Prediction of the unconfined compressive strength of compacted granular soils by using inference systems

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural network (ANN) models have been extensively used to predict different soil properties in geotechnical applications. In this study, it was aimed to develop ANFIS and ANN models to predict the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of compacted soils. For this purpose, 84 soil samples with different grain-size distribution compacted at optimum water content were subjected to the unconfined compressive tests to determine their UCS values. Many of the test results (for 64 samples) were used to train the ANFIS and the ANN models, and the rest of the experimental results (for 20 samples) were used to predict the UCS of compacted samples. To train these models, the clay content, fine silt content, coarse silt content, fine sand content, middle sand content, coarse sand content, and gravel content of the total soil mass were used as input data for these models. The UCS values of compacted soils were output data in these models. The ANFIS model results were compared with those of the ANN model and it was seen that the ANFIS model results were very encouraging. Consequently, the results of this study have important findings indicating reliable and simple prediction tools for the UCS of compacted soils.     

Comparison of cokriging and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system models for suspended sediment load forecasting

The present research was carried out by using artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), cokriging (CK) and ordinary kriging (OK) using the rainfall and streamflow data for suspended sediment load forecasting. For this reason, the time series of daily rainfall (mm), streamflow (m³/s), and suspended sediment load (tons/day) data were used from the Kojor forest watershed near the Caspian Sea between 28 October 2007 and 21 September 2010 (776 days). Root mean square error, efficiency coefficient, mean absolute error, and mean relative error statistics are used for evaluating the accuracy of the ANN, ANFIS, CK, and OK models. In the first part of the study, various combinations of current daily rainfall, streamflow and past daily rainfall, streamflow data are used as inputs to the neural network and neuro-fuzzy computing technique so as to estimate current suspended sediment. Also, the accuracy of the ANN and ANFIS models are compared together in suspended sediment load forecasting. Comparison results reveal that the ANFIS model provided better estimation than the ANN model. In the second part of the study, the ANN and ANFIS models are compared with OK and CK. The comparison results reveal that CK was a better estimation than the OK. The ANFIS and ANN models also provided better estimation than the OK and CK models.     

Monthly reservoir inflow forecasting using a new hybrid SARIMA genetic programming approach

Forecasting reservoir inflow is one of the most important components of water resources and hydroelectric systems operation management. Seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models have been frequently used for predicting river flow. SARIMA models are linear and do not consider the random component of statistical data. To overcome this shortcoming, monthly inflow is predicted in this study based on a combination of seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) and gene expression programming (GEP) models, which is a new hybrid method (SARIMA–GEP). To this end, a four-step process is employed. First, the monthly inflow datasets are pre-processed. Second, the datasets are modelled linearly with SARIMA and in the third stage, the non-linearity of residual series caused by linear modelling is evaluated. After confirming the non-linearity, the residuals are modelled in the fourth step using a gene expression programming (GEP) method. The proposed hybrid model is employed to predict the monthly inflow to the Jamishan Dam in west Iran. Thirty years’ worth of site measurements of monthly reservoir dam inflow with extreme seasonal variations are used. The results of this hybrid model (SARIMA–GEP) are compared with SARIMA, GEP, artificial neural network (ANN) and SARIMA–ANN models. The results indicate that the SARIMA–GEP model (R ²=78.8, VAF =78.8, RMSE =0.89, MAPE =43.4, CRM =0.053) outperforms SARIMA and GEP and SARIMA–ANN (R ²=68.3, VAF =66.4, RMSE =1.12, MAPE =56.6, CRM =0.032) displays better performance than the SARIMA and ANN models. A comparison of the two hybrid models indicates the superiority of SARIMA–GEP over the SARIMA–ANN model.     

