Collaborative Research: River Morphology Data and Analysis Tools (RiverMorph): A Web Platform for Enabling River Morphology Research

有关河流形态、河床形态和泥沙负荷的信息对于帮助研究和管理与河道有关的问题至关重要。然而，这种信息在公共领域并不容易获取或获得。该项目将创建一个名为RiverMorph的网络平台，以收集、存储、共享和分析与河流相关的科学数据。RiverMorph还将支持对当前和未来与国家水资源有关的问题的管理。为RiverMorph开发的数据和工具将创建美国大多数河流的三维河流形态结构的数字表示，这可以支持与河流修复、基础设施设计和食品风险缓解相关的基础研究和实际需求。该项目将展示RiverMorph平台如何改进河流流量预报，并生成准确的洪水淹没地图，从而帮助拯救与洪水破坏相关的生命和费用。RiverMorph网络平台将通过与负责管理美国水资源的社区合作伙伴的扩展团队合作来设计和开发，包括州和联邦机构。RiverMorph将：1)开放、集成和平台无关；2)灵活和适应新类型的数据和业务能力；3)易于使用，以鼓励各种利益相关者的贡献；4)响应具有不同技术背景的多个终端用户的需求；5)可互操作和可扩展，以实现项目期限以外的可持续性。将通过仔细评估河流数据的可用性和可及性以及潜在利益攸关方的需求来开发RiverMorph原型资源。RiverMorph的可用性和适应性将通过具体的科学测试案例来展示，这些测试案例将解决以下研究问题：1)河道形态如何在十年的时间尺度上变化，以及如何对潜在的过程进行建模，以帮助水资源工程和管理决策？2)如何在从低阶单条河流到大河流网络的空间尺度上最好地描述河流几何形状，以准确模拟河流水动力学和洪水？3)数据驱动的方法如何提高对溪流和河流-洪水-平原-流域连通性的理解，以支持大时空尺度上的建模方法？RiverMorph的实施和采用将通过在项目过程中与利益相关者和更广泛的地球科学界进行接触来促进。该项目由地球信息学、水文科学以及地球科学部的地貌学和土地利用动力学计划联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Information on river shape, bed morphology and sediment load are critical to help inform research and management issues related to river channels. However, such information is not easily accessible or available in the public domain. This project will create a web platform, entitled RiverMorph, to aggregate, store, share, and analyze river-related scientific data. RiverMorph will also support management of current and future issues related to the nation’s water resources. The data and tools developed for RiverMorph will create digital representations of three-dimensional river morphological structures of most U.S. rivers, which can support fundamental research and practical needs related to stream rehabilitation, infrastructure design, and food risk mitigation. This project will demonstrate how the RiverMorph platform can improve river flow forecasts and produce accurate flood inundation maps that subsequently can help save lives and expense related to flood damages.The RiverMorph web platform will be designed and developed through collaborations with an extended team of community partners, including state and federal agencies, who are responsible for managing U.S. water resources. RiverMorph will be: 1) open, integrated and platform independent; 2) flexible and adaptable to new types of data and operational capabilities; 3) easy to use in order to encourage contributions from a wide variety of stakeholders; 4) responsive to the needs of multiple end users with diverse technical backgrounds; and 5) interoperable and scalable for sustainability beyond the project duration. The prototype RiverMorph resource will be developed by carefully assessing the availability and accessibility of river data and the needs of potential stakeholders. The usability and adaptability of RiverMorph will be demonstrated through specific science test cases that will address the following research questions: 1) How does channel morphology change over decadal time scales, and how can the underlying processes be modeled to assist with water resources engineering and management decisions? 2) How can river geometry be best described across spatial scales ranging from low order single streams to large stream networks for accurately simulating river hydrodynamics and flooding? 3) How can data-driven approaches improve the understanding of streamwise and river-floodplain-watershed connectivity for supporting modeling approaches over large spatio-temporal scales? Implementation and adoption of RiverMorph will be facilitated by engaging with stakeholders and the broader earth sciences community over the course of the project.This project is jointly funded by the Geoinformatics, the Hydrologic Sciences, and the Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics programs in the Division of Earth Sciences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.