HydroPlatform is an open-source software platform for water resource management models.
HydroPlatform manages and displays information about your water resource system(s). It can be loosely or tightly coupled with models. This allows running models independently or from within the model platform.
Check the 'Models' menu for compatible models. These model 'apps' can be open-source, freeware or commercial water management models. Please register to download the alpha release.
Project objectives:
- Make models easier to build, use and share
- Help modelers focus on model development, not data management and visualization
- Help build and use models collaboratively
Software goals:
- Efficiently enter, manage, verify and visualize model data
- Intuitive graphical user-interface run by object-oriented code
- Use open-source components for maintainability, transparency and to lower costs
- Maintain generality and independence from specific models and software
- Function with network (node-link) models in any field (transport, energy, trade, ...).
Capabilities
The software platform allows input, storage, display and sharing of model input and output data. The node-link network is built in a drag and drop interface laid over an image or GIS file. Node content and location can be edited. Custom network objects types (nodes or links) are built with custom data fields. Generically formatted data export provides external models (built with GAMS, Matlab/Octave/Scilab, Excel, Java, Fortran, etc.) easy access to data.
Add-ins allow custom functions or "hosting" external models as modular add-ins. This enables building Decision Support System features like special interfaces for managing model use or processing results.
Implementation
HydroPlatform links an open-source interactive geographic data viewer, Thuban (extensible, multi-platform, multi-lingual), with an open-source database and structured data files. All code is Python (object-oriented, multi-platform, open-source scripting language). Data storage is implemented using proven open-source components: MySQL, Pytables, etc.
Phase 1 (in final testing) enabled data entry, organization and export to models. Phase 2 will focus on importing, managing and viewing model results. After phase 2 is completed, clicking on a network element will display results of one or more selected model scenarios.
Project structure
HydroPlatform is managed as an international open-source software project. The software will be available on this website subject to having registered. The source code is managed on a TRAC website. HydroPlatform is free and open-source available under a General Public License (GPL). Add-ins must also be GPL but external models and programs using HydroPlatform can use any licensing scheme.
A University College London Research Challenge Grant provided seed funding.
