WMS

4 New Features in the WMS 11.0 Beta

By aquaveo on August 29, 2018

For the last couple years, we’ve been working hard on the next version of WMS, and the beta for version 11.0 has now been released!

To help you learn about some of the new features, we’ve compiled this list of four new features in WMS 11.0 Beta.

  1. The first big improvement is a streamlined and updated set of floodplain delineation tools. Due to a lot of under-the-hood work, some of the delineation processes have been sped up by a factor of 10! This can greatly reduce the amount of time you spend on these projects.
  2. WMS 11.0 Beta now supports Amazon Terrain Tiles. These are high resolution digital elevation model (DEM) tiles for every location around the world, and the resolution goes as high as 3 meters per pixel. A digital elevation model is simply a two-dimensional array of elevation points with a constant x and y spacing.These DEM tiles can be accessed through the Import from Web and Get Data tools in WMS.
  3. Through a new dialog, WMS 11.0 Beta now offers better support for managing and editing cross section databases in HEC-RAS models. HEC-RAS is a one-dimensional model for computing water surface profiles for steady state or gradually varied flow. You can select, import, export, manage, and edit cross sections and cross section databases more easily.
  4. The hydraulic modeling module has been updated to be able to import and export LANDXML files for the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), HY-12 (a storm drain analysis program used for designing inlets, pipes, and general storm drain network layouts), and EPANET (a widely used water distribution model developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency).

These are only some of the many great new and updated features in WMS 11.0 Beta. You can find a bigger list of them here. Try out the beta by downloading it today!

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WMS

Converting Units

By aquaveo on August 22, 2018

Seeing which units are being used in a project or for a particular object within the project is fairly easy. Converting the units from, for example, U.S. feet to meters, can introduce problems into a project if you do not do it in the correct way.

Reproject

Reprojecting the data involves moving the data from one coordinate system to another. So if your data is in a UTM coordinate system in meters and the rest of your project is in a State Plane projection that uses U.S. survey feet, reprojecting can change the data to match. Conceptually, the data will remain in the same location, but the data will be adjusted to the new units.

To reproject a dataset:

  1. Right-click on the dataset in the Project Explorer and select Reproject.
  2. In the Reproject dialog, the current projection is shown on the left. On the right side, set the new projection and units.

When converting units through reprojection, keep in mind that Z values (elevations) don’t always convert correctly. Round off errors sometimes occur when reprojecting data. In general, reproject does well in changing the X and Y units. The Z value, if it has been set as the bathymetry, typically also converts units well using the reproject option. Other datasets often do not convert between units using the reproject method.

When converting from rasters to scatter sets, the elevation is usually recognized and converted correctly.

Dataset Calculator

Datasets units can be converted using the Dataset Calculator. This is often necessary when the data has been reprojected, but not all of the datasets can be converted using that method. For example, a velocity dataset or conductivity data.

To convert a dataset with the Dataset Calculator:

  1. Select the desired dataset in the Project Explorer.
  2. Select the Data Calculator macro, or the Data Calculator command or the Dataset Toolbox command in the Data menu.
  3. Select the dataset to convert, then multiple or divide the dataset by the conversion value.

There are a few numbers it is useful to have when doing these conversions:

  • 0.304800609601 meters is equal to one U.S. Survey foot
  • 3.28083333333 U.S. Survey feet are equal to one meter
  • 0.3048 meters is equal to one International foot
  • 3.28083989501 International feet are equal to one meter

Note that there are many datasets that will not work with the Data Calculator.

In the end, make certain all the data being used in your model is in the correct units. Having mismatched units will typically create model errors and generate inaccurate results.

Try reprojecting data or using the Data Calculator to convert units in GMS, SMS, or WMS today!
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Visualizing Meteorological Data

By aquaveo on August 1, 2018

Do have rainfall data you would like to visualize in WMS? Inside WMS there are a couple tools to make your rainfall data visually interesting.

After you have imported your precipitation data, such as NEXRAD data, you can adjust your display options and/or create an animation.

Adjusting the Display Options

  1. Use the Display | Display Options command to open the Display Options dialog.
  2. Adjust your display options to show the data you want captured. It is recommended to turn on the Contours options.
  3. If using the Contours option, right-click on your rainfall dataset under 2D Grid Data and select Contour Options to open the Contour Options dialog.
  4. Adjust the contour method and interval to best display your rainfall data.
  5. With the down arrow key on the keyboard, step through the time steps in the properties window on the right sidebar to see how the precipitation varies.

Creating an Animation Loop

  1. Select your rainfall dataset in the 2-D Grid Module. The selected dataset will be used to create the film loop and can be cumulative or incremental. View incremental rainfall datasets in the same way as cumulative datasets.
  2. Select the Data | Film Loop command to open the Film Loop Setup Wizard. This wizard needs to be opened with the 2-D Grid Module active in order to have access to the meteorological data options.
  3. The first step in the Film Loop Setup wizard is essentially the same as creating any other animation through WMS. Select the location where the animation file will be saved and the type of film loop to generate.
  4. The second step of the Film Loop Setup wizard is to set the desired time step options for the rainfall data.
  5. The final step is where you will finalize the display options of the animation, and click Finish.
  6. WMS will take a few moments to create and save the animation file. The animation will start playing as soon as the saving process is complete.

When all is done, you can view your animation using the AVI play provided with the WMS installation, or you can use another application, such as GoogleEarth. The animation will display the movement of the storm through the selected time steps.

Try visualizing meteorological data in WMS today!

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WMS

Using Software Graphics Mode

By aquaveo on July 11, 2018

Have you ever noticed in your Start Menu that GMS, SMS, and WMS all have a version of the software executable that says "Software Graphics Mode"? Do you wonder what this is used for?

The software graphics mode was created to help resolve issues when there is a mismatch between the XMS software and the graphics card on a computer running the software. While we work to have XMS function on a wide range of graphics cards, some graphics cards do not support current versions of XMS.

When there is a mismatch, you might experience difficulty running the software. Issues we’ve seen happen include:

  • Having objects disappear from the Graphics Window when drawing new objects.
  • When changing views, objects in the Graphics Window disappear completely when they should still be visible.
  • Objects that appear in the Graphics Window that cannot be hidden or removed.
  • In some cases, the XMS application will not start.
  • In other cases, the XMS application will close suddenly.

Using the software graphics mode causes the machine running the XMS application to bypass the graphics card. Think of it as “safe mode” for XMS. Doing this places a heavier burden on the machine’s memory and processor, but it typically allows the XMS application to be used without the problems being caused by the graphics card.

To access the software graphics mode, go to your Start Menu and select the desired XMS executable with "Software Graphics Mode" in the title.

If using the software graphics mode resolves the issue you were experiencing, there is still one more thing to do: update your graphics card drivers.

Updating your graphics card drivers often resolve the issues being caused by the mismatch between the XMS application and the graphics card. Follow the standard procedure for updating the graphics card drivers for your operating system. In some cases, you will need to go to the graphic card manufacturer's website to update the drivers.

Once the graphic card drivers have been updated, you can usually continue to use the XMS application without using the software graphics mode.

And if updating the graphics card drivers doesn’t work, do not hesitate to contact Aquaveo Support for additional help.

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