Authors: Patrick Clemins, Scott Turnbull, Jarlath Patrick O’Neil-Dunne, Asim Zia, Andrew Schroth, Rebecca Diehl, Beverly Wemple – University of Vermont
Title: Northeast Evaluation Testbeds
Abstract: We are building the advanced cyberinfrastructure resources necessary to aggregate a diverse array of existing and new heterogeneous data sources for supporting evaluation testbeds in the Northeast. The testbeds will initially support the following use-cases being investigated by the University of Vermont CIROH team: (1) Flood Forecasting: Improving the representation of floodplain effects on hydraulic routing and flood inundation modeling and mapping; (2) Nutrient Load Forecasting: Coupling novel low cost spatially distributed nutrient sensors and National Water Model output to forecast nutrient loading and inform state implementation of EPA mandated nutrient reduction targets; and (3) HABs Forecasting: Forecasting the incidence and duration of harmful algal blooms (HABs) at daily, weekly, and seasonal scales. These Northeast CIROH testbeds will generate and consume a wide array of ecological and hydrological datasets, such as watershed/stream flows, nutrient concentrations, lake water quality metrics, remote sensing data from drones and satellites, and modeling results. In addition, the testbed architecture will allow for the addition of new datasets, such as snow cover, as new CIROH projects are funded. The primary result of this effort will be a Northeast evaluation testbed portal with links and guided instructions to external data sources, direct access to data generated from the Northeast testbeds and legacy data from previous related projects in the Northeast, model code and documentation, utilities and containers to analyze and reformat data, and operational user outreach and research computing facilitation to help the CIROH forecast teams use the testbed to continuously improve their forecast accuracy.