Deploying the WinTR-20 Computational Engine as a Web Service
Michael L. Coleman, Timothy R. Green, Olaf David, William H. Merkel, Quan D. Quan, Ken W. Rojas, Jeffrey D. Niemann · Applied Engineering in Agriculture · 2016
Abstract. Despite its simplicity and limitations, the runoff curve number method remains a widely-used hydrologic modeling tool, and its use through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) computer application WinTR-20 is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. To facilitate timely updates and revisions and to enable online deployment, a web service version of TR-20, the computational engine of WinTR-20 was developed and implemented through a partnership of the NRCS, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Colorado State University (CSU). The TR-20 web service provides the full computational abilities of the WinTR-20 application, but does not include the graphical user interface and its supporting features. By implementing TR-20 as a service, this model is more accessible and can be reused and repurposed for other current and future applications. Although the web service is currently intended for use by NRCS, it is accessible by the general public, both by direct access and through a website that provides a simple application of the web service.