Modeling

What if it rained heavily for 15 days straight? What if it didn't rain much at all for 15 months straight? Where would the water flow, and how should the South Florida Water Management District optimize its urban, agricultural and environmental water supply and flood control responsibilities?

Comprehensive computer simulation models provide the answers.

Computer modeling software has been used for decades, developing hand-in-hand with the computer itself. Computer models are widely used in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, economics and engineering to simulate various kinds of complex systems and their operation. As more powerful computers have been developed, so too have more powerful computer models. Vast amounts of information can now be loaded into a program, and as various conditions are tested, representative scenarios are generated.

In South Florida's complex water management system, hydrologic models are used for evaluation, planning and simulating water control operations under different climatic and hydrologic conditions. Water quality and ecological models are also used to evaluate other processes vital to the health of our system.