A new stochastic rainfall field model is described which employs the Turning Bands Method (TBM) to transform a unidimensional Gaussian process, generated by the fractional differencing process along a line, into a multidimensional space-time Gaussian process with a specified space-time correlation structure. Transformations are applied to give the rainfall process a non-Gaussian and non-stationary structure. A correction factor is introduced into the model to take account of the effect of topography on rainfall. The model has been applied to the small upland Wye catchment in mid Wales (area 10.55 km2) and shown to reproduce satisfactorily the statistics and correlation structure of observed hourly point rainfall. As an extension to the rainfall field model, a new technique of conditional simulation has been used to generate the rainfall fields. The conditionally simulated rainfall fields reproduce exactly the observed point rainfalls at measurement points and likely realizations of rainfall fields between points. Rainfall fields generated by the above mentioned rainfall field model and the conditional simulation technique are fed directly into the Systeme Hydrologique European (SHE) model and the sensitivity of runoff prediction errors to (i) level of space-time correlation (ii) sampling of rainfall with different schemes in space and (iii) antecedent conditions are explored. It is found that in case of Wye catchment the errors deriving from sampling procedure used are generally small when rainfall fields were based on observed correlation structure. Sensitivity of errors to different correlation levels give the impression that errors increase with a decrease in correlation level. Further it is noticed that this trend of errors is more pronounced in `dry' catchment conditions as compared to `wet' catchment conditions. Overall the results for the small Wye catchment illustrate that the catchment acts as a smoother of the spatially distributed rainfall input at this spatial scale and for the rainfall regime in question. However, the results imply that for the typical raingauge densities encountered for larger catchments, significant errors may occur.

Översvämningar förekommer regelbundet på stora delar av jordklotet. Utgående från de klimatförändringar vi ser idag med, bland annat, kraftigare och intensivare nederbörd är det troligt att det blir fler och större översvämningar framöver. Områden som inte tidigare varit översvämmade kan komma att bli översvämmande.   Varje land eller område med regelbundna översvämningar har någon form av varningssystem. Översikter över olika typer av system för att varna för översvämningar är svåra att finna.   Syftet med denna uppsats är att: Undersöka viktiga principer för effektiva varningssystem för översvämningar som orsakas av kraftig nederbörd och/eller vårflöden. Skapa en systematisk och strukturerad sammanställning över nuvarande system för att varna för översvämningar orsakade av kraftig nederbörd och/eller vårflöden. Ge praktiska exempel på några svenska kommuners system för att varna för översvämningar.   Litteratur- och internetsökningar kring varningssystem för översvämningar samt intervjuer med ”översvämningsansvariga” i Ödeshög och Vetlanda kommuner utgör grunden för informationen i denna uppsats.   Exempel på olika typer av varningssystem för översvämningar presenteras. Saker att tänka på vid val av, och vid drift och underhåll av, automatiska varningssystem belyses.   En indelning (Grust, 2006) av varningssystem i manuella, enkla automatiska och sofistikerade automatiska utökas till en matris med i matrisens andra dimension lokala, avrinningsområdes, nationella, multinationella och globala varningssystem. De i uppsatsen beskrivna exemplen på varningssystem positioneras in i matrisen.   Varningssystem för översvämningar i två svenska kommuner, Ödeshög och Vetlanda, beskrivs och likheter och skillnader mellan kommunernas system presenteras. / Flooding occurs all over the world on a regular basis. Based on the climate change ongoing today with heavier and more intense precipitation we can expect more and larger floods than we have seen before. Areas which have not been flooded earlier may now become flooded.   Every country or area which is flooded on a regular basis has some kind of warning system. Overviews of various types of flood warning systems are difficult to find.   The purpose of this thesis is to: Investigate important principles of effective flood warning systems caused by heavy precipitation and/or spring flood. Create a structured and systematical overview of current flood warning system for floods caused by heavy precipitation and/or spring flood. Describe two local Swedish community´s flood warning systems.   Literature and Internet search covering flood warning systems combined with interviews on site at Ödeshög and Vetlanda forms the basis for the information in this thesis.   Examples of various types of flood warning systems are presented. Issues regarding the selection of, and the operation and maintenance of, automatic warning systems are described.   A grouping (Grust, 2006) of warning systems in manual, simple automatic and sophisticated automatic is expanded to a matrix with the second dimension of the matrix being local, drainage area, national, multinational and global warning systems. The examples of warning systems covered in this thesis are placed in the matrix.   The similarities and differences between the flood warning systems in two local Swedish communities Ödeshög and Vetlanda are described.

