Data for Regression Models to Estimate Water Use in Providence, Rhode Island, 2014-2021

This data release contains input data and programs (scripts) used to estimate monthly water demand for retail customers of Providence Water, located in Providence, Rhode Island. Explanatory data and model outputs are from July 2014 through June 2021. Models of per capita (for single-family residential customers) or per connection (for multi-family residential, commercial, and industrial customers) water use were developed using multiple linear regression. The dependent variables, provided by Providence Water, are the monthly number of connections and gallons of water delivered to single- and multi-family residential, commercial, and industrial connections. Potential independent variables (from online sources) are climate variables (temperature and precipitation), economic statistics, and a drought statistic. Not all independent variables were used in all of the models. The data are provided in data tables and model files. The data table RIWaterUseVariableExplanation.csv describes the explanatory variables and their data sources. The data table ProvModelInputData.csv provides the monthly water-use data that are the independent variables and the monthly climatic and economic data that are the dependent variables. The data table DroughtInputData.csv provides the weekly U.S. drought monitor index values that were processed to formulate a potential independent variable. The R script model_water_use.R runs the models that predict water use. The other two R scripts (load_preprocess_input_data.R and model_water_use_functions.R) are not run explicitly but are called from the primary script model_water_use.R. Regression equations produced by the models can be used to predict water demand throughout Rhode Island.

本数据集发布内容涵盖用于估算位于罗德岛州（Rhode Island）普罗维登斯市（Providence）的普罗维登斯水务（Providence Water）零售客户月度用水需求的输入数据与程序脚本。本次发布的解释性数据与模型输出的时间范围为2014年7月至2021年6月。针对单户住宅客户的人均用水模型，以及多户住宅、商业与工业客户的每连接点用水模型，均采用多元线性回归方法构建。由普罗维登斯水务（Providence Water）提供的因变量为单户及多户住宅、商业、工业用水连接点的月度连接数量与供水量（加仑）。潜在自变量取自公开数据源，涵盖气候变量（气温与降水量）、经济统计数据及干旱统计指标，并非所有自变量均被全部模型纳入使用。数据以数据表与模型文件形式提供：其中RIWaterUseVariableExplanation.csv用于说明解释性变量及其数据来源；ProvModelInputData.csv包含作为自变量的月度用水数据，以及作为因变量的月度气候与经济数据；DroughtInputData.csv提供经处理后可作为潜在自变量的周度美国干旱监测（U.S. Drought Monitor）指数值。R脚本model_water_use.R用于运行用水预测模型；其余两个R脚本（load_preprocess_input_data.R与model_water_use_functions.R）无需显式运行，仅由主脚本model_water_use.R调用。本模型生成的回归方程可用于预测罗德岛州（Rhode Island）全域的用水需求。