Training and Courses
We offer a range of courses and training opportunities on topics in our wheelhouse, including:
- Raven basic introduction and configuration
- Advanced Raven topics (e.g. reservoir routing, gridded inputs, basin delineation tools, model structure optimization)
- NetCDF file handling and use in Raven
- Model optimization and sensitivity analysis with Ostrich
- Introduction to R for hydrologic modelling
- Geospatial analysis and using QGIS
- Advanced R topics (package building, mapping and leaflet applications, time series analysis)
Upcoming Courses
Introduction to Raven Modelling Training Course
ETS, Montreal – July 9-10, 2026
This introductory-level, hands-on training course provides participants with the knowledge and practical skills needed to use Raven and its associated tools for hydrologic modelling and calibration. Designed for both researchers and professionals, the course begins with the fundamentals of the Raven model structure and execution, and progresses toward model modification, semi-distributed model development, reservoir and lake representation, and calibration workflows using Ostrich.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the required Raven input files and the tools available to help build and manage the files
- Run, modify, and extend an existing Raven model
- Build a semi-distributed hydrologic model from scratch
- Represent lakes and reservoirs in Raven and configure storage-based processes
- Apply calibration principles and run DDS in single-objective mode using Ostrich
- Use tools such as RavenView and RavenR to visualize and analyze model outputs
- Understand the hydrologic modelling workflow from setup to interpretation
Raven Management Workshop
Virtual – August 28 & September 4, 2026
This advanced-level workshop is designed for Raven users who want to extend their modelling practice into management optimization, enabling decision focused simulations for reservoirs, lakes, operations, and multi-objective systems. Through two live virtual sessions, participants will learn how to configure Raven for management workflows, define operational goals, and troubleshoot complex optimization challenges.
By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Configure Raven to run management optimization
- Define and structure management goals and operational objectives
- Implement lake and reservoir management logic within Raven
- Handle over-constrained problems and design feasible solution spaces
- Develop penalty structures for optimization
- Understand how Raven evaluates management decisions during simulation
- Explore additional advanced management topics as time allows
If you are interested in the online self-paced courses, you can visit our online courses!
Past Courses
Introductory Raven Training Course
Interested in this course? You can now purchase the online version of this two-day course through our course catalogue.
This introductory-level training course provides participants with the knowledge to use Raven and related tools for modelling and calibration work, and is useful for researchers and professional alike. The course starts with the basics of understanding the Raven input files and running the model, and build up to modifying the model, manual and automatic model calibration, and using the R programming language to generate plots from Raven output files.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the required Raven input files, and which templates or tools are available to help build these files;
- Apply Raven to perform flood forecasting, reservoir management, water budgets and transport simulations;
- Understand the hydrologic modelling process, Raven input/output files, and basic interpretation of these files;
- Perform calibration of a Raven model using the Ostrich software; and
- Use tools in R, such as RavenR, to analyze Raven files and generate visualizations
Advanced Raven Course - February 2024
Interested in this course? You can purchase course access to the February 2024 version of this course by contacting us.
In this two day advanced Raven course, you will move beyond the basics, and provide an introduction to some useful topics in building and using Raven models for practitioners. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Build a set of Raven input files from scratch;
- Quickly develop a model structure and parameter files using R and RavenR;
- Use BasinMaker to develop watershed delineations and model input files for Raven;
- Download gridded data (from CaSPAr) and provide Raven with gridded inputs and forcings;
- Configure the latest reservoir tools in Raven;
- Use Ostrich to perform more advanced calibration, including calibrating to reservoir stage and applying custom diagnostics in calibration;
- Use Magpie to build hydrologic models efficiently within a Colab environment
Check back here for our upcoming course offerings and registration links.
Interested in a specific course topic for your organization? Feel free to contact us, or consider arranging customized training for your group.