En översvämning kan inträffa när som helst och var som helst i världen. En översvämning börjar när vattennivån ökar, särskilt i dagvattenbrunnar i stadsområden. Genom att utnyttja de olika moderna teknologier som Internet of Things (IoT), förluster som orsakas av en översvämning kan minskas. Därför behövs en IoT-lösning för att övervaka vattennivån i brunnarna.Syftet med denna avhandling är att undersöka hur man konstruerar och implementerar ett IoT-baserat system som övervakar vattennivån för att bygga en prototyp med LoRaWAN teknologi. Konstruktionen av prototypen utförs genom att följa stegen i en iterativ systemutvecklingsmetod. Prototypen använder ett offentligt Lora-nätverk, särskilt The Things Network (TTN). Prototypens funktioner är att mäta vattennivån med en ultraljudssensor, sända mätdata via LoRa till TTN och visualisera data på en visualiserings plattform "Cayenne" i realtid. Systemet är testad i en laboratoriemiljö. Resultaten av den konstruerade prototypen visar att den mäter vattennivån och skickar mätdata när vattennivåns tillstånd ändras. Dessutom visualiseras datan på visualiserings plattformen Cayenne. / A flood may occur anytime and anywhere in the world. A flood starts when the water level increases, especially, in the wells in the urban areas. By taking advantage of the modern technology, such as Internet of Things (IoT), the losses caused by the flood can be reduced. Therefore, an IoT-solution is needed for monitoring the water level in the wells.The aim of this thesis is to investigate how to design and implement an IoT-based system that monitors the water level to build a prototype using LoRaWAN technology. Building the prototype is done by following the steps of an iterative system development method. The prototype uses a Lora public network, specifically The Things Network (TTN). The functions of the prototype are measuring the water level by an ultrasound sensor, sending the measurement data through LoRa to TTN, and visualizing the data on the "Cayenne" dashboard in real-time. The system is tested in a lab environment. The results of the constructed prototype show that the prototype measures the water level and sends the measurement data whenever the state of the water level is changed. Additionally, the data is visualized on the Cayenne dashboard.

A previsão hidrológica possibilita a identificação antecipada de eventos de cheia potencialmente causadores de inundação, o que é de grande importância para a atuação de entidades como a Defesa Civil. Quando se deseja estender a antecedência no tempo em relação a estes eventos, principalmente nos casos onde a bacia de interesse é relativamente rápida, torna-se necessária a incorporação de previsões quantitativas de precipitação (QPF) na modelagem hidrológica, as quais podem ser obtidas a partir de modelos numéricos de previsão do tempo. Entretanto, a falta de acurácia atribuída a estas previsões de chuva, dadas de forma determinística, vem promovendo sua substituição por sistemas de previsão meteorológica por conjunto (EPS - Ensemble Prediction Systems), cuja finalidade é a geração de possíveis estados futuros da atmosfera para considerar as incertezas associadas ao seu estado inicial e às deficiências na representação física dos modelos de previsão do tempo. Neste contexto, o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar uma metodologia de previsão de cheias por conjunto na bacia do Taquari-Antas/RS até a cidade de Encantado (19.000 km²), localizada na região Sul do Brasil. Para tanto, foi utilizado o modelo hidrológico MGB-IPH acoplado a diferentes sistemas de previsão, sendo eles: (i) EPS Regional ETA, de curto prazo (até 72 horas) com 5 membros de diferentes parametrizações; (ii) EPS Global ECMWF de médio prazo (até 10 dias) com 50 membros de condições iniciais perturbadas, incluindo perturbação estocástica nos parâmetros de ajuste do modelo e; (iii) Previsão Determinística do Modelo Regional ETA (até 7 dias). A avaliação das previsões consistiu em dois hindcastings distintos, envolvendo uma análise visual de eventos singulares ocorridos em 06/06/2014 e 21/07/2011 além de uma análise estatística no período de Mar/2014 - Nov/2014. Durante a análise visual foi possível identificar, a partir de antecedências de 5 a 6 dias, uma persistência na previsão dada pelo crescente número de membros do conjunto de médio prazo (ECMWF) com superação dos limiares de referência, na medida em que se aproximavam os eventos de cheia. Apesar da grande