Abstract:
Various kinds of estimation techniques are often used in science and engineering to
extract optimal information from a· measurement. Thus, many undergraduate and
graduate curricula incorporate these methods and students are expected to under
stand and apply them in solving real scientific and engineering problems. This kind
of pedagogical goal can be achieved by involving students in solving real problems
using real measurements instead of presenting the topics in the traditional talk and
chalk method .. }In the Ethiopian context, it is not easy to find real instrument to
.carry out measurements. In the present thesis, we have developed a. software-based
teaching aid that implements the stochastic interpolation method (traditionally called
Kriging method) using real rainfall data. from the Lake Tana watershed. The a.mount
of rainfall a.round Lake Tana. shows substantial spatial variability. Capturing such
... _ characteristics is challenging and this means that one needs to establish a very dense
~ monthly precipitation op different locations on the Lake Tana is estimated using the
Kriging interpolation method by using measurements collected at eight rain gauge
stations from the lake' catchment in the years 1996 to 2006. Based on this analysis,
thesis contains two major results. First it contains a. virtual teaching aid with an in-
•
~ ~
..teractivc user interface that provides students and teachers a unique opportunity to
learn stochastic interpolation technique by investigating real measurements collected
from their own surr~undings. Secondly, the thesis shows how one can improve rainfall
• estimates over Lake Tana and thereby increasing our understanding of its hydrology.