Spatial and temporal monthly precipitation forecasting using wavelet transform and neural networks,Qara-Qum catchment,Iran

This paper aims to provide a spatial and temporal analysis to prediction of monthly precipitation data which are measured at irregularly spaced synoptic stations at discrete time points. In the present study, the rainfall data were used which were observed at four stations over the Qara-Qum catchment, located in the northeast of Iran. Several models can be used to spatially and temporally predict the precipitation data. For temporal analysis, the wavelet transform with artificial neural network (WTANN) framework combines with the wavelet transform, and an artificial neural network (ANN) is used to analyze the nonstationary precipitation time-series. The time series of dew point, temperature, and wind speed are also considered as ancillary variables in temporal prediction. Furthermore, an artificial neural network model was used for comparing the results of the WTANN model. Therefore, four models were developed, including WTANN and ANN with and without ancillary data. Several statistical methods were used for comparing the results of the temporal analysis. It was evident that at three of the four stations, the WTANN models were more effective than the ANN models, and only at one station, the ANN model with ancillary data had better performance than the WTANN model without ancillary data. The values of correlation coefficient and RMSE for WTANN model with ancillary data for the validation period at Mashhad station which showed the best results were equal to 0.787 and 13.525 mm, respectively. Finally, an artificial neural network model was used as an alternative interpolating technique for spatial analysis.     

Suspended sediment load prediction of river systems: GEP approach

This study presents gene expression programming (GEP), an extension of genetic programming, as an alternative approach to modeling the suspended sediment load relationship for the three Malaysian rivers. In this study, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), regression model, and GEP approaches were developed to predict suspended load in three Malaysian rivers: Muda River, Langat River, and Kurau River [ANFIS (R ²?=?0.93, root mean square error (RMSE)?=?3.19, and average error (AE)?=?1.12) and regression model (R ²?=?0.63, RMSE?=?13.96, and AE?=?12.69)]. Additionally, the explicit formulations of the developed GEP models are presented (R ²?=?0.88, RMSE?=?5.19, and AE?=?6.5). The performance of the GEP model was found to be acceptable compare to ANFIS and better than the conventional models.     

An application of artificial intelligence for rainfall-runoff modeling

This study proposes an application of two techniques of artificial intelligence (AI) for rainfall-runoff modeling: the artificial neural networks (ANN) and the evolutionary computation (EC). Two different ANN techniques, the feed forward back propagation (FFBP) and generalized regression neural network (GRNN) methods are compared with one EC method, Gene Expression Programming (GEP) which is a new evolutionary algorithm that evolves computer programs. The daily hydrometeorological data of three rainfall stations and one streamflow station for Juniata River Basin in Pennsylvania state of USA are taken into consideration in the model development. Statistical parameters such as average, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, skewness, minimum and maximum values, as well as criteria such as mean square error (MSE) and determination coefficient (R ²) are used to measure the performance of the models. The results indicate that the proposed genetic programming (GP) formulation performs quite well compared to results obtained by ANNs and is quite practical for use. It is concluded from the results that GEP can be proposed as an alternative to ANN models.     

Forecasting of meteorological drought using Wavelet-ANFIS hybrid model for different time steps (case study: southeastern part of east Azerbaijan province, Iran)

Drought is accounted as one of the most natural hazards. Studying on drought is important for designing and managing of water resources systems. This research is carried out to evaluate the ability of Wavelet-ANN and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) techniques for meteorological drought forecasting in southeastern part of East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The Wavelet-ANN and ANFIS models were first trained using the observed data recorded from 1952 to 1992 and then used to predict meteorological drought over the test period extending from 1992 to 2011. The performances of the different models were evaluated by comparing the corresponding values of root mean squared error coefficient of determination (R ²) and Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient. In this study, more than 1,000 model structures including artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neural-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and Wavelet-ANN models were tested in order to assess their ability to forecast the meteorological drought for one, two, and three time steps (6 months) ahead. It was demonstrated that wavelet transform can improve meteorological drought modeling. It was also shown that ANFIS models provided more accurate predictions than ANN models. This study confirmed that the optimum number of neurons in the hidden layer could not be always determined using specific formulas; hence, it should be determined using a trial-and-error method. Also, decomposition level in wavelet transform should be delineated according to the periodicity and seasonality of data series. The order of models with regard to their accuracy is as following: Wavelet-ANFIS, Wavelet-ANN, ANFIS, and ANN, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, no research has been published that explores coupling wavelet analysis with ANFIS for meteorological drought and no research has tested the efficiency of these models to forecast the meteorological drought in different time scales as of yet.     