incerteza na magnitude das previsões hidrológicas para o conjunto de curto prazo, a vazão máxima foi relativamente bem prevista por pelo menos 1 membro em quase todas as antecedências, enquanto que a previsão do timing dos eventos foi considerada de boa confiabilidade. Durante a avaliação estatística foi possível notar uma falta de espalhamento nos conjuntos, com tendência de subestimativa de acordo com o aumento da antecedência. Em uma comparação com previsões determinísticas, as previsões por conjunto demonstraram maior acurácia principalmente até 72 horas de antecedência, com destaque para a maior probabilidade de detecção dos limiares de referência e manutenção de falso alarme a níveis reduzidos. Além disso, verificou-se também que a agregação de previsões efetuadas em tempo anterior naquelas atuais acarreta em ligeira ampliação do espalhamento do conjunto e maiores probabilidades de detecção dos limiares de alerta para os membros mais elevados, apesar da redução no desempenho em termos de acurácia e viés. De forma geral, as previsões por conjunto apresentam potencial para servir como uma informação complementar em sistemas de alerta contra cheias, possibilitando uma melhor preparação dos agentes envolvidos durante a ocorrência destes eventos. / Hydrological forecasting plays an important role for issuing flood warnings, allowing for anticipation and better preparation of authorities at the occurrence of such events. In order to extend lead time in a flood forecast, especially when the catchment response time is relatively fast, it may be useful to couple a hydrological model to quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF), usually obtained directly from numerical weather prediction (NWP). However, deterministic (i.e. single) QPF are usually referred to many errors and lack of accuracy, mainly caused by uncertainties on initial state of the atmosphere and on physical representation of weather forecasting models. To address these shortcomings, it becomes necessary to take into account the uncertainties associated to rain forecasts, which can be represented by Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS). The purpose of such systems is to provide different trajectories of the atmosphere by perturbations on its initial condition and on parameterization schemes of the models, generating an ensemble of forecasts that can be used as input to hydrological modelling (HEPS). In this context, the present study aimed to assess a methodology of ensemble flood forecasting on Taquari-Antas basin up to the city of Encantado/RS (19.000 km²), located in southern Brazil. Therefore, the hydrological model MGB-IPH was coupled to different forecasting systems: (i) Short Range EPS ETA (up to 72 hours), a regional model with 5 members of different parameterization schemes; (ii) Medium Range EPS ECMWF (up to 10 days), a global model with 50 members of perturbed initial conditions and stochastic perturbation in the model parameters; (iii) Deterministic ETA Model (up to 7 days). The forecasts were evaluated by two different hindcastings, which includes a visual assessment of singular events occurred on 2011 and 2014 and a statistical analysis for the period between Mar/2014 and Nov/2014. It was possible to identify a forecast persistence on medium-range for the selected events, by the increasing number of members exceeding the reference thresholds from lead times up to 5 - 6 days. On the short range, although large uncertainties in the magnitude of hydrological forecasts were found, the peak discharge was well forecasted - at least for a single member - in nearly all lead times, whereas the prediction of the peak timing was considered reliable. Regarding to statistical evaluation, an inadequate spread in the ensemble was observed from short- to medium-range, with a tendency of underestimation for longer lead times. In a comparison with deterministic forecasts, the ensemble forecasts showed higher accuracy especially up to 72 hours in advance, including highlights on greater probability of detection (POD) above the reference thresholds even with low false alarm rates. It also was found that the a combination of previous forecasts on the recent ones leads to a slight increase of ensemble spread and POD for higher members, despite the performance reduction in terms of accuracy and bias. In summary, the hydrological ensemble forecasts demonstrated a good potential to serve as an additional information within a Flood Alert System.

