AquaCrop-OSPy is an unofficial, free, open-source model based on the AquaCrop model developed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. AquaCrop-OSPy was originally released in 2021, building off an earlier version developed in Matlab/Octave (originally called AquaCrop-OS). AquaCrop-OSPy is developed and maintained by the Agriculture, Water, and Climate Research Group (www.ag-water.weebly.com) at the University of Manchester.
AquaCrop-OSPy is developed Python programming languages, and is currently updated to most features of version 7.0 of the official FAO AquaCrop model. Some features of the FAO AquaCrop model, namely salinity and fertility stress, and weed management, are not currently included in AquaCrop-OS. AquaCrop-OS simulates yield response to water for multiple crop types and environmental conditions, and is designed specifically for regions where water is a critical limiting factor in crop production. The original Matlab/Octave version of AquaCrop-OS is still available for use (up to version 6.0 of the official AquaCrop model developed by the UN FAO).
AquaCrop-OS has several features
An introduction to AquaCrop-OS can be found in the following journal papers:
AquaCrop-OSPy is developed Python programming languages, and is currently updated to most features of version 7.0 of the official FAO AquaCrop model. Some features of the FAO AquaCrop model, namely salinity and fertility stress, and weed management, are not currently included in AquaCrop-OS. AquaCrop-OS simulates yield response to water for multiple crop types and environmental conditions, and is designed specifically for regions where water is a critical limiting factor in crop production. The original Matlab/Octave version of AquaCrop-OS is still available for use (up to version 6.0 of the official AquaCrop model developed by the UN FAO).
AquaCrop-OS has several features
- Support for multiple operating systems (Windows, Macintosh OS X and Linux).
- Replication of key features within the FAO AquaCrop model, and ability to modify and extend to support custom applications.
- Ability to run parallel model simulations and integrate with cloud computing to reduce run times of computationally intensive tasks.
- Easy linkage with other models, for example to support basin and multi-sector water management and integrated water policy analysis
- Interactive training resources through a series of web tutorials and workflows for common use cases developed in Jupyter notebooks
An introduction to AquaCrop-OS can be found in the following journal papers:
- T. Foster, N. Brozovic, A.P. Butler, C.M.U. Neale, D. Raes, P. Steduto, E. Fereres, and T.C. Hsiao (2017) AquaCrop-OS: An open source version of FAO's crop water productivity model. Agricultural Water Management, 181, 18-22. (Open Access)
- T. Kelly and T.Foster (2021) AquaCrop-OSPy: Bridging the gap between research and practice in crop-water modeling. Agricultural Water Management, 254, 106976. (Open Access)
Development Team
Tim Foster - Lead Developer
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Water-Food Security, University of Manchester |
Tom Kelly - Co-Developer
Postdoctoral Researcher in Crop-Water Modelling, University of Manchester |
Contributors
The following people contributed to the development of AquaCrop-OS:
- Nick Brozovic, Water for Food Global Institute
- Christopher Neale, Water for Food Global Institute
- Adrian Butler, Imperial College London
- Dirk Raes, KU Leuven
- Pasquale Steduto, FAO
- Elias Fereres, University of Cordoba
- Ted Hsiao, UC Davis
Acknowledgments
AquaCrop-OS has been supported by funding provided by UK Research and Innovation, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London, and the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester. We also acknowledge the members of the AquaCrop science group and network for their efforts in the conceptualization, development, calibration, validation, and testing of AquaCrop.