Abstract:
Hydrology is an applied natural science and therefore
hydrologists have to deal with vast amount of data. In recent
years, there has been a significant increase in the volume of
hydrological data collected. The successful and efficient
execution of modern hydrological studies depend on a vast and
diverse amount of information. Hence it is essential to organise
a systematic body of information in the form of a data base
system to fulfill the data needs for the quantitative
hydrological investigation. Accuracy of these investigations /
studies depend upon the quality of the data used for it. Hence the need of data quality control/processing arises before the actual analysis starts.
The comprehensive study of hydrological processes and data processing techniques is the first step in organising an information base. This includes the rapidly developing area of real time processing which is increasingly used in the operation of hydrological systems.
Prior to the storage of the inflowing data, it is essential that the information be tested, suitable correction be made and thus some measure of its quality established. Quality control, editing, analysis and synthesis of the collected data are collectively called as data processing. Among these the former two processes together called primary processing and the latter, secondary processing.
