Boase Hydrologic Sciences and Water Resources Engineering Seminar Series

Speaker: Richard Koehler, CEO, Visual Data Analytics, LLC

Title: Using AI as part of a water resources data analysis workshop - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Abstract: This webinar shows the field of informational design is a broader and more encompassing approach than data visualization. While data visualization is a type of visual communication that focuses on presenting data, informational design involves a wider range of visual and textual elements to convey complex information in a clear and understandable way. This technique is used to “myth bust” assumptions in examples of published case studies from hydrology and water resources. Demonstrated is how some status quo and standard ways of using data visualization can actually hinder research in hydrology and mislead the reader, student, faculty, or seasoned professional. New techniques using logic and a variation of time-series analysis are introduced.

Bio:

Richard Koehler, Ph.D., PH, brings over 40 years of experience in water resources, hydrology, and earth sciences. He is CEO of Visual Data Analytics, LLC, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, and a certified professional hydrologist and FAA-certified UAS pilot. Previously, he served as NOAA’s National Hydrologic and Geospatial Sciences Training Coordinator, developing and delivering professional training programs. He also taught at Front Range Community College, receiving the 2020–2021 Teaching Excellence Award.

A retired NOAA Corps lieutenant commander, Dr. Koehler held leadership positions aboard oceanographic and hydrographic survey vessels and served as an operational hydrologist at NOAA’s Colorado Basin and Northwest River Forecast Centers. His innovations in water supply forecasting visualization and river-stage modeling improved water management and navigation safety, earning him the NOAA Corps Commendation Medal. He also served as a water resources director for an Arizona consulting firm and hydrologist for Cochise County. He holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in watershed hydrology from the University of Arizona and an M.S. in hydrographic sciences from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. His research focuses on environmental time-series analysis and data visualization.