Dr Doug Booker

Biography

Dr Doug Booker is a hydro-ecological modeler at NIWA. He is an expert in development, application and testing of data analytics for improved environmental management. He specialises in advanced data analysis methods such as machine learning and physically-based numerical modelling. Doug has over 20 years of experience researching environment flow requirements, and the interrelationships between flow, geomorphology and ecological values in rivers. He has recently led several large projects on pressure-state-impact modelling of fresh water flows, hydrological indices for national reporting, and indicators for water allocation. He has also conducted research on nationwide hydrological predictions, ecosystem health thresholds for suspended and deposited sediment, river water temperature data, and water quality state and trend analyses. Doug is a member of the NIWA-Meridian Energy Inflow Forecasting Governance Group and has served on the Ministry for the Environment’s Technical Advisory Group for reporting on freshwater. He is the leader of the Environmental Flows Programme, creater of the eFlowsExplorer app and the co-creator the NZrivermaps web app. 

Recently Featured Work

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Environmental flows

This programme is focussed on understanding the effects of human use of surface and groundwater systems to inform more sustainable water allocation decisions that benefit ecosystems and communities.

Freshwater

Hydrology and flow

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Environmental flows - publications

Hydrology and flow

Rivers

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Overview of environmental flow tools

Methods/tools that can be used to assess ecological flow requirements in rivers with varying degrees of hydrological alteration and instream values.

Freshwater

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Environmental flow tools

Tools and software to assist with determining and managing environmental water flows.

Rivers

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Environmental Flows Strategic Allocation Platform (EFSAP)

EFSAP is a water planning and management tool designed to assist with setting regional or large-scale water resource use limits for rivers.

Freshwater quality

Freshwater

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CHES - smarter use of New Zealand’s river waters

CHES (Cumulative Hydrological Effects Simulator) software tool predicts how water flows in a catchment will change with multiple water uses (e.g. direct abstractions or storage reservoirs) and what the consequences will be to in-stream ecosystems and reliability of water-take.