to-end workflow consists of four workflows. The first is data workflows using Essential Terrestrial Variables (ETV) data sets that we demonstrated to construct watershed models anywhere in the CONUS (Leonard and Duffy, 2013). The second is data-model workflows that transform the data workflow results to model inputs. The model inputs are consumed in the third workflow, model workflows (Leonard and Duffy, 2014a ) that handle distribution of data and model within High Performance Computing (HPC) environments. This article focuses on our fourth workflow, visualization workflows, which consume the first three workflows to form an end-to-end system to create and share hydrological model results efficiently for analysis and peer review. We show how visualization workflows are incorporated into the HydroTerre infrastructure design and demonstrate the efficiency and robustness for an expert modeler to produce, analyze, and share new hydrological models using CONUS national datasets. Highlights: Visualization, model, and data services for and sharing of hydrological models. Visualization workflows for hydrological model analysis at HUC12 catchment scales. End-to-end workflows for reproducibility and provenance of hydrological models. Cyber-Infrastructure to support hydrological models and big data at high resolution.