Abstract The hydrologic forecasting service of the United States spans applications and scales ranging from those associated with the issuance of flood and flash warnings to those pertaining to seasonal water supply forecasts. New technological developments (underway in or planned by the National Weather Service (NWS) in support of the Hydrologic Program) are carried out as combined efforts by NWS headquarters and field personnel in cooperation with other organizations. These developments fall into two categories: hardware and software systems technology, and hydrometeorological analysis and prediction technology. Research, development, and operational implementation in progress in both of these areas are discussed. Cornerstones of an overall NWS modernization effort include implementation of state-of-the-art data acquisition systems (including the Next Generation Weather Radar) and communications and computer processing systems. The NWS Hydrologic Service will capitalize on these systems and will incorporate results from specific hydrologic projects including collection and processing of multivariate data sets, conceptual hydrologic modeling systems, integrated hydrologic modeling systems with meteorological interfaces and automatic updating of model states, and extended streamflow prediction techniques. The salient aspects of ongoing work in these areas are highlighted in this paper, providing some perspective on the future U.S. hydrologic forecasting service and its transitional period into the 1990s.
[1]
N. Crawford,et al.
DIGITAL SIMULATION IN HYDROLOGY' STANFORD WATERSHED MODEL 4
,
1966
.
[2]
M. A. Kohler,et al.
Hydrology for engineers
,
1958
.
[3]
Eric A. Anderson,et al.
National Weather Service river forecast system: snow accumulation and ablation model
,
1973
.
[4]
Danny L. Fread.
NWS Operational Dynamic Wave Model
,
1978
.
[5]
T. Takasao,et al.
Development of techniques for on-line forecasting of rainfall and flood runoff
,
1984
.
[6]
Konstantine P Georgakakos,et al.
A precipitation model and its use in real-time river flow forecasting
,
1982
.
[7]
R. Clarke.
A review of some mathematical models used in hydrology, with observations on their calibration and use
,
1973
.
[8]
David G. Bennett,et al.
Standard Hydrologic Exchange Format (SHEF)
,
1984
.
[9]
K. Georgakakos.
Stochastic decomposition schemes for the real-time forecasting of river flows in a large river system
,
1983
.
[10]
L. Brazil,et al.
Calibration Procedures Use with the National Weather Service River Forecast System
,
1980
.
[11]
Some hydrological aspects of weather radar research in the United Kingdom
,
1987
.
[12]
Konstantine P. Georgakakos,et al.
Quantitative Precipitation Forecast Techniques for Use in Hydrologic Forecasting
,
1984
.