About LISFLOOD The LISFLOOD model is implemented in the PCRaster Environmental Modelling language Version 3.0.0 (Wesseling et al., 1996), wrapped in a Python based interface. PCRaster is a raster GIS environment that has its own high-level computer language, which allows the construction of iterative spatio-temporal environmental models. The Python wrapper of LISFLOOD enables the user to control the model inputs and outputs and the selection of the model modules. This approach combines the power, relative simplicity and maintainability of code written in the the PCRaster Environmental Modelling language and the flexibility of Python. LISFLOOD runs on any operating for which Python and PCRaster are available. Currently these include 32-bits Windows (e.g. Windows XP, Vista, 7) and a number of Linux distributions.

Although a wide variety of existing hydrological models are available that are suitable for each of these individual tasks, few single models are capable of doing all these jobs. Besides this, our objective requires a model that is spatially distributed and –at least to a certain extent- physically-based. Also, the focus of our work is on European catchments. Since several databases exist that contain pan-European information on soils (King et al., 1997; Wösten et al., 1999), land cover (CEC, 1993), topography (Hiederer & de Roo, 2003) and meteorology (Rijks et al., 1998), it would be advantageous to have a model that makes the best possible use of these data. Finally, the wide scope of our objective implies that changes and extensions to the model will be required from time to time. Therefore, it is essential to have a model code that can be easily maintained and modified. LISFLOOD has been specifically developed to satisfy these requirements. The model is designed to be applied across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. LISFLOOD is grid-based, and applications so far have employed grid cells of as little as 100 metres for medium-sized catchments, to 5000 metres for modelling the whole of Europe and up to 0.1° (around 10 km) for modelling globally. Long-term water balance can be simulated (using a daily time step), as well as individual flood events (using hourly time intervals, or even smaller). The output of a “water balance run” can be used to provide the initial conditions of a “flood run”. Although the model’s primary output product is channel discharge, all internal rate and state variables (soil moisture, for example) can be written as output as well. In addition, all output can be written as grids, or time series at user-defined points or areas. The user has complete control over how output is written, thus minimising any waste of disk space or CPU time.

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