Practice note: Naming and storing time-series data

This practice note is one of a set developed to provide consistency and transparency of river system models being used within the Murray-Darling Basin. The notes cover modelling practices, such as naming conventions for folder structures, to model methods, such as for flow routing and residual inflow estimation, and have been developed through a collaboration between the MDBA, Basin States and CSIRO.

Produced in collaboration with:

This practice note, Naming and storing time-series data, describes the recommended conventions for naming and storing of time series input data sets in eWater Source river system models that underpin water resource plans; and provides examples of implementing the conventions.

Background

Large amounts of time-series data (e.g. daily rainfall) are required to be stored within river system models. Within eWater Source, time-series data are stored within the Data Sources Explorer (Specifying data inputs#DataSourcesExplorer).

General principles

An appropriate folder structure should be used for storing time series data within the Data Sources Explorer
Folder names should allow users to easily identify the contents of the folder.
Clearly named csv files should be created for each data type.

Conventions for naming and storing time series data

The following minimum set of folders should be created within the Data Sources Explorer:
- ClimateData
- DiversionsData
- FlowData
- GaugeData
- Miscellaneous
- SalinityData
A single csv file should be created for each data type and the file name should clearly identify the data type (e.g. PatchedPointRainfall)
All csv files should cover the same temporal period
- Where necessary, gauged inflows should be extended with -9999 to cover the period of the model run (as Source will only run over the period of the shorted time series file used as input).
All columns in a csv file should have the same units.
Each column within the csv file should have a sensible heading. For climate or flow data, this should be either the gauge name or the gauge number, or both.

Table 1: Recommended conventions for naming and storing time series data, with examples. (These examples are from the Murray and Lower Darling Source model)

Folder	Contents (csv files)	Units	Examples
ClimateData	PatchedPointRainfall_csv	mm	Patched Point Rainfall data from Silo (https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/)
	MortonLakeEvaporation_csv	mm	Patched Point Morton Lake evapotranspiration from Silo (https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/)
	FAO56Evaporation_csv	mm	Patched Point FAO56 evapotranspiration from Silo (https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/)
DiversionsData	SourceIrrigationDiversions	ML/day	Observed diversion data
FlowData	SourceInflows	ML/day	Flow data for inflows
	SourceCalibrationStorageReleases	ML/day	Infilled flow data for setting storage releases during calibration period
GaugeData	GaugedFlows	ML/day	Observed flow data
	GaugedLevels	m	Observed reservoir levels for storages
Miscellaneous	Regulators SourceAllocation_csv
SalinityData	SourceCalibrationGaugedSal inity_csv SourceCalibrationInflowSalinity_csv	EC

26/10/2017

D18/5953

Browser not supported