Version 7.3

Build Number 7.3.9224.28920

Released 10th April 2025

The following are the key features delivered for v7.3:

New Bridge Unit

Until the release of v7.3 bridge structures have always needed careful selection of multiple 1D river units to fully describe their complex hydraulics, i.e. bridge unit, spill unit(s), blockage unit, flood relief culverts, associated river cross section together with junction units to link these into the network. A new bridge unit is introduced in v7.3 that combines all these processes into one.

The bridge unit consists of multiple tabs each containing different components of the bridge hydraulics. These are as follows:

• River sections – add one or both of the upstream and downstream cross sections

• Openings

• Spills

• Flood relief culverts

• Pier Data (for USBPR types only)

• Additional bridge parameters

Accompanying the data entry tabs is an embedded chart that updates as data are entered for the bridge. Furthermore, the chart can also display simulation results. An animation controller is activated below the chart when results are added, as shown below:

In addition to the tabs, the new bridge unit enables users to assign additional key metadata:

• Bridge type – USBPR (default), Arch and Yarnell (pier loss)

• Bridge name – descriptive name for bridge structure

• Description – opportunity to add useful information about the structure and its role in the network

Adding a bridge to a network has been simplified also. If you select both the upstream and downstream river units and click the bridge button in the main toolbar the bridge unit will be automatically added halfway between the units and both upstream and downstream cross section data are auto populated into the bridge unit.

The performance of the new bridge in the 1D river solver has been extensively tested, comparing networks with new and existing bridge units to ensure the same outputs are obtained (provided the units are setup up with the same data).

Note that the existing bridge units will also remain active in the 1D river solver and available in the Flood Modeller user interface to ensure backward compatibility is maintained.

Further details of this tool are provided here.

Updated Simulation Builder Tool

A 1D river model simulation can include links to one or multiple event files, providing boundary input data and/or different design scenarios. In a typical project there may be many different scenarios to investigate by using different model setups. These might look at different return period hydrological events, different climate change epochs and different future design scenarios. Consequently, many different event files will be defined to represent these different scenarios in the form of ied files or Hydrology+ csv files. To model all scenarios many 1D river model simulations will need to be setup to fully assess all possible combinations of conditions. To do this manually (either in the Flood Modeller user interface or in a text editor) can be a time-consuming process as each simulation will need a separate 1D river simulation file (IEF file) setting up.

Flood Modeller includes a 1D river Simulation Builder tool that can automatically create multiple instances of a simulation with each referencing different combinations of event data selected from user specified lists.

Simulations can now include links to one or multiple Hydrology+ hydrograph library files, each with a reference to one hydrograph to utilise as a simulation boundary inflow. Therefore, in v7.3, an enhanced version of the Simulation Builder tool has been developed to enable automated building of simulations to utilise all scenarios included in the referenced Hydrology+ hydrograph files.

The tool still allows you to further customise the list of simulations prior to “building” them, enabling you to edit durations, timesteps, initial conditions, results destinations and run titles. In addition, it allows all boundary inputs the option of assigning an associated return period which is then utilised to filter the matrix of possible simulations to only consider combinations of boundaries with matching return periods.

Further details of this tool are provided here.

Hydrology+ Report Builder Tool

Hydrological analyses within a modelling project involves many components, for example:

• Map views showing the extent of your project area

• Chart outputs summarising your Hydrology+ analyses

• Tabular data outputs, e.g. underlying data from chart outputs

• Tabular data summarising settings and parameters used in Hydrology+ analyses

• User comments describing decisions made or the reasons for particular settings selected

• PDF reports from ReFH2 and WINFAP containing all associated parameters, data tables, charts and map data

Through each stage data are generated and decisions are made. All of this information can be utilised in the reporting that will form the final output from a project. Keeping track of all of these different components and all of the associated data and metadata is a difficult, complex process.

In Flood Modeller v7.3 a new Report Builder tool has been developed to help. Each project can be exported as a Flood Modeller Hydrology+ report. Data will be automatically included in your report, such as ReFH2 and WINFAP diagnostics and summary charts from all your calculation points.

