Channel Area Tool

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 production Production Grade
Target Status production Production Grade
Riverscapes Compliance Compliant Compliant
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.