WASHINGTON - Reclamation has selected 10 winners from the yearlong Streamflow Forecast Rodeo prize competition. Contestants developed methods for making 10-day streamflow forecasts for multiple locations across the Western United States and entries were judged based on how closely those predictions matched the actual streamflow. Winners will share the $435,000 in prize money.
"Improving streamflow forecasts - will allow water management to be more efficient with storage and deliveries, opening new opportunities for reservoir operations," said Reclamation Chief Engineer David Raff. "We are excited to explore the winning solutions with our forecasting and water management partners."
The use of a crowdsourcing competition was to encourage finding more advanced methods of producing short-term streamflow forecasts. In developing their methods for streamflow forecasting, competitors primarily used artificial intelligence, and machine learning approaches. These crowdsourced methods show promise in complementing traditional streamflow forecast methods.
Reclamation partnered with CEATI International’s Hydropower Operations and Planning Interest Group, NASA Tournament Lab, Department of Energy’s Waterpower Technologies Office, Tennessee Valley Authority, HydroQuebec and Topcoder. Reclamation has been conducting prize-competitions since 2015, spurring innovation and engaging national, international and non-traditional problem-solver communities. Prize competitions also complement traditional research methods by targeting persistent science and technology challenges. More than $4.5 million in prizes have been awarded from these competitions. Please visit Reclamation's Water Prize Competition Center for complete details on the Streamflow Forecast Rodeo.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
