National Weather Service Professional Development Series Professional Competency Unit

Description of Job Duty Competency to be Achieved

Effectively use the RFC hydrologic interactive/manual calibration program.

Description of Need

The RFC hydrologic interactive/manual calibration program is the primary suite of tools available to calibrate the modeling components as described in previous PCUs, and to make adjustments to the model parameters. Sufficient mastery of this tool is necessary to efficiently calibrate hydrologic models.

Training is needed on the use of available calibration tools to ensure that RFC staff (and WFO staff in the future) know how to develop an initial parameter set for model calibration and how to make appropriate parameter changes.

Specific Job Task Skills and Knowledge

1. Know how to use a subset of the historical streamflow period of record which can be used to develop an initial parameter set for model calibration.

2. Demonstrate the ability to make appropriate parameter modifications using the ICP/MCP.

3. Use hydrologic judgement and the appropriate statistical measure(s) to compare the simulated streamflow to the observed streamflow to determine if further parameter modifications are needed.

4. Identify the applicable parameter(s) for adjustment using the tools and displays available in the ICP/MCP.

5. Use calibrated parameter set to simulate streamflow for a set of years other than that which was used to calibrate those parameters. Determine that criteria for measuring quality of original calibration are met for the new data set. Make further parameter adjustments if necessary.

Instructional Components

Instructional Component 9.1 - Workshop: NWSRFS Calibration. A portion of this workshop consists of exercises involving application of the NWSRFS ICP to test basins and data sets.

Instructional Component 9.2 - Video Training:Calibration of the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting Model. All sections of this video but the introduction illustrate use of the ICP in various calibration situations, without describing actual software "knobology."

Instructional Component 9.3 - Documentation: Hydrologic Model Calibration Using the Interactive Calibration Program. This draft documentation will be made available on the Office of Hydrologic Development Web page. It provides some general considerations and a strategy to follow when doing trial and error calibration with the ICP.

Instructional Component 9.4 - NWSRFS Documentation: Section IV.4.1-ICP: Interactive Calibration Program (ICP) - User Information describes how to use the ICP.

Instructional Component 9.5 - NWSRFS Documentation: Section IV.4.1-MCP3: Manual Calibration Program (MCP3) documents inputs and outputs to the MCP3 program.

Instructional Component 9.6 - NWSRFS Documentation: Section IV.4.2-OPT3: Automatic Parameter Optimization Program (OPT3) describes a program which can be used to further refine parameter estimates previously developed through manual calibration procedures.

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