Version 6.2

Version 6.2

Released June 2023

Run Edition licences now available

Run Edition licences allow you to seamlessly scale up the number of available concurrent simulations; a huge benefit for compute intensive projects. They also enable additional users to run simulations, leaving your full licence(s) free for those building, editing and reviewing models.

You can effortlessly use a Run licence both within or outside of the Flood Modeller interface, e.g. via code developed using the Flood Modeller API. Please contact sales@floodmodeller.com for further details on adding these licences to your configuration on an annual basis.

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How to use a Run licence

New z-mod tools

In v6.2, the existing Z line topographic adjustment functionality is augmented by the new Z mod suite of tools. These enable areas (rather than lines) of elevation data within your 2D domain to be adjusted using a variable surface. The surface extent is defined by a polygon and the elevations within this surface are specified by a set of spot heights defined in one or multiple point shapefiles (the minimum requirement being to specify heights at each vertex of the polygon). In addition, one or multiple polylines can be used to specify break lines within the Z mod surface extent.

Pre-processing within the 2D solvers will triangulate the input Z mod polygon to create a variable height surface, interpolating between the specified spot heights and ensuring any specified internal polylines are incorporated as break lines (i.e. not crossed by any triangles). The 2D solvers will utilise these interpolated surfaces in the same way as fixed height additional topographic features, i.e. values can replace or add to underlying DTM elevations.

Specifying Z mod elevation data is made easy with the introduction of new Z mod tools. Functionality provided within the suite of tools allows you to quickly and efficiently:

• Draw a Z mod area where you want to specify elevations. 
• Draw lines or sets of points within a Z mod area as new Z mod shapefile elements.
• Use the Z mod vertices tool to automatically extract the vertices from a polygon (or polyline) shapefile to create a new Z mod point shapefile. The tool will also populate the elevation attribute of the point shapefile with data from a grid, such as a DTM.
• Edit Z mod points attributes - manually specify the solver adjustment method, e.g. “set” = provided values replace underlying DTM elevations (default method) and “add” = values are added to the underlying elevation. Edit mode also enables you to adjust the elevations at individual vertices.

The Z mod functionality is useful for specifying more realistic (spatially varying) elevations for proposed defences, filling holes/areas of missing data in your underlying DTM, and much more.

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How to create a z-mod feature

How to define a z-mod area

How to use the z-mod vertices tool

How to edit z-mod attributes

How to add z-mod features to a simulation

Improved 2D plotting

The functionality provided in the user interface for the visualisation of 2D results has been significantly enhanced. It is now possible to easily compare like for like results from multiple simulations. Other plotting functionality now available when reviewing 2D results is as follows:

• All 2D chart tools upgraded to deliver similar style to 1D chart tools
• Existing chart options maintained: Time series plots, cross-section plots and flow line plots
• New standalone tool for viewing embedded structure data
• Separate charts (in the same view) for each selected variable
• Comparison of results from same location in multiple models or different locations in the same model
• Comparison of results from different locations in the same model
• Enables plotting of results not loaded in map view – saving time accessing results
• Customise charts effortlessly using the new Quick-Edit tool provided for each chart type.
• Allows saving of plot locations for re-use in multiple charts

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How to produce a plot of 2D time series results

How to produce a plot of cross-sectional data

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Additional 2D output of relative mass error

The 2D solvers have been enhanced to include the option to output temporally and spatially varying mass balance data. Assessment of mass balance data is integral to the validation of hydraulic models (1D, 2D or linked models). Previously the 2D solvers have produced overall mass balance data for each modelled domain, which is data that can be used to assess the quality of a model. However, on its own, these data do not indicate the precise location of any stability problems within the model. 

New models are now setup to include a relative mass error variable in the time series grid outputs. These data are an additional scalar output within the chosen time series output format, i.e. XMDF by default (or SMS or netCDF). In addition, the maximum relative mass error for each domain grid cell is output to either a GeoTIFF or ASCII raster grid. 

These new outputs will enable any stability issues within your model setup to be isolated and addresses quicker and easier than before. They will also provide an additional dataset for validation of your model quality. This output is selected from the list of available output variables, when specifying your 2D simulation outputs in the 2D model setup interface. It is selected by default for time series and max grid outputs when creating a new simulation.

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How to select 2D simulation outputs

Direct access to simulation diagnostics

The 1D and 2D solvers in Flood Modeller automatically generate a wide range of diagnostics files. These can be utilised to assess the quality of a model, aid validation of results and provide insights into the location and cause of stability issues should they occur. To make it easier than ever to access diagnostic data from your simulations, functionality has been added to link directly to diagnostic files and load them into the Flood Modeller map view or send them to your chosen text editor. The right-click menu under simulations loaded into the Project Panel provides access to these functions. 

In summary the diagnostic data now accessible from 2D simulations (including those already present in previous versions) is as follows:

• Load cell status check grid – informs on the role of each cell in the 2D domain, e.g. active, inactive, inflow boundary, link, etc. (this also has a bespoke colour ramp defined for it)
• View 2D log file – added to the default text editor on your system
• Load all check grids – presents options to load any of the check grids produced by a 2D simulation, e.g. all grid elevations (zcen), modified grid cell elevations (zmod), etc.
• Load spatial diagnostic data (sdd file) – adds sdd text file to map view as a point shapefile (each point highlights the location of a grid cell error or warning)
• Load Z mod check files – loads shapefile diagnostics that show how the solver has interpreted the input Z mod data
• View simulation summary spreadsheet – the live displays during a simulation are saved to a spreadsheet (if the option is ticked beforehand in General settings)
• View 2D mass balance file(s) – overall mass balance data from a simulation are saved to a csv format which will be loaded into MS Excel
• View 1D linked flow summary file(s) – overall link flow data (for 1D-2D linked simulations) are saved to a csv format which will be loaded into MS Excel

This right-click menu also includes options to add 2D results or 2D input GIS datasets to the Flood Modeller map view. 

