Benefits from using Kalman filter in forward and inverse groundwater modelling

In groundwater applications, Kalman filter has been applied in both forward and inverse modelling. The use of Kalman filter in inverse modelling can be direct or indirect. In the direct inverse modelling, the filter automatically calibrates the model parameters based on the deviation of the measurements from the current state estimates. In the indirect inverse modelling, estimates of the model parameters are obtained by an off-line procedure (an independent optimization algorithm) that involves minimization of the differences between actual head measurements and those predicted from the filter (a.k.a. Kalman filter innovations). In this study we investigate the effects of the Kalman filter parameters on the efficiency of the filter, concerning its application in both forward and inverse modelling.