When you build a report, the tool will collate all the key data from your Hydrology+ project, e.g. reconciled hydrographs and preferred versions of catchment descriptor datasets, ReFH2 and WINFAP analyses from each calculation point defined in your Hydrology+ project. It will also include all comments that you may have added to description fields as you worked through the Hydrology Plus process together with associated metadata (e.g. when data has been created and by whom). The report data will be extracted to a standard file and folder structure in formats that will allow easy insertion into your project reports.

You can run the Report Builder multiple times as you progress your project and each time your report data will be refreshed and updated.

Further details of this tool are provided here.

Minor enhancements and bug fixes

In addition to the key new features in this release more than 20 additional enhancements are included to deliver improved workflows or address reported bugs. These are summarised below:

• Resolved: Adding Hydrology+ exported file was generating an unrecognised keyword "hplus" to the ief file

• Resolved: Issues displaying selected National Authority and NRFA Gauges

• Updated Damage Calculator now embedded within Flood Modeller (rather than separate executable)

• Updated database utility package with software to improve success rate of granting access rights to Hydrology+ database.

• Resolved: “Import XYZ as cross sections” function does not fail nicely if tool has issue with input data

• Resolved: Relative paths not set correctly for all referenced files in 2D model XML file

• Resolved: Import csv as shapefile - bad/untrapped error occurred if output shapefile name was not chosen

• Resolved: Import csv as shapefile - pre-population of input/output file names was incorrect.

• Resolved: Issue in 2D model setup interface - 2D User Entered time series data had column headers X and Y. This is now changed to "time (<units>)" and "discharge (<units>)".

• Resolved: Fixed issue with display of TUFLOW xmdf output. What was seen in cross section and time series plots interrogating 2D results did not match the spatial data in the map view.

• Resolved: 2d schema location now updated (as specified in 2D model simulation XML files).

• Resolved: Issue with csv QTBDY inputs not working for relative paths (unless dat & ief at the same folder level). Now path assumed as relative to ief file. For csvs, it looks relative to the ief folder first, and the dat folder second. If it finds both, it issues a warning (and uses ief). If found in neither, fails with an explicit "File not found" error. NB Doesn't [yet] say whether found relative to ief or dat (unless it finds both, in which case it does say "using relative to the ief"). Fixes relative path issue for FM1s and hplus.

• Resolved: Miss-match between 1D river solver and Flood Modeller user interface. Now in a QTbdy, defaulted blank "EXTEND" field is treated as EXTEND, consistent with the user interface.

• Resolved: Hydrology+ database updated to fix issue with some Scottish gauges not displaying details in user interface.

• Resolved: Typo - "mode" changed to "more model" in Remove Selected Files dialogue

• Resolved: 2D Cross-section plot now showing maximums from XMDF format 2D results data (previously only working with SMS format 2D results data).

• Resolved: 2D flood map tool no longer failing to extract cross-section data from XMDF format 2D results data

• Resolved: 1D solver was showing a difference between Rectangular and Asymmetric culverts - one model crashes

• Resolved: No Gauge info available for selected gauges (e.g. Chippenham Gate). Issue was due to gauge having multiple (2) opening dates rather than one. User interface updated to handle this variation.

• Keyboard shortcuts (accelerator keys) enabled on Plot selection window. The plot selection window often hides behind other windows and consequently can be difficult to find or close with the mouse cursor. Enabling shortcut keys now allows it to be closed when not visible, thus avoiding the need to kill Flood Modeller (using Task Manager) to resume working.

• Resolved: Uninformative array bounds error in asymmetric conduit no longer appears. This could occur with some 1D river model configurations.

• Resolved: Issue addressed with relative paths of roughness data. Now they are correctly validated by the 2D model build interface.

• Futureproofing implemented to ensure ongoing compatibility between Flood Modeller and forthcoming versions of TUFLOW. This has been done to accommodate future planned changes to the format of TUFLOW build numbers. Changes ensure 1D river models should still link to future versions of TUFLOW and the TUFLOW version is correctly read in and then written to simulation logfiles.

• Resolved: The wrong units (i.e. SI units) are no longer being used in 2D model outputs when the requested check grid format is GEOTIFF, the solver is ADI or TVD (CPU) and the model is set to use US units. Note this was not an issue if the output format was set to ASCII grids.

