NextGen National Water Modeling Framework with Guy Litt and Nels Frazier

The NextGen National Water Modeling Framework represents a paradigm shift in our nation's hydrologic modeling and water resource forecasting through the integration of modular, interoperable, and scalable software systems. Developed by the NOAA Office of Water Prediction and its partners, NextGen addresses long-standing challenges in operational hydrology by embracing principles of modern software engineering—such as component-based architecture, containerization, and standardized interfaces—alongside research-informed operational hydrology. The software architecture enables flexible coupling of diverse hydrologic models, allowing researchers and practitioners to swap model components (e.g., snow, infiltration, runoff generation, routing) without rewriting entire codebases. Nels Frazier will discuss the technical architecture of the NextGen model engine and modelling components, and Guy Litt will present strategies his team employs to make better decisions on which models to choose under limited compute resources.

Bring an appetite for dinner and/or drinks at Altitude. We'll likely go elsewhere for beers afterward.