2026 World Environmental & Water Resources Congress - EWRI Technical Workshop: Application of NOAA Next Generation Water Resource Modeling Framework for Hydrological Modeling
- 📅 Date: Sunday, April 26, 2025
- ⏰ Time: 01:00 – 5:00 pm CT
- 📍 Location: Mobile Convention Center | 1 South Water Street, Mobile, AL 36602 | Room: 203 A
This GitHub repository, which serves as the central hub for all workshop materials, tools, detailed instructions, pre-conference and other relevant information, was prepared and is maintained by Sifan A. Koriche and Josh Cunningham.
This comprehensive, half-day workshop provides a deep dive into the Next-Generation Water Resources Modeling Framework (NextGen), a model-agnostic and standards-based software tool that facilitates model interoperability. The workshop covers two parts: an exploration of the broader NextGen Framework End-to-End implementation and a hands-on session on hydrological model calibration within the NextGen In a Box (NGIAB) ecosystem. This workshop is highly relevant to professionals and students interested in US operational hydrological forecasting pipelines. You'll gain practical experience using open-source tools with pre-configured datasets.
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Figure 1: End-to-end visual representation of the NextGen In A Box (NGIAB) ecosystem's hydrological simulation workflow, detailing phases for data preparation, model simulation, parameter calibration, and output analysis steps. 1) Python CLI data preparation modules for NGIAB, 2a) NGIAB Docker image, 2b) NGIAB-cal Docker image + Python CLI for Calibration, and 3) TEEHR evaluation + visualizer
The workflow involves End-to-End execution of NexGen Framework in the NGIAB ecosystem followed by hands-on calibration exercise.
| Tool | 2i2c | Cloud VM* | Local | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGIAB | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Containerized and user-friendly solution for running the NextGen framework |
| Guide script | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Script for running nextgen in a box, visualization, and evalutation |
* Virtual Machine (VM) (aws ec2, gcp, Jetstream, openstack, etc)
Participants can choose between two calibration tools depending on the platform used:
| Tool | Backend | 2i2c | Local | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGIAB-Cal | Docker (ngen-cal) |
❌ | ✅ | CLI-driven, DDS, plots + metrics written to disk |
| NGIAB-Spotpy / ewri_cal | MPI on 2i2c / Docker locally / optional Rust | ✅ (required) | ✅ | Script-first, SpotPy (DDS or SCE), live TensorBoard |
☁️ Workshop participants on 2i2c will use
ewri_cal— it's pre-installed at/ewri_cal/with the three workshop gages already extracted underdata/. See the wiki page for the run command and TensorBoard setup.
Data
- Download workshop data:
- Choctawhatchee River Near Newton, AL (USGS-02361000) -- Click Here to Download
- Sipsey Fork Near Grayson, AL (USGS-02450250) -- Click Here to Download
- Provo River Near Woodland, UT (USGS-10154200) -- Click Here to Download
- Or Create your own using this command
uvx ngiab-prep -i gage-02450250 --start 2007-10-01 --end 2016-09-30 --source aorc -sfr -o EWRI26_USGS_02450250
Minimum Requirements:
📋 For complete setup instructions and requirements: Pre-Workshop Checklist
- NGIAB Website
- NGIAB 101 Training Module
- NGIAB-Spotpy (ewri_cal) - SpotPy-based calibration harness with live TensorBoard dashboards (wiki page)
- Development Setup - Modify and extend tools
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| Tool | Purpose | Type |
|---|---|---|
| NGIAB-Data-Preprocess | Prepare hydrofabric and forcing data | Python CLI |
| NGIAB-Cal | Configure and run calibration | Python CLI |
| NGIAB | NextGen framework container | Docker Image |
| NGEN-Cal | Calibration algorithms and analysis | Docker Image |
| NGIAB-Spotpy (ewri_cal) | SpotPy-based calibration with TensorBoard — required on 2i2c, optional locally | Python script |
🔧 Learn more: Tools and Modules
- During the Workshop: Ask instructors and assistants
- Common Issues: See Troubleshooting Guide
- Questions/Bugs: Open GitHub Issues
- Email: sakoriche@ua.edu, jcunningham8@ua.edu