Background
The terrestrial water cycle is a highly interconnected system where the movement of water is affected by physical and human processes. Thus, environmental models may become inaccurate if they do not provide a complete picture of the water cycle, missing out on unexpected opportunities and omitting impacts that arise from complex interactions. WSIMOD (Water Systems Integrated Modelling framework) is a modelling framework to integrate these different processes. It provides a message passing interface to enable different subsystem models to communicate water flux and water quality information between each other, and self-contained representations of the key parts of the water cycle (rivers, reservoirs, urban and rural hydrological catchments, treatment plants, and pipe networks).
Our Contribution
This collaboration of the RSE Team with Dr Ana Mijic and Dr Barnaby Dobson covered several aspects. First, we provided advise on the appropriate tooling for quality assurance, code architecture and design. Second, we supported the development of the features that enabled extending WSIMOD functionality with custom components (rivers, reservoirs, etc.). Finally, the main goal of the collaboration, we containerised the tool and enabled its deployment to DAFNI, the Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure.
Outcomes
As a result of this, WSIMOD has transitioned from a model that a small handful of postdocs and PhDs could use to a flexible software that is being used internationally outside of the original research group, and underpins both industry impact and large research grants (£1.9 million follow-on funding to date). The RSE advice was central to making this possible. In addition, the development of extension features that took place as part of the DAFNI project has superseded the scattered approaches to customisation that were taking place across WSIMOD users for their research. Ultimately, any research that develops WSIMOD begins as a customisation, and so streamlining this has been immensely valuable.
Testimonials
Dr Barnaby Dobson, project leader, Imperial College Research Fellow, Civil and Environmental Engineering:
“Working with RSE has taken WSIMOD to a level of impact I don't believe it could otherwise achieved. Furthermore, it has developed me as a researcher, teaching me to bring a new rigour to my software that underpins all of my scientific outputs.”