Product(s):	OpenFlows FLOOD
Version(s):	10.02.01.01

Overview

This article will cover how to create visual representations of mapped outputs as well as include an exercise with step-by-step instructions

Method

While the simulation is running the model mapped output files are created and updated. When selecting the running simulation (or the one that already finished running) (“Sim #1”), the “Modules” section in the middle pane is filled with “HDF Files” (see next figure).

Figure 1 – Explorer tab / List of HDF files (mapped outputs)

In fact, we are able to visualize mapped outputs while model is still running.

So, let’s start by visualizing mapped model results for the surface runoff. The temporal evolution of the surface flow and water column can be visualized by opening the HDF File “Runoff_1.hdf5”:

• First we start by checking that we don’t have other contour layers (e.g. DTM) in the map to generate confusion in the result presentation: Go to “Map” tab, and make sure that all layers are invisible (just uncheck those layers by unticking the check boxes in the “visible” column), except Bing Aerial.

1. Switch back to the “Explorer Tab” and select the simulation “Sim #1” in the “Project Tree”. Then we double click on the file “Runoff_1.hdf5” in the HDF Files list. Then, in the feature field you can choose one of the available properties (e.g., flow, and water column). We will choose water column:

Figure 2 – Opening Gridded data: Time Based Grid Data Layer selecting feature for visualizing mapped outputs

 

1. Finally, click OK, switch back to “Map” tab once again, zoom to the loaded results layer (select by left-clicking and then right-clicking in the “RunOff_1 [water_column]” layer in the upper left - It will be highlighted orange when selected - and select “Zoom to selected”), navigate in the Date & Time slide bar (lower left). Observe the map updates as you change the time step:

Figure 3 – Mapped output on water column for instant 2010-01-01 10:00

 

Figure 4 - Mapped output on water column for instant 2010-01-01 11:50

To enhance the presentation of results, you can also change the results layer color to be transparent when the water column is very close to zero:

• Select the hdf5 map layer at left (it will be highlighted orange when selected).
• Once selected, press F4 (or right-clicking over the layer and then select Properties) to open the Layer Style Menu.
• Next, change the minimum value to a very small value (e.g. 0.00001):

Figure 5 – Layer Style Properties – changing color definitions on mapped outputs (making small water column invisible)

After this, if you zoom-in, and for instance, navigate till instant 11:50, you should be able to visualize a map similar to this one:

Figure 6 – Mapped outputs filtering water column > 0.1mm

It might also be interesting to overlap vector information, for instance - surface water velocity:

First, let’s load the vector layer – in “Explorer” tab, right-click in “RunOff_1.hdf5” HDF file, and select “Add Vector”. You should then be able to visualize the dialog menu shown in the following figure.

Figure 7 – Opening vector data: Time Based Vector Layer

Be sure that the selected feature is “velocity”, and switch mapping to “OpenPoints” (if we leave the default “basin points” we would be representing vectors in the whole 2D grid; we just want to represent vectors in the wet cells). Click “OK” to load the results.

Then, we should properly configure the layer style properties:

• Switch back to “Map” Layer, select the loaded layer “RunOff_1 [velocity]” (by left-click), and activate Layer Style Properties dialog menu (you can either press F4, double left-click or right-click in the loaded layer and select “Properties”.

You can configure several aspects of the vectors, but in this example we will represent all vectors at a constant size (size can change based in velocity magnitude), and keep focus on visualizing the variability in velocity direction:

• Change the “Min-Size” = “Max. Size” = 10, and use “Max. Density” = 0.2 (you can adjust this value as you want, to change the density of the vectors in the map):

Figure 8– Layer Style Properties / configuring arrow style

Then, you can press “Close”. At instant 11:50, your map should look similar to this:

Figure 9 – visualizing vectors and gridded data in map simultaneously

 

OpenFlows FLOOD generates other types of model outputs – for instance, river drainage network modelling, or stormwater modeling.

In the workspace used, which is a 1D/2D urban flood modelling configuration using stormwater model, we might have interest in mapping combining results of the previously illustrated surface floodplain and the stormwater pipe network. Or you can simply opt to map the 1D stormwater model results without combining them with the 2D surface runoff.

In the next exercise, we will create a combined map for:

1. surface runoff (2D model) water column and velocity direction (from “RunOff_1.hdf”)
2. percentage full of the 1D channels (in this case, artificial channels – pipes in underground stormwater drainage network) (from “Stormwater_1.hdf5”)
3. Bing Aerial as background map.

Execute the following steps:

• Taking advantage of the exercises previously done, in the “Map” tab, keep the layers Bing Aerial and “RunOff_1[water column]”;

• Switch to the “Explorer” tab and double-click in “Stormwater_1.hdf5” in the “HDF files”. Then choose one of the available properties (called “Feature” in the dialog menu). For instance, you can visualize the flood generated by surcharged conduits (feature = “Nodes / flooding”), the sewer flow (feature = “Reaches / flow”) or the percent full of the conduit (feature = “Reaches / percent”). In the next exercise, we visualize the percent full of the conduit. Please be aware that in fact, although the property is referred as “percent”, is indeed a fraction (between 0 and 1):

Figure 10 – Selecting “Reaches / percent” feature for mapped visualization

• Click OK to conclude the loading.

