Aquaveo & Water Resources Engineering News

New Map Annotation Tools in SMS 13.1

By aquaveo on September 30, 2020

With the release of SMS 13.1 beta, a new tool has been added to allow you to have additional annotations on feature objects. SMS already provides several options for adjusting how feature objects are displayed, but now more options exist specifically for feature arcs to help make working with feature arcs easier.

Currently in recent versions of SMS, annotations can be added to label arcs. This would let you see the name of specific arcs. The color and thickness of feature arcs can also be changed. Also, specific annotation options exist for specific model coverages, such as the SRH-2D boundary conditions map coverage.

The new map annotations can add a number of new annotations to your feature arcs.With the new annotation tools, the following can also be displayed:

  • An arrow indicating the the direction of the feature arc
  • Tick marks to indicate the distances along the arc
  • The length and number of tick marks can be adjusted along the arc
  • Tick mark labels can be added
  • The font and color of tick mark labels can be changed
Map module annotations in SMS 13.1

These options allow you to quickly see if an arc has been placed in the wrong direction or to check the measurement of an arc. Note that tick marks will use the units set in the project's projection.

To activate the map annotations, do the following:

  1. Open the Map Display Options
  2. Turn on the Annotations option under the Arcs section
  3. Click the Options button next to the Annotations option
  4. Turn on the different the map annotations options in the Arc Annotations Options dialog

Note, with the exception of the tick mark color, that the line width and color are still determined by the other arc display options. The display of the arcs can be adjusted before or after setting the arc annotation options.

Try out the different map annotation options in the SMS 13.1 beta today!

Blog tags: 
SMS

Using the SAMG Solver for MODFLOW

By aquaveo on September 23, 2020

Are you needing to use multiple processors to run your MODFLOW or MODFLOW-USG model? Using multiple processors can speed up the model processing time. In order to use multiple processors for MODFLOW in GMS, the SAMG solver provides the means to do this.

The SAMG solver is developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing (SCAI). It contains a library of subroutines for the highly efficient solution of large linear systems of equations with sparse matrices. SAMG has an advantage in being almost unconditionally numerically scalable. This means that the computational cost using SAMG depends linearly on the number of unknowns.

Before using the SAMG solver, check to see if you have it added to your license. Do this by going to the Register command in the Help menu. Look through the list of components to make certain the SAMG parallel interface / solver has been enabled.

The SAMG solver works with the LMG solver package in MODFLOW. The LMG solver needs to be selected to access the SAMG solver. The LMG solver links the MODFLOW project to the SAMG solver.

SAMG warning message

To activate the SAMG solver do the following:

  1. Open the MODLOW Global/Basic Package dialog.
  2. Then open the MODFLOW Packages dialog.
  3. Turn on the LMG – Link-AMG option.
  4. A warning may appear discussing the SAMG solver. This warning can be turned off if desired.
  5. Once the LMG solver has been turned on, the Link-AMG (LMG) Package dialog can be accessed through the MODFLOW menu in order to set the solver parameters.

Using the SAMG solver is not ideal for all MODFLOW projects. It is generally meant for large linear problems and simulations which use several time steps. For the right project, SAMG can help significantly accelerate the model run time.

For MODFLOW-USG, the SAMG solver is used with the SMS Solver. You can select the SAMG solver in the SMS Solver options.

Contact Aquaveo's licensing team to see about using the SAMG solver with your GMS projects.

Blog tags: 
GMS

Editing DEM Elevations

By aquaveo on September 16, 2020

Do you have a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) that has elevations that need to be adjusted? Editing DEM elevations can sometimes prove difficult. However, with WMS you can edit the elevations of DEM files using several tools WMS provides for editing DEM elevations.

Here are a couple ways DEM elevations can be edited in WMS:

Editing Single Points

Some DEMs have a single point where the elevation is off. You can edit a single point in a DEM by using the Select DEM Points tool and selecting the point. You can then edit the point elevation by double-clicking on the point to bring up the DEM Point Attributes dialog where the elevation value can be changed.

Using Feature Arcs to Edit Elevation

Sometimes, the elevation of a DEM needs to be adjusted to follow a specific line, such as a river bed or proposed irrigation channel. The elevation in this location can be adjusted using a feature arc. This is done by selecting the feature arc then right-clicking and selecting the Edit DEM Elevations command.

