Riverscapes Report Card - Channel Area 1.1.1
This report card communicates the Channel Area Tool's compliance with the Riverscape Consortium's published tool standards.
Report Card Summary
| Tool | Channel Area Tool | | Version | 1.1.1 | | Date | 2021-11-22 | | Assessment Team | Bailey, Wheaton & Gilbert | | Current Assessment |
Report Card Details
This tool's discrimination evaluation by the Riverscapes Consortium is:
Evaluation Key: None or Not Applicable: • Minimal or In Progress: • Functional: • Fully Developed:
| Criteria | Value | Evaluation | Comments and/or Recommendations |
|---|---|---|---|
| :------- | :---- | :-------- | :------------------------------ |
| Tool Interface(s) | : CLI = Command Line Interface | ||
| Scale | Network (reach scale resolution, watershed extent) | This tool has been applied across watersheds in various regions; results are reach-scale performed across whole watersheds | |
| Language(s) and Dependencies | Python | Package dependencies are open source | |
| Vetted in Peer-Reviewed Literature | The equation used to estimate channel width in areas without NHD polygons is from Beechie and Imaki (2013) | The width equation used in the tool has been reliable in a variety of landscapes, but was developed for the Columbia River Basin and may give poor results in different landscapes | |
| Source Code Documentation | Available at Github repository | Source code is clearly organized and documented | |
| Open Source | open-source with GNU General Public License v 3.0 | ||
| User Documentation | Documentation is in progress | Documentation is in progress but has not been published to the website | |
| Easy User Interface | Tool is accessed via command prompt | Most projects right now are performed by North Arrow Research analysts. For a user to run this version of the tool themselves would require advanced understanding (programming capability) and significant documentation on the process. | |
| Scalability | Batch-processing | The tool can be batch processed at the HUC 8 level | |
| Produces Riverscapes Projects | Yes | Produces Riverscapes Projects that are fully-compatible with RAVE |
Tool Output Utility
| Criteria | Value | Evaluation | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| :------- | :---- | :--------- | :------- |
| RAVE- Compliant Riverscapes Projects | Yes | ||
| RAVE Business Logic Defined | Yes | ||
| Riverscapes Projects hosted in public-facing Riverscapes Warehouse(s) | Yes. Current Channel Area projects are being housed in the Riverscapes Warehouse. | There is data in the warehouse, but is provisional and wider access to the warehouse is forthcoming | |
| Riverscapes Projects connected to Web-Maps | Yes | Current projects are viewable in WebRAVE through the Riverscapes Warehouse | |
| Riverscapes Projects connected to Field Apps | No |
Developer Intent
The current Production Grade version of Channel Area improves on previous versions by:
- Having an inviting web-map interface so non GIS-users can discover tool runs and explore and interrogate them.
- Making it easy for GIS users to download channel area projects for use in RAVE
- Allowing discovery of past Channel Area runs in Warehouse
The development team envision a Professional Grade version of Channel Area, which would additionally:
- Encourage more user-interaction with Channel Area outputs and crowd-sourcing of information to improve the accuracy of outputs
- Allow users to upload their own Channel Area projects
The Riverscapes Consortium's Technical Committee provides report cards for tools either deemed as "riverscapes-compliant" or "pending riverscapes-compliance" .