Roland Viger is Chief of the Geo-Intelligence Branch for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Roland Viger holds degrees in geography from the University of Toronto and the University of Colorado-Boulder (PhD). After contracting with the USGS Branch of Petroleum Geology as a GIS analyst for the National Hydrocarbon Assessment in 1992, he joined the Water Resources National Research Program in Denver as the GIS lead on the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System project (subsequently the Modeling of Watershed Systems project). As a Research Geographer, interests include integrated simulation modeling, spatial analyses for the delineation and characterization of landscape features for modeling, and geoinformatics. In addition to improving the use of geographic information in modeling, he is interested in the development of national and continental hydrologic modeling systems. His methods, data, and software (examples include the GIS Weasel software and the Geospatial Fabric for the National Hydrologic Modeling Framework) and training materials for geographic analysis in hydrologic simulation modeling have been used throughout the U.S., as well as internationally. He provides consultation within and outside the USGS and has represented USGS interests to other organizations. He has been a member of the Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI), the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), the USGS Core Science Systems Strategic Science Planning Team, various steering committees for the National Hydrography Dataset, and the future of hydrologic modeling in the USGS.
Roland is active in the USGS Community for Data Integration (CDI), and the American Water Resources Association.
EDUCATION
- Ph.D. Geography (Geographic Information Science), University of Colorado-Boulder; August 2011
- M.A. Geography (Geographic Information Science), University of Colorado-Boulder; March 2004
- B.S. Geography, University of Toronto; March 1992
APPOINTMENTS
- 2017-present: Chief, Branch of Geo-Intelligence, USGS Water Resources Mission Area
- 2011-present: Research Geographer, Modeling of Watershed Systems (MoWS), National Research Program, USGS Water Mission Area, Denver, CO
- June 2007-2011: Geographer, Modeling of Watershed Systems (MoWS), National Research Program, USGS Water Mission Area, Denver, CO
- June 1995-June 2007: Physical Scientist, Precipitation-Runoff Modeling Systems, National Research Program, USGS Water Resources Division, Denver, CO
- Oct. 1994-April 1995: Physical Science Technician, Branch of Petroleum Geology, USGS Geologic Division, Denver, CO
RECENT COMMITTEES and ACTIVITIES
- Department of Interior Open-Source GIS committee
- Advisory Council on Water Information: Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data: Open Water Data Initiative and the Internet of Water
- Strategic Science Planning Team for Core Science Systems
- Coordinator/Leader for USGS Community for Data Integration
Science and Products
Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States
National Stream Summarization: Standardizing Stream-Landscape Summaries
Understanding the Impacts of Glaciers on Streamflow in Alaska and Washington
Evaluation of downscaled General Circulation Model (GCM) output for current conditions and associated error in simulated runoff for CONUS
Developing a VisTrails Platform for Modeling Streamflow Hydrology and Projecting Climate Change Effects on Streamflow
SERAP: Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
Southeast Regional Assessment Project (SERAP): Assessing Global Change Impacts on Natural and Human Systems in the Southeast
Four-kilometer long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the conterminous United States (CONUS), 1979-2020
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Water Model Retrospective (v2.1) at benchmark streamflow locations (ver. 2.0, December 2022)
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Hydrologic Model application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (v1 byObs Muskingum) at benchmark streamflow locations in the conterminous Un
National-Scale Grid to Support Regional Groundwater Availability Studies and a National Hydrogeologic Framework
Supporting data for A Glacier Runoff Extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
CONUS404: The NCAR-USGS 4-km long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the CONUS
Benchmarking high-resolution hydrologic model performance of long-term retrospective streamflow simulations in the contiguous United States
Integrated hydro-terrestrial modeling: Development of a national capability
Spatiotemporal variability of modeled watershed scale surface-depression storage and runoff for the conterminous United States
Simulation of water availability in the Southeastern United States for historical and potential future climate and land-cover conditions
Enhancement of a parsimonious water balance model to simulate surface hydrology in a glacierized watershed
Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole Region
Description of the National Hydrologic Model for use with the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS)
Community for Data Integration 2016 annual report
mizuRoute version 1: A river network routing tool for a continental domain water resources applications
A glacier runoff extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
sciencebasepy: A Python library for programmatic interaction with the USGS ScienceBase platform
Python GIS Flood Tool (pygft)
The Python GIS Flood Tool (pygft) was designed to process stream, catchment, and elevation datasets in order to assess the extent and depth of flooding for each stream reach. The model itself is light-weight, created with the capability to scale to larger regions or CONUS (conterminous United States) scales.
