Modelling tool capability overview

{| class="wikitable" ! Characteristic !! WRSM-Pitman !! SPATSIM Pitman !! ACRU !! SWAT !! MIKE-SHE |- | Developed in South Africa || yes || yes || yes || no || no |- | Intended spatial scale (catchment or model area) || Local to regional: no suggested min-max model size || Local to regional: 10-10,000’s of km2, more typical: 100-1,000’s km2 || Field to regional: no suggested min-max model size || Field to regional: no suggested min-max model size || Field to regional: no suggested min-max model size |- | Spatial discretisation || Modules (runoff (subcat), special areas, channel, reservoir) + routes || Subcatchments + limited internal sub-area types || HRUs within subcatchments || HRUs within subcatchments || Fully distributed (gridded) OR combinations of grids and zones for different process calculations within subcatchments (if align all process zones, would act like HRUs) |- | || Subcat < 1,000 km2 || || Subcat 5-50 km2; HRUs < 30km2 || || |- | Timestep || Monthly* || Monthly* || Daily || Daily, subdaily || Daily, subdaily, |- | Intended modelling applications (as documented) || || || || || |- | Water balance estimation || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes |- | Design hydrology (flood peaks) || || || yes || yes || yes |- | Supply planning (general) || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes |- | Reservoir yield || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes |- | Irrigation planning || yes || || yes || yes || yes |- | Groundwater recharge || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes |- | Groundwater-surface water (GW-SW) interactions & pumping impacts || yes || yes || || || yes |- | Land cover change impacts || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes |- | Climate change impacts || yes || yes || yes || yes || yes |- | Application limitations (as documented) || Not for peak flow, flood assessment, design hydrology || Not for peak flow, flood assessment, design hydrology || Not represent deep GW processes - not for GW pumping impact || Not represent deep GW processes || (None listed in documentation for system as whole, only for certain process options within it. The many options do steepen the learning curve for use.) |- | Specific development focuses particular to tool || Flexible network for tracking managed system transfers, GW-SW interaction, IAP & plantation forestry water use || Parsimony, Uncertainty assessment, GW-SW interaction || Land cover type representation, crop & irrigation detail, IAP & plantation forestry water use || Land cover type representation, crop & irrigation detail, coupling to GIS tools || Spatial discretisation & fine scale processes, GW-SW interaction, coupled hydraulic channel model & flooding processes |}