CIROH at UMN

Improving Hydrology Predictions and Products to Support Better Decision Making 

A partnership between NOAA and a consortium of universities and organizations, the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) supports the NOAA Office of Water Prediction’s goal of delivering the best water-related forecasts and providing publicly accessible decision-support services.

CIROH scientists work to

• Advance water prediction relating to the forecasting of streamflow entering water systems, extreme events such as floods and droughts, and water quality
• Build community resilience to water-related challenges
• Test and translate forecasts to actionable public-facing products
• Enable use of water predictions in decision making

As a cooperative institute, CIROH comprises 28 members and partners, including the University of Minnesota. IonE Director of Research Melissa Kenney serves as the UMN representative on the CIROH Council of Fellows and advances opportunities for UMN researchers to conduct CIROH-funded research, education and outreach.

Current CIROH-Funded Projects at IonE

CIROH’s research portfolio is organized around themes aligned with NOAA operational needs. IonE’s social science and decision support expertise is a major contributor to Research Theme 4: Application of Social, Economic and Behavioral Science.

1. Assess the Effectiveness of Communication of Total Water Level Visualizations and Conduct User Testing of Compound Flood Products 
   Research leads: Melissa Kenney (IonE); Anne Jefferson (University of Vermont); Fredrika Moser (University of Maryland) 
   
   This project will provide scientifically tested, actionable information that NOAA can use to improve the understandability and usability of Total Water Level, a new and complex tool that shows the extent and possibility of potential flooding in coastal communities.  
    
2. Audience Segmentation to Improve Flood Inundation Mapping: Engagement and Testing with Technical Users and Impacted Communities 
   Research leads: Melissa Kenney (IonE); Anne Jefferson (University of Vermont); Michael Federoff (University of Alabama) 
   
   This project uses visualization best practices and scientific testing to improve the usability, clarity and effectiveness of Flood Inundation Maps (FIMs) as decision support tools.
    
3. Building Knowledge to Support Equitable Climate Resilience in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
   Research leads: Melissa Kenney (IonE); Zac McEachran, Tracy Twine (College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota)
   
   This project supported stakeholder understanding of and preparation for future flood and drought risk by providing new modeling results about how streamflow will change along the mainstem of the Upper Mississippi River and building relationships with flood- and drought-impacted communities that face disproportionate risk.
    
4. Empaneled Focus Groups to Determine How End Users Respond to Visual Cues of Forecast Products 
   Research leads: Melissa Kenney (IonE) 
   
   This project identified specific, actionable ways to deliver more impactful and effective decision support products while also directly supporting NOAA’s operational hydrologic forecasting visualizations by making them more intuitive, easier to interpret, and reducing cognitive overload when emergency responders must make critical decisions.
    
5. Expanding the NWM FIM to Support Infrastructure and Impact Using Multi-Model and Improved Visualization and Communication of Actionable Intelligence in Flood Early Warning 
   Research leads: Jim Nelson, Gus Williams, Riley Hales, James Halgren (Brigham Young University); Melissa Kenney (IonE); Anne Jefferson (University of Vermont); Ibrahim Demir (Tulane University); David Maidment, Andy Carter (University of Texas at Austin); Mike Follum, Joseph Gutenson (Follum Hydrologic Solutions, LLC)
   
   This project advances a research-to-operations framework for flood inundation mapping by developing and testing evidence-based visualization methods informed by social science research to improve comprehension and trust among a wide range of end users.
    
6. FIM SandBox (FIMBox): A Flood Inundation Mapping Testbed Framework 
   Research leads: Sagy Cohen, Arpita Patel (University of Alabama); Dinuke Munasinghe (University of Alabama); Melissa Kenney (IonE); Anthony Castronova (CUAHSI) 
   
   This project will test different Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) visualization approaches to improve public understandability and provide operational recommendations for a NOAA FIM product.