REPRODUCIBLE GROUNDWATER SCIENCE WORKFLOWS FOR THE FUTURE: A CASE FOR TEXAS GROUNDWATER AVAILABILITY MODELS

The Earth resources so critical to humans are best understood through scientific sources of knowledge such as data and models, and the interdisciplinary nature of geosciences often requires large-scale and data-intensive numerical modeling. Groundwater in Texas is one such area that can greatly benefit from advanced decision support. However, scientific workflows regarding computer software often suffer various problems that hinder widespread reusability and scientific reproducibility, such as insufficient documentation and the lack of backward compatibility if the software is outdated.

This research develops and tests methodologies to inform the design of best practices for documenting and preserving reproducible workflows and scientific software. Methodologies were tested with an existing codebase and assets from the Groundwater Decision Support System (GWDSS), originally developed in 2006 for participatory decision making and groundwater management, specifically for the Barton Springs Segment of the Edwards Aquifer. This research sought to resurrect GWDSS by replicating and improving many of the old functionalities of GWDSS, leveraging high-performance computing for batch processing of data while seeking to integrate new web-based technologies for data visualization. Ultimately, research efforts informed design and preparation of an ideal architecture that uses an open source framework and technology stack that enables users to easily access and use distributed data systems.