A comparative study of artificial neural networks,Bayesian neural networks and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system in groundwater level prediction

Predictive modeling of hydrological time series is essential for groundwater resource development and management. Here, we examined the comparative merits and demerits of three modern soft computing techniques, namely, artificial neural networks (ANN) optimized by scaled conjugate gradient (SCG) (ANN.SCG), Bayesian neural networks (BNN) optimized by SCG (BNN.SCG) with evidence approximation and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in the predictive modeling of groundwater level fluctuations. As a first step of our analysis, a sensitivity analysis was carried out using automatic relevance determination scheme to examine the relative influence of each of the hydro-meteorological attributes on groundwater level fluctuations. Secondly, the result of stability analysis was studied by perturbing the underlying data sets with different levels of correlated red noise. Finally, guided by the ensuing theoretical experiments, the above techniques were applied to model the groundwater level fluctuation time series of six wells from a hard rock area of Dindigul in Southern India. We used four standard quantitative statistical measures to compare the robustness of the different models. These measures are (1) root mean square error, (2) reduction of error, (3) index of agreement (IA), and (4) Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R). Based on the above analyses, it is found that the ANFIS model performed better in modeling noise-free data than the BNN.SCG and ANN.SCG models. However, modeling of hydrological time series correlated with significant amount of red noise, the BNN.SCG models performed better than both the ANFIS and ANN.SCG models. Hence, appropriate care should be taken for selecting suitable methodology for modeling the complex and noisy hydrological time series. These results may be used to constrain the model of groundwater level fluctuations, which would in turn, facilitate the development and implementation of more effective sustainable groundwater management and planning strategies in semi-arid hard rock area of Dindigul, Southern India and alike.     

Uncertainty analysis in bed load transport prediction of gravel bed rivers by ANN and ANFIS

River flow is a complex dynamic system of hydraulic and sediment transport. Bed load transport have a dynamic nature in gravel bed rivers and because of the complexity of the phenomenon include uncertainties in predictions. In the present paper, two methods based on the Artificial neural networks (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) are developed by using 360 data points. Totally, 21 different combination of input parameters are used for predicting bed load transport in gravel bed rivers. In order to acquire reliable data subsets of training and testing, subset selection of maximum dissimilarity (SSMD) method, rather than classical trial and error method, is used in finding randomly manipulation of these subsets. Furthermore, uncertainty analysis of ANN and ANFIS models are determined using Monte Carlo simulation. Two uncertainty indices of d factor and 95% prediction uncertainty and uncertainty bounds in comparison with observed values show that these models have relatively large uncertainties in bed load predictions and using of them in practical problems requires considerable effort on training and developing processes. Results indicated that ANFIS and ANN are suitable models for predicting bed load transport; but there are many uncertainties in determination of bed load transport by ANFIS and ANN, especially for high sediment loads. Based on the predictions and confidence intervals, the superiority of ANFIS to those of ANN is proved.     