Malgré les améliorations portées à la détection des crues, à leurs prévisions et au perfectionnement des technologies de communication ces vingt dernières années, les systèmes d’alerte aux inondations restent soumis à des vulnérabilités et des incertitudes inhérentes à leur fonctionnement. En s’intéressant plus particulièrement au dispositif de Vigilance crues, ce travail questionne la manière dont les acteurs impliqués dans ce dispositif sociotechnique s’adaptent aux incertitudes et vulnérabilités auxquelles ils sont soumis. Ce travail s’appuie notamment sur le développement d’un modèle centré sur la notion de robustesse. D’une part, celui-ci permet de mieux saisir les processus qui conditionnent l’atteinte de l’objectif d’anticipation et d’amélioration de l’action collective organisée au cours d’une inondation. D’autre part, cette approche, en combinant les capacités à faire face des acteurs et les vulnérabilités du système, questionne les conditions socio-spatiales de la robustesse de la Vigilance crues au quotidien, i.e. en dehors des périodes de crues. Notre méthodologie repose sur plus de cent cinquante entretiens auprès des acteurs du système de vigilance dans le bassin Adour-Garonne. Il est ainsi démontré que la robustesse de ce système dépend (1) de la capacité des acteurs à faire face aux incertitudes et de leurs connaissances territoriales ; (2) de la mise en œuvre d’une approche intégrée qui tient compte des savoirs vernaculaires et des savoirs techniques ; (3) de rencontres régulières entre maires, services de gestion de crise et prévisionnistes, en particulier dans le cadre d’exercices inondation. Ainsi, se développent la confiance entre acteurs, l’apprentissage collectif et le renforcement de l’action collective en situations de crise. / Improving flood forecasting has become a technological race with major advances over the last 20 years. Moreover, communication technologies improvements have significantly increased the speed of warning dissemination. However, flood warning systems present inherent uncertainties and vulnerabilities. The present thesis questions how stakeholders involved in the French Flood Warning System (FFWS) deal with those uncertainties and vulnerabilities to achieve the aim of anticipation. Our approach is based on a conceptual model making use of the concept of robustness. We have applied this model to several flooded territories in the Adour-Garonne basin (France). Taking into account both vulnerability and coping capacities, we analyse the socio-spatial conditions that allows the robustness of the FFWS. A qualitative research methodology (150 semi-directive interviews) was adopted for the case studies. We demonstrate that (1) some vulnerabilities of the institutional warning can be overcome by the coping capacities and territorial knowledge of people at risk ; (2) the improvement of the FFWS can be achieved by the combination of both vernacular and scientific knowledges, and by an adaptation to local context ; (3) the reinforcement of the FFWS robustness depends on the upholding and the development of collective action, integrating people at-risk, crisis management services and forecasters through regular meetings and flood training exercises outside flooding periods. Such actions allow reinforcing collective action during crisis situations through the development of trustfulness.

A previsão hidrológica possibilita a identificação antecipada de eventos de cheia potencialmente causadores de inundação, o que é de grande importância para a atuação de entidades como a Defesa Civil. Quando se deseja estender a antecedência no tempo em relação a estes eventos, principalmente nos casos onde a bacia de interesse é relativamente rápida, torna-se necessária a incorporação de previsões quantitativas de precipitação (QPF) na modelagem hidrológica, as quais podem ser obtidas a partir de modelos numéricos de previsão do tempo. Entretanto, a falta de acurácia atribuída a estas previsões de chuva, dadas de forma determinística, vem promovendo sua substituição por sistemas de previsão meteorológica por conjunto (EPS - Ensemble Prediction Systems), cuja finalidade é a geração de possíveis estados futuros da atmosfera para considerar as incertezas associadas ao seu estado inicial e às deficiências na representação física dos modelos de previsão do tempo. Neste contexto, o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar uma metodologia de previsão de cheias por conjunto na bacia do Taquari-Antas/RS até a cidade de Encantado (19.000 km²), localizada na região Sul do Brasil. Para tanto, foi utilizado o modelo hidrológico MGB-IPH acoplado a diferentes sistemas de previsão, sendo eles: (i) EPS Regional ETA, de curto prazo (até 72 horas) com 5 membros de diferentes parametrizações; (ii) EPS Global ECMWF de médio prazo (até 10 dias) com 50 membros de condições iniciais perturbadas, incluindo perturbação estocástica nos parâmetros de ajuste do modelo e; (iii) Previsão Determinística do Modelo Regional ETA (até 7 dias). A