Here’s the release from the Bureau of Reclamation (Peter Soeth):
The Bureau of Reclamation is launching a new prize competition for improved snowpack water forecast techniques throughout the West. Developing better techniques to determine the amount of water stored as snowpack provides water managers more accurate information to make better water management decisions.
This competition is divided into two tracks. In track one, participants develop a model and calibrate it using historical information. The effectiveness and accuracy of the test model will be evaluated during the winter and spring using real-time snowpack measurements. For track two, models in the first track are eligible to submit a report that discusses their solution and approaches to solving the problem in track one.
Reclamation is partnering with Bonneville Power Administration, NASA – Goddard Space Flight Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Geological Survey, National Center for Atmospheric Research, DrivenData, HeroX, Ensemble and NASA Tournament Lab.
To learn more, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/research/challenges/swe.html.
Reclamation conducts prize competitions to spur innovation by engaging a non-traditional, problem-solver community. In the past six years, it has awarded more than $4 million in prizes through 29 competitions. Please visit Reclamation’s Water Prize Competition Center to learn more.