WMS

Troubleshooting TOPAZ and TauDEM in WMS

By aquaveo on August 5, 2020

Both TOPAZ and TauDEM make computing flow directions and accumulations for basin delineation easier. One of these two programs is typically used during the process of delineating a watershed. During this process, it is not unusual to run into some issues. Below are some common issues and how to resolve them.

Missing DEM

DEM data is required to run TOPAZ or TauDEM. A DEM can be imported from a file or downloaded from a web service. If you get an error stating that no DEM exists after you have imported the DEM data, this is typically because the DEM was not imported correctly.

TOPAZ unable to find DEM

Often, the DEM has been imported as a raster file and is in the GIS data module. In order for TOPAZ or TauDEM to use this as a DEM it will need to be converted from a raster to a DEM using the Convert to | DEM right-click command in the GIS module.

Not Enough Data

In order for TOPAZ or TauDEM to work properly, a DEM is needed that has enough data to work with. When working on modeling very small areas, TOPAZ or TauDEM may fail to execute correctly because there is not enough data available to complete the process.

In order to fix this issue, it is recommended that you slightly expand the size of the area you are modeling. In particular, the resolution of the DEM being used may need to be increased. Use your best judgement as to how much additional data to add.

Too Much Data

The opposite of having too little data would be to have too much data which causes TOPAZ or TauDEM to slow down or stop running altogether. This typically happens when attempting to model a very large watershed. In this case, the issue typically isn’t related to problems with TOPAZ or TauDEM but is more likely related to the available processing power of the computer being used.

With many projects that have too much data, often much of that data is unnecessary. Often a lower resolution DEM can be used. When modeling a large watershed area, you should use your engineering judgement to find areas of greatest interest and then focus on those areas. If that is not possible, then you will need to find a way to increase your computer's processing power.

TOPAZ and TauDEM tools for delineating a basin. Try them out in WMS today!

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Importing Land Use and Soil Type into WMS

By aquaveo on June 24, 2020

Have you needed to obtain land use or soil type data for your WMS project? Land use, or land cover, data is used to define the land use or cover of areas in the watershed such as urban, forested, farm, etc. Soil type data is typically used to control the movement of water in a watershed model. Data for land use or soil type can be added to your watershed project in WMS by using files on your computer or by downloading the data from a database.

Import a File

Files containing land use or soil type data are often contained in a shapefile, though other formats are possible. This file can be imported from your computer using the File | Open command. Once imported, the shapefile will appear in the GIS Module. It will likely need to be converted to the map coverage before being used in your watershed model.

Import From Web

Land use or soil type data can be obtained from online web services. To access these services, do the following:

  1. Select File | Add Data | Get Data from Map.
  2. In the Virtual Earth Map Locator, select the location of your project. If your project already has a set projection, then the location of your project should already be visible.
  3. In the Data Service Options dialog, select one of the web services containing land use or soil type data such as the Land Use Shapefile, Statsgo Soil Type Shapefile, or Harmonized World Soil Database.
  4. Save the land use or soil type data to your computer. The data will automatically be imported into your project as a shapefile in the GIS Module.
Data Service Options dialog showing land use and soil type options
Moving Land Use and Soil Type Data

In most cases, having land use or soil type data on a shapefile will not include the data in your watershed model. Most often the data will need to be moved from the shapefile to the Map module. To do this:

  1. Create a map coverage with the Land Use or Soil Type property. Land use data should be placed on a land use coverage and soil type data should be placed on a soil type coverage. Data may be lost if the wrong coverage type is used.
  2. After creating the correct map coverage, select the land use or soil type shapefile in the GIS module then select the Mapping | Shape to Feature Object command.
  3. When using the GIS to Feature Objects Wizard, select correct map coverage and make certain all of the attributes are correctly assigned.

Once you have imported land use or soil type data and it has been correctly converted to the Map module, it is ready to be used in your watershed model. Try out using land use and soil type data in WMS today!

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Sharing WMS Project Files

By aquaveo on June 3, 2020

After completing your project in WMS, are you needing to share your project files with a client or colleague? When doing this, it is important that you send them all of the files related to the project. All of the files for the project should be shared in the same folder. This article will go over some of the important files to include.

The most important file to share is the WMS XMDF Project File (*.wms). This file contains many elements of your project, but also acts as a directory for the other files being used by your project. To improve application performance, the WMS project file does not contain all of the data necessary to open the project, so it is important to include all relevant files when sharing your project.

In addition to the WMS project file, it is important to include GIS files that are in the project. This would include any shapefiles, image files, raster files, or projection files. WMS will ask you to locate these files if they are not in the same directory as the WMS project file when the project is opened. If the GIS files are no longer relevant to the project, they should be removed from the project before saving and sharing the WMS project file.

GIS items in a WMS project

Another file that is important to include is the map file (*.map). This file contains all data related to feature objects and map coverages in the project. Without it, many projects may be unable to open. Similarly, the tree file (*.tre) is necessary to import hydraulic and hydrologic data. Grid (*.grd) are needed to import grid geometry.

When a model run has been completed, it is important for the solution (*.sol) and output (*.out) files to be included with the project file. Without these, whoever receives the files will be unable to see the results of your model run.

Finally, be certain to include model specific files, such as those for HEC-HMS or GSSHA. Refer to the model documentation for information on these files.

One trick to help include all files in your project, is to use the Save As command and save the project to a new folder. Then make certain to move that folder to a new directory and open the project file to see if any files are missing.

Now that you know a little more about WMS files, try sharing your WMS projects today!

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Exporting a High-Resolution Plot

By aquaveo on April 22, 2020

While working in WMS, you may need to export a profile plot or hydrograph at a high resolution. This can be particularly useful when preparing a presentation or sending the results of your project for publication. Having a high resolution plot allows presenting your work at its best. This blog post is meant to show you how to export a high-resolution profile plot in WMS.

The needed resolution of the plot or hydrograph will vary depending on the final output. Resolution for screens and powerpoint presentations does not need to be as high as for print publications. By default, WMS uses a lower resolution for hydrographs and plots to conserve computer processing power. When exporting, higher resolutions can be specified.

In order to export a high resolution plot, a profile plot or hydrograph needs to be created. After generating the profile plot or hydrograph, the below steps will show how to export it with a high resolution.

  1. Right-click on the plot window and select Export/Print.
  2. In the Exporting Profile dialog, select which file type to export and where to save the file.
  3. At the bottom of the dialog, there is an option to set the size and resolution of the file to make it a higher quality image.
Exporting a plot

Remember that, in changing the size of an image, there are limits to how large the image can be. Each image should be scaled to accurately fit within its limited dimensions.

It is recommended to check the export plot file after exporting. It is recommended to open the exported plot file in software outside of WMS to check the resolution. Also review the final file size before sending it. If there is a discrepancy, adjust the export settings in WMS and try again.

Try out exporting your plots and hydrographs from WMS today!

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