Science and Products
- Science
Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States
The proposed work will create a seamless pilot dataset of continuous basin characteristics (for example upstream average precipitation, elevation, or dominant land cover type) for the conterminous United States. Basin characteristic data are necessary for training or parameterizing statistical, machine learning, and physical models, and for making predictions across the landscape, particularly inNational Stream Summarization: Standardizing Stream-Landscape Summaries
As research and management of natural resources shift from local to regional and national scales, the need for information about aquatic systems to be summarized to multiple scales is becoming more apparent. Recently, four federally funded national stream assessment efforts (USGS Aquatic GAP, USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] StreamCat, andUnderstanding the Impacts of Glaciers on Streamflow in Alaska and Washington
Glaciers are a central component to the hydrology of many areas in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Glacier melt plays a crucial role in the movement of nutrients through a landscape and into the ocean, and the flow of water into streams that sustain many species. As air temperatures rise, increased rates of glacier melt may have significant impacts to the hydrology and ecology in these areas. TEvaluation of downscaled General Circulation Model (GCM) output for current conditions and associated error in simulated runoff for CONUS
This project will assess the accuracy of climate drivers (precipitation and temperature) from different sources for current and future conditions. The impact of these drivers on hydrologic response will be using the monthly water balance model (MWBM). The methodology for processing and analysis of these datasets will be automated for when new climate datasets become available on the USGS Geo DatDeveloping a VisTrails Platform for Modeling Streamflow Hydrology and Projecting Climate Change Effects on Streamflow
Hydrologic models are used throughout the world to forecast and simulate streamflow, inform water management, municipal planning, and ecosystem conservation, and investigate potential effects of climate and land-use change on hydrology. The USGS Modeling of Watershed Systems (MoWS) group is currently developing the infrastructure for a National Hydrologic Model (NHM) to support coordinated, compreSERAP: Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
A hydrologic model was developed as part of the Southeast Regional Assessment Project using the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), a deterministic, distributed-parameter, process-based system that simulates the effects of precipitation, temperature, and land use on basin hydrology. Streamflow and other components of the hydrologic cycle simulated by PRMS were used to inform other types oSoutheast Regional Assessment Project (SERAP): Assessing Global Change Impacts on Natural and Human Systems in the Southeast
The Southeastern United States spans a broad range of physiographic settings and maintains exceptionally high levels of faunal diversity. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are increasingly under threat due to rapid human development, and management agencies are increasingly aware of the potential effects that climate change will have on these ecosystems. Natural resource managers and conserv - Data
Four-kilometer long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the conterminous United States (CONUS), 1979-2020
CONUS404 is a unique, high-resolution hydro-climate dataset appropriate for forcing hydrological models and conducting meteorological analysis over the contiguous United States. CONUS404, so named because it covers the CONtiguous United States for 40 years at 4-km resolution, was produced by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model simulations run by National Center for Atmospheric ResearDaily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Water Model Retrospective (v2.1) at benchmark streamflow locations (ver. 2.0, December 2022)
This data release contains the standard statistical suite (version 1.0) daily streamflow performance benchmark results for the National Water Model Retrospective (v2.1) at streamflow benchmark locations (version 1.0) as defined by Foks and others (2022). Modeled hourly timesteps were converted to mean daily timesteps. Model error was determined by evaluating predicted daily mean streamflow versusDaily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Hydrologic Model application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (v1 byObs Muskingum) at benchmark streamflow locations in the conterminous Un
This data release contains the standard statistical suite (version 1.0) daily streamflow performance benchmark results for the National Hydrologic Model Infrastructure application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (NHM-PRMS) version 1 "byObs" calibration with Muskingum routing computed at streamflow benchmark locations defined by Foks and others (2022). Model error was determined by evalNational-Scale Grid to Support Regional Groundwater Availability Studies and a National Hydrogeologic Framework
