OFAT will be developed by automating a number of existing regional hydrologic models for Ontario, with the support of GIS to provide various required input parameters to the models. This is a question frequently faced by engineers, biologists, river scientists, resource managers, planners, regulatory agencies, hydro, and forestry companies. Unfortunately, the question is usually difficult to answer because streamflow data are scarce for the majority of river systems in the world.
People require predictive hydrologic models to estimate various flow regimes at an ungauged site.
Some hydrologic models based upon regional analysis of flow data at provincial gauging stations have been developed to estimate various flow regimes for an ungauged watershed in Ontario. However, if a hydrologic model is used to support decision-making processes related to water, it cannot produce realistic results unless all parameters used in the model can be properly defined. Preparation of model inputs can be laborious, repetitive, costly, and error prone if done manually. To effectively and efficiently manage various spatial watershed databases and perform hydrologic analyses, people need a system that allows them to estimate flow regimes for a watershed based on the most-updated watershed information. Method A prototype of OFAT has been developed since August 1999 by NEST in conjunction with other contributing agencies.