Roland J Viger
Roland Viger is Chief of the Geo-Intelligence Branch for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Roland Viger holds degrees in geography from the University of Toronto and the University of Colorado-Boulder (PhD). After contracting with the USGS Branch of Petroleum Geology as a GIS analyst for the National Hydrocarbon Assessment in 1992, he joined the Water Resources National Research Program in Denver as the GIS lead on the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System project (subsequently the Modeling of Watershed Systems project). As a Research Geographer, interests include integrated simulation modeling, spatial analyses for the delineation and characterization of landscape features for modeling, and geoinformatics. In addition to improving the use of geographic information in modeling, he is interested in the development of national and continental hydrologic modeling systems. His methods, data, and software (examples include the GIS Weasel software and the Geospatial Fabric for the National Hydrologic Modeling Framework) and training materials for geographic analysis in hydrologic simulation modeling have been used throughout the U.S., as well as internationally. He provides consultation within and outside the USGS and has represented USGS interests to other organizations. He has been a member of the Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI), the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), the USGS Core Science Systems Strategic Science Planning Team, various steering committees for the National Hydrography Dataset, and the future of hydrologic modeling in the USGS.
Roland is active in the USGS Community for Data Integration (CDI), and the American Water Resources Association.
EDUCATION
- Ph.D. Geography (Geographic Information Science), University of Colorado-Boulder; August 2011
- M.A. Geography (Geographic Information Science), University of Colorado-Boulder; March 2004
- B.S. Geography, University of Toronto; March 1992
APPOINTMENTS
- 2017-present: Chief, Branch of Geo-Intelligence, USGS Water Resources Mission Area
- 2011-present: Research Geographer, Modeling of Watershed Systems (MoWS), National Research Program, USGS Water Mission Area, Denver, CO
- June 2007-2011: Geographer, Modeling of Watershed Systems (MoWS), National Research Program, USGS Water Mission Area, Denver, CO
- June 1995-June 2007: Physical Scientist, Precipitation-Runoff Modeling Systems, National Research Program, USGS Water Resources Division, Denver, CO
- Oct. 1994-April 1995: Physical Science Technician, Branch of Petroleum Geology, USGS Geologic Division, Denver, CO
RECENT COMMITTEES and ACTIVITIES
- Department of Interior Open-Source GIS committee
- Advisory Council on Water Information: Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data: Open Water Data Initiative and the Internet of Water
- Strategic Science Planning Team for Core Science Systems
- Coordinator/Leader for USGS Community for Data Integration
Science and Products
Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States
National Stream Summarization: Standardizing Stream-Landscape Summaries
Understanding the Impacts of Glaciers on Streamflow in Alaska and Washington
Evaluation of downscaled General Circulation Model (GCM) output for current conditions and associated error in simulated runoff for CONUS
Developing a VisTrails Platform for Modeling Streamflow Hydrology and Projecting Climate Change Effects on Streamflow
SERAP: Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
Southeast Regional Assessment Project (SERAP): Assessing Global Change Impacts on Natural and Human Systems in the Southeast
Monthly twelve-digit hydrologic unit code aggregations of the WRF-Hydro modeling application with CONUS404BA Atmospheric Forcings, 2009-2021
CONUS404: Four-kilometer long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the conterminous United States (ver. 2.0, December 2023)
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Water Model Retrospective (v2.1) at benchmark streamflow locations (ver. 2.0, December 2022)
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Hydrologic Model application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (v1 byObs Muskingum) at benchmark streamflow locations in the conterminous Un
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by D-score (v0.1) for the National Hydrologic Model application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (v1 byObs Muskingum) at benchmark streamflow locations
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by D-score (v0.1) for the National Water Model Retrospective (v2.1) at benchmark streamflow locations
National-Scale Grid to Support Regional Groundwater Availability Studies and a National Hydrogeologic Framework
Supporting data for A Glacier Runoff Extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
Documentation of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System and Output from the RegCM3 Regional Climate Model Used to Estimate Potential Effects of Climate Change on Streamflow for Seven Watersheds in Eastern and Central Montana (2013-2014 Analyses)
CONUS404: The NCAR-USGS 4-km long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the CONUS
A unique, high-resolution, hydroclimate reanalysis, 40-plus-year (October 1979–September 2021), 4 km (named as CONUS404), has been created using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model by dynamically downscaling of the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis of the global climate dataset (ERA5) over the conterminous United States. The p
Benchmarking high-resolution hydrologic model performance of long-term retrospective streamflow simulations in the contiguous United States
Integrated hydro-terrestrial modeling: Development of a national capability
Spatiotemporal variability of modeled watershed scale surface-depression storage and runoff for the conterminous United States
Simulation of water availability in the Southeastern United States for historical and potential future climate and land-cover conditions
Enhancement of a parsimonious water balance model to simulate surface hydrology in a glacierized watershed
Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole Region
Description of the National Hydrologic Model for use with the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS)
Community for Data Integration 2016 annual report
mizuRoute version 1: A river network routing tool for a continental domain water resources applications
A glacier runoff extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
sciencebasepy: A Python library for programmatic interaction with the USGS ScienceBase platform
Python GIS Flood Tool (pygft)
The Python GIS Flood Tool (pygft) was designed to process stream, catchment, and elevation datasets in order to assess the extent and depth of flooding for each stream reach. The model itself is light-weight, created with the capability to scale to larger regions or CONUS (conterminous United States) scales.
