Availability of FEH methods

The following tables provide a detailed summary of the major advances in the FEH Statistical and Rainfall-Runoff Methods (including data and software), how they were funded and how open each part of the method is.

FEH Statistical Method (data, method and software)

Data

Dataset Availability Funding Cost
NRFA Peak Flow Dataset (quality assured gauging station peak flows and catchment descriptors)
  • Annual download available from UKCEH website.
  • Multiple standard data export formats (xml, csv, txt) for all Peak Flow gauging stations available for use in a range of applications or workflows.
  • Includes gauged peak flows (AMAX & POT), FEH catchment descriptors and FEH13 (from v10) and FEH22 (from v11.1) rainfall.
  • Regulatory agencies
  • Free
    • Ungauged catchment descriptors via FEH Web Service
  • Easy access for all users through an intuitive rich mapping interface accessed via a web browser.
  • Multiple standard data export formats (xml, csv, txt, shp) for purchased catchments and points available for use in a range of applications or workflows.
  • Includes a clear and accessible data usage license.
  • Methods used to derive catchment descriptors datasets fully published in FEH Volume 5 and subsequent reports (all freely downloadable).
  • Development of design rainfall FEH99, FEH13 and FEH22 fully published (freely downloadable).
  • FEH Web Service development, maintenance and user support sustainability funded by UKCEH through reinvestment of income that is linked to volume of use by the flood risk industry users.
  • £27.50 or less per catchment
  • £5.50 or less per point
  • Significant discounts are applied to regulatory users and for educational and research users.

    • Methods

    MethodAvailabilityFunding
    1999 FEH Statistical Method
  • The method is fully published in the Flood Estimation Handbook Volume 3 (freely downloadable).
    		•
  • MAFF
  • NERC
    • 2008 Improved Statistical Method
  • The method is fully published in the ‘Improving the FEH statistical procedures for flood frequency estimation’ Science Report (freely downloadable).
    		•
  • Defra
  • Environment Agency
    • Urban adjustment procedures
  • Kjeldsen, T.R and Jones, D. (2010). Predicting the index flood in ungauged UK catchments: On the link between data-transfer and spatial model error, J. Hydrol., 387, 1–9 (Journal paper needs to be purchased)
  • Kjeldsen, T.R (2010). Modelling the impact of urbanization on flood frequency relationships in the UK. Hydrology Research, Volume 41, Issue 5, 391-405 (freely downloadable)
  • The method is fully published in WHS Science Report (freely downloadable).
    		•
  • UKCEH
  • WHS
    • FEH Local (incl historical data)
  • ‘Making better use of local data in flood frequency estimation’ Science Report (freely downloadable).
    		•
  • Defra
  • Environment Agency
  • Natural Resources Wales
  • Welsh Government
    • QMED donor adjustment
  • T. R. Kjeldsen, D. A. Jones, D. G. Morris. 2014. Using multiple donor sites for enhanced flood estimation in ungauged catchments. Water Resources Research, Vol 50, Issue 8, Pages 6646–6657 (freely downloadable)
    		•
  • UKCEH
    • QMED Linking equation
  • The method is fully published in WHS Science Report (freely downloadable).
    		•
  • WHS
    • Small catchments
  • Small catchments Phase 2 report (implemented in WINFAP 5 software in 2021, still awaiting publication by the Environment Agency at end of 2022).
    		•
  • Environment Agency
  • UKCEH
  • JBA Consulting
    • BFIHOST19 in QMED equation
  • Griffin, A., Young, A. and Stewart, E.; Revising the BFIHOST catchment descriptor to improve UK flood frequency estimates. Hydrology Research 2019; 50 (6): 1508–1519 (freely downloadable)
    		•
  • UKCEH
    • Kappa distribution
  • Kjeldsen, T.R, Ahn, H and Prosdocimi, I. (2017). On the use of a four-parameter kappa distribution in regional frequency analysis. Hydrological Sciences Journal. 62:9, 1354-1363 (freely downloadable)
    		•
  • University of Bath
  • Yonsei University

    • Software

    SoftwareAvailabilityFundingCost
    WINFAP Software
  • Off-the-shelf commercial software available to purchase.
  • Software tool guides the user through appropriate use of the methods and prevents inconsistencies within application.
  • The current WINFAP software development, maintenance and user support sustainability funded by WHS through reinvestment of software income from the flood risk industry users.
  • £395 p.a.
  • Significant discounts are applied to regulatory users and for educational users.
    • FEH Statistical Open Source Libraries (e.g. Python or R)
  • Open source libraries, such as UKFE, freely available.
  • Requires detailed understanding for the appropriate application of the methods. 
  • Requires competence in the relevant scripting language.
  • Open source libraries are self-funded by author.
  • Supported by author and participating community.
  • Free

