The CIROH team at the University of Iowa develops and contributes a suite of Research to Operations (R2O) products that strengthen NOAA’s national water prediction capabilities. Our work spans the Improvement of Water Resources Prediction Systems, the Acceleration of Community Water Resources Modeling, the Advancement and Augmentation of Hydroinformatics, and Community & Education. Through applied research, operational prototypes, open-source tools, and capacity-building activities, we help bridge the gap between scientific innovation and practical implementation, enabling more accurate, scalable, and user-centered water prediction services.
CIROH Publications
View all
| 1 | Baydaroğlu, Ö., Muste, M., Cikmaz, A. B., Kim, K., Meselhe, E., & Demir, I. (2024). Testing protocols for smoothing datasets of hydraulic variables acquired during unsteady flows. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 69(13), 1813-1830. |
| 2 | Demiray, B. Z., Sermet, Y., Yildirim, E., & Demir, I. (2025). FloodGame: An interactive 3D serious game on flood mitigation for disaster awareness and education. Environmental Modelling & Software, 188, 106418. |
| 3 | Emiroglu, E., Grant, C. A., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2025). Floodcraft: Game-based interactive learning environment using Minecraft for flood mitigation for K-12 education. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 105799. |
| 4 | Erazo, C., Sermet, M., & Demir, I. (2023). HydroCompute: An Open-Source Web-Based Computational Library for Hydrology and Environmental Sciences. EarthArXiv eprints, X5FM2D. |
| 5 | Foroumandi, E., Moradkhani, H., Krajewski, W. F., & Ogden, F. L. (2025). Ensemble data assimilation for operational streamflow predictions in the next generation (NextGen) framework. Environmental Modelling & Software, 185, 106306. |
| 6 | House, E., Kim, K., Muste, M., Meselhe, E., & Demir, I. (2025). Back to basics: On the proper determination of free-surface slope (FSS) in gradually varied open channel flows. Flow measurement and instrumentation, 106, 102979. |
| 7 | Kadiyala, L. A., Mermer, O., Samuel, D. J., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2024). The implementation of multimodal large language models for hydrological applications: A comparative study of GPT-4 vision, gemini, LLaVa, and multimodal-GPT. Hydrology, 11(9), 148. |
| 8 | Kadiyala, L., Sajja, R., Sermet, Y., Muste, M., & Demir, I. (2025). AI-driven decision-making for water resource planning and hazard mitigation using automated multi-agents. Journal of hydroinformatics. |
| 9 | Kaynak, S., Kaynak, B., Ramirez, C. E., & Demir, I. (2025). Geo-WC: Custom web components for earth science organizations and agencies. Environmental Modelling & Software, 185, 106328. |
| 10 | Kizilkaya, D., Sajja, R., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2025). Toward HydroLLM: a benchmark dataset for hydrology-specific knowledge assessment for large language models. Environmental Data Science, 4, e31. |
| 11 | Kizilkaya, D., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2025). Towards HydroLLM: approaches for building a domain-specific language model for hydrology. Journal of hydroinformatics, 27(10), 1652-1666. |
| 12 | Krajewski, W. F., Goska, R., Post, R., Quintero, F., & Velasquez, N. (2025). Is This Rainfall Forecast Good or Bad? For Flood Forecasting, the Answer Is Scale Dependent. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 106(9), E1772-E1793. |
| 13 | Mudiyanselage, U. H., Gonzalez, E. L., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2025). An Immersive Hydroinformatics Framework with Extended Reality for Enhanced Visualization and Simulation of Hydrologic Data. Applied Sciences, 15(10), 5278. |
| 14 | Muste, M., Kim, J., Kim, D., & Despax, A. (2024). Implementation of Standardized Uncertainty Analysis for Streamflow Measurements Acquired with Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 150(6), 04024041. |
| 15 | Muste, M., Kim, K., Kim, D., & Fleit, G. (2025). Decoding the Hysteretic Behaviour of Hydraulic Variables in Lowland Rivers Using Multivariate Monitoring Approaches. Hydrological Processes, 39(1), e70008. |
| 16 | Pursnani, V., Sermet, Y., Kurt, M., & Demir, I. (2023). Performance of ChatGPT on the US fundamentals of engineering exam: Comprehensive assessment of proficiency and potential implications for professional environmental engineering practice. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 5, 100183. |
| 17 | Ramirez, C. E., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2024). HydroCompute: An open-source web-based computational library for hydrology and environmental sciences. Environmental Modelling & Software, 175, 106005. |
| 18 | Ramirez, C. E., Sermet, Y., Shahid, M., & Demir, I. (2024). HydroRTC: A web-based data transfer and communication library for collaborative data processing and sharing in the hydrological domain. Environmental Modelling & Software, 178, 106068. |
| 19 | Sajja, R., Pursnani, V., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2025). AI-assisted educational framework for floodplain manager certification: Enhancing vocational education and training through personalized learning. IEEE access. |
