Scope: what’s covered (and not!) in this wiki
Types of modelling covered
This wiki focuses on catchment-scale hydrological modelling, as opposed to plot-scale, hillslope-scale, or global-scale modelling of water movement.
At present, this wiki does not cover specifically groundwater-focused modelling tools (e.g. MODFLOW) or hydraulics-focused tools (e.g. HEC-RAS). However, catchment hydrological modelling necessarily includes some representation of groundwater storage and fluxes and of river channel flows. This representation is generally far more simplified than in groundwater-focused and hydraulic modelling tools. A need for more detailed representation of groundwater and channel/floodplain hydraulics in some catchment modelling contexts has led to the integration of algorithms from the more specific tools into catchment modelling tools. An example of this is the MIKE-SHE modelling platform.
At present, this wiki does not cover modelling of sediment transport or other water quality parameters, although some of the modelling tools described here do have these capabilities. It is the intention to add more coverage of these eventually.
No one "best" modelling tool
This wiki aims to help modellers make informed choices by making it easier to compare modelling tools across different aspects of interest. Various capabilities and calculation approaches used by the tools are described side-by-side.
However, every modelling project will have it's own needs and constraints. There will almost always be multiple modelling tools that are similarly suitable for a given use-case, although each may have different types of limitations or drawbacks. This wiki describes issues that need to be considered when applying a given tool in a particular use-case type, but the user must then decide how to weight the various factors involved for their specific situation.
Modelling software tools & versions covered
Currently, the modelling tools included in the detailed comparison in this wiki are:
| Modelling tool | Version | References |
|---|---|---|
| WRSM-Pitman, Water Resources System Model | WRSM2000 | Pitman, 1973; Bailey and Pitman, 2015 |
| SPATSIM-Pitman, Spatial and Time Series Information Modelling | IWR (GWv3) | Pitman, 1973; Hughes, 2005 |
| ACRU, Agricultural Catchment Research Unit model | ACRU4 | Schulze, 1986, 1995; Schulze and Davis, 2018 |
| SWAT, Soil and Water Assessment Tool | SWAT2012; ArcSWAT2012 | Arnold et al., 1998; Neitsch et al., 2011 |
| MIKE-SHE (& MIKE-Hydro), Système Hydrologique Européen | MIKE-SHE 2020 | Abbott et al., 1986; DHI, 2020; Refsgaard and Storm, 1995 |
These were chosen as commonly used, accessible, and/or promoted versions of the modelling tools when this wiki was developed (2022).
Notes on versions
"Research versions": ACRU, SPATSIM-Pitman, and SWAT are curated by university research groups and there are many versions of these platforms that were developed by researchers for specific studies. These may appear in published research articles, but may not be easily accessible for a general user.
ArcSWAT & Q-SWAT: The SWAT2012 version of SWAT describes the model units and process algorithm options. Models can be optionally built and operationalised in a GIS environment, using ArcSWAT2012 with ArcGIS ESRI software and Q-SWAT with Q-GIS software. ArcSWAT2012 was primarily used in this project and is the version referred to in the inter-comparison pages.
SWAT+: SWAT+ was launched during the inception of this project. Most of it's core algorithms are the same as SWAT2012; however, it's user interface has changed and SWAT+ includes runoff routing from specified hillslope areas to floodplain areas. This is a significant change to the landscape process representation. The intention is to update wiki material over time as SWAT+ may become the dominant version in use.
Coverage of structural options within modelling tools
All of the tools reviewed have some flexibility in how a catchment model can be set-up. This adds a layer of complexity when trying to compare approaches across tools. In this review an effort has been made to document and consider the main structural options available and approaches considered ‘typical’ for each tool; however, it should be noted that not all potential options have been covered.
A description of how multiple structure options were handled for the modelling tools reviewed in the wiki is given here. This is perhaps most important for MIKE-SHE which has the largest number of structural options for the user to select from when setting up a model.
Assumed reader background (still need to read those manuals :) )
This wiki is aimed at readers who a have at least a basic background in hydrology and exposure to catchment hydrological modelling. The material is not intended to replace courses or foundational instructional material on hydrology and modelling in general or on the use of specific modelling tools. One needs a solid grounding in hydrology before getting into catchment modelling. This wiki describes and compares various aspects of different modelling tools, but it is not an exhaustive coverage of any of them and so it cannot replace reading the tool's supporting material!
Need more help?
If you have modelling questions that you cannot resolve by consulting the modelling tool's manual or related resources, we recommend trying the question and answer platform Stack Exchange, Earth Sciences subsite, to look for help (tag question with "hydrology" and "model"). If you have gained experience using a tool, consider using Stack Exchange to provide help to others so that the questions and answers become freely available to anyone online. Guidance on using this resource for hydrological modelling assistance can be found here.