avaliação das previsões consistiu em dois hindcastings distintos, envolvendo uma análise visual de eventos singulares ocorridos em 06/06/2014 e 21/07/2011 além de uma análise estatística no período de Mar/2014 - Nov/2014. Durante a análise visual foi possível identificar, a partir de antecedências de 5 a 6 dias, uma persistência na previsão dada pelo crescente número de membros do conjunto de médio prazo (ECMWF) com superação dos limiares de referência, na medida em que se aproximavam os eventos de cheia. Apesar da grande incerteza na magnitude das previsões hidrológicas para o conjunto de curto prazo, a vazão máxima foi relativamente bem prevista por pelo menos 1 membro em quase todas as antecedências, enquanto que a previsão do timing dos eventos foi considerada de boa confiabilidade. Durante a avaliação estatística foi possível notar uma falta de espalhamento nos conjuntos, com tendência de subestimativa de acordo com o aumento da antecedência. Em uma comparação com previsões determinísticas, as previsões por conjunto demonstraram maior acurácia principalmente até 72 horas de antecedência, com destaque para a maior probabilidade de detecção dos limiares de referência e manutenção de falso alarme a níveis reduzidos. Além disso, verificou-se também que a agregação de previsões efetuadas em tempo anterior naquelas atuais acarreta em ligeira ampliação do espalhamento do conjunto e maiores probabilidades de detecção dos limiares de alerta para os membros mais elevados, apesar da redução no desempenho em termos de acurácia e viés. De forma geral, as previsões por conjunto apresentam potencial para servir como uma informação complementar em sistemas de alerta contra cheias, possibilitando uma melhor preparação dos agentes envolvidos durante a ocorrência destes eventos. / Hydrological forecasting plays an important role for issuing flood warnings, allowing for anticipation and better preparation of authorities at the occurrence of such events. In order to extend lead time in a flood forecast, especially when the catchment response time is relatively fast, it may be useful to couple a hydrological model to quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF), usually obtained directly from numerical weather prediction (NWP). However, deterministic (i.e. single) QPF are usually referred to many errors and lack of accuracy, mainly caused by uncertainties on initial state of the atmosphere and on physical representation of weather forecasting models. To address these shortcomings, it becomes necessary to take into account the uncertainties associated to rain forecasts, which can be represented by Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS). The purpose of such systems is to provide different trajectories of the atmosphere by perturbations on its initial condition and on parameterization schemes of the models, generating an ensemble of forecasts that can be used as input to hydrological modelling (HEPS). In this context, the present study aimed to assess a methodology of ensemble flood forecasting on Taquari-Antas basin up to the city of Encantado/RS (19.000 km²), located in southern Brazil. Therefore, the hydrological model MGB-IPH was coupled to different forecasting systems: (i) Short Range EPS ETA (up to 72 hours), a regional model with 5 members of different parameterization schemes; (ii) Medium Range EPS ECMWF (up to 10 days), a global model with 50 members of perturbed initial conditions and stochastic perturbation in the model parameters; (iii) Deterministic ETA Model (up to 7 days). The forecasts were evaluated by two different hindcastings, which includes a visual assessment of singular events occurred on 2011 and 2014 and a statistical analysis for the period between Mar/2014 and Nov/2014. It was possible to identify a forecast persistence on medium-range for the selected events, by the increasing number of members exceeding the reference thresholds from lead times up to 5 - 6 days. On the short range, although large uncertainties in the magnitude of hydrological forecasts were found, the peak discharge was well forecasted - at least for a single member - in nearly all lead times, whereas the prediction of the peak timing was considered reliable. Regarding to statistical evaluation, an inadequate spread in the ensemble was observed from short- to medium-range, with a tendency of underestimation for longer lead times. In a comparison with deterministic forecasts, the ensemble forecasts showed higher accuracy especially up to 72 hours in advance, including highlights on greater probability of detection (POD) above the reference thresholds even with low false alarm rates. It also was found that the a combination of previous forecasts on the recent ones leads to a slight increase of ensemble spread and POD for higher members, despite the performance reduction in terms of accuracy and bias. In summary, the hydrological ensemble forecasts demonstrated a good potential to serve as an additional information within a Flood Alert System.

