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Oral

Emerging & Innovative Technologies (Interdisciplinary)

Advancing Hydrologic Modeling through Community-Driven Development: The NextGen Framework

Wednesday, May 21, 2025
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT)
Room: Room 6
Abstract Submission: The NextGen Water Resources Modeling Framework (NextGen) represents a significant advancement in hydrologic modeling. This study introduces the "Community NextGen" initiative, a collaborative effort by the University of Alabama and Lynker, aimed at fostering open innovation and accelerating the framework's development. Our project focuses on four key areas: (1) establishing a CIROH Community Fork of NextGen to promote open governance and community-driven development; (2) developing NextGen In A Box (NGIAB) and DataStream, a deployable laboratory workbench for experimenting with localized configurations; (3) utilizing robust model evaluation functionality; and (4) implementing comprehensive testing and continuous integration/delivery pipelines. These efforts aim to facilitate efficient research-to-operations and operations-to-research transitions, ultimately enhancing our ability to model and predict water resources at various scales. By fostering a collaborative ecosystem around NextGen, we seek to harness the collective expertise of the hydrologic community, driving innovation and improving the framework's applicability to diverse water management challenges. This study will focus on the strategies for community engagement, including the development of standards and guidelines, and share insights from case studies utilizing NGIAB, DataStream as an experimental platform, and demonstrating the potential for accelerating the integration of research insights into NOAA operational forecasting.

Learning Objectives/Expected Outcome (Optional) :