Source

The hydrologic modeling is the tool from with the NSW government analyses, review, approve and implement policies and regulation about water management resources in the state, including water available, irrigation demands and analysis of severe environmental events. 

These modeling processes have been used for more than 20 years as a way to inform the status of potential scenarios like assessment potential doughts, meteorological incidences (el Nino variation, evaporation, etc), and water demands from licensed irrigations properties, from 14 different hydrological valleys. 

The system, called IQQM (Integrated Quantity and Quality model) a number of limitations, including very old and inefficient programming language, and inconsistent time-series between state to state (i.e the granularity of series and final results in NWS is produce daily and other states use hourly-based scenarios). 

The aim objective of this project is to build 14 new hydrologic models using tools and model programming languages ensuring resulting integrity (i.e old modeling can be reproduced identical as the new ones), enhancing new functions (i.e better granularity of results) and represent in better details the supply-demand factors.     

As of today, 5 new hydrology models have been completed and submitted to the relevant authority (https://www.mdba.gov.au/) using a new platform or programming language called "Source", that specialized in reproducing Australian hydrologic conditions.  

Each model requires at least 4 different phases: 

Conceptualization Backbone of the modeling and restrictions (i.e do we use 10.000 years of weather data or only 5000).

Calibration: Analysis of inflows from both headwaters and reaches in a river 

Demand Modeling: Analysis of historic demands including new properties, water licenses, irrigation conditions. 

Reporting: Running the modeling and reporting results to be submitted to the authority   

Each one of the new models (or projects) has had a number of challenges 

1. Namoi Valley didn't have adequate data from irrigations, 

2. Murrumbidgee region didn't have adequate climate data, 

3. Macquarie calibration changed significantly from the old models resulting in no correlation between new and old models

4. Tuross didn't have enough people and no one really understands the results from the final model. 

This is is just a very superficial explanation of how daily issues in any project occurs. In reality, phases can be overlapping not only in phases but also with valleys not to mention contractors, outsourcing teams and temps.