A previsão hidrológica possibilita a identificação antecipada de eventos de cheia potencialmente causadores de inundação, o que é de grande importância para a atuação de entidades como a Defesa Civil. Quando se deseja estender a antecedência no tempo em relação a estes eventos, principalmente nos casos onde a bacia de interesse é relativamente rápida, torna-se necessária a incorporação de previsões quantitativas de precipitação (QPF) na modelagem hidrológica, as quais podem ser obtidas a partir de modelos numéricos de previsão do tempo. Entretanto, a falta de acurácia atribuída a estas previsões de chuva, dadas de forma determinística, vem promovendo sua substituição por sistemas de previsão meteorológica por conjunto (EPS - Ensemble Prediction Systems), cuja finalidade é a geração de possíveis estados futuros da atmosfera para considerar as incertezas associadas ao seu estado inicial e às deficiências na representação física dos modelos de previsão do tempo. Neste contexto, o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar uma metodologia de previsão de cheias por conjunto na bacia do Taquari-Antas/RS até a cidade de Encantado (19.000 km²), localizada na região Sul do Brasil. Para tanto, foi utilizado o modelo hidrológico MGB-IPH acoplado a diferentes sistemas de previsão, sendo eles: (i) EPS Regional ETA, de curto prazo (até 72 horas) com 5 membros de diferentes parametrizações; (ii) EPS Global ECMWF de médio prazo (até 10 dias) com 50 membros de condições iniciais perturbadas, incluindo perturbação estocástica nos parâmetros de ajuste do modelo e; (iii) Previsão Determinística do Modelo Regional ETA (até 7 dias). A avaliação das previsões consistiu em dois hindcastings distintos, envolvendo uma análise visual de eventos singulares ocorridos em 06/06/2014 e 21/07/2011 além de uma análise estatística no período de Mar/2014 - Nov/2014. Durante a análise visual foi possível identificar, a partir de antecedências de 5 a 6 dias, uma persistência na previsão dada pelo crescente número de membros do conjunto de médio prazo (ECMWF) com superação dos limiares de referência, na medida em que se aproximavam os eventos de cheia. Apesar da grande incerteza na magnitude das previsões hidrológicas para o conjunto de curto prazo, a vazão máxima foi relativamente bem prevista por pelo menos 1 membro em quase todas as antecedências, enquanto que a previsão do timing dos eventos foi considerada de boa confiabilidade. Durante a avaliação estatística foi possível notar uma falta de espalhamento nos conjuntos, com tendência de subestimativa de acordo com o aumento da antecedência. Em uma comparação com previsões determinísticas, as previsões por conjunto demonstraram maior acurácia principalmente até 72 horas de antecedência, com destaque para a maior probabilidade de detecção dos limiares de referência e manutenção de falso alarme a níveis reduzidos. Além disso, verificou-se também que a agregação de previsões efetuadas em tempo anterior naquelas atuais acarreta em ligeira ampliação do espalhamento do conjunto e maiores probabilidades de detecção dos limiares de alerta para os membros mais elevados, apesar da redução no desempenho em termos de acurácia e viés. De forma geral, as previsões por conjunto apresentam potencial para servir como uma informação complementar em sistemas de alerta contra cheias, possibilitando uma melhor preparação dos agentes envolvidos durante a ocorrência destes eventos. / Hydrological forecasting plays an important role for issuing flood warnings, allowing for anticipation and better preparation of authorities at the occurrence of such events. In order to extend lead time in a flood forecast, especially when the catchment response time is relatively fast, it may be useful to couple a hydrological model to quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF), usually obtained directly from numerical weather prediction (NWP). However, deterministic (i.e. single) QPF are usually referred to many errors and lack of accuracy, mainly caused by uncertainties on initial state of the atmosphere and on physical representation of weather forecasting models. To address these shortcomings, it becomes necessary to take into account the uncertainties associated to rain forecasts, which can be represented by Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS). The purpose of such systems is to provide different trajectories of the atmosphere by perturbations on its initial condition and on parameterization schemes of the models, generating an ensemble of forecasts that can be used as input to hydrological modelling (HEPS). In this context, the present study aimed to assess a methodology of ensemble flood forecasting on Taquari-Antas basin up to the city of Encantado/RS (19.000 km²), located in southern Brazil. Therefore, the hydrological model MGB-IPH was coupled to different forecasting systems: (i) Short Range EPS ETA (up to 72 hours), a regional model with 5 members of different parameterization schemes; (ii) Medium Range EPS ECMWF (up to 10 days), a global model with 50 members of perturbed initial conditions and stochastic perturbation in the model parameters; (iii) Deterministic ETA Model (up to 7 days). The forecasts were evaluated by two different hindcastings, which includes a visual assessment of singular events occurred on 2011 and 2014 and a statistical analysis for the period between Mar/2014 and Nov/2014. It was possible to identify a forecast persistence on medium-range for the selected events, by the increasing number of members exceeding the reference thresholds from lead times up to 5 - 6 days. On the short range, although large uncertainties in the magnitude of hydrological forecasts were found, the peak discharge was well forecasted - at least for a single member - in nearly all lead times, whereas the prediction of the peak timing was considered reliable. Regarding to statistical evaluation, an inadequate spread in the ensemble was observed from short- to medium-range, with a tendency of underestimation for longer lead times. In a comparison with deterministic forecasts, the ensemble forecasts showed higher accuracy especially up to 72 hours in advance, including highlights on greater probability of detection (POD) above the reference thresholds even with low false alarm rates. It also was found that the a combination of previous forecasts on the recent ones leads to a slight increase of ensemble spread and POD for higher members, despite the performance reduction in terms of accuracy and bias. In summary, the hydrological ensemble forecasts demonstrated a good potential to serve as an additional information within a Flood Alert System.