Editing DEM Elevation using an Arc

In the Edit DEM Elevations dialog, you can change the elevation of the DEM along the arc. This can be done by selecting and changing elevation points on the arc in the profile window. For editing all of the elevation values along the arc, the dialog provides the following options:

  • You can offset all of the arc elevations by using the Offset elevations by a constant button.
  • You can set all of the elevation values to a constant by using the Set to constant elevation button.
  • Finally, you can use the Interpolate button to interpolate the values to between the first and last values on the arc. This will smooth out the elevation to create an artificial slope.

Using these tools makes adjusting the elevations of DEMs easier. Try them out in WMS today!

Blog tags: 
WMS

Using the Temporal Tools in the Dataset Toolbox

By aquaveo on September 9, 2020

SMS contains several ways to work with datasets. Perhaps the most useful of these is the Dataset Toolbox. The Dataset Toolbox has several tools for generating new datasets. Among these are the temporal tools which allow adjusting the time steps for a transient dataset. The temporal tools include two options: Sample Time Steps and Merge Dataset.

The Sample Time Steps tool allows the creation of a dataset with a different number of time steps. The time steps can either be increased or decreased. To use the Sample Time Steps tool:

  1. Open the Dataset Toolbox and select the Sample Time Steps tool.
  2. Select the transient dataset you want to use.
  3. Select the starting and end times.
  4. Enter the time step frequency and units.
  5. Give the new dataset a name and click Sample.
Dataset Toolbox showing the Sample Time Steps tool

The other temporal tool is the Merge Dataset tool. This allows us to combine two transient datasets. To use this tool, the transient datasets being combined cannot have overlapping time steps. Most often, this tool is used to append multiple simulation runs together.

For example, if you completed an SRH-2D model run for one day, then created a new simulation for a second day (using a hot start file from the end of the first day simulation run), you could combine the results of the two simulation runs using the Merge Dataset tool.

To use the Merge Dataset tool:

  1. Open the Dataset Toolbox and select the Merge Datasets tool.
  2. Select the first dataset to use, then select the second dataset.
  3. Enter a name for the combined dataset and click Compute.

When using the Merge Dataset tool, make certain that the first dataset selected has time steps that are earlier than the second dataset selected.

The temporal tools in the Dataset Toolbox provide a simple way to adjust transient datasets in your project. Try using these tools in SMS today!

Blog tags: 
SMS

The HDF5 File Format and MODFLOW

By aquaveo on September 2, 2020

The HDF5 file format is a cross platform binary format for storing scientific data. HDF5 allows you to reduce the size of the file data by compressing repeated values. This allows your data to be read and written much faster than if you stored the data as ASCII (plain text) files. GMS can read and write to HDF5 files, and stores its own HDF5 files with the other MODFLOW data files.

Exporting an HDF5 file

There are no hard file size limits. The number of objects within an HDF5 file is not limited, and the format supports complex relationships through grouping and linking. In addition to support for common metadata types, you can create user-defined metadata to accommodate whatever needs you have in your project. The only limits with these are the capabilities of your computer.

HDF5 was designed to be extensible and to allow for future changes to the platform. GMS takes advantage of this by checking HDF5 data for key values in order to substitute them into your arrays or lists. This allows you to better use transient parameters and very large pilot point sets. GMS handles the pilot point interpolation through an external routine that helps speed up the processing.

There are external HDF5 file viewers and editors, such as HDFView. However, it is very easy for you to modify the data in such a way that it makes the HDF5 unreadable by GMS. Because of this, we recommend only viewing the files using these tools. You should only manually edit the file if given explicit directions by a developer. If modifications need to be made to the HDF5 file, we recommend you make the changes to your project in GMS which will re-export the HDF5 file.

Learn more about the HDF5 file format from the HDF Group, a consortium of scientists worldwide that works on the HDF5 format. You can also read the article on the XMSWiki about using the HDF5 format with MODFLOW. This article goes into more details about multiple specific uses for the file format.

Make use of HDF5 files with MODFLOW in GMS today!

Blog tags: 
GMS