Project Name

Prairie FloodLab - Integrated Flood Simulation and Visualization System

Project Overview

Prairie FloodLab is a standalone, Python-based hydrologic and hydraulic modelling application designed to simulate, analyze, and visualize flood behaviour in prairie river systems. The project integrates rainfall-runoff modelling, flood frequency analysis, hydraulic profiling, and climate sensitivity assessment into a single desktop application with an interactive graphical interface.

Built to reflect professional workflows used in Alberta flood hazard studies, the system demonstrates how core methods from HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS can be replicated programmatically for education, prototyping, and portfolio demonstration purposes.

Key Features
End-to-end flood modelling pipeline
Rainfall to runoff using SCS Curve Number and Clark Unit Hydrograph
Flood frequency analysis using Log-Pearson Type III
1D hydraulic water surface profiling based on Manning’s equation
Interactive desktop GUI
Clean, modern interface built with Tkinter
Individual run buttons for each simulation module
One-click full simulation execution
Embedded viewer for all generated figures
Automated visualization outputs
Hydrographs for multiple return periods
Flood frequency curves with confidence bounds
Longitudinal water surface profiles
Cross-section inundation plots
Calibration diagnostics and residual analysis
Climate change sensitivity scenarios
Climate scenario analysis
Flow adjustments aligned with PCIC RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 projections
Comparative visualization of future flood risk
Self-contained and portable
No dependency on external hydrologic software
Minimal Python dependencies
Runs as a single script
Technical Approach

The project replicates standard engineering methods used in flood hazard identification studies:

Hydrology (HEC-HMS equivalent)
SCS Curve Number abstraction and excess rainfall generation
Clark Unit Hydrograph for watershed response
Hydraulics (HEC-RAS equivalent)
Steady-state 1D backwater computation
Manning’s equation for flow resistance
Statistics
Log-Pearson Type III distribution for flood frequency analysis
Weibull plotting positions for observed data
Visualization
Matplotlib-based engineering-grade plots
Automated report-style figure generation
Engineering Relevance

The workflow aligns with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas FHIP practices, including:

Design storm modelling
Flood frequency estimation
Water surface elevation profiling
Calibration performance metrics (RMSE, bias)
Climate change sensitivity screening

While simplified for demonstration, the structure mirrors real consulting deliverables and modelling pipelines.

Value for Practice

This project demonstrates:

ability to translate hydrologic theory into working code
understanding of Alberta flood modelling standards
integration of data science with engineering workflows
development of user-facing analytical tools
clean, maintainable, production-style Python scripting
Use Cases
Engineering portfolio demonstration
Teaching hydrologic modelling concepts
Rapid prototyping of flood scenarios
Visualization of flood risk for stakeholders
Summary

Prairie FloodLab showcases a complete, self-contained flood modelling system that bridges engineering practice and software development. It highlights both technical depth and practical implementation, making it well suited for roles in water resources engineering, hydrology, and environmental data science.