Developing a Vision for the H ydrology Laboratory

1. Developing a Vision for the Hydrology Laboratory Some early thoughts and discussion

2. Once upon a time,there was time.

3. Early Days • Study resources and business portfolio • Observe, catalog, enjoy the snow, hypothesize, enjoy some more snow, analyze, eventually develop conclusions • Not serious questions: • Is HL doing important things? • Is everything being done at HL essential? • Is HL as relevant as it could/should be? • Will HL have to change to support IWRSS?

4. Hydrology Laboratory

5. Hydrology Laboratory

6. A Few Principles

7. Systems Thinking and Approach • Disconnected and fragmented are four-letter words • Wisdom in a childrens’ book • “The most priceless possession of the human race is the wonder of the world; yet laterly, the utmost endeavors of mankind have been directed towards the dissipation of that wonder. Science analyzes all things to their component parts but neglects to put them together again.” • Kenneth Graham, Wind in the Willows • Integration, Workflow, Integration, Workflow

8. Research to Operations • “Why I made the trip” • A key metric of future success • Say hello to Technical Acquisition Standards • Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), p. 50 of IWRSS Roadmap • International standard for describing and evaluating state of technological development • Say “4, 5, 6, 7” • R2O isn’t everything, however – need some blue sky in the portfolio too – a little bit of “3”

9. Technical Readiness Levels (TRL) • Basic principles are observed and reported • Technology concept and/or application formulated • Analytical and/or experimental critical function or proof of concept • Component and/or breadboard validation in laboratory environment • Component and/or breadboard validation in relevant environment • System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment • System prototype demonstration in an operational environment • Actual system proven through successful mission operations • Actual system proven through successful mission operations (final form)

10. External Collaboration • Certainly the key to my professional success • Building communities is critical for developing state-of-the-art complex scientific and technological systems • Breadth and depth • Key to R2O • Thousands are delivering TRL 1-3 • Cultivate the community, harvest the best

11. Technological Innovation • Gary will need to keep his checkbook handy! • Q’S Workshop – anticipate the future

12. Technological Innovation • Science R2O and technology innovation are intertwined • Moore’s Law – exponential performance increase per unit cost (e.g. doubling every 18 months) • Nielsen’s Law – bandwidth availability increasing 50% per year • Our goals are not just about running hydro software on computers – also about comms and service delivery mechanisms

13. Pragmatism (Science) • Art of science • perfect is generally unattainable • Good handle on science lends common sense to development of R2O solutions • Few absolutes

14. Transparency • This lab is your lab, this lab is my lab, from California, to the New York Island… • Clarity – shouldn’t be any question about what is going on • Difficult to attain and manage, however

15. Planning/Mapping – Long View • We’re not building a teeter-totter – it’s complex and will take time • Comprehensive blueprints (not artist’s renderings) are important to ensure successful system development • Shared Vision is critical • Integrated Design adhering to Vision is even more critical • We’re not alone – IWRSS means what we do and how we do it is influenced by our consortium partners

16. DOGMA • Few methodological absolutes

17. A Few Principles