Optimal Stream Gauge Network Design Using Entropy Theory and Importance of Stream Gauge Stations

Abstract

Stream gauge stations are facilities for measuring stream water levels and flow rates, and their main purpose is to produce the data required to analyze hydrological phenomena. However, there are no specific criteria for selecting the locations and installation densities of stream gauge stations, which results in numerous problems, including regional imbalances and overlapping. To address these issues, a stream gauge network was constructed in this study considering both the transinformation of entropy (objective function 1) and the importance of each stream gauge station (objective function 2). To account for both factors, the optimal combinations that satisfied the two objective functions were determined using the Euclidean distance. Based on the rainfall runoff analysis results, unit hydrographs reflecting stream connectivity were derived and applied to entropy theory. The importance of each stream gauge station was calculated considering its purposes, such as flood control, water use, and environment. When this method was applied to the Namgang Dam Basin, it was found out that eight out of 12 stream gauge stations were required. The combination of the selected stations reflected both the transinformation of entropy and the importance of each station.

Assessing placement bias of the global river gauge network

“…Gauge placement decisions are made to satisfy a variety of local factors, but the use of gauge data to draw conclusions about watershed hydrology, ecology and human water needs comes with the necessity that the gauge network is representative of the attributes of all rivers 11 . Better accounting for socioecological and environmental heterogeneity in gauge networks will improve hydrologic models 47 Tropical and subtropical upland rivers and their utility in informing water security challenges and strategies for addressing the freshwater biodiversity crisis 12 . Further, given the paucity of water information in some of the world's river basins, additional gauges and advances in alternative data sources can substantially improve the information base upon which water resource-management decisions are made.…”

Ranking and optimizing the rain-gauge networks using the entropy–copula approach (Case study of the Siminehrood Basin, Iran)

“…Then, they classified the recent applications of entropy into four groups (including precipitation, streamflow and water level, water quality, and soil moisture and groundwater networks) and investigated them. Joo et al (2019) investigated and redesigned a hydrometric station by implementing two objective functions (i.e., changes in entropy information and the importance of each station according to their priority) using the Euclidean distance. They showed that 8 stations can be implemented instead of 12 ones so that the combination of the selected stations could reflect both the changes of entropy information and the importance of each station.…”

Design of Optimal Rainfall Monitoring Network Using Radar and Road Networks

“…The study [ 10 ] designed a hydrometric network of watersheds using the concept of marginal entropy, joint entropy and transinformation. The studies [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ] evaluated rainfall monitoring networks and presented the optimal network in terms of network composition. The design of an optimal rainfall monitoring network considering altitude as well as entropy was also investigated [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”