This is a collaborative project with Purdue University (PI), University of Iowa (Co-PI), and University of Colorado (Co-PI).

Information on river shape, bed morphology and sediment load are critical to help inform research and management issues related to river channels. However, such information is not easily accessible and/or available in public domain. This project will create a web platform for aggregating, storing, sharing and analyzing river related scientific data. The proposed web platform, labeled RiverMorph, will serve as a clearing house for river morphology data that will help improve our overall understanding of national rivers’ health using scientifically-rendered datasets. RiverMorph can also support management of current and future issues of the nation’s stressed water resources. The data and tools developed for RiverMorph will create digital representations of three-dimensional river morphological structures of most U.S. rivers, that can support fundamental research and practical needs related to stream rehabilitation, infrastructures design, and food risk mitigation. Through this catalytic project, we will demonstrate how RiverMorph can improve river flow forecasts and produce accurate flood inundation maps that subsequently can help save lives and billions of dollars in flood damages.