Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Presented at the GIS in Water Resources Conference Austin, Texas February 2000 By Roy D. Dodson, P.E. Dodson & Associates, Inc. Houston, Texas

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Preview 3 “Hydro-Objectives” – What are we trying to accomplish? Continuity, Connectivity, Collapsibility, Consistency 3 Potential Types of Hydro-Objects Physical Processes, Mathematical Models,Economic Analyses, Support Operations 3 Problems and Questions

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology “Hydro-Objective 1” 3 Continuity: To Provide for the Application of Proven Hydrologic Computations Within an Object- Oriented GIS Framework of a Channel System

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology “Hydro-Objective 2” 3 Connectivity: To Leverage Extensive Databases of Stream Network Data River Basins Urban Drainage Systems Storm Sewer Networks

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology “Hydro-Objective 3” 3 Scalability: To Provide Solutions to Hydrologic Problems at Various Levels of Study Basin Level Catchment Level Site Level

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology “Hydro-Objective 4” 3 Consistency: To Promote Consistency in Hydrologic Computations Object Standardization Object Certification Open Standards; Open Source?

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Potential Scope of Hydro-Objects 3 Physical Processes 3 Mathematical Models 3 Economic Analysis 3 Support Operations

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Interaction of Hydro-Objects

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Physical Processes 3 The interaction between the various elements of the natural environment, usually involving time series analysis.

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Physical Processes 3 Precipitation 3 Inflows 3 Losses 3 Basin Response 3 Channels 3 Junctions 3 Diversions 3 Reservoirs

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Mathematical Models 3 An idealized or simplified analogy of the system operations, usually relating data from different places or times

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Mathematical Models 3 Regional Regression Models 3 Single-Station Frequency Analysis 3 Regional Frequency Analysis

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Economic Analysis 3 The interaction between the natural environment and the constructed environ- ment, usually involving the comparison of alternatives.

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Economic Analysis 3 Residential Stage vs. Damage Relationships 3 Commercial/Industrial Stage vs. Damage Relationship 3 Agricultural Stage vs. Damage Relationship

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Support Operations 3 The subordinate activities of the modeling process, including interfaces to humans and to the data environment

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Support Operations 3 Data Entry/Validation 3 Tabulation/Reporting 3 Charting/Visualization 3 Data Acquisition (ftp/agent) 3 Timer/Coordination 3 Simulation Management 3 Version Control

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Problems and Questions 3 Is Hydro-Objects Needed? 3 How Does the Concept of Hydro- Objects Integrate with the work of the Consortium?

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology Problems and Questions 3 How Do We Do Time Series Computations? 3 Can Objects Be Standardized across Different Frameworks? 3 Is Object Certification a Realistic Concept?

DODSON Hydro-Objects: An Object-Oriented Approach to Flood Hydrology “…models are like maps: never final, never complete until they grow as large and complex as the reality they represent.” -- J ames Gleick, “Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman