HYDROGNOMON – OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF HYDROLOGICAL DATA

European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 2 - 7 May 2010
Session HS5.5/NP6.10: Stochastics in hydrometeorological processes: from point to global spatial scales and from minute to climatic time scales
Stefanos Kozanis, Antonis Christofides, Nikos Mamassis, Andreas Efstratiadis, and Demetris Koutsoyiannis
Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece

1. Hydrognomon — Introduction 4. Time series regression and infilling 7. Create a time series database using Enhydris
Hydrognomon is a standalone program, which stores its data in files —as simple as a word
Hydrognomon is a software tool for the processing of hydrological data. Data The time series regression and infilling tool can processor. But if you need to store your data centrally, we have Enhydris: a database system
are imported through standard text files, spreadsheets or by typing. Available determine the correlation between different time with a web interface and several features:
series. A linear combination relating several
processing techniques include time step aggregation and regularization, independent variables to a dependent variable It can optionally work in a distributed way. Many
interpolation, regression analysis and infilling of missing values, consistency can be established using optimization routines. organisations can install one instance each, but an
additional instance, common to all organisations,
tests, data filtering, graphical and tabular visualisation of time series, and This can work seasonally, if needed, and several
can be setup as a common portal. This additional
more. Hydrognomon is free software licensed under the GPLv3. constraints can be defined.
instance can be configured to replicate data from
the other databases, but without the space-
It supports several time steps, from the finest minute scales up to decades; Model constraints, individually for each month consuming time series, which it retrieves from the
other databases on demand. A user can
specific cases of irregular time steps and offsets are also supported. The 600 transparently use this portal to access the data of
program also includes common hydrological applications, such as 550
all participating organisations collectively.
evapotranspiration modelling, stage-discharge analysis, homogeneity tests,
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450

It opens downloaded timeseries directly in

areal integration of point data series, processing of hydrometric data, as well

Dependent variable
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350
Hydrognomon.
as lumped hydrological modelling with automatic calibration facilities. 300

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It is extensible and has an API for communication
with other systems.
Here the emphasis is given on the statistical module of Hydrognomon, which
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100

provides tools for data exploration, fitting of distribution functions, statistical 50

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300
Mean value of independent variables
Written in Python/Django and using PostgreSQL,
prediction, Monte-Carlo simulation, determination of confidence limits, Enhydris can be installed on every operating system
Model ouput – regression parametres for each month December variogram – Dependent variable vs independent vars on which Python runs, including GNU/Linux and
analysis of extremes, and construction of ombrian (IDF) curves. Windows. It is free software, available under the
GNU General Public License version 3 or any later
version.
5. Statistical analysis of time series — “Pythia”
Hydrognomon's module for statistical time series analysis, called “Pythia”, can estimate properties of samples Enhydris is still under development and needs
and parameters of distribution functions; includes 27 statistical distributions for data fitting; provides statistical polishing, but it is already being used operationally
2. User interface forecasts and tests (x² and Kolmogorov – Smirnov); and can determine confidence intervals of any by the Hydroscope project in Greece.
distribution function using an original Monte-Carlo algorithm.

Weibull PearsonIII
Sample limits 95% Confidence interval limits 95%

Time series
8. Support possibilities
Exceedance probability (%) - scale: Normal distribution

99.95%

99.8%
99.5%
data

.05%
90%

50%

10%
99%
98%

95%

80%

70%
60%

40%
30%

20%

.5%
.2%
5%

2%
1%
300
Statistical properties CDF graphs
Time series 280
and distribution Not only is Enhydris free software, it also has
260 selection
graphs functions params
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detailed documentation for administrators and
200 developers. Therefore, your computer guy can
Time stamps 180
probably install and maintain it, especially if they
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140
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have a background in Python.
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80
60
If you don't have such a computer guy, there are
40 many Python specialists and companies on the
market who would love to offer you commercial
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0

support. For example, indifex.com, the Greek

Confidence zones for December precipitation on Pearson III CDF
Flags - Special company who created Enhydris under supervision
highliting functions - by the NTUA, will be more than happy to take your
filtering Tabular money.
view (single time
6. Ombrian curves — “Ombros”
Conventional series)
view (multi time Free software also allows you to have new features
series display) developed without the need to ask us for
Ombrian curves (also known as IDF curves) can be constructed from annual maxima of precipitation events, permission; but it is still better to first consult with us.
which can either be provided or estimated from measurements (with a time step of 1 minute to 24 hours).
Ombrian curves, that is, intensity functions of episode duration and return period, are calculated using an
advanced algorithm.
3. Time integration of series
9. Data is like software: it's better when it's free
IDF Curves - Distribution: GEV-Max (kappa specified, L-Moments)
1,000

Hydrognomon's time 10000

1000

integration algorithms can

500
200

“Ombros” takes
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Maybe you don't need to maintain your own database, because we are creating openmeteo.org, an
handle from minute time 50

advantage of “Pythia”,
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international, public meteorological database.
steps of automatic gauging 100
10
5

stations, up to daily / allowing to choose from 2

a list of distribution Enhydris has a security system that allows it to be used either in an organisational setting or in a public
i (mm/h)

monthly / seasonal / setting. In an organisational setting, there are priviliged users who have write access to all the data. In a
functions and
annual or over-year time public setting, users can subscribe, create stations, and add data for them, but they are not allowed to
calculating confidence
steps. intervals with the
10
touch stations of other users.
Any transformation is Monte-Carlo method.
openmeteo.org, currently under construction, will host such a public database, where you will be able to
allowed between different store and manage your data, provided you make it available under a free license.
time steps, with features 1
0.01 0.1 1 10 100

such as time offsets, d (h)

interpolated values for

shifted time intervals,
hydrological year scales
with adjusted origin,
seasonal aggregation, and
more.
Hydrognomon on the web: http://www.hydrognomon.org/ More information on the openmeteo.org project, as well as source
Interface – Aggregation parameters Average values from 1 month to a term
Get poster: http://www.itia.ntua.gr/en/docinfo/962/ code for Hydrognomon and Enhydris: http://openmeteo.org/
period (4 months), annual, 5-year