Handling and linking data and hydrological models - experiences from the Danish national water resources model (DK-model)

A national water resources model (DK-model) has been established covering the entire 43.000km(2) of Denmark. The model is presently updated including a revised hydrological interpretation based on existing local and regional models, a refinement of the model setup and resolution and a more detailed description of model input data. The present model update will be finalized by 2009, but visions are that the model will be updated regularly in the future, based on new detailed studies. Formulation of a nationwide hydrological model provides the opportunity to integrate all hydrological data in a consistent framework, i.e. linking raw data in databases to a conceptual understanding of the physical system. Such relation between data and the physical system is required for water management, particularly in European where water status must be reported at the level of (ground-)water bodies. Coupling models and databases are additionally beneficial for rapid model update by new input data, and for utilizing the model for quality assurance of data. During the model update, much emphasize have therefore been given to link the model to national databases with data relevant for hydrological modeling.