SRM was developed by J. Martinec (1975) in small European basins. Thanks to the progress of satellite remote sensing of snow cover, SRM has been applied to larger and larger basins. The largest basin where SRM has been applied so far is about 122000 km². Runoff computations by SRM appear to be relatively easily understood. To date the model has been applied by various agencies, institutes and universities in about 80 basins situated in 25 different countries as listed in Table 1. About 30% of these applications have been performed by the model developers and 70% by independent users. .

SRM is a simple degree-day model that requires remote sensing input in the form of basin or zonal snow cover extent. Model variables are derived from actual observations of temperature, precipitation, and snow covered area. Model parameters can either be derived from measurements or estimated by hydrological judgement taking into account the basin characteristics, physical laws, and theoretical or empirical relationships.

To facilitate use of SRM, a microcomputer version of the program has been developed for IBM compatible personal computers. The program itself features user-oriented input and multiple self-help screens which allow the user to select the kind of data input employed and the output products desired.