SuperflexPy: a new open source framework for building conceptual
hydrological models
Abstract
Conceptual models are among the most frequently used type of models in
watershed modelling studies, due to their low computational requirements
and ease of interpretation. Model selection requires the comparison of
model alternatives, which is complicated when the models present in the
literature differ in many uncontrolled aspects, such as
conceptualization, implementation, and source code availability. To
overcome this limitation, several model-building frameworks have been
introduced in the last decade, which facilitate model comparisons by
enabling different model alternatives within the same software and
numerical architecture. Building on the decennial experience with the
development and usage of Superflex, a flexible modeling framework for
conceptual model building, so far implemented in FORTRAN language and
not available as open source, we propose SuperflexPy, an open source
Python framework for building conceptual hydrological models. Compared
to other existing models or flexible frameworks, SuperflexPy is designed
to be extremely easy to modify or extend, allowing scientists to build
models that reflect their processes understanding; thanks to its
object-oriented architecture and its complete integration with the
Python programming environment, SuperflexPy can be seen as a high-level
programming language for constructing hydrological models that are
extremely flexible both in terms of elements configuration (i.e. how the
elements are connected into a structure) and spatial organization. By
design, SuperflexPy is not limited to water quantity but can be extended
to simulate transport processes (water quality). In this presentation,
we will illustrate the principles behind the design of the framework and
showcase some applications.