Aus den Mängeln bisher verwendeter Modelle zur Abbildung des Wellenablaufes zu Prognosezwecken im Hochwasserfall wird in dieser Arbeit eine Methodik entwickelt, die die Schnelligkeit und Robustheit künstlicher neuronaler Netze mit der Zuverlässigkeit hydrodynamisch-numerischer Modellierung verbindet. Ein eindimensionales hydrodynamisches Modell beinhaltet die genaue Kenntnis der Geometrie des Flußlaufes und der Vorländer und berücksichtigt die physikalischen Prozesse des Wellenablaufes. Mit diesem deterministischen Modell ist eine Grundlage für umfangreiche Szenarienrechnungen zur Erstellung einer Datenbasis geschaffen, die die weite Spanne theoretisch möglicher Hochwasserereignisse abdeckt. Mit dieser Datenbasis können dann künstliche neuronale Netze trainiert werden, die auch im Bereich extremer Hochwasserereignisse zuverlässige Prognosen liefern. In dieser Arbeit werden mit Multilayer-Feedforward-Netzen und selbstorganisierenden Merkmalskarten zwei Netztypen als Vertreter überwacht und unüberwacht lernender neuronaler Netze auf ihre diesbezügliche Eignung untersucht und beurteilt. Desweiteren wurde die Methodik auf die Einbeziehung von Merkmalen für die Niederschlags-Abfluß-Prozesse im unbeobachteten Zwischengebiet zur Berücksichtigung lateraler Zuflüsse entlang der modellierten Fließstrecken erweitert. Die Datenbasis wurde hierfür mit einem Niederschlags-Abfluß-Modell erstellt. Ein Hauptschwerpunkt liegt in der Überführung der Eingangsdaten in charakteristische Merkmale zur Abbildung der Zielgrößen, in diesem Falle des Durchflusses und Wasserstandes am Zielpegel. So dienen die deterministischen Modelle nicht nur zur Erstellung einer verläßlichen Datenbasis für das Training der Netze, sondern ermöglichen – sowohl für die Niederschlags-Abfluß-Prozesse, als auch für die hydrodynamischen Prozesse – Analysen betreffs der Sensitivität der Modellergebnisse infolge von Änderungen der Inputdaten. Mit Hilfe dieser Analysen werden wichtige Informationen zur Findung der relevanten Merkmale erlangt. Ein Schlüssel für die erfolgreiche Eingliederung der Niederschlags-Abfluß-Prozesse in das Prognosenetz ist die Einführung eines einzigen Zustandsmerkmals, welches die gesamte meteorologische Vorgeschichte des Ereignisses zur Charakterisierung des Gebietszustandes vereinigt. Die entwickelte Methodik wurde anhand des Einzugsgebietes der Freiberger Mulde erfolgreich getestet.

