DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF AN INSTALLED HYDROLOGICAL MODELLING SYSTEM
1155/1/04
March 2004

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

OBJECTIVES AND INTENDED RESEARCH PRODUCTS

The three stated objectives of this research project were

• first, the development of a generic framework for Installed Hydrological Modelling Systems (IHMS) to be utilised by experts in the service of water authorities in South Africa
• secondly, the development of a national, regional and local hydrological data and information system for application in South Africa and in support of IHMS and the ACRU model and
• thirdly, the application, promotion, maintenance, development and improvement of the ACRU model, as required by the project and in response to appropriate and reasonable requests from users, and improvement of the ACRU agrohydrological modelling system within the above framework.

The intended research products were also threefold, viz,

• first, a more user-friendly, versatile and multi-purpose ACRU modelling system, linked to information bases and utilising GIS (Geographic Information Systems), where appropriate, to assist in the selection of input variables and for the display of output from the model
• secondly, applications of the IHMS to selected catchments and water management areas of South Africa and
• thirdly, in collaboration with other WRC projects, revised GIS accessible images/maps on variables and model inputs for South Africa.

OUTPUTS FROM THE PROJECT

This report presents items from the wide range of output generated by the project in three sections with, respectively, one, five and three independent chapters each. The three sections are

• Section A on “The Concept of Installed Hydrological Modelling Systems”
• Section B on “The ACRU Model and Enhancements to its Support Systems” and
• Section C on “Case Studies Using the ACRU Model as an Installed Hydrological Modelling System”.

In regard to the project’s objectives,

• Objective 1 is covered in detail in Chapter 6, with applications in Chapters 7 to 9, and by the inclusion in this report of a CD containing the framework and databases of the 1946 Quaternary Catchments of the RSA, Lesotho and Swaziland as an IHMS
• Objective 2 is encapsulated in Chapter 3 and
• Objective 3 is in Chapters 2, 4 and 5

while, similarly, with regard to the intended research products,

• Product 1 is covered in Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
• Product 2 in Chapters 1, 7, 8 and 9 and
• Product 3 in Chapters 3 and 6
• with the CD alluded to above as an additional Product.