SMS

Filling Missing Raster Data

Do you have a raster that has holes in it? The Fill Nodata can fix small holes in raster data. Available in GMS, SMS, and WMS. In this article, we will explore the ways that the Fill Nodata tool can be used in WMS.

The Fill Nodata tool fills in small areas or gaps in a raster where no elevation data exists. It is located in the Rasters/Fill Nodata section of the Toolbox. The tool will interpolate an elevation to raster cells that are classified as "NODATA". Then the tool will create a new raster in the project that has the fillable no data areas filled.

Example of the File Nodata tool

These holes in the raster can occur for a number of reasons, one of the most common being that the data is incomplete. WMS is flexible enough that it can use a raster with small amounts of missing data for most simulations. However, it is recommended that you have data that is as complete as possible to ensure the generated model is as accurate. Therefore using the Fill Nodata tool can help ensure the accuracy of your model.

The Fill Nodata tool has a few input parameters to keep in mind. The input raster is the most important parameter. This needs to be a raster that has been imported into the project. The maximum distance to interpolate determines how far out WMS will look to fill data. It will use pixel units to do this. The number of 3x3 average filter smoothing iterations to run determines how many smoothing interactions will be run after the interpolation has been calculated. Additional interactions can help in improving the fill data.

Keep in mind that the tool was not intended to create data for large regions of missing data cells, especially regions on the border of the raster. If you have a large area of missing data, it would be best to use other processes to fill in the missing data, such as downloading the missing data and merging it with your raster.

The Fill Nodata tool is one of thetools provided in WMS to let you modify and edit raster data. Try out the Fill Nodata tool in WMS today!

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Converting a 2D Mesh to a CAD Surface

Using CAD files can be a useful way to transfer project data between different modeling software that may not support all of the same file types. The Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) supports the conversion of terrain in the form of scatter surfaces and mesh surfaces to and from CAD data for easy transfer between systems that utilize CAD data.

To save a terrain from SMS as a CAD surface file:

  1. Deselect everything in the Project Explorer that doesn't contain the terrain data you want to work with. Depending on the amount of data currently in the Project Explorer, the simplest way to achieve this may be to right-click on an empty section of the Project Explorer and select "Uncheck All".
  2. Reselect the terrain data in the Project Explorer.
  3. Right-click in any empty space in the Project Explorer and select "Save as CAD". A save window will pop up and you'll be able to name the CAD surface file and choose where it will save outside of SMS.

The CAD surface data will then also appear in the Project Explorer. Once you assign a name to the file, you should be able to import it into your CAD software and make modifications. This file set will contain all the necessary surface data, including elevation, node, and element information.

Using CAD Faces to 2D Scatter Triangles

When importing CAD surface data into SMS, you'll need to convert it into a form that SMS can recognize so you can make changes and use the information stored in the file. To convert the data back into a form you can use within SMS, you just need to right-click on the CAD data under the CAD Data file folder in the project explorer. Then, select the "Convert → CAD Faces → 2D Scatter Triangles" command.

Head over to SMS and see how using CAD data can benefit your project today!

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Working with ADCIRC Levees in SMS

As a oceanic modeler working with hydrodynamic modeling, you may have an ADCIRC levee structure in your project that you need to check or fix. Fortunately, SMS provides a couple of tools that can assist you with this task. These tools are part of the SMS Toolbox and allow you to test and verify that levees are working properly. In this article, we'll take a closer look at these tools and how they can be used to enhance your surface-water projects.

To access the ADCIRC levee tools, you can open the Toolbox and expand the ADCIRC folder. The first tool available is called Fix Levee Crest Elevations. This tool checks the ADCIRC boundary conditions coverage that contains the levee arcs. It compares the Z crest attributes against a set of elevation lines, which are known as check lines. The tool will perform a check on any selected levee arc or all levee arcs if none of them have been selected previously. If the elevation values are outside of the check lines, the tool will adjust them to fix the values.

Another tool in the toolbox is the Check/Fix Levee Ground Elevations. This tool checks the elevations of an ADCIRC domain based on the crest elevations defined in an ADCIRC boundary conditions coverage. If necessary, the tool will lower the elevations of a domain based on the elevations defined in the boundary condition coverage. This tool also creates a new dataset that can be mapped as an elevation for the 2D mesh if desired.

Example of the Check/Fix Levee Ground Elevations tool

Both of these tools check the validity of the levee. If the levee does not line up with a hole in the mesh, the tool will determine it to be invalid. If the tool determines the levee to be valid, it will run, and the output datasets will be loaded onto the input domain mesh in SMS.

The ADCIRC levee tools are just some of the tools available in the SMS Toolbox. Additional tools will be added in the future to enhance the capabilities of the toolbox. By using the Toolbox for your surface-water projects in SMS, you can easily test and verify the effectiveness of levees and ensure that they are functioning as they should be.

In conclusion, if you need to check or fix an ADCIRC levee structure in your project, SMS provides helpful tools in its toolbox to assist you. These tools, such as Fix Levee Crest Elevations and Check/Fix Levee Ground Elevations, allow you to test and verify the effectiveness of levees, ensuring that they function correctly. So, try out the SMS toolbox today for your surface-water projects, and make your work easier!

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How to Include Sediment Transport in CMS-Flow

As a civil engineer working with hydrodynamic modeling, you understand the importance of considering sediment transport in many models, such as CMS-Flow. The sediment transport equation is essential as it models the rate of sediment particle movement based on various factors, including local flow conditions and sediment properties. With the sediment transport module in CMS-Flow, you can achieve a more accurate representation of river or coastal systems. It also enables you to explore different scenarios such as changes in flow conditions, sediment input, or sea level rise.

Using the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS), the base of a CMS-Flow model is created on an unstructured grid (UGrid), with components such as save points, activity classification coverage, and boundary conditions. Save points are vital for identifying high temporal resolution output locations. Activity classification coverages exclude geographic regions from the simulation computations. A boundary conditions coverage is a required component for any simulation.

Example of Sediment Transport options for CMS-Flow

Once you have created these components, you can create a new CMS-Flow simulation by right-clicking in the Project Explorer. Next, apply the UGrid and any coverages you want to include in the simulation by dragging them under the simulation. You can then set the parameters for sediment transport by following these steps:

  1. Right-click on the simulation and select Model Control to open the CMS-Flow Model Control dialog.
  2. Select the Sediment Transport tab and check the box next to Calculate sediment transport.
  3. Under the Sediment Transport tab, input various parameters to refine sediment transport in the simulation. These include sediment density and porosity, bed composition, transport formula, and more.
  4. Set all other desired parameters in the tabs of the CMS-Flow Model Control dialog and click OK when finished.

Once you have set all the necessary parameters, you are ready to run the CMS-Flow simulation with its included sediment transport calculations. By utilizing sediment transport, you can refine your CMS-Flow model further and achieve more accurate results.

In conclusion, sediment transport is an essential process that needs to be considered in hydrodynamic models like CMS-Flow. With the sediment transport module in CMS-Flow, you can achieve a more realistic representation of river or coastal systems and explore various scenarios. Follow the steps outlined above to set the sediment transport parameters and refine your CMS-Flow model in SMS today.

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