Correlation of Pile Axial Capacity and CPT Data Using Gene Expression Programming

Numerous methods have been proposed to assess the axial capacity of pile foundations. Most of the methods have limitations and therefore cannot provide consistent and accurate evaluation of pile capacity. However, in many situations, the methods that correlate cone penetration test (CPT) data and pile capacity have shown to provide better results, because the CPT results provide more reliable soil properties. In an attempt to obtain more accurate correlation of CPT data with axial pile capacity, gene expression programming (GEP) technique is used in this study. The GEP is a relatively new artificial intelligent computational technique that has been recently used with success in the field of engineering. Three GEP models have been developed, one for bored piles and two other models for driven piles (a model for each of concrete and steel piles). The data used for developing the GEP models are collected from the literature and comprise a total of 50 bored pile load tests and 58 driven pile load tests (28 concrete pile load tests and 30 steel pile load tests) as well as CPT data. For each GEP model, the data are divided into a training set for model calibration and an independent validation set for model verification. The performances of the GEP models are evaluated by comparing their results with experimental data and the robustness of each model is investigated via sensitivity analyses. The performances of the GEP models are evaluated further by comparing their results with the results of number of currently used CPT-based methods. Statistical analyses are used for the comparison. The results indicate that the GEP models are robust and perform well.     

Using of gene expression programming and climatic data for forecasting flow discharge by considering trend,normality, and stationarity analysis

In this research, the main hydrological characteristics (such as trend, stationarity, and normalization of hydrological data) of the Kasilian watershed are considered from 1970 to 2009. For forecasting of discharge, gene expression programming (GEP) method is applied. Normality and stationarity of time series are necessary for application of GEP method. For this purpose, third edition of Mann-Kendall trend test and skewness test are used for detection of trend and normalization of data, respectively. Also, five methods are applied for detection of stationarity of data. Modified Mann-Kendall trend test and Theil and Sen’s median slope method illustrate that annual and monthly precipitation data have slight decreasing trend, annual and monthly discharge data have insignificant decreasing trend, and annual and monthly temperature data have an increasing trend. Skewness test illustrates that annual, monthly, and daily discharge and precipitation data are not normal. By using logarithm function, skewness is minimized and symmetry of data is improved. After normalization of time series by logarithm function, five methods are applied for testing of stationarity of time series. These methods show that different normalized time series are stationarity and stationarity of time series is improved by elimination of periodic properties of data. For forecasting of daily discharge by GEP method, 85% of data are used for training and 15% of data are used for testing. By using data of 3 days ago, the GEP has the best efficiency. Coefficient of correlation (CC), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute relative error (MARE) are 0.9, 0.495 lit/s, 0.288 lit/s, and 0.053, respectively.     

Prediction of rainfall using artificial neural networks for synoptic station of Mashhad: a case study

In this paper, we have utilized ANN (artificial neural network) modeling for the prediction of monthly rainfall in Mashhad synoptic station which is located in Iran. To achieve this black-box model, we have used monthly rainfall data from 1953 to 2003 for this synoptic station. First, the Hurst rescaled range statistical (R/S) analysis is used to evaluate the predictability of the collected data. Then, to extract the rainfall dynamic of this station using ANN modeling, a three-layer feed-forward perceptron network with back propagation algorithm is utilized. Using this ANN structure as a black-box model, we have realized the complex dynamics of rainfall through the past information of the system. The approach employs the gradient decent algorithm to train the network. Trying different parameters, two structures, M₅₃₁ and M₇₄₁, have been selected which give the best estimation performance. The performance statistical analysis of the obtained models shows with the best tuning of the developed monthly prediction model the correlation coefficient (R), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) are 0.93, 0.99, and 6.02 mm, respectively, which confirms the effectiveness of the developed models.     

Pre-processing data using wavelet transform and PCA based on support vector regression and gene expression programming for river flow simulation

An accurate estimation of flow using different models is an issue for water resource researchers. In this study, support vector regression (SVR) and gene expression programming (GEP) models in daily and monthly scale were used in order to simulate Gamasiyab River flow in Nahavand, Iran. The results showed that although the performance of models in daily scale was acceptable and the result of SVR model was a little better, their performance in the daily scale was really better than the monthly scale. Therefore, wavelet transform was used and the main signal of every input was decomposed. Then, by using principal component analysis method, important sub-signals were recognized and used as inputs for the SVR and GEP models to produce wavelet-support vector regression (WSVR) and wavelet-gene expression programming. The results showed that the performance of WSVR was better than the SVR in such a way that the combination of SVR with wavelet could improve the determination coefficient of the model up to 3% and 18% for daily and monthly scales, respectively. Totally, it can be said that the combination of wavelet with SVR is a suitable tool for the prediction of Gamasiyab River flow in both daily and monthly scales.     

