General questions regarding the INOWAS DSS platform

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How can I register for the INOWAS platform?

Click on “Sign up here” on the following link: https://dss.inowas.com/login.

Registration is fully free. Type in your name, e-mail and password and agree with our data privacy policy to create your own user account. 

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How to access the INOWAS Dashboard?

Go to “START NOW” in the main menu or use the following link: https://dss.inowas.com/login.

Type in your user name and password to sign in. After successful login, you will be automatically forwarded to the Dashboard where you can find all available tools and under “My Projects” the instances you already created.

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How to reset my password?

If you forgot your password, please write an e-mail to: info@inowas.webspace.tu-dresden.de

We will send you a random password by e-mail which you can afterwards change in your profile settings.

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What does it cost to use the INOWAS platform?

The registration and usage of the INOWAS platform is fully free for educational and research projects.  

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What is the INOWAS platform?

The INOWAS Decision Support System (DSS) is an open-source web service running in a standard web browser (Google Chrome recommended) for groundwater management applications, in particular managed aquifer recharge (MAR). Currently 19 tools of different complexity are implemented ranging from empirical MAR-related data-driven tools to numerical groundwater flow modeling applcations.  

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What tools are implemented on the INOWAS platform?

The INOWAS platform supports 19 tools of varying complexity at the moment. Here is a list of all tools: http://inowas.webspace.tu-dresden.de/category/tools/

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Which web browser is supported?

At the moment, we recommend to use Google Chrome or Safari. Those browsers are frequently tested to work well with the INOWAS platform. Other browsers are not tested and hence not recommended. Frequently, issues are reported that are related to the use of Mozilla Firefox in combination with the INOWAS platform. 

Background questions regarding managed aquifer recharge

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What is MAR applied for?

MAR can be applied to tackle a wide range of water-related problems. Many of these applications can be assessed by the INOWAS platform: http://inowas.webspace.tu-dresden.de/applications/

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What is MAR?

MAR is an abbreviation for managed aquifer recharge, the intentional recharge of water into the subsurface for later recovery or environmental benefits. Read more.

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What recharge techniques exist?

The following methods are frequently used to recharge an aquifer: http://inowas.webspace.tu-dresden.de/category/mar-methods/

Numerical groundwater flow modelling

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What software is behind the numerical modelling tool?

The numerical modelling capacities of the INOWAS platform are completely based on the MODFLOW family. Specifically, MODFLOW-2005 is currently implemented to solve the groundwater flow (see T03 Numerical groundwater flow modelling and optimization), MT3DMS to solve solute transport (see T03b. Solute transport (MT3DMS)) and SEAWAT to solve density-driven flow (see T03c. variable-density flow (SEAWAT)). 

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Why is my numerical model not converging?

There are many reasons for model nonconvergence and it can be sometimes hard to identify the model-specific issue. First check, whether it is a global problem (e.g. model conept including boundary conditions, iteration criteria) or a local problem (e.g. dry cells, high hydraulic conductivity changes). Please check the “Guide for model convergence” for further information.