GIS Static Storm Model Development

Book excerpt: Rainfall runoff modeling at a watershed scale requires the definition of the storm event and of the conveying characteristics of the watershed. This research project focuses on the geographic definition of the storm event, that is, on the spatial distribution of precipitation over the watershed. As the watershed size increases, the likelihood that a storm will cover the entire watershed decreases, and it becomes necessary to identify which parts of the watershed are affected by the storm and which are not. Traditionally, precipitation estimates have been based on precipitation records obtained at discrete points (i.e., precipitation stations), which led to depth-duration-frequency (DDF) equations or curves. An estimate of the area covered by the storm event, however, has not been included in the analysis, and it has been customary to assume it uniformly distributed over the entire watershed, regardless of its size. Thus far, no model has been developed to map the area of the watershed that is covered by the storm, as well as to determine the spatial distribution of precipitation over this area. Use of NEXRAD precipitation data, however, will allow the development of a model and geographic-information-systems (GIS) based application that relaxes the assumption of uniformly distributed precipitation and estimates the storm precipitation distribution within the watershed.