Business and Scientific Case for the Development of an Object-Oriented Groundwater Model
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Business and scientific case for the development of an object- oriented groundwater model Groundwater Systems and Water Quality Commissioned Report CR/03/065N National Groundwater and Contaminated Land Centre Technical Report NC/01/38/3 N 0 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Commissioned Report CR/03/065N ENVIRONMENT AGENCY National Groundwater & Contaminated Land Centre Technical Report NC/01/38/3 Business and scientific case for the This report is the result of a study jointly funded by the British development of an object-oriented Geological Survey’s National Groundwater Survey and the Environment Agency’s National groundwater model R&D programme in collaboration with The University of Birmingham. No part of this work may be Authors: C.R. Jackson, P.J. Hulme and A.E.F. Spink reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright proprietors. All rights are reserved by the copyright proprietors. Disclaimer The officers, servants or agents of both the British Geological Survey and the Environment Agency accept no liability whatsoever for loss or damage arising from the interpretation or use of the information, or reliance on the views contained herein. Environment Agency Dissemination status Internal: Release to Regions External: Public Domain Project No. NC/01/38 Environment Agency, 2003 Statement of use This document presents the business and scientific case for the development of an object-oriented groundwater model. Environment Agency Project Manager: Cover illustration Paul Hulme Example prototype object-oriented groundwater model grid National Groundwater & Contaminated Land Centre British Geological Survey Project Manager: Bibliographic Reference Jackson, C.R., Hulme, P.J. & Spink, Dr Andrew Hughes A.E.F. 2003. Business and scientific Groundwater Systems & Water Quality Programme case for the development of an object-oriented groundwater model British Geological Survey Commissioned Report No. CR/03/065N National Groundwater & Contaminated Land Centre, Solihull 2003 British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham 2003 Environment Agency 2003 NERC 2003 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ENVIRONMENT AGENCY The full range of Survey publications is available from the BGS The Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body Sales Desks at Nottingham and Edinburgh; see contact details with particular responsibilities for aspects of environmental below or shop online at www.thebgs.co.uk regulation and management in England and Wales. In discharging these responsibilities the Agency carries out The London Information Office maintains a reference collection projects both alone and in collaboration with others. of BGS publications including maps for consultation. 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Other documents are sold through The Stationery Office The Publications Centre, PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN The British Geological Survey is a component body of the 0870 600 5522 Fax 0870 600 5533 Natural Environment Research Council. e-mail: [email protected] National Groundwater and Contaminated Land Centre Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG Olton Court, 10 Warwick Rd 0115-936 3241 Fax 0115-936 3488 Olton, Solihull, B92 7HX e-mail: [email protected] 0121 711 5885 Fax 0121 711 5925 www.bgs.ac.uk e-mail: [email protected] Shop online at: www.thebgs.co.uk Environment Agency General Enquiry Line 0645 333 111 Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA 0131-667 1000 Fax 0131-668 2683 Environment Agency Regional Offices e-mail: [email protected] Anglian Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough London Information Office at the Natural History Museum PE2 5ZR (Earth Galleries), Exhibition Road, South Kensington, 01733 371811 Fax 01733 231840 London SW7 2DE Midlands 020-7589 4090 Fax 020-7584 8270 020-7942 5344/45 email: Sapphire East, 550 Streetsbrook Road, Solihull, West Midlands [email protected] B91 1QT 0121 711 2324 Fax 0121 711 5824 Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, North East Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HU Rivers House, 21 Park Square South, Leeds LS1 2QG 01392-445271 Fax 01392-445371 0113 244 0191 Fax 0113 246 1889 North West Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 20 College Gardens, Richard Fairclough House, Knutsford Road, Warrington Belfast BT9 6BS WA4 1HG 028-9066 6595 Fax 028-9066 2835 01925 653999 Fax 01925 415961 South West Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Manley House, Kestrel Way, Exeter EX2 7LQ Oxfordshire OX10 8BB 01392 444000 Fax 01392 444238 01491-838800 Fax 01491-692345 Southern Guildbourne House, Chatsworth Rd, Worthing, Sussex BN11 Parent Body 1LD 01903 832000 Fax 01903 821832 Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU Thames 01793-411500 Fax 01793-411501 Kings Meadow House, Kings Meadow Road, Reading RG1 www.nerc.ac.uk 8DQ 0118 953 5000 Fax 0118 950 0388 Environment Agency Wales 29 Newport Road, Cardiff CF24 0TP 01222 770088 Fax 01222 798555 Acknowledgements This business and scientific case has been written as part of a continuing tripartite collaboration between Dr A. Spink of The University of Birmingham, the Environment Agency, represented by S. Fletcher and P. Hulme of the National Groundwater and Contaminated Land Centre and The British Geological Survey. The project has been co-funded by the Environment Agency’s National Groundwater and Contaminated Land Centre and The British Geological Survey. i Summary A new technology is set to transform the development and capabilities of models used for hydrological simulation. The approach is rapidly becoming popular because it enables applications to be developed that incorporate a high degree of complexity but which are accurate, easily modifiable, and easy to use, in addition to having a clear structure. The approach is that of the object-oriented paradigm. Object-orientation offers the potential to solve many of the problems associated with existing modelling tools, which are used for the assessment and management of the water environment. The major benefit of the approach is that it enables applications to be developed which focus on physical processes and mechanisms. That is, it is now realistic to envisage the development of models that are constructed around hydrological or hydrogeological features. It should no longer be considered acceptable to ‘fit’ engineering problems into the fixed frameworks of current models. Tools can now be developed that enable user’s to investigate processes rather than just being able to define parameter values. The core principle of object-oriented model development is the reproduction of real-world features as computational equivalents. For example, considering a number of scales, aquifers, river catchments, wetlands or pumped wells could be defined as objects, each containing a complex but well defined behaviour. In particular, wetlands are generally simulated inadequately in existing models. Compared to current techniques it would be relatively straightforward to incorporate a number of different conceptual models of wetlands and detailed wetland processes in an object-oriented model. Whilst object-orientation is a method for developing models, the approach offers major benefits to hydrogeological and hydrological simulation and management. This document presents a business and scientific case for the development of an object-oriented groundwater model. The objective of the work is to develop a high quality, publicly available piece of modelling software which simulates regional groundwater systems but which provides a platform for the eventual development of an integrated model of the hydrological cycle. The central principle of the development is to focus on physical processes. That is, to identify hydrogeological features or mechanisms which are represented inadequately, or not at all, in current models and then to construct computational equivalents. These will be incorporated into the overall object-oriented hydrogeological/hydrological model framework. The development of the model incorporates three important objectives. First, the resulting model must be as good as existing groundwater models. Second, central to the model development is the goal of developing a tool that enables the simulation of hydrogeological features that are dealt with inadequately in existing groundwater models. Finally, the resulting model must be widely applicable to the management of UK groundwater and surface-water resources considering the prominent environmental management issues of the next twenty years. The model development