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SWAT model: A Multi‐Operating System, Multi‐Platform SWAT Model Package in R
Author(s) -
Fuka Daniel R.,
Walter M. Todd,
MacAlister Charlotte,
Steenhuis Tammo S.,
Easton Zachary M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/jawr.12170
Subject(s) - computer science , swat model , soil and water assessment tool , initialization , flexibility (engineering) , watershed , cartography , drainage basin , statistics , mathematics , machine learning , streamflow , programming language , geography
The Soil and Water Assessment Tool ( SWAT ) model (Arnold et al ., 1998) is a popular watershed management tool. Currently, the SWAT model, actively supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Texas A&M, operates only on Microsoft ® Windows, which hinders modelers that use other operating systems ( OS ). This technical note introduces the Comprehensive R Archive Network ( CRAN ) distributed “ SWAT model” package which allows SWAT 2005 and 2012 to be widely distributed and run as a linear model‐like function on multiple OS and processor platforms. This allows researchers anywhere in the world using virtually any OS to run SWAT . In addition to simplifying the use of SWAT across computational platforms, the SWAT model package allows SWAT modelers to utilize the analytical capabilities, statistical libraries, modeling tools, and programming flexibility inherent to R. The software allows watershed modelers to develop a simple hydrological watershed model conceptualization of the SWAT model and to obtain a first approximation of the minimum expected results a more complicated model should deliver. As a proof of concept, we test the SWAT model by initializing and calibrating 314 U.S. Geological Survey stream gages in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and present the results.