    • FEH Rainfall-Runoff Method (data, method and software)

    Data

    Dataset Availability Funding Cost
    Ungauged catchment descriptors and design rainfall via FEH Web Service
  • Easy access for all users through an intuitive rich mapping interface accessed via a web browser.
  • Multiple standard data export formats (xml, csv, txt, shp) for purchased catchments and points available for use in a range of applications or workflows.
  • Includes a clear and accessible data usage license.
  • Methods used to derive catchment descriptors datasets fully published in FEH Volume 5 and subsequent reports (all freely downloadable).
  • Development of design rainfall FEH99, FEH13 and FEH22 fully published (freely downloadable).
  • FEH Web Service development, maintenance and user support sustainability funded by UKCEH through reinvestment of income that is linked to volume of use by the flood risk industry users.
  • £27.50 or less per catchment
  • £5.50 or less per point
  • Significant discounts are applied to regulatory users and for educational and research users.

    • Methods

    Method Availability Funding
    1975 FSR
  • The Flood Studies Report, Supplementary Reports and maps (freely downloadable).  
  • NERC
    • 1999 FEH Rainfall-Runoff
  • The method is fully published in the Flood Estimation Handbook Volume 3 (freely downloadable).
  • MAFF
  • NERC
    • ReFH1
  • The FEH Supplementary Report 1 (freely downloadable) includes:
    • ReFH1 method, equations and coefficients.
    • Dataset used to derive parameter equations.
  • Defra
  • Environment Agency
    • ReFH 2.0 to ReFH 2.2 (updated parameter equations, FEH13 calibration, addition of point data, duration to 5 mins, Tp for Scotland)
  • Model structure fully described, with structure of equations in ReFH 2 technical guidance (freely available online).

  • Parameter equations:
    • Same published dataset used to update parameter equations, extended by SEPA datasets for Scotland.
    • Parameter equation coefficients were incorporated for user information in the ReFH 2 in-software help in 2019.
  • FEH13 calibration Cini equation:
    • Initial condition equation coefficients commercially restricted.
    • The ReFH 2 model structure and gauged catchment dataset used for calibration (Peak Flow AMAX, catchment descriptors, and FEH13 rainfall) are open and freely available.
  • Additional dataset developed in collaboration with SEPA, with update fully described in technical report (freely available online).
  • UKCEH
  • WHS
    • Small catchments
  • Small catchments Phase 2 report (implemented in ReFH 2 software in 2019, still awaiting publication by the Environment Agency at end of 2022).
  • Environment Agency
  • UKCEH
  • JBA Consulting
    • ReFH 2.3 (‘water balance’ model and calibration incl BFIHOST19, observed rainfall, inclusion of climate change uplift option)
  • ‘Water balance’ model structure fully described, with structure of equations in ReFH 2 technical guidance (freely available online). Model literature peer-reviewed in 2019 by EA, NRW, SEPA, DFI, and 2 EA framework contractors (Jacobs and JBA).
  • Parameter equations unchanged since ReFH 2.0 (see above).
  • ‘Water balance’ FEH13 calibration Cini equation:
    • Initial condition equation coefficients commercially restricted.
    • The ReFH 2 model structure and gauged catchment dataset used for calibration (Peak Flow AMAX, catchment descriptors, and FEH13 rainfall) are open and freely available.
  • WHS
    • ReFH2.3-FEH22 Calibration
  • Calibration of the ReFH2.3 model using the FEH22 rainfall peer-reviewed by the EA, NRW, SEPA, DFI and UKCEH and published in the 2023 science report (freely available online).
  • WHS

    • Software

    Software Availability Funding Cost
    ReFH 1 Spreadsheet
  • Withdrawn as method has been superseded.
  • The spreadsheet was available to download from UKCEH website and was unsupported.
  • Initial development was funded by the Environment Agency.
  • Free
    • ReFH 1 Software
  • Withdrawn as method has been superseded.
  • Initial development was publicly funding.
  • Support delivered by WHS through user support contracts.
  • £950 upfront cost
    • ReFH 1 Open Source Libraries (e.g. Python or R)
  • Open source libraries, such as UKFE, freely available.
  • Requires detailed understanding for the appropriate application of the methods. 
  • Requires competence in the relevant scripting language.
    		•
  • Open source libraries are self-funded by author.
  • Supported by author and participating community.
  • Free
    • ReFH 2 Software
  • Off-the-shelf commercial software available to purchase.
  • Software tool guides the user through appropriate use of the methods and prevents inconsistencies within application.
  • Current ReFH 2 software development, maintenance and user support sustainability funded by WHS through reinvestment of software income from the flood risk industry users.
  • £295 p.a.
  • Free to EA, NRW, SEPA
  • Significant discounts are applied for educational users.