Prediction of the Rock Mass Diggability Index by Using Fuzzy Clustering-Based,ANN and Multiple Regression Methods

Rock mass classification systems are one of the most common ways of determining rock mass excavatability and related equipment assessment. However, the strength and weak points of such rating-based classifications have always been questionable. Such classification systems assign quantifiable values to predefined classified geotechnical parameters of rock mass. This causes particular ambiguities, leading to the misuse of such classifications in practical applications. Recently, intelligence system approaches such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) and neuro-fuzzy methods, along with multiple regression models, have been used successfully to overcome such uncertainties. The purpose of the present study is the construction of several models by using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) method with two data clustering approaches, including fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering and subtractive clustering, an ANN and non-linear multiple regression to estimate the basic rock mass diggability index. A set of data from several case studies was used to obtain the real rock mass diggability index and compared to the predicted values by the constructed models. In conclusion, it was observed that ANFIS based on the FCM model shows higher accuracy and correlation with actual data compared to that of the ANN and multiple regression. As a result, one can use the assimilation of ANNs with fuzzy clustering-based models to construct such rigorous predictor tools.     

基于Wavelet-ANFIS和MODIS地表温度产品的青藏高原0 cm土壤温度估算方法

0 cm土壤温度是冻土模型的上边界条件, 连续的、 高质量的青藏高原0 cm土壤温度数据是进行准确冻土模拟的必要条件. 然而受复杂下垫面的影响, 遥感手段无法获取可靠的0 cm土壤温度. 利用自适应网络模糊推理系统(ANFIS)结合青藏高原实测资料建立遥感地表温度产品(LST)与0 cm土壤温度的关系, 以实现通过LST估算青藏高原逐日0 cm土壤温度. 研究了ANFIS的各种参数组合, 发现筛选合适的小波函数、 小波窗口、 小波层数建立起来的Wavelet-ANFIS模型能较准确实现估算0 cm土壤温度的目的. 验证表明, 估算结果与气象站点实测0 cm土壤温度绝对误差在2 K以下, 相关系数0.98以上. 考虑到原始MODIS LST误差在0~2 K之间, 该方法可以获取较为理想的0 cm土壤温度, 为冻土模型提供准确的上边界输入.     

扎龙湿地参照作物蒸散发估算的经验模型

湿地参照作物蒸散发量是湿地水量平衡的重要因素。本研究选取了扎龙湿地周边8个气象台站1961-2000年的历史数据,通过拟合经典的FAO56 Penman-Monteith模型,建立了估算扎龙芦苇湿地逐月参照作物蒸散发的经验模型。建模时考虑到各气象因子对潜在蒸散发的作用,尝试了不同的组合方式及拟合模型,最终采用月最高气温、月最低气温、月降雨量和月平均风速四个因子,建立了非线性e指数方程。该模型与Blaney-Criddle、Priestley-Taylor、Hargreaves等三个常用经验模型进行了比较,得到较好的结果。新建模型在各气象站的应用表明,能够显著逼近FAO56 Penman-Monteith模型结果,计算的逐月参照作物蒸散发具有理想的精度。     

