INTEGRATED SCIENCE AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ISWMS™)
Real-time
, probabilistic flood and low-flow intelligence forecasting and mapping designed for operational decision-making at scale.
Unlike conventional hydraulic modeling workflows, ISWMS™ combines ML-based probabilistic forecasting with rapid mapping, reducing time-to-insight from weeks to hours.
- Operational forecasts with uncertainty: supports real-time situational awareness and planning (including multi-scenario climate inputs where applicable).
- Fast, actionable mapping outputs: translates flow forecasts and design flows into flood risk intelligence that can be communicated visually.
- Built for complex engineering applications: supports infrastructure owners, emergency management, and resource/industrial operators.
Trusted since 1999 — Supporting operations for municipalities, conservation authorities, emergency management programs, and resource sector clients across Canada.
What ISWMS™ delivers
Modern watershed management requires forecasts that are not only timely, but also transparent about uncertainty and easy to act on. ISWMS™ integrates forecasting, hydrologic context, and mapping-oriented outputs to support decisions across flood response, drought/low-flow operations, and long-term planning.
Capabilities:
- Probabilistic flow forecasts — localized, uncertainty-aware predictions
- Flood and low-flow decision support — real-time operational view
- Flood-frequency analysis (FFA) — return-period design flow context
- Map-ready risk intelligence — web-ready visuals and decision outputs
Current platform capabilities
ISWMS™ v3 (Operational) — Machine-learning flow forecasting + FFA
- Incorporates a Temporal Fusion Transformer (TFT)-based machine-learning model to generate hydrometric flow forecasts across North America.
- Trained on an extensive archive of flow measurements from thousands of gauging stations, integrating:
- real-time hydrometric observations
- climate inputs
- catchment characteristics
- Produces localized probabilistic flow predictions to support operational decisions.
- Includes Flood-Frequency Analysis (FFA) functionality to derive return-period basin flows, enabling both real-time forecasting and long-term hydrologic design context.
See ISWMS™ v3 video (with audio)
ISWMS™ v5 (Prototype / Pilot) — Rapid hydraulic flood mapping with LiDAR-informed modeling
- Addresses a common gap: many regions lack up-to-date, decision-ready flood maps due to the cost and time required for conventional hydraulic modeling.
- Adds a computationally efficient hydraulic flood mapping approach designed to translate forecasted/design flows into inundation extents that can be rendered in web-based map products.
- Evaluated using a LiDAR-based open-source mapping database and assessed against a calibrated, validated, professionally sealed hydraulic model for a real river system context.
Validation and quality assurance
Validation highlights:
- Where validated: Mattagami River system / City of Timmins, Ontario
- Compared against: Calibrated, validated HEC-RAS 1D model sealed by a professional engineer
- Events tested: 25-, 50-, and 100-year return period floods; Timmins Storm (regulatory) flood event
- How evaluated: Flood extent comparison using 9 statistical performance measures
What this means for users: Confidence-aware outputs and decision support—not just a single deterministic line.
Limitation acknowledgment: Forecast skill varies by basin data availability and climate input quality. ISWMS™ outputs are decision-support tools and do not replace site-specific engineering assessments where required.
Applications
Resource and industrial operators (mining, oil sands, etc.)
- Operational risk management for flood/erosion susceptibility affecting facilities, access routes, and site infrastructure.
Utilities + hydropower
- Flow prediction for operational planning, asset protection, and optimization of hydropower operations.
Emergency management + public safety
- Flood early warning and operational response support for vulnerable communities, including flood-prone settlements and remote regions.
Infrastructure owners and corridors
- Risk intelligence for:
- Wastewater treatment plants impacted by floodplains (including CSO storage/overflow contexts).
- Road/bridge crossings and culverts supporting asset management programs.
- Transportation corridors susceptible to flash flooding.
- Pipeline/telecommunications crossings affected by erosion and extreme flows.
Consulting and planning
- Support for environmental assessment planning and design for corridors and facilities; technical inputs that support stakeholder engagement contexts where required.
Deployment and governance
- Designed to support operational usage with monitoring and controlled access.
- Supports defensible workflows by documenting inputs, assumptions, and uncertainty.
To explore how ISWMS™ supports operational flood and low-flow decision support, contact us or request a demonstration.
Updated: January 7, 2026
Greenland International Consulting Ltd.