The National Hydrogeologic Grid (NHG) dataset includes a raster and vector representation of 1-km cells defining a uniform grid that encompasses the continental United States. The value of each cell of the raster dataset corresponds to the 1-km cell number defined as 'cellnum' in the attributes of the vector data. The NHG consists of 4,000 rows and 4,980 columns, numbered from the top left cornerSupporting data for A Glacier Runoff Extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
This product is an archive of the modeling artifacts used to produce a journal paper (Van Beusekom and Viger, 2016). The abstract for that paper follows. A module to simulate glacier runoff, PRMSglacier, was added to PRMS (Precipitation Runoff Modeling System), a distributed-parameter, physical-process hydrological simulation code. The extension does not require extensive on-glacier measurements o - Publications
Filter Total Items: 42
CONUS404: The NCAR-USGS 4-km long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the CONUS
A unique, high-resolution, hydroclimate reanalysis, 40-plus-year (October 1979–September 2021), 4 km (named as CONUS404), has been created using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model by dynamically downscaling of the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis of the global climate dataset (ERA5) over the conterminous United States. The pAuthorsR. M. Rasmussen, F. Chen, C. H. Liu, K. Ikeda, A. Prein, J. Kim, T. Schneider, A. Dai, D. Gochis, A. Dugger, Y. Zhang, A. Jaye, J. Dudhia, C. He, M. Harrold, L. Xue, S. Chen, A. Newman, E. Dougherty, R. Abolafia-Rozenzweig, N. Lybarger, Roland J. Viger, David P. Lesmes, Katherine Skalak, John Brakebill, Donald Walter Cline, Krista A. Dunne, K. Rasmussen, G. Miguez-MachoBenchmarking high-resolution hydrologic model performance of long-term retrospective streamflow simulations in the contiguous United States
Because use of high-resolution hydrologic models is becoming more widespread and estimates are made over large domains, there is a pressing need for systematic evaluation of their performance. Most evaluation efforts to date have focused on smaller basins that have been relatively undisturbed by human activity, but there is also a need to benchmark model performance more comprehensively, includingAuthorsErin Towler, Sydney Foks, Aubrey L Dugger, Jesse E. Dickinson, Hedeff I. Essaid, David Gochis, Roland J. Viger, Yongxin ZhangIntegrated hydro-terrestrial modeling: Development of a national capability
Water is one of our most important natural resources and is essential to our national economy and security. Multiple federal government agencies have mission elements that address national needs related to water. Each water-related agency champions a unique science and/or operational mission focused on advancing a portion of the nation’s ability to meet our water-related challenges, often in closeAuthorsDavid P. Lesmes, Jessica Moerman, Tom Torgeson, Bob Vallario, Timothy D. Scheibe, Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Harry L. Jenter, Ronald L. Bingner, Laura Condon, Brian Cosgrove, Carlos Del Castillo, Charles W Downer, John Eylander, Michael N. Fienen, Nels Frazier, David Gochis, Dave Goodrich, Judson Harvey, Joseph D. Hughes, David Hyndman, John M. Johnston, Forrest Melton, Glenn E. Moglen, David Moulton, Laura K. Lautz, Rajbir Parmar, Brenda Rashleigh, Patrick Reed, Katherine Skalak, Charuleka Varadharajan, Roland J. Viger, Nathalie Voisin, Mark WahlSpatiotemporal variability of modeled watershed scale surface-depression storage and runoff for the conterminous United States
This study uses the explores the viability of a proxy model calibration strategy through assessment of the spatiotemporal variability of surface-depression storage and runoff generated with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure for hydrologic response units (HRUs; n=109,951) across the conterminous United States (CONUS). Simulated values for each HRU of dailyAuthorsJessica M. Driscoll, Lauren Hay, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Roland J. VigerSimulation of water availability in the Southeastern United States for historical and potential future climate and land-cover conditions
A study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GCPO LCC) and the Department of the Interior Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, to evaluate the hydrologic response of a daily time step hydrologic model to historical observations and projections of potential climate and land-cover changeAuthorsJacob H. LaFontaine, Rheannon M. Hart, Lauren E. Hay, William H. Farmer, Andy R. Bock, Roland J. Viger, Steven L. Markstrom, R. Steve Regan, Jessica M. DriscollEnhancement of a parsimonious water balance model to simulate surface hydrology in a glacierized watershed
The U.S. Geological Survey monthly water balance model (MWBM) was enhanced with the capability to simulate glaciers in order to make it more suitable for simulating cold region hydrology. The new model, MWBMglacier, is demonstrated in the heavily glacierized and ecologically important Copper River watershed in Southcentral Alaska. Simulated water budget components compared well to satellite‐basedAuthorsMelissa M. Valentin, Roland J. Viger, Ashley E. Van Beusekom, Lauren E. Hay, Terri S. Hogue, Nathan Leon FoksModelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole Region
