WEBSEIDF: A Web-Based System for the Estimation of IDF Curves in Central Chile

Abstract

Abstract:The lack of reliable continuous rainfall records can exacerbate the negative impact of extreme storm events. The inability to describe the continuous characteristics of rainfall from storm events increases the likelihood that the design of hydraulic structures will be inadequate. To mitigate extreme storm impacts and improve water governance at the catchment scale, it is vital to improve the availability of data and the array of tools used to model and forecast hydrological processes. In this paper, we describe and discuss the implementation of a web-based system for the estimation of intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves (WEBSE IDF ) in Chile. The web platform was constructed using records from 47 pluviographic gauges available in central Chile (30-40 • S), with at least 15 years of reliable records. IDF curves can be generated for durations ranging from 15 min to 24 h. In addition, the extrapolation of rainfall intensity from pluviograph to pluviometric gauges (i.e., 24-h rainfall accumulation) can be carried out using the storm index (S I ) method. IDF curves can also be generated for any spatial location within central Chile using the ordinary Kriging method. These procedures allow the generation of numerical and graphical displays of IDF curves, for any selected spatial location, and for any combination of probability distribution function (PDF), parameter estimation method, and type of IDF model. One of the major advantages of WEBSE IDF is the flexibility of its database, which can be easily modified and saved to generate IDF curves under user-defined scenarios, that is, changing climate conditions. The implementation and validation of WEBSE IDF serves as a decision support system, providing an important tool for improving the ability of the Chilean government to mitigate the impact of extreme hydrologic events in central Chile. The system is freely available for students, researchers, and other relevant professionals, to improve technical decisions of public and private institutions.

Isohyetal Maps of Daily Maximum Rainfall for Different Return Periods for the Colombian Caribbean Region

“…The lower the values of RMSE, REr, and MDv, the better the interpolation method. The NSC, in particular, is widely used in hydrology to assess the prediction power of a model, and it ranges from −∞-one, where negative values indicates that it is better to use the mean of the measured data (true value) than the predicted/simulated value; a value of zero (or close to zero) indicates that either the mean of the measured values or the predicted/simulated value can be used indistinctively; and a value equal to one indicates good agreement between the predicted/simulated and the measured data (true value) [9,64,65].…”

“…Furthermore, regional studies have utilized different probability distribution functions to analyze rainfall data. Pizarro et al [9] developed a web-based platform to develop IDF curves in Chile by using three distribution functions (Gumbel, GEV, and P3). Burgess et al [10] updated the existing IDF curves of Jamaica by means of a frequency analysis under the Gumbel distribution.…”

A Rainfall Intensity Data Rescue Initiative for Central Chile Utilizing a Pluviograph Strip Charts Reader (PSCR)

“…A manual adjustment module was also included to correct distortions associated with excess ink, handwritten annotations, or other visual matter that is not part of the original pluviograph trace. All rainfall records rescued from thousands of PSC were stored in a web-based system for the development of IDF curves for central Chile [3,[12][13][14][15].…”

“…Connecting the computers to the main server provided a storage capacity of 1 terabyte (TB). This was sufficient for storing all the digitized PSCs from the 47 pluviograph gauges analyzed for central Chile, each of which had at least 15 years of historical records totaling more than 80,000 PSCs (see Pizarro et al [12]). With this system (Figure 2), the server can perform PSC processing at the same time that the user interacts with the image (a process that requires less than a fraction of a second),and the resultant trace on a local computer without the need to interact with the server in any way.…”

An Integrated Extreme Rainfall Modeling Tool (SDExtreme) for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation

“…The inferences from this procedure are applicable only to the particular time scale associated with the data used and at a local site where data are available. Satellite, Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, and some statistical techniques are proposed to overcome the spatial scale limitation (Pizarro et al, 2018, Liew et al, 2014, Ombadi et al, 2018, Ouali and Cannon, 2018. Efforts to describe the association of extreme rainfalls at different time scales have been proposed and tested (Gupta and Waymire, 1990, Nhat et al, 2007, Vu et al, 2018, Yeo et al, 2020, however, it is unable to investigate climate change impacts on extreme rainfalls in the future time.…”