National Water Model
When floods occur, first responders face challenges in identifying where vulnerable populations will be. However, hazard forecasts lack detailed information about exposure and vulnerability that would be used by decision-makers. In this module, the learner will learn how to generate the flood risk ...
National Water Model CIROH_HydroLearn Enroll Now Problem Statement When floods occur, first responders face challenges in identifying where vulnerable populations will be. However, hazard forecasts lack detailed information about exposure and vulnerability that would be used by decision-makers. In this module, the learner will learn how to generate the flood risk map through the case study of the 2024 Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. The step-by-step workflow to create impact-based flood forecasting will be provided, in which we will use the National Water Model (NWM) forecasted streamflow input for Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC)-8 level. The first part of this module will show how to generate Flood Inundation Maps (FIMs) using the Office of Water Prediction Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND)-FIM while the second part will incorporate the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) on a census-tract level to generate the flood risk map. By completing this module, you can provide these maps as useful information for stakeholders and decision-makers to use for early-warning and evacuation plans. Module Overview You will learn to implement the HAND method for FIM along with SVI and OWP-NWM streamflow input to generate flood risk map for quick evacuation planning with low computational demands. Topics Covered Flood inundation mapping using HAND, SVI, and OWP-NWM input. Prerequisites The learner is expected to review documents mentioned in the Prerequisite Knowledge in the Section 3.1. Summary and Learning Objectives before starting the module. Learning Objectives At the end of this module, students will be able to: 1) Retrieve NWM historical and forecasted streamflow for different forecasting ranges (i.e., short -18 hrs, medium - 10 days, long - 30 days) at Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 8 subbasin-level over CONUS 2) Run the HAND method to obtain the FIMs 3) Generate Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) map 4) Produce flood risk map with inputs from FIM and SVI Suggested Implementation Quick and low computational demand solution for FIM to support disaster prevention and forecasting Course Authors Duc Tran University of Virginia, Virginia, United States syu3cs@virginia.edu Hesham Elhaddad Western Michigan University, Michigan, United States h.elhaddad@wmich.edu Target Audience This module is designed for hydrologists, operators, and decision-makers who wish to apply the knowledge provided by this module to evacuation planning and disaster prevention efforts. Tools Needed Computer with access to Internet. In addition, this module requires learners to have Python and its dependencies installed on their local machine to execute the provided code. Additionally, while the output will be exported in raster (.tif) format, learners can choose to use GIS tools such as QGIS, ArcMap, or ArcGIS Pro for visualization or further analysis. Expected Effort The module intructors estimate between 18 to 24 hours for learner to complete this module. Course Sharing and Adaptation This course is available for export by clicking the "Export Link" at the top right of this page. You will need a HydroLearn instructor studio account to do this. You will first need to sign up for a hydrolearn.org account, then you should register as an instructor by clicking 'studio.hydrolearn' and requesting course creation permissions. Recommended Citation Tran, Duc & Elhaddad, Hesham (2025). National Water Model. HydroLearn. https://edx.hydrolearn.org/courses/course-v1:CIROH_HydroLearn+OP_040+2025/about Adapted From If your module has been adapted from a previously existing module, please mention that here. Go into detail about how this module differs from the original. If your module is an original creation, you can delete this section. Acknowledgments This project received funding under award NA22NWS4320003 by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Institute Program to the Cooperative Institute for Research on Hydrology (CIROH) through the University of Alabama. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NOAA. Expected Total Hours Learners could expect to complete this module with approximately 18-24 work hours.