Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR DO 17 N013
This grant opportunity, issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, supports the development of a web-based version of the RainyDay Stochastic Storm Transposition (SST) toolkit to improve physically based rainfall and flood hazard estimation. The central problem it targets is that precipitation varies dramatically across space and time, which means real-world floods can range from minor to catastrophic even within the same watershed, and only a small slice of those possible outcomes is represented in the historical record. Because observed rainfall records are often short, especially at the local scales used for engineering and flood studies, traditional methods can struggle to characterize extreme events and their probabilities, leading to major uncertainty in flood hazard estimates used for water management, infrastructure planning, and public safety.
The technical foundation of the project is RainyDay, a software package created by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with NASA. RainyDay applies the SST approach, which takes realistic storm patterns from available data and systematically repositions and recombines them over a basin or region to generate many plausible extreme rainfall scenarios. From these scenarios, users can derive rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves and create large ensembles of extreme rainfall inputs suitable for hydrologic simulation. A key point emphasized in the opportunity is that SST can produce credible IDF and flood estimates for long return periods (at least on the order of 1,000 years) even when the input rainfall record is as short as about 10 years, which is particularly valuable in data-limited locations.
The opportunity also highlights an important data expansion that strengthens the method: a new 33-year, 100-member ensemble rainfall dataset. This larger ensemble is intended to allow simulation of much rarer storms than would be supported by short observational records alone, and to improve quantification of uncertainty. In practice, that means users can explore not just a single “design storm,” but a distribution of physically plausible extremes, helping analysts estimate both expected flood hazards and the confidence bounds around those estimates. The grant description underscores that RainyDay-generated rainfall scenarios can be coupled with hydrologic models to translate extreme rainfall into streamflow and flood metrics, producing more robust flood hazard assessments for planning and risk management.
A major deliverable is accessibility: moving RainyDay into a web-based toolkit so that water managers and the public can use it directly without needing specialized local installations or deep software setup expertise. The intent is essentially to operationalize advanced research-grade capability into a user-facing platform that can broaden adoption and standardize application, making it easier for agencies and practitioners to generate IDF information, test sensitivity to storm placement and structure, and run scenario-based flood hazard analyses.
Administratively, this posting is a Notice of Intent to Award specifically naming the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reflecting that the agency views UWM as uniquely qualified due to its direct experience developing and maintaining RainyDay. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement by the agency during the project, such as coordination on scope, deliverables, or technical direction. The opportunity is categorized under discretionary funding for science and technology research and development, with CFDA number 15.560. The expected number of awards is one, with an award ceiling of $55,000. The posting was created January 31, 2017, with an original closing date of February 14, 2017, consistent with the limited-competition nature of an intent-to-award announcement rather than an open solicitation.Apply for BOR DO 17 N013
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Development of a Web-based Stochastic Storm Transposition Toolkit for Physically-based Rainfall and Flood Hazard" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.560.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 31, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 14, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $55,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity about?
This opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation supports building a web-based version of the RainyDay Stochastic Storm Transposition (SST) toolkit. The goal is to improve physically based estimation of extreme rainfall and flood hazards by making advanced RainyDay capabilities easier to access and use through a browser-based platform.
What problem is the project trying to solve?
The project targets a core challenge in flood hazard work: precipitation varies sharply across space and time, so floods can range from small to catastrophic even within the same watershed. Only a small fraction of possible extreme outcomes appears in the historical record, and observed rainfall records are often short at the local scales needed for engineering and flood studies. That makes it difficult for traditional approaches to characterize rare extremes and their probabilities, increasing uncertainty in flood hazard estimates used for water management, infrastructure planning, and public safety.
What is RainyDay?
RainyDay is a software package developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with NASA. It applies the Stochastic Storm Transposition (SST) approach to generate many plausible extreme rainfall scenarios by reusing realistic storm patterns from available data and systematically repositioning and recombining them over a basin or region.
What does SST (Stochastic Storm Transposition) do in practice?
SST takes storm patterns that are consistent with observed or available rainfall data and transposes them (moves them around) across a study basin or region, and can recombine them to create many plausible extreme rainfall realizations. This produces an ensemble of extreme rainfall scenarios that can be used for estimating rainfall statistics and for driving hydrologic simulations.
