The CrowdWater data can be used by everyone for example for hydrological modelling. The different parameters of a hydrological model are calibrated on the basis of runoff, precipitation and temperature data of the past. Goal is for the model to represent the characteristics of a catchment as well as possible and to be able to simulate the runoff in the future. The runoff data can be collected in many ways, for example by measuring water level classes with the CrowdWater app and converting them into runoff data. The relation between water level and runoff will differ for every individual spot.
Hydrological modelling is applied for example to develop flood warning systems, to regulate the water usage for agricultural purposes, to manage water resources in general or to plan on the energy production by hydropower plants. However, there are many other fields of use.
An example of a hydrological model is the HBV model which was developed in Sweden by Sten Bergström in the 1970s. The HBV light version by Jan Seibert and Marc Vis is an improved version in terms of user-friendliness and can be downloaded here. More information can be found in these slides.
CrowdWater water level spots which were updated regularly are suitable for the usage in hydrological modelling. However, all the CrowdWater data from all the categories can be used for other purposes too! We are looking forward to see applications of CrowdWater data in many fields of use.
We are happy if you write us a message to info@crowdwater.ch if you use the data, so we can see what can be achieved with it.