To further advance our hydrological model SPHY, we are proud to announce four major milestones for the SPHY modelling community. Since SPHY is widely used by FutureWater in capacity building programs, our goal has always been to make the model and its data as accessible and user-friendly as possible.
Until now, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for SPHY were only available in QGIS for version 2.0. This project has upgraded those plugins to ensure full compatibility with the latest versions of SPHY, QGIS, and Python. The updated plugins also integrate new functionalities to handle cutting-edge data sources as model inputs. With these new QGIS plugins, running SPHY no longer requires programming skills—opening the door for a much broader audience to set up, run, and analyze hydrological simulations with ease.
1. Introducing the SPHY QGIS plugin
SPHY is now directly integrated into QGIS, allowing users to set up, run, and visualize SPHY simulations through an intuitive graphical interface. This plugin streamlines workflows, improves accessibility for new users, and enhances integration with geospatial datasets. Features include
- Complete SPHY workflow integrated in QGIS
- Streamlined preprocessing of model inputs
- Intuitive, no-code interface
- Results visualized directly in QGIS
- Modular setup for diverse applications
- Open-source and fully reproducible
2. New SPHY website
The new SPHY website offers easier navigation, updated documentation, and a central hub for resources, downloads, and training materials. Visit www.sphymodel.com to explore a fresh, modern platform for all SPHY matters.
3. SPHY model version 3.1 released
The latest SPHY release on Github introduces new features, performance improvements, and enhanced capabilities for hydrological and cryospheric modelling. This version builds on the robust foundations of previous releases, integrating feedback from the community and advancing the model’s flexibility and accuracy. It can be downloaded completely free and is open source. New in this version are:
- Added bias-correction procedure for meteorological forcing
- Increased flexibility and options for defining simulation periods
- Enhanced snow melt calculation
4. Updated manuals, tutorials and datasets
Manuals of the new SPHY version and QGIS plugin are now available, as well as new datasets to make your model work. For the new QGIS plugin a video tutorial was made to explain all the ins and outs of the tool.
More to come soon!
These developments mark a significant step forward in making SPHY more accessible, powerful, and user-friendly for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers worldwide. Soon we will organize a webinar to explain all the new features and later this year we plan on hosting a user day to discuss future model developments with the SPHY community.
