🌨️ shybox: Snow and Hydrologic Modeling Toolbox

shybox (Snow and HYdrologic toolBOX) is a Python- and Fortran-based toolkit designed to support operational and research-level hydrological modeling. It is developed and maintained by the CIMA Research Foundation, with active use in Italy’s regional civil protection forecasting systems.

---

📦 Features

• Modular design for snow and hydrological modeling
• Integration with Flood-PROOFS system
• Support for Python and Fortran-based modeling engines (e.g., S3M, HMC)
• Tools for:
  • Data ingestion and transformation
  • Multi-source time-series analysis
  • 2D/3D visualization of hydrometeorological fields
  • Laboratory simulation environments for research & education

---

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Linux (Debian/Ubuntu preferred)
• Python ≥ 3.8
• Fortran compiler (e.g., gfortran)
• Git, Conda (recommended)

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/c-hydro/shybox.git
cd shybox

# Set up the environment (Conda recommended)
bash setup/setup_conda_shybox_base.sh

---

📂 Repository Structure

├── bin/                # Compiled model executables
├── configuration/      # JSON settings for workflows
├── datasets/           # Sample or default input data
├── script/             # Python driver scripts
├── setup/              # Environment and dependency setup scripts
├── lib/                # Python modules for hydrology (hyde)
├── docs/               # Documentation and usage examples
└── README.md

---

📊 Models Supported

• S3M – Distributed Snow Simulation System
• HMC – Hydrological Modeling Chain

Each model may require its own build process and configuration.

---

🧪 Use Cases

• Regional flood forecasting
• Snowpack modeling
• Civil protection alert systems
• Research and education on hydro-meteorological processes

---

📝 License

This project is licensed under the EUPL-1.2 – see the LICENSE file for details.

---

🤝 Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, and suggestions are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature-name)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add new feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature-name)
5. Create a pull request

---

📬 Contact

For questions, collaborations or support, reach out via CIMA Foundation or open an issue on GitHub.

---

🌐 Acknowledgements

• CIMA Research Foundation
• Italian Civil Protection Department
• Contributors to Flood-PROOFS and the hydrological modeling community