The evolution of a river modelling system

This paper describes the development of the ISIS river modelling system. Solution methods are outlined and examples are provided to demonstrate applications to which practising engineers have applied the software. It is commonplace in much applied research that projects must be directed towards satisfying user needs, and that their benefits must be demonstrable and measurable. This philosophy, however, places limits by its very nature on the imagination of the researcher. This is not to say that the researcher should ignore user needs but rather that a creative dialogue is needed between the innovative idea and its potential users, against a background of advances and cross-fertilisation by ideas from other spheres. It is hoped that, as well as describing the development of the software, the paper will illustrate this point.