Hoshin V. Gupta

The 2014 John Dalton Medal is awarded to Hoshin V. Gupta for seminal contributions to systems approaches to hydrologic science, for training a large number of outstanding young scientists, and for unselfish stewardship of hydrologic science and practice on a global scale.

Hoshin V. Gupta is largely responsible for, and is the most visible symbol of, the evolution of systems approaches in hydrologic and land surface modelling. Gupta developed the first global optimisation algorithm specifically suited for the particular characteristics of hydrological models. Gupta was among the first to use the notion of the perceptual, conceptual, mathematical and numerical stages of model development, and the first to present a generalised representation of model structure, which then allowed a single evaluative framework for considering data assimilation, parameter optimisation and ensemble modelling.

Gupta was one of the first to identify the need for multi-objective optimisation of watershed scale hydrologic models. He brought artificial neural networks into hydrologic modelling and demonstrated how they can be used for continuous rainfall-runoff modelling. He developed new Bayesian stochastic approaches for uncertainty analysis. Gupta also proposed a new theory of diagnostic model evaluation, which, for the first time, explicitly included hydrologic process understanding, in the form of runoff signatures, in the formulation of objective functions. His contributions to hydrologic science, especially modelling, have been phenomenal and consistently of excellent quality maintained over three decades: Gupta is one of most visible hydrologists at the international level.

Gupta has collaborated widely and has mentored a large number of outstanding young scientists. He is an acknowledged world leader, with a long sustained international record of leadership of and service to the discipline via international committees and editorial activities. Few scientists have left a deeper footprint in hydrology than him. For Gupta’s pioneering, seminal and sustained contributions to systems approaches to watershed hydrologic modelling, for his role in the training of a large number of young scientists, and for his unselfish stewardship of hydrologic science and practice on a global scale, Gupta is awarded the John Dalton Medal.