Source…the taste test

Source Rivers Trial Applications Review

Purpose of Trial Applications

• Assess Source Rivers in an application for a target river system to

determine:

•Source meets eWater Partners modelling requirements for water resource planning

and management (ie, “Fit for Purpose”) – a complete integrated package

•How well Source performs against existing modelling tool – comparisons to IQQM,

REALM, BIGMOD

•influence the software development process itself - direct link between model

testing & ongoing model construction

• Wide variety of different river systems to test the usefulness of

Source – good coverage

Macintyre Brook

Pioneer

Murrumbidgee

Murray River: Lower Lakes to Colignan

Goulburn-Broken-Loddon-Campaspe

Namoi River

Goulburn river

ACT

Melbourne metropolitan catchments

Trial applications established in 2008/2009

Locations of Source Rivers Trial Applications

Murray River: Upstream of Lock 9

Source Rivers Feature Macintyre Brook, Qld Namoi, NSW GBCL, VicMurray River, SA &

MDBA

Comparison model platform IQQM IQQM REALM MSM BIGMOD

Confluence, inflow, gauge, loss, splitters

Minimum Flow Requirement

Maximum Order Constraint

Storage

Weir

Wetlands

Water User > Demand models

Water User > On-farm storages

Link flow routing

GSWIT Groundwater

Constituent routing

Ownership in development

Resource Assessment Systems

Continuous Sharing

Continuous Accounting

Annual Accounting in development

Murray-style accounting in development

Off allocation

Ordering systems

Rules-based Ordering system

Network Linear Programming (NetLP) Monthly model

• Feedback to development

• Producing content for User Documentation – SRG and User Guide

• Development and delivery of Source Rivers training

• Trial Application workshops

–Forster a community of practice

–Progress updates on each trial application

–Feature demos

–“How to build plugins” workshop

Trial Application involvement in Source

• Reporting on outcomes of trial applications and assessing Source capabilities

•Formal reporting requirements for SEWPAC/NWC funding agreement

•“fitness for purpose” report

Outcomes of Trial Applications

• All were successful in configuring Source Rivers to simulate their

target systems.

• In general, all reported that Source Rivers compared well to the

outputs of the existing modelling platform,

–most differences explainable or an improvement due to enhancements in

functionality.

• Modelling complex interactions of target system highlighted:

–Areas where Source improves upon existing modelling platforms

–areas that require usability improvements and documentations/guidance

for converting to Source

–Innovative approaches to modelling aspects of river system if

functionality was unavailable

Outcomes of Trial Applications

• Some discrepancies were reported and still require investigation

–Critical defects preventing testing resolved in latest release

–On-going process of testing and review

• Problems with performance of load and runtimes; stability

• Beneficial features

–Expression editor: widely used, flexible, powerful tool

–Chart tool: visualisation, first-cut analysis of scenario results

–Outputs: easy export of required results; great variety of outputs

–Plugins: customised functionality, extensibility (although steep learning

curve)

Summary of recommendations

• Improving the performance and stability of Source.

• Continue testing existing and new features within the current trial

application project.

–Continued investigation of differences in outputs between Source Rivers

and existing modelling platform

–Continued testing of existing functionality as defects and issues are fixed

by the Source development team (ie, Source Rivers version 2.17 & 2.18)

–Testing required functionality not available this year

–Expansion of trial application beyond agreed requirements

Summary of recommendations

• Continue Source Rivers code development to provide

functionality that has been identified as essential to

complete the trial applications.

• User Interface & tools improvements

–Chart tool functionality – more features

– expression editor – improve usability & docs

–recording outputs – descriptions, improved selection

So…Yum or Yuck?

• Yum, but needs cream and sprinkles!

• Full reports and feedback from other trial applications collated into

Summary report at end of Nov – endorsed by Rivers URG

• Inform work plan for 2012 and beyond

• Final workshop next week – take stock of past few years

Thanks to all involved in the Rivers Trial Applications!