Upstream Tech and the University of Alabama have been awarded a CIROH (Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology) research project.
The project will adapt and evaluate HydroForecast, our operational AI modeling system, for its suitability in meeting NOAA's current hydrologic forecasting needs. The work will advance the science of AI/ML modeling in hydrology, adding critical outputs to support NOAA's National Water Model — specifically, the prediction of land surface outputs. Over the course of the study, our team will conduct the R&D behind these modifications and document the remaining gaps to operationalizing an advanced AI/ML system that meets NOAA's existing and planned short-term forecast requirements.
We're excited to deepen our partnership with CIROH's strong academic community, NOAA's Office of Water Prediction, and the University of Alabama. This work builds on our theory-guided approach to AI hydrology, and we expect it to advance the broader science of AI/ML hydrologic models while giving the research community new tools to build on.
"Upstream Tech has a proven track record of transitioning cutting edge research into operations for high-impact applications. I'm excited to work with the HydroForecast team on CIROH, to learn from their experience, and to push the science of hydrology further."
— Dr. Jonathan Frame, University of Alabama
This project is just getting underway, running through March 2027. Over the next several months, our team will conduct model experiments, select basins for case studies, and generate historical reforecasts to evaluate. We'll share results and findings as they become available, both here and through CIROH.
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