Computer Models: Getting More Out Than You Put In
Webinar Details
When:
Aug 16, 2017 2:00 pm US/Eastern
Length: 00:01 (hh:mm)
Advance Registration NOT required.
View now on-demand.
Presenter(s):
- Dan Moore, P.E., Hydraulic Engineer, USDA NRCS National Water Quality and Quantity Team, Portland, OR
- Harbans Lal, Ph.D., Environmental Engineer, USDA NRCS National Water Quality and Quantity Team, Portland, OR
CEU Credits/Certificate Offered:
- Certificate of Participation
- Conservation Planner (CP) - 1 hour Conservation Planning Credit
- State Professional Engineer - 1 hour State Specific Approval Credit
- Society for Range Management (SRM) - 1 hour SRM Credit
Virtual Event Format:
Group Viewing Available:
Participants will learn to discern true model usefulness and quality from this comprehensive overview of computer modeling within agriculture and beyond.
Models are more ubiquitous than often realized. The cliché, all models are wrong, but some are useful will be examined by considering some fundamental skills all model users should possess. These include knowing what questions the model is capable of answering (and to what precision), choosing a model no more sophisticated than necessary, weighing the effect of input data of insufficient quantity or quality, and knowing enough about what is going on in the “black box” to not misunderstand model results.
This webinar will shed light on the roles of the model developer, the user who applies the model, and the decision maker who depends upon model output. Better outcomes can be expected from a more enlightened understanding of each of these roles. The usefulness of the computer model is a direct reflection of how humans perform these roles.
The presenters will also discuss techniques of model building, output analysis, trouble-shooting, and sensitivity analysis, with comparison and contrast of some existing NRCS models, such as RSET for conservation planning, the WQIag for assessing conservation practices, WinTR-20 and HecRAS for hydraulics and hydrology, RUSLE for soil erosion, and SWAT for continuous simulation of watershed water quality parameters.
This webinar is presented by USDA NRCS Science and Technology.
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