中国东部土壤温度、湿度变化的长期趋势及其与气候背景的联系

利用1971-2000年中国722站逐月的土壤温度资料和1981-1998年178站逐旬的土壤湿度观测资料,分析了中国东部土壤温度、湿度变化的长期趋势及其与气温、降水变化的关系.结果表明:①我国东部土壤温度的变化在年际一年代际时间尺度上存在明显的区域性差异,其中东北地区表现为持续上升型,而西北东部一华北、江淮和西南一华南地区均为先降后升型;②1970-2000年代,土壤温度的变化在东北以及西北东部一华北地区有显著的上升趋势,而在江淮和西南一华南地区,总体而言变化趋势不显著.此外,1980-1990年代,各区域土壤湿度的变化趋势均不显著;③在年际一年代际尺度上,各区域土壤温度和气温的变化具有显著的正相关关系,而土壤湿度与土壤温度的变化普遍呈负相关关系,其中尤以西北东部-华北地区最为显著.而在较长的时间尺度上,土壤湿度与降水的变化仍然存在较好的正相关关系.     

Use of artificial neural network for spatial rainfall analysis

In the present study, the precipitation data measured at 23 rain gauge stations over the Achaia County, Greece, were used to estimate the spatial distribution of the mean annual precipitation values over a specific catchment area. The objective of this work was achieved by programming an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) that uses the feed-forward back-propagation algorithm as an alternative interpolating technique. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized to process the data derived by the ANN and to create a continuous surface that represented the spatial mean annual precipitation distribution. The ANN introduced an optimization procedure that was implemented during training, adjusting the hidden number of neurons and the convergence of the ANN in order to select the best network architecture. The performance of the ANN was evaluated using three standard statistical evaluation criteria applied to the study area and showed good performance. The outcomes were also compared with the results obtained from a previous study in the area of research which used a linear regression analysis for the estimation of the mean annual precipitation values giving more accurate results. The information and knowledge gained from the present study could improve the accuracy of analysis concerning hydrology and hydrogeological models, ground water studies, flood related applications and climate analysis studies.     

Using statistical and artificial neural network models to forecast potentiometric levels at a deep well in South Texas

Reliable forecasts of monthly and quarterly fluctuations in groundwater levels are necessary for short- and medium-term planning and management of aquifers to ensure proper service of seasonal demands within a region. Development of physically based transient mathematical models at this time scale poses considerable challenges due to lack of suitable data and other uncertainties. Artificial neural networks (ANN) possess flexible mathematical structures and are capable of mapping highly nonlinear relationships. Feed-forward neural network models were constructed and trained using the back-percolation algorithm to forecast monthly and quarterly time-series water levels at a well that taps into the deeper Evangeline formation of the Gulf Coast aquifer in Victoria, TX. Unlike unconfined formations, no causal relationships exist between water levels and hydro-meteorological variables measured near the vicinity of the well. As such, an endogenous forecasting model using dummy variables to capture short-term seasonal fluctuations and longer-term (decadal) trends was constructed. The root mean square error, mean absolute deviation and correlation coefficient (R) were noted to be 1.40, 0.33 and 0.77 m, respectively, for an evaluation dataset of quarterly measurements and 1.17, 0.46, and 0.88 m for an evaluative monthly dataset not used to train or test the model. These statistics were better for the ANN model than those developed using statistical regression techniques.     

Precipitation pattern modeling using cross-station perception: regional investigation

Establishing robust models for predicting precipitation processes can yield a significant aspect for many applications in water resource engineering and environmental prospective. In particular, understanding precipitation phenomena is crucial for managing the effects of flooding in watersheds. In this research, a regional precipitation pattern modeling was undertaken using three intelligent predictive models incorporating artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) methods. The modeling was carried out using monthly time scale precipitation information in a semi-arid environment located in Iraq. Twenty weather stations covering the entire region were used to construct the predictive models. At the initial stage, the region was divided into three climatic districts based on documented research. Initially, modeling was carried out for each district using historical information from regionally distributed meteorological stations for calibration. Subsequently, cross-station modeling was undertaken for each district using precipitation data from other districts. The study demonstrated that cross-station modeling was an effective means of predicting the spatial distribution of precipitation in watersheds with limited meteorological data.