• Switch back to the “Map” tab, select layer “RunOff_1 [water column]” (left click), right-click and select “Zoom to selected”;

• Press F4 to open the Layer Style Properties.

• In “Layer Properties”, tick the “Legend” checkbox, and name the “Style” text box as “Surface – water column (m)”.

Figure 11 – Configuring Legend for the selected feature

• Then, select the layer “Stormwater_1 [Reaches/Percent]”, and press F4 for opening Layer Style Properties. We will change some configurations:
• in the “Network Properties”, select “base width” = 2; “Width option” = “ConstantSize” (we want to visualize all the conduits with the same size)
• In “Layer Properties”, Tick the “Legend” checkbox, and name the “Style” text box as “Pipes - Fraction full”
• • In Gradient style, change the “Gradient” to “White to Black” (the idea is to visualize both pipe network and surface water column, therefore a different color scale is easier to understand).

Figure 12 – Change gradient style for selected feature

To visualize the map’s legend that we previously configured, click the lower-right button :

Figure 13 – expanding legend

If you navigate to 12:00 time instant, you should be able to visualize OpenFlows FLOOD as follows:

Figure 14 – Map for visualization of different layers (from both runoff model and stormwater model) and associated legends

 

We will now improve the previous map including new visualization features in the drainage networks, as for instance:

1. 1. flow vectors on the stormwater drainage network (reaches) (from “Stormwater_1.hdf5”)
   2. variable color in manholes (nodes) according to the manhole overflow (from “Stormwater_1.hdf5”).

Execute the following steps:

• Keep all the layers from the previous exercise, in the “Map” tab;

• Switch to the “Explorer” tab and right-click in “Stormwater_1.hdf5” in the “HDF files”. Then choose the option “Add Vector”.

Figure 15- Adding a vector layer to a reach

 

• Then, in the available properties (called “Feature” in the dialog menu), choose “Reaches/flow” for visualization. We will be able to visualize the flow velocity in the conduits.

• Select the right projection (Geographic; Major = World; Minor = WGS1984):

Figure 16 - Selecting “Reaches / flow” feature for mapped visualization

• Press “OK”.

Then, we should properly configure the layer style properties:

• Switch back to “Map” Layer, select the loaded layer “Stormwater_1 [Reaches/flow]” (by left-click), and activate Layer Style Properties dialog menu (you can either press F4, double left-click or right-click in the loaded layer and select “Properties”.

You can configure several aspects of the vectors, but in this example, we will represent all vectors in red, at different sizes according to flow magnitude:

• Change the “Min-Size” = “Max. Size” = 50 and the Color to red, by double-clicking on the Color, and then selecting red (you can adjust as you want);

• In “Layer Properties”, Tick the “Legend” checkbox, and name the “Style” text box as “Pipes – flow (m3/s)”:

Figure 17 – Layer Style Properties / configuring arrow style in for stormwater drainage network.

 

• Press “Close”, and then go to Map tab, and make sure that the added layer is the top layer in the map (right-click on the added layer and move it up to the top of the map).

If you navigate to 12:00 time instant, you should be able to visualize OpenFlows FLOOD as follows:

Figure 18 - Map for visualization of conduit flow velocities (in arrows) combined with other additional layers (from both runoff model and stormwater model) and associated legends.

 

Finally, we will complement the previous map including variable color in manholes (nodes) according to the manhole volume flooding (or overflow) (from “Stormwater_1.hdf5”).

Execute the following steps:

• Keep all the layers from the previous exercise, in the “Map” tab;

• Switch to the “Explorer” tab and double-click in “Stormwater_1.hdf5” in the “HDF files”. Then choose the property feature = “Nodes / flooding”).

• Choose the appropriate Projection (Type = Geographic; Major = World; Minor = WGS1984).

Then, we should properly configure the layer style properties:

• Switch back to “Map” Layer, select the loaded layer “Stormwater_1 [Nodes/flooding]” (by left-click), and activate Layer Style Properties dialog menu (you can either press F4, double left-click or right-click in the loaded layer and select “Properties”.

Once again, you can configure several aspects of the layer, but in this example, we will configure the layer to show only the manholes where some kind of overflow is present. Thus, we configure the layer as follows:

• In tab “Advanced”, change the Point Size to 15 (you can adjust as you want).

• In tab “Gradient Style”, change the “Min. Value” to a very small value (e.g. 0.00001). With this approach, any node flooding volume above 0.00001 will be represented with a color (based on the flow), and the intensity will depend on the volume. We optionally won’t include a legend for this layer (because the legend window is already full – but I could simply disable a legend from another layer and enable this one):

Figure 19 – Layer Style Properties.

• Press “Close”, and then go to Map tab, and make sure that the added layer is the top layer in the map (right-click on the added layer and move it up to the top of the map).

If you navigate to 10:50 time instant, you should be able to visualize OpenFlows FLOOD as follows, with 2 identified nodes flooding:

Figure 20 - Map for visualization of node flooding combined with other additional layers (from both runoff model and stormwater model) and associated legends.