Model My Watershed

Start Here

The model is currently under development and testing with students and teachers and continues to be modified on an ongoing basis. We have three applications that are in various stages of refinement, including:

Generic Model

Demonstrates connections between rainfall, land use and soil texture.

Launch App

Show My Watershed

Allows students to find watershed or other area and calculate the land cover, soil and water budget for existing conditions, comparing it to the EPA standard for stormwater management on a given site (pre-Columbian conditions).

Launch App

Modify My Watershed

Enables students to make changes to the underlying environmental conditions and model parameters, implement best management practices (e.g. green roof, porous pavement, etc.) and calculate the impact of the changes from an economic, social, ecosystem and water quality perspective.

Currently in private testing
To request a login, please email: sgill@stroud.org

Watershed Information Portal

Provides hydrologic and weather data as real-time feeds from USGS and NOAA sensor stations.

Launch App

The design of this project is based on the belief that students should have an authentic, exciting, intuitive and interactive tool set that allows them to investigate their own neighborhoods. These investigations challenge students to make real world decisions based on scientific knowledge and models.

This three-year project develops, tests and disseminates a watershed-modeling tool set for secondary students. Model My Watershed employs a dynamic interface based on open source software and GoogleMaps where students can:

  • Modify both environmental conditions and model parameters
  • Work in a collaborative online learning environment
  • Be exposed to STEM careers

Each of these tools is currently being developed for SE Pennsylvania.

Project Goals

  • Model My Watershed uses the complexity of environmental science to engage and excite students about the diverse STEM careers that are necessary to study and address environmental issues.
  • Students use existing scientific data in an authentic, hydrologic modeling toolset to predict how environmental changes to the ecosystem affect the hydrologic cycle in their local watersheds.
  • Students will modify underlying environmental conditions and model algorithms, and modify their watershed by drawing new surfaces or structures on the landscape.
  • Using a collaborative web-based communication platform students can network with other students and schools to pose questions or challenges and communicate their findings.

Model My Watershed, funded by the National Science Foundation (#0929763) is a module of the planned WikiWatershed Project.