CS7C - Concurrent Session 07C: Modeling Communications: Phase II – Post-modeling

Abstract Description: For the past two years, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), has worked to develop modeling communication guidelines for the dam safety industry. This presentation will share the final deliverable of DNRC’s Modeling Communication Project, which is focused on guidelines for post-modeling communication, including best practices for documentation, model meta data organization, and electronic file delivery, among others.

At the past two ASDSO Annual Conferences, DNRC, along with Gannett Fleming and GeoEngineers, presented their idea for (2023 Conference) and deliverable (2024 Conference) of Phase I of the Modeling Communication Project. The resultant fact sheet from Phase I focused on pre-modeling communication and is now hosted on ASDSO’s DamToolbox.org (https://damtoolbox.org/wiki/Modeling_Communication). Like Phase I, Phase II’s post-modeling fact sheet deliverable has been supported by a volunteer Study Group formed by ASDSO's Dam Toolbox Committee and will be hosted on DamToolbox.org upon completion in March 2025.

In developing the Phase II: Post-modeling Fact Sheet, the study group endeavored to provide general reporting and communication guidance applicable to all modeling sub-disciplines within the dam safety industry, with specific guidance and organizational aids tailored to the five most common analyses: rainfall-runoff, hydraulic, dam break, seepage, and embankment stability modeling. In addition to the fact sheet, sample metadata organization tables/forms are provided to aid owners, regulators, and consultants in retrieving and interpreting previous models that are commonly needed to support current or future studies.