Science and Products
Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States
National Stream Summarization: Standardizing Stream-Landscape Summaries
Understanding the Impacts of Glaciers on Streamflow in Alaska and Washington
Evaluation of downscaled General Circulation Model (GCM) output for current conditions and associated error in simulated runoff for CONUS
Developing a VisTrails Platform for Modeling Streamflow Hydrology and Projecting Climate Change Effects on Streamflow
SERAP: Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
Southeast Regional Assessment Project (SERAP): Assessing Global Change Impacts on Natural and Human Systems in the Southeast
Monthly twelve-digit hydrologic unit code aggregations of the WRF-Hydro modeling application with CONUS404BA Atmospheric Forcings, 2009-2021
CONUS404: Four-kilometer long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the conterminous United States (ver. 2.0, December 2023)
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Water Model Retrospective (v2.1) at benchmark streamflow locations (ver. 2.0, December 2022)
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by the standard statistical suite (v1.0) for the National Hydrologic Model application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (v1 byObs Muskingum) at benchmark streamflow locations in the conterminous Un
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by D-score (v0.1) for the National Hydrologic Model application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (v1 byObs Muskingum) at benchmark streamflow locations
Daily streamflow performance benchmark defined by D-score (v0.1) for the National Water Model Retrospective (v2.1) at benchmark streamflow locations
National-Scale Grid to Support Regional Groundwater Availability Studies and a National Hydrogeologic Framework
Supporting data for A Glacier Runoff Extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
Documentation of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System and Output from the RegCM3 Regional Climate Model Used to Estimate Potential Effects of Climate Change on Streamflow for Seven Watersheds in Eastern and Central Montana (2013-2014 Analyses)
CONUS404: The NCAR-USGS 4-km long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the CONUS
A unique, high-resolution, hydroclimate reanalysis, 40-plus-year (October 1979–September 2021), 4 km (named as CONUS404), has been created using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model by dynamically downscaling of the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis of the global climate dataset (ERA5) over the conterminous United States. The p
Benchmarking high-resolution hydrologic model performance of long-term retrospective streamflow simulations in the contiguous United States
Integrated hydro-terrestrial modeling: Development of a national capability
Spatiotemporal variability of modeled watershed scale surface-depression storage and runoff for the conterminous United States
Simulation of water availability in the Southeastern United States for historical and potential future climate and land-cover conditions
Enhancement of a parsimonious water balance model to simulate surface hydrology in a glacierized watershed
Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole Region
Description of the National Hydrologic Model for use with the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS)
Community for Data Integration 2016 annual report
mizuRoute version 1: A river network routing tool for a continental domain water resources applications
A glacier runoff extension to the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
sciencebasepy: A Python library for programmatic interaction with the USGS ScienceBase platform
Python GIS Flood Tool (pygft)
The Python GIS Flood Tool (pygft) was designed to process stream, catchment, and elevation datasets in order to assess the extent and depth of flooding for each stream reach. The model itself is light-weight, created with the capability to scale to larger regions or CONUS (conterminous United States) scales.