• Resolved: Calculation point hydrograph tool has been enhanced. This is to address an issue with the option to plot urban or rural data on the chart within the hydrograph tool. The buttons controlling these options were not updating the table e.g. showing rural values even if the show urban data option was selected in the tool (then after closing the hydrograph tool and re-opening it and selecting show rural data the tool would then only show urban results). Note, even before fixing this issue, the exported data from the hydrograph tool are always correct, i.e. urban values are exported when the urban option is selected. The problem was just limited to what is seen in the user interface.

Known issues in v7.3

With each new release of Flood Modeller it is not always possible to address all known bugs and issues. Thus, some of the more minor issues are not all fixed. The following provides a summary of the known minor bugs and issues within v7.3. None of these should prevent any aspect of the software from working and we will aim to fix some or all of these during the next development cycle.

1. 1D model setup interface forces the 1D results path to be specified as a relative path irrespective of “Use relative paths” setting. If a 1D simulation file has a results file path defined as a full path and is then reviewed in the 1D model setup interface, the interface will display this as a relative path (to the 1D model ief file). Thus, if the Save option is selected when closing the model setup interface, the Result path will be updated as a relative path (it is not changed if the interface is closed without saving).

A workaround to reset the Results file path is to select the “Use relative paths” option in the File menu of the model setup interface twice (the first selection makes all paths relative, the second selection resets all paths, including the Results path, to be full paths.

2. 1D river - 2D TUFLOW linked models specify the link by referencing the TUFLOW tcf file in the 1D ief model simulation file. This reference can be either a full path or a relative path. However, if a relative path is used then the 1D river solver assumes this to be the path to the tcf relative to the 1D model network file, i.e. the dat file. If the tcf path is relative to the ief file then the solver will not locate the tcf and the model simulation will fail. Unfortunately if the “Use relative paths” option is selected in the Sim Builder tool all tcf paths are currently setup incorrectly, i.e. relative to the ief file. Therefore, if using Sim Builder to set up 1D-TUFLOW linked models then only the “Use full file paths” option should be selected.

3. 2D rainfall boundary -– the bar chart that displays user entered data has a fixed bar width of 0.5hr, irrespective of the interval of the data entered. This does not affect the data in the model, but can produce displays in the interface as shown below:

Choosing a time interval of 0.25hr still assumes a bar width of 0.5hr, e.g. the 0.75hr column in image 1 below is too wide and in image 2 the 6mm value @1hr is completely obscured by bigger values on each side:

If the interval is larger, e.g. in the example below it is1hr, then there are gaps between bars:

3. Upstream bridge face radio button is on by default for some scenarios when adding a new Bridge unit. The default should be to use the downstream face (and in most situations this will be the option the interface initially selects. For scenarios where the upstream face is initially selected the user should check and decide if this the desired option for their model (e.g. if only upstream section data are available).

4. For some model results, animating water level data (with the option "Use full Y-axis range" selected) can lead to the water level line extending above the grey area that signifies bridge structure into the white area. This may lead to some confusion as the upper level of grey area is not a bridge property and may give the impression the bridge deck is overtopped (when to model this a spill should be specified to represent the bridge deck). In future the bridge structure represented by the grey area will be extended up indefinitely unless a spill level is defined.

5. When loading multiple predefined WMS or WFS layers (from Home tab > Online services) it should be noted that the current map view tool in Flood Modeller cannot display these data with any transparency. Each WMS will fully cover the map extent. Thus, if multiple WMS layers are loaded and set to visible, only the upper WMS in the Layers panel will be seen. Note other GIS data always loads above any WMS or WFS layers present in the Layers panel.

6. The option to define new WMS layers (under the Add GIS Data menu on the Home tab) is not working with the current map view. An enhanced mapping component will be utilised to provide the map view in v8.0 that should address this issue.

7. When plotting time series outputs from all 5 additional structure coefficients generated by the new Bridge unit it is sometimes possible for coefficient no. 5 to appear twice in the chart and associated chart legend.

8. The expected number of simulations that will be generated by user settings in the new Sim Builder tool (as displayed in the lower right corner of the Sim Builder wizard) will be wrong if the user’s data includes multiple return period dependent event files associated to the same return period, e.g. 100 year return period and 100 year climate change scenario. It should be noted though that in all cases Sim Builder will still produce the correct number of simulation combinations.

9. The functions View GIS Data and Load GIS Data are associated to loading GIS data referenced by a 2D model into the map view. However, if the 2D model includes deactivation areas, then the current versions of these functions do not import these data to the map view.