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 | ![]() |
Target Status | ![]() |
Riverscapes Compliance | ![]() |
Assessment Rationale | The tool has been run for a wide geographic area, produces riverscapes projects that are compatible with RAVE, and outputs are available in the riverscapes warehouse. Documentation is still needed, but the tool qualifies for Production Grade. |
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”
.