Aquaveo & Water Resources Engineering News

Do you have a project that requires modeling a dam, or similar structure, in GSSHA? WMS can make this process smoother with tools designed to help define the structure quickly and efficiently.

In order to create a simulation that includes modeling the dam in WMS and analyzing the dam’s effects using GSSHA, the workflow is as follows:

1. Import an existing GSSHA base model.
2. In the GSSHA map coverage, use the Shift key to select the node where you want the dam to be and the node immediately downstream from it.
3. Right-click on the selected nodes and select Attributes to open a Properties dialog.
4. Select Output Hydrographs at those nodes.
5. Run GSSHA.
6. Using the results from the GSSHA run, size your embankment based on the necessary storage.
7. Using the Create Feature Arc tool, create an arc to represent your dam.
8. Double-click on the arc to bring up the Attributes dialog.
9. Set the type of arc to be an Embankment, then click the ... button next to it to open the Embankment Arc Profile Editor dialog.
1. Set the PVI Elevation to be the height of the dam.
2. Click Compute Vertical Curve to compute the Curve Length.
10. Double-click the node in the stream where your structures will be defined to open the Properties dialog.
11. Click the button under Hydraulic structures to open the GSSHA Hydraulic Structures dialog.
1. Add a Detention Basin, Weir and Culvert.
2. Define the attributes for each of these structures.
12. Run GSSHA again to see the effects of the dam you have created.

If needed, adjust the display options when reviewing the results to get a better idea of how the dam structure affected the results. Try different various options to get a better feel of how the dam affected the simulation results.

Now that you know how to add a dam to GSSHA, try out modeling dam structures and other applications in WMS today!

Parameter estimation using PEST can assist in data interpretation, model calibration, and predictive analysis. PEST can do a lot for your project.

Because PEST offers so much, it can be a little overwhelming to use at first. We provide tutorials and articles on our wiki to help guide you in using PEST with GMS.

In addition to the resources available in the tutorials and wiki, this post covers some useful tips that have helped some of our users.

General PEST Tips

Here are some general tips for troubleshooting PEST in GMS:

• Verify that the parameter key values have been successfully initialized under MODFLOW | Parameters. The key values should match the parameters names. For example, if the key value for hydraulic conductivity is “-30”, the parameter name should be “HK_30”. No key value should be used twice, even across different packages. To continue the example, if you have an “HK_30”, there should not be a “RCH_30”.
• Key values are needed for both zones and pilot points.
• Key values are expected to be negative integers. Non-integers will not be automatically recognized as key values.
• If the key value is not a negative integer, or is a parameter from the WEL package, they will have to be manually added. If you’re missing a value, check that it initialized in the first place.
• Parameters included in the run will be written to the *.param file. Once PEST runs, the optimal values are written to the *.par file.
• If the iterations are giving identical values for the same parameter, check if the value is either the minimum or the maximum of the range assigned to the parameter, then evaluate if that range needs adjusting.
• Adjusting the starting values or the PEST options may help.

Pilot Point Tips

When using PEST and pilot points, consider the following:

• Follow the recommended guidelines found here.
• You can get a quick 2D Scatter set to use for pilot points with the MODFLOW Layers → 2D Scatter Points tool. This is particularly useful for areal parameters, such as HK or RCH.
• If you’re running Null Space Monte Carlo, you must use pilot points and your interpolation method must be set to kriging.
• If running with SVD-Assist, you can point to the Jacobian file so it doesn’t re-solve for every iteration.
• Depending on the parameter, pilot points often should not start with zero values. This especially applies to log transforms.

We hope these tips help and that your project are improved by using PEST with GMS.

SMS allows having multiple simulations for the same project with models such as SRH-2D, ADCIRC, and STWAVE. Furthermore, SMS 13.0 lets you run and manage multiple simulations running at the same time using the new Simulation Run Queue dialog.

The Simulation Run Queue is a modeless dialog, meaning you can continue using SMS while simulations are running. Once a model run has started for a simulation, you are free to start building a new simulation, even one using the existing components. Completed runs may be visualized in SMS while additional runs are still in process.

Functionality

The new Simulation Run Queue dialog functions a little differently from the previous Model Wrapper dialog. Some of the changes include:

• You must click Load Solution to load the desired simulation solution into the project. This does not happen automatically when you click Close as it did before.
• If you try to run a simulation already in the queue, you will be prompted to remove the simulation from the run queue before it can be run again.
• If changing an active simulation’s settings, renaming the active simulation, or taking any action that affects a simulation currently in the queue, you will be asked to remove the simulation from the queue prior to making the changes.

Viewing Plots

With the Simulation Run Queue, diagnostic information—such as monitoring plots—can be displayed during model runs. By turn Monitoring Data off or on, you can watch command line results and residual plots.

Options also exist for changing which plots are displayed in the run queue. Selecting a simulation causes the Plot Options button to appear. In the Plot Options dialog, you can choose which plots to view. You can view Residuals, Monitor Points, and Monitor Lines, and change the options associated with each of these.

Now that you know a little more about the Simulation Run Queue dialog in SMS 13.0, try it out today!

Looking for a quick way to delineate a floodplain in your area? WMS provides a way to delineate a floodplain and create a flood impact map quickly, using many different types of data. This blog post will cover how to delineate a floodplain using scatter point data.

Start by opening your scatter point data:

1. Use the Flood | Read Stage File menu command to import your scatter point dataset. This is the recommended method for importing a scatter point set for using in delineating a floodplain.

Delineating the Floodplain

With the scatter point set imported, now delineate the floodplain.

1. Select Flood | Delineate menu command.
2. In the Floodplain Delineation dialog, choose the scatter point set you would like to model from the Select stage scatter point set drop-down menu.
3. Select the specific dataset you would like to delineate from the Select stage data set drop-down menu.
4. Set options for the Search radius, Flow path, and/or Quadrants depending on your individual model.
5. When done with the Floodplain Delineation dialog, the delineation process will begin for the set of water surface elevations selected.

In order to create a flood impact map, it will be necessary to have at least two different delineations using varying datasets. If you wish to go on to create a flood impact map, repeat steps 1-5 with a different dataset to obtain a new floodplain delineation.

Creating a Flood Impact Map

WMS can use two separate floodplain delineations to generate a flood impact coverage. A flood impact coverage shows the difference between two flood depth or water level sets. The differences are divided into ranges or classes. Using the floodplains delineated in the previous steps, we’ll create a flood impact map. This can be used to compare how an area will react to a proposed levee for example.

1. Select Flood | Conversion | Flood → Impact Map menu command.
2. Choose the Original dataset based off your previous delineations.
3. Choose your Modified dataset based off your previous delineations as well.
4. Set the Increase and Decrease sections as desired.

Now that the flood impact map is created, you can use the Select Feature Polygon tool to double click on any of the polygons in the map. This will show you the Flood Extent Attributes dialog, which displays info such as the amount of change between the compared datasets as well as the impact class ID and name.

So this a brief overview of floodplain delineation from a scatter point file using WMS. Try it out in WMS today!