In this study, the Precipitation-Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) was used to simulate changes in surface-water depression storage in the 1,126-km2 Upper Pipestem Creek basin located within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, USA. The Prairie Pothole Region is characterized by millions of small water bodies (or surface-water depressions) that provide numerous ecosystem services and are consiAuthorsLauren E. Hay, Parker A. Norton, Roland J. Viger, Steven L. Markstrom, R. Steve Regan, Melanie K. VanderhoofDescription of the National Hydrologic Model for use with the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS)
This report documents several components of the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model of the conterminous United States for use with the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). It provides descriptions of the (1) National Hydrologic Model, (2) Geospatial Fabric for National Hydrologic Modeling, (3) PRMS hydrologic simulation code, (4) parameters and estimation methods used to compuAuthorsR. Steven Regan, Steven L. Markstrom, Lauren E. Hay, Roland J. Viger, Parker A. Norton, Jessica M. Driscoll, Jacob H. LaFontaineCommunity for Data Integration 2016 annual report
The Community for Data Integration (CDI) represents a dynamic community of practice focused on advancing science data and information management and integration capabilities across the U.S. Geological Survey and the CDI community. This annual report describes the various presentations, activities, and outcomes of the CDI monthly forums, working groups, virtual training series, and other CDI-sponsoAuthorsMadison L. Langseth, Leslie Hsu, Jon Amberg, Norman Bliss, Andrew R. Bock, Rachel T. Bolus, R. Sky Bristol, Katherine J. Chase, Theresa M. Crimmins, Paul S. Earle, Richard Erickson, A. Lance Everette, Jeff T. Falgout, John Faundeen, Michael N. Fienen, Rusty Griffin, Michelle R. Guy, Kevin D. Henry, Nancy J. Hoebelheinrich, Randall J. Hunt, Vivian B. Hutchison, Drew A. Ignizio, Dana M. Infante, Catherine Jarnevich, Jeanne M. Jones, Tim Kern, Scott Leibowitz, Francis L. Lightsom, R. Lee Marsh, S. Grace McCalla, Marcia McNiff, Jeffrey T. Morisette, John C. Nelson, Tamar Norkin, Todd M. Preston, Alyssa Rosemartin, Roy Sando, Jason T. Sherba, Richard P. Signell, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Eric T. Sundquist, Colin B. Talbert, Roland J. Viger, Jake F. Weltzin, Sharon Waltman, Marc Weber, Daniel J. Wieferich, Brad Williams, Lisamarie Windham-MyersmizuRoute version 1: A river network routing tool for a continental domain water resources applications
This paper describes the first version of a stand-alone runoff routing tool, mizuRoute. The mizuRoute tool post-processes runoff outputs from any distributed hydrologic model or land surface model to produce spatially distributed streamflow at various spatial scales from headwater basins to continental-wide river systems. The tool can utilize both traditional grid-based river network and vector-baAuthorsNaoki Mizukami, Martyn P. Clark, Kevin Sampson, Bart Nijssen, Yixin Mao, Hilary McMillan, Roland J. Viger, Steven L. Markstrom, Lauren E. Hay, Ross Woods, Jeffrey R. Arnold, Levi D. BrekkeA glacier runoff extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
A module to simulate glacier runoff, PRMSglacier, was added to PRMS (Precipitation Runoff Modeling System), a distributed-parameter, physical-process hydrological simulation code. The extension does not require extensive on-glacier measurements or computational expense but still relies on physical principles over empirical relations as much as is feasible while maintaining model usability. PRMSglaAuthorsAshley E. Van Beusekom, Roland J. VigerCommunity for Data Integration 2015 annual report
The Community for Data Integration (CDI) continued to experience success in fiscal year 2015. The CDI community members have been sharing, learning, and collaborating through monthly forums, workshops, working groups, and funded projects. In fiscal year 2015, CDI coordinated 10 monthly forums with 16 different speakers from the U.S. Geological Survey and external partners; funded 11 collaborativeAuthorsMadison L. Langseth, Michelle Y. Chang, Jennifer Carlino, J. Ryan Bellmore, Daniella D. Birch, Joshua Bradley, R. Sky Bristol, Daniel D. Buscombe, Jeffrey J. Duda, Anthony L. Everette, Tabitha A. Graves, Michelle M. Greenwood, David L. Govoni, Heather S. Henkel, Vivian B. Hutchison, Brenda K. Jones, Tim Kern, Jennifer Lacey, Rynn M. Lamb, Frances L. Lightsom, John L. Long, Ra'ad A. Saleh, Stan W. Smith, Christopher E. Soulard, Roland J. Viger, Jonathan A. Warrick, Katherine E. Wesenberg, Daniel J. Wieferich, Luke A. Winslow - Software
sciencebasepy: A Python library for programmatic interaction with the USGS ScienceBase platform
This Python module provides functionality for interacting with the USGS ScienceBase platform: https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/ ScienceBase is a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR) in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The platform is developed and maintained by the USGS to provide shared, permission-controlled access to scientific data products and bureau resources. Rather than serving merely asPython GIS Flood Tool (pygft)
The Python GIS Flood Tool (pygft) was designed to process stream, catchment, and elevation datasets in order to assess the extent and depth of flooding for each stream reach. The model itself is light-weight, created with the capability to scale to larger regions or CONUS (conterminous United States) scales.