For 1D river simulations, the option is now provided to access and view the 1D diagnostic log file, which will open in the text editor default to your machine.

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How to load 1D diagnostic files

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Infiltration rate and loss available as 2D outputs

In pluvial flooding, the infiltration of the rainfall is of great interest and may want further investigation. For models setup to include dynamic infiltration (varying spatially and with time), you can now select to include infiltration rate and the infiltration loss as additional output datasets (scalar grid format). These are calculated if the relevant options are selected from the 2D simulation outputs list in your 2D model setup interface. 

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Enhanced logical rules

Logical rules have been greatly enhanced adding increased functionality to enable closer representation of complex control structures and improved workflows to ensure ease of use. 

Global rules variables can now be defined for a 1D river network. These can be utilised in the rules defined for multiple structures. Thus, they can provide a link between the logic controlling each structure and hence the behaviour of each structure. For example, create a timer to start when a certain condition is met, and then multiple gates, pumps, and/or abstraction units can be controlled by this global timer. The different types of global rules variables available are as follows:

• Time triggers
• Boolean / Ternary – variable set to +1, 0 or -1, e.g. to represent an on/off control
• Numeric – variables can be real or integer values

In addition, a new interface has been provided for the definition of global rules variables for the active river network in the map view. These data are saved in the river network file (.dat file).

There are further additions to the options provided when defining individual logical rules for a structure. These are as follows:

• A global “Else” to provide catch-all option within a set of rules (previously only “if…then” was available)
• Multiple actions under same rule – “Also” (previously multiple separate rules would need to be defined to define each action)

Finally, ensuring your rules are being applied as expected is crucial. This can be checked quickly and easily by using new functionality added for visualising rules taking effect within time series plots.

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How to use logical rules

How to apply logical rules to a sluice or gated weir

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GPU solver improvements

Increase your productivity by running simulations faster than ever before using the 2D GPU Solver. The enhanced GPU solver in v6.2 is configured for running larger models. Input data limits have been removed and so the only restriction now is the memory limits of your system for reading large input datasets or writing large output files. 

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How to use the 2D GPU Solver

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Enhancements to Muskingum routing

Until now, the variable parameter Muskingum-Cunge method, when derived from VPMC Cross Sections, has produced curves that can be very jagged. For v6.2, improvements have been implemented to smooth these curves, resulting in more stable solutions that are easier to both use and calibrate.

The key features of the improvements are the removal of any rogue data points, fitting a smooth curve between the remaining points, and enabling these points to be scaled by calibration factors.

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Muskingum Routing

Muskingum Method

VPMC Cross Sections

Additional bug fixes

• Enabled trial licences in the licence module
• Enhancements to 2D-urban linked modelling processes to improve stability and mass balance accuracy
• Synchronise TVD CPU to align with 2D GPU implementation
• Option added to enable clicking on a cross section plot to add 1D river panel marker (requires panel markers t be turned on in cross section chart legend)
• Fixed issues with writing and loading netCDF format for 2D results, e.g. better handling of rotated grids - now added as additional 2D model output option
• All Flood Modeller source code and installed files are now certified (for a smoother installation process, i.e. files should not be wrongly identified as potentially malicious)
• 1D river linking has been reviewed and revised to ensure it works with the latest version of TUFLOW (as of v6.2 release date)
• 1D river and 2D solver benchmarking has been successfully repeated for v6.2
• Default output settings in 2D model interface changed to XMDF and GeoTIFF for new 2D simulations
• Unit count functionality reinstated, accessed via the right click menu of the 1D River network table - select Model build > Unit count and data is automatically written to a csv file (in the same folder as the network)
• Consolidated shapefile generation tools to ensure all are setting correct/current attributes required by solvers
• 1D river bank markers tool now also applies to MUSK-XSEC units as well as RIVER SECTION units
• Enhanced error reporting for ABS and PUMP units using Logical Rules (if rule definitions contain errors) - should enable better understanding and faster fixing of model issues
• "Reset chart layouts" button added to layout options menu on Home tab - to bring chart location back to main screen of UI
• 1D River diagnostics file (zzd) enhanced to report Urban file names for linked simulations
• Levee calculations improved for cases where floodplain ground level is lower than adjacent channel bed level
• Fixed issue with “I/O Error 66” on attempting to write to/open long 1D river filenames
• Error fixed that caused TVD-GPU simulations with embedded structures to fail
• Error fixed that caused Rainfall / Urban link models using 2D TVD (CPU or GPU) to fail
• Informative error message now written to the log when infiltration loss output is selected but infiltration parameters have not been defined
• Passing -pm as 2DOptions from ief causes "licence not taken" error – now fixed
• Issue fixed that caused linked TUFLOW failures with "sqlite function not found" error (TUFLOW 2023-03-AA)
• Flip Cross Section tool does not flip L & R Levee Markers – now fixed
• Potential memory leak during 2D results writing addressed
•  LEFT overtopping bank marker set on the same point as RIGHT marker causes failure – now fixed
• Issue addressed with locations reported in the spatial diagnostics file (2D) being outside the domain
• Issue fixed when importing cross sections from some HEC-RAS models
• Issues when adding 1D river GERRBDY transformation models and baseflows in 1D unit properties window now all fixed
• Changes made to calculation of spatially varying Green-Ampt infiltration in 2D models to improve accuracy