Improving prediction accuracy of river discharge time series using a Wavelet-NAR artificial neural network

Abstract

This study developed a wavelet transformation and nonlinear autoregressive (NAR) artificial neural network (ANN) hybrid modeling approach to improve the prediction accuracy of river discharge time series. Daubechies 5 discrete wavelet was employed to decompose the time series data into subseries with low and high frequency, and these subseries were then used instead of the original data series as the input vectors for the designed NAR network (NARN) with the Bayesian regularization (BR) optimization algorithm. The proposed hybrid approach was applied to make multi-step-ahead predictions of monthly river discharge series in the Weihe River in China. The prediction results of this hybrid model were compared with those of signal NARNs and the traditional Wavelet-Artificial Neural Network hybrid approach (WNN). The comparison results revealed that the proposed hybrid model could significantly increase the prediction accuracy and prediction period of the river discharge time series in the current case study. © IWA Publishing 2012.