What kinds of outputs can users derive from RainyDay-generated scenarios?
Based on the description, users can derive rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves and generate large ensembles of extreme rainfall inputs suitable for hydrologic simulation. Those rainfall inputs can then be paired with hydrologic models to estimate streamflow and flood-related metrics.
What are IDF curves and why are they important here?
IDF (intensity-duration-frequency) curves summarize how rainfall intensity varies with storm duration and the frequency (or return period) of occurrence. The opportunity emphasizes that RainyDay-generated scenarios can be used to produce credible IDF information for long return periods, improving the basis for flood hazard and design analyses.
How can RainyDay help in places with limited rainfall records?
The posting emphasizes that SST can produce credible IDF and flood estimates for long return periods (at least on the order of 1,000 years) even when the input rainfall record is as short as about 10 years. This is highlighted as especially valuable where observational records are too short to support traditional extreme-value approaches at local engineering scales.
What return periods does the opportunity specifically mention?
It specifically notes that RainyDay/SST can support credible IDF and flood estimates for long return periods at least on the order of 1,000 years, even with relatively short input records (around 10 years).
What is the expanded rainfall dataset mentioned, and why does it matter?
The opportunity highlights a new 33-year, 100-member ensemble rainfall dataset. This expanded ensemble is intended to support simulation of much rarer storms than short observational records would allow and to improve quantification of uncertainty, enabling users to analyze a broader distribution of physically plausible extremes rather than relying on a single design storm.
How does the approach address uncertainty in flood hazard estimates?
By generating many physically plausible extreme rainfall scenarios (rather than a single event), the method supports estimating not only expected flood hazards but also confidence bounds around those estimates. The 33-year, 100-member ensemble dataset is specifically described as improving the ability to quantify uncertainty and explore rarer events.
How are rainfall scenarios connected to flood estimates?
The opportunity states that RainyDay-generated rainfall scenarios can be coupled with hydrologic models, translating extreme rainfall into streamflow and flood metrics. This linkage is presented as a way to produce more robust flood hazard assessments for planning and risk management.
What is the major deliverable funded by this grant?
A primary deliverable is moving RainyDay into a web-based toolkit so water managers and the public can use it directly without specialized local installations or deep software setup expertise. The intent is to operationalize research-grade capability into a user-facing platform that broadens adoption and helps standardize application.
Who is intended to use the web-based toolkit?
The description highlights water managers and the public as target users, with an emphasis on reducing barriers to use (no specialized local installation and less need for deep setup expertise).
What types of analyses does the web-based RainyDay toolkit aim to support?
It is intended to make it easier for agencies and practitioners to generate IDF information, test sensitivity to storm placement and structure, and run scenario-based flood hazard analyses using ensembles of plausible extreme rainfall events.
What agency is issuing this opportunity?
The opportunity is issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.
What is the funding instrument for this award?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. The posting notes that this typically implies substantial agency involvement during the project, such as coordination on scope, deliverables, or technical direction.
Is this an open competitive solicitation?
No. This posting is described as a Notice of Intent to Award that specifically names the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reflecting the agency view that the University is uniquely qualified due to its direct experience developing and maintaining RainyDay.
Who is the intended recipient named in the notice?
The Notice of Intent to Award specifically names the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Why does the notice name a specific institution?
Based on the description, the Bureau of Reclamation considers the University of Wisconsin-Madison uniquely qualified because it has direct experience developing and maintaining the RainyDay software package.
How many awards are expected under this opportunity?
The expected number of awards is one.
What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $55,000.
How is the opportunity categorized?
It is categorized under discretionary funding for science and technology research and development.
What CFDA number is listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 15.560.
When was the posting created and when did it close?
The posting was created on January 31, 2017, with an original closing date of February 14, 2017. The dates are consistent with a limited-competition intent-to-award announcement rather than an open solicitation.
What does the closing date indicate about who can apply?
The closing date is presented in the context of a Notice of Intent to Award naming a specific recipient, which indicates the opportunity is limited in competition and not structured as a general open call for applicants.
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