The analysis and identification of texture is a key area in image processing and computer vision. One of the most prominent texture analysis algorithms is the Gabor Filter. These filters are used by convolving an image with a family of self similar filters or wavelets through the selection of a suitable number of scales and orientations, which are responsible for aiding in the identification of textures of differing coarseness and directions respectively. While extensively used in a variety of applications, including, biometrics such as iris and facial recognition, their effectiveness depend largely on the manual selection of different parameters values, i.e. the centre frequency, the number of scales and orientations, and the standard deviations. Previous studies have been conducted on how to determine optimal values. However the results are sometimes inconsistent and even contradictory. Furthermore, the selection of the mask size and tile size used in the convolution process has received little attention, presumably since they are image set dependent. This research attempts to verify specific claims made in previous studies about the influence of the number of scales and orientations, but also to investigate the variation of the filter mask size and tile size for water body extraction from satellite imagery. Optical satellite imagery may contain texture samples that are conceptually the same (belong to the same class), but are structurally different or differ due to changes in illumination, i.e. a texture may appear completely different when the intensity or position of a light source changes. A systematic testing of the effects of varying the parameter values on optical satellite imagery is conducted. Experiments are designed to verify claims made about the influence of varying the scales and orientations within predetermined ranges, but also to show the considerable changes in classification accuracy when varying the filter mask and tile size. Heuristic techniques such as Genetic Algorithms (GA) can be used to find optimum solutions in application domains where an enumeration approach is not feasible. Hence, the effectiveness of a GA to automate the process of determining optimum Gabor filter parameter values for a given image dataset is also investigated. The results of the research can be used to facilitate the selection of Gabor filter parameters for applications that involve multi-textured image segmentation or classification, and specifically to guide the selection of appropriate filter mask and tile sizes for automated analysis of satellite imagery. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Aus den Mängeln bisher verwendeter Modelle zur Abbildung des Wellenablaufes zu Prognosezwecken im Hochwasserfall wird in dieser Arbeit eine Methodik entwickelt, die die Schnelligkeit und Robustheit künstlicher neuronaler Netze mit der Zuverlässigkeit hydrodynamisch-numerischer Modellierung verbindet. Ein eindimensionales hydrodynamisches Modell beinhaltet die genaue Kenntnis der Geometrie des Flußlaufes und der Vorländer und berücksichtigt die physikalischen Prozesse des Wellenablaufes. Mit diesem deterministischen Modell ist eine Grundlage für umfangreiche Szenarienrechnungen zur Erstellung einer Datenbasis geschaffen, die die weite Spanne theoretisch möglicher Hochwasserereignisse abdeckt. Mit dieser Datenbasis können dann künstliche neuronale Netze trainiert werden, die auch im Bereich extremer Hochwasserereignisse zuverlässige Prognosen liefern. In dieser Arbeit werden mit Multilayer-Feedforward-Netzen und selbstorganisierenden Merkmalskarten zwei Netztypen als Vertreter überwacht und unüberwacht lernender neuronaler Netze auf ihre diesbezügliche Eignung untersucht und beurteilt. Desweiteren wurde die Methodik auf die Einbeziehung von Merkmalen für die Niederschlags-Abfluß-Prozesse im unbeobachteten Zwischengebiet zur Berücksichtigung lateraler Zuflüsse entlang der modellierten Fließstrecken erweitert. Die Datenbasis wurde hierfür mit einem Niederschlags-Abfluß-Modell erstellt. Ein Hauptschwerpunkt liegt in der Überführung der Eingangsdaten in charakteristische Merkmale zur Abbildung der Zielgrößen, in diesem Falle des Durchflusses und Wasserstandes am Zielpegel. So dienen die deterministischen Modelle nicht nur zur Erstellung einer verläßlichen Datenbasis für das Training der Netze, sondern ermöglichen – sowohl für die Niederschlags-Abfluß-Prozesse, als auch für die hydrodynamischen Prozesse – Analysen betreffs der Sensitivität der Modellergebnisse infolge von Änderungen der Inputdaten. Mit Hilfe dieser Analysen werden wichtige Informationen zur Findung der relevanten Merkmale erlangt. Ein Schlüssel für die erfolgreiche Eingliederung der Niederschlags-Abfluß-Prozesse in das Prognosenetz ist die Einführung eines einzigen Zustandsmerkmals, welches die gesamte meteorologische Vorgeschichte des Ereignisses zur Charakterisierung des Gebietszustandes vereinigt. Die entwickelte Methodik wurde anhand des Einzugsgebietes der Freiberger Mulde erfolgreich getestet.