| 20 | Sajja, R., Ramirez, C. E., Li, Z., Demiray, B. Z., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2024). Integrating generative AI in hackathons: Opportunities, challenges, and educational implications. Big Data and Cognitive Computing, 8(12), 188. |
| 21 | Sajja, R., Sermet, Y., Cikmaz, M., Cwiertny, D., & Demir, I. (2024). Artificial intelligence-enabled intelligent assistant for personalized and adaptive learning in higher education. Information, 15(10), 596. |
| 22 | Sajja, R., Sermet, Y., Cwiertny, D., & Demir, I. (2025). Integrating AI and learning analytics for data-driven pedagogical decisions and personalized interventions in education. Technology, knowledge and learning, 1-31. |
| 23 | Sajja, R., Xiong, S., Mermer, O., Sermet, Y., & Demir, I. (2025). A Bibliometric Overview of Conversational AI in Hydrology and Environmental Sciences. Information Geography, 100030. |
CIROH Supported Products
View all
| Year | Product Type | Product Description | Research Support Award Number |
| 2024 | Data or Databases | WRF-Hydro and T-Route simulation results for 2015-2021 for five Iowa basins | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Instruments or Equipment | Novel streamflow monitoring system that uses open-channel flow governing equations for determining the discharge without making recourse to rating curves. | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroCompute | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroRTC | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroSuite AI | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | RasterJS | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroServer application programming interface services | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroServer data management web application | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroServer data quality control web application | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroServer Python client package | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroServer SensorThings application programming interface implementation | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroServer software issue tracker and documentation | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | HydroServer streaming data loader software application | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | FloodCraft: A Minecraft mod to teach flood impact and mitigation strategies to K-12 | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | FloodGame Web App: An Interactive 3DSerious Game on Flood Mitigation for Disaster Awareness and Education | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | FloodSim Sandbox: Real-Time Flood Simulation VR Environment in Unreal Engine | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | Unity VR App for Immersive Hydroinformatics: Utilizing Virtual Reality for Enhanced Visualization and Management of Hydrologic Data | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | Unreal VR App for Hydroinformatics Classroom with AI Instructor | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
| 2024 | Software | Unreal VR App for Hydrological Equipment Demonstration and Repair | Award No: NA22NWS4320003TI01 |
View Products by Category
Near real-time streamflow forecast evaluation
This web application allow users to compare streamflow forecastfrom hydrological models to observations from USGS gauges.
Near real-time precipitation forecast evaluation web application
This web application allow users to compare short range precipitation forecast to precipitation estimates from the MRMS product.
Novel streamflow monitoring system
Novel streamflow monitoring system that uses open-channel flow governing equations for determining the discharge without making recourse to rating curves.
Adapting the Iowa Flood Center's Hillslope Link Model (HLM) for compatibility with the NextGen Framework
This software is designed with Basic Model Interface (BMI) principals to integratethe HLM model with the NOAA NextGen water resources modeling framework.
FloodCraft - Flood Mitigation Strategy Game
Innovative and engaging educational game designed to teach K-12 students aboutessential flood mitigation strategies in an interactive and enjoyable manner.
FloodGame Web App
FloodGame Web App: An Interactive 3DSerious Game on Flood Mitigation for Disaster Awareness and Education.
Precipitation Frequency and Storm Analysis in Operational Hydrology
This module equips operational hydrologists with the fundamental context needed for real-time forecasting during extreme rainfall events and for contributing to long-term planning and response efforts.
CIROH Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute
Researcher Mohamed Abdelkader contributed to the “Pluvial Urban Flooding” theme during the 2025 WaterPrediction Innovators Summer Institute.
USGS FLOW Academy
Researcher Marian Muste contributed to the 2025 USGS FLOW Academy training program.
Presenting to the Press and Stakeholders
Joanna Krajewski and Witold Krajewski hosted a workshop under the science communication track during the CIROH 1st Annual Training and Developers Conference 2023.