7.1 Introduction
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are able to approximate any
function to any degree of accuracy given enough internal nodes (Sandhu and
Finch, 1996). ANNs run significantly faster than the functions they approximate
with only a small loss of accuracy. CALSIM has the capability of using ANNs (as
well as the G-Model) to approximate Delta flow-salinity relationships. The ANNs
used are created from the Stuttgart Neural Network Simulator (SNNS). More
recently, ANNs have been used to generate salinity values at Martinez for
planning and forecasting studies.
During the last year, numerous approaches were taken to
improve the accuracy of the ANNs. These approaches included:
- The use of different node network structures;
- Perturbing the values of the inputs to reduce correlation and
increase the amount of available data; and
- Refining the scripts that generate the ANNs to improve their
stability.
7.2
Different Node Structures
The current network structure of the ANN consists of 72 input
nodes. Each of these nodes connect to a layer of eight internal hidden nodes
that connect to a second layer of two internal hidden nodes and end with a
single output node.
The 72 values entered into the input nodes come from 4 input
sources, each of which have 18 input values. The four input sources are the
Delta Cross Channel position, amount of combined exports and diversions,
Sacramento River inflow and San Joaquin River inflow. Sacramento inflow includes
Sacramento River flow, Yolo Bypass flow, and the combined flow from the
Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers (also known as the East Side Streams or ESS). The
combined exports and diversions includes: the State Water Project (SWP), Central
Valley Project (CVP), and North Bay Aqueduct exports, Contra Costa Water
District diversions, and the net channel depletions. These net channel
depletions are calculated using the Delta Island Consumptive Use (DICU) model.
The 18 input values for each input source come from the 8 daily values followed
by 10 weekly averages. These values cover the previous 77 days worth of values
and the current daily value. These 78 days of values create a memory that allow
the ANN to account for the influence of the previous state of the system and
calculate the state of the system.
The two layers of internal hidden nodes allow for interactions
between the input nodes. By allowing the input nodes to interact, the normal
interactions that would occur from the inputs of the system can be approximated.
The weights that get assigned during training reflect the amount of influence
that different inputs have on each other. The output node yields the final
result that comes from the application of all of the weightings on the inputs.
One network that was experimented with increased the number of
internal nodes in the first internal hidden layer to 16 and the second internal
hidden layer to 4. This configuration increased the time to train, but did not
significantly increase the accuracy of the results. The introduction of
additional internal nodes allows for more flexibility of the network and as such
allows for the ANN to approximate more spikes. At a certain level of increased
nodes, the network will lose integrity and become unresponsive due to not having
enough data to properly condition the nodes. By increasing the amount of data,
the number of internal nodes that can be supported is increased.
Another network experiment involved splitting the first hidden
layer into five hidden nodes. Two of the nodes contained linkages to only the
northern inputs: the Delta Cross Channel (DCC) position and Sacramento River
flow. Two more of the nodes contained linkages to only the southern inputs: the
combined exports and diversions and San Joaquin River flow. The last node
contained linkages to all four sources. This was tested because the sources
within the northern and southern areas are more likely to have an impact on each
other prior to interacting with the other area. This configuration increased the
level of complexity of the ANN structure without significantly increasing the
accuracy of the results.
7.3 Perturbation of Inputs
In an effort to increase model sensitivity to the effects of
the individual sources and increase the amount of available data to train the
networks, the inputs to the ANN were perturbed. Traditionally, while
training the ANN, the effect of the DCC position is isolated by using its normal
operation and then an inverted open/closed schedule. This is done by
running DSM2 for the normal operation and then running it again with the
inverted operation and then using the inputs and outputs for both DSM2 runs for
training the network. The desired effect of this perturbation is to
isolate the effects of the DCC from the Sacramento River and remove their
correlation to each other.
The network is normally trained on 5840 daily values retrieved
from a standard 16-year DSM2-QUAL planning study from October 1, 1975 through
September 30, 1991. The run is started at October 1, 1974, but the first
year's worth of data (except for 77 days used for memory building) is discarded
to account for the warm-up period that DSM2-QUAL requires. Although QUAL’s
warm-up period is only 3-4 months, the 1974 simulation data is not included in
the training data set in order to keep the number of data points for each month
uniform. Each perturbation increases the number of available training values by
5840.
In the same manner as with the DCC position, the remaining
three input values were perturbed by 20 percent. Increasing and decreasing the
values of each individual input while keeping the remaining inputs constant and
using the normal DCC operation yielded an additional six 16-year DSM2 runs worth
of values. The values for these six runs were added to the normal two done
for the DCC for a total of eight runs worth of data. In addition to
creating additional data for training, this data better reflected the influences
of the individual inputs. The increase or decrease of the value for each
input removed some of the correlation otherwise present in the training data
when the inputs were not treated independently.
The additional data allowed for an increase in the number of
internal nodes, from 8 to 32, without collapsing the integrity of the
network. The increased number of nodes allowed the network to have more
flexibility and increased the number of peaks that could be approximated.
7.4 Example of Using the ANN to Forecast Martinez Salinity
DSM2-QUAL requires that water quality conditions be specified at the
downstream boundary located at Martinez (RSAC054). ANNs have been used by
the Section over the past few years to estimate Martinez EC for DSM2 planning
studies. This year a new ANN was developed to estimate Martinez EC for
DSM2 forecasting applications.
Since this tool was designed for forecasting rather than planning
applications, the training inputs were limited to data that would be readily
available for forecasts. The ANN was trained on the following daily
average historical data measured from May 19, 1983 through December 10, 1999:
Martinez EC, Sacramento River flow at Freeport, San Joaquin River flow at
Vernalis, and combined SWP and CVP exports. Smaller Delta inflows such as East
Side Stream and Yolo Bypass are assumed to be small constant values in DSM2
forecasting applications; therefore, they were not included in ANN
training. Delta Cross Channel operation was not included in ANN training
as it has no measurable impact on Martinez salinity.
The training period was selected based on data availability. Missing
values were filled in using a simple linear fit. The first three-quarters of the
historical data were used for calibration and the last quarter was used for
validation.
The trained ANN was first used in several DSM2-QUAL simulations of historical
Delta conditions during November and December 1999. In these post-cast
simulations, historical SWP and CVP exports were altered in order to study the
impacts of project operations on Delta water quality. (Five different export
scenarios were evaluated.) Export modifications have a direct influence on
net Delta outflow and influence salinity at Martinez – thus requiring
estimates from the ANN. The trained ANN was applied in several DSM2-QUAL
forecast applications conducted in January and February 2000.
The use of the ANN to forecast EC at Martinez has been replaced by a new
boundary salinity forecasting process. This process is described in Chapter 11.
7.5 Conglomeration of Scripts
The scripts used to generate an Artificial Neural Network were
written in a combination of Python, Awk and C-shell scripts. Recently all
of the scripts were moved to a single scripting language (Python) and
incorporated as a part of the new VPlotter program. Through this change,
the generation of ANNs is now a more stable and repeatable process that is
easier to perform.
7.6 References
Sandhu, Nicky and R. Finch. (1996). "Application of
Artificial Neural Networks to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta."
Estuarine and Coastal Modeling, Proceedings of the 4th International
Conference.
Author: Tawnly Pranger
Back to Delta Modeling Section 2000 Annual Report Table of Contents
Last revised: 2000-10-23
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