I have been working on an SQL to generate a Prompt Dialog Box that can work in conjunction with scheduling or on its own. It enables data entry for manhole surveys including incoming and outgoing pipes. The idea arose from a query where a user was trying to enter data efficiently, from Manhole Survey Cards filled in manually in the field, without having to use the Dialog Box or having to modify the Property Editor.
Example Manhole Record Card
Study Conclusions Presented at CIWEM’s Urban Drainage Group Conference 2013
William Neale (Thames Water) and Richard Body (Innovyze) first presented the following paper at the CIWEM Urban Drainage Group Conference in November 2013.
Computer models have been used for many years for designing and evaluating the performance of sewer networks. These models are easily updated to reflect any changes, proposed or existing, in the study area, and they provide invaluable information to network planners and managers. With the increased availability of real-time gauged data, in addition to both observed and forecast radar data, converting the offline models into real-time operational models can maximise the return on the investment already made in these modelling studies.
Customers sometimes contact us to report situations where break nodes seem to be displaying flood depths that are not coherent with the specified ground level.
Break nodes have no internal area and should only be used to model changes in gradient or direction within pressurised stretches of InfoWorks CS networks.
When a manhole is created then the flood volume and flood depth are both measured from the flood level. As default the flood level will be at the same elevation as the ground level associated with that manhole.
Manholes can be changed to break nodes and it is in situations like this that the misleading flood depths can be created. When a manhole is changed to a break node then the flood depth field disappears, the data from the flood level is still stored as a property of the node in case it is ever reverted back to a stored flood type node. This preservation of data can cause the flood depth displayed in results to show values differing from those expected.
Should this be encountered then the best procedure to remove the inconsistencies would be to make a selection list of all the break nodes, then set them to flood type stored, then ensure that the flood level flag is set to #D in order to ensure that the flood depths take the values from the ground levels and then revert these nodes back to break nodes.
Continuing from my previous post on SQLs (InfoNet Smart SQL – Dynamic lists, Posted on September 24, 2013), I’m going to explore SQLs further using the prompt dialog box as well as introducing some new concepts.
The SQL presented in this post will select a number of user specified pipes either upstream or downstream from a selected node or nodes. I will start off by presenting the code in it’s entirety and then dissecting it, presenting the working parts…
Subcatchment Manager is one of Suite extension modules of InfoSWMM which assists with the delineation of watersheds using Digital Terrian Models (DTM). The extension also offers you multiple, highly advanced and efficient geospatial methods for establishing characteristics such as: impervious properties of the watersheds, slope and width of the watersheds and infiltrations of the watersheds.
This short video gives you an overview on Subcatchment Manager and shows you how to use an existing LIDAR data to automate the creation of watersheds and extract and populate their characteristics in InfoSWMM.
A question that arises often for clients is ‘How to import data from our modelling software InfoWorks WS/CS/ICM into InfoNet?’.
The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. This is because the data lifecycles of InfoNet and InfoWorks are inherently different. Whilst asset management (InfoNet) is about having confidence in data, modelling (InfoWorks WS/CS/ICM) can sometimes make assumptions and simplifications of a dataset through inference and merging, such that a model can be created (quickly) to produce hydraulic simulations.
Innovyze have always provided a mechanism through the use of snapshot files, for InfoWorks WS/CS or directly through the interface for InfoWorks ICM, such that the base of a model can be created from asset management data, the reverse has not been possible. That is to say that the simplifications, assumptions and inferences made in InfoWorks CS/ICM cannot be sent back into InfoNet.
The SQL functionality within InfoNet, so underused yet so very useful, especially when you can make it interactive by use of the PROMPT Keywords. In this blog post I’ll try to dissect the syntax and demonstrate how to use a PROMPT dialog box. I’ll also try to go a bit further and explain how to generate lists of unique values extracted from an objects fields and embed this list in the PROMPT dialog.
Try typing:
PROMPT DISPLAY;
… into an SQL dialog box and hitting apply, see what happens! A dialog box is generated… “So what?” you may be thinking, “I can’t do anything with this”. Well, not yet… Try the following:
The 2013 Asia Pacific Water Industry Modelling Conference brought together world leaders in water and sewer network modelling, network management and optimisation, and asset management. Attendees learnt the latest practices, technologies, solutions and regulations in the water/wastewater industries, networked on a global scale and created valuable relationships with industry peers.
Innovyze would like to extend our thanks to all involved in the conference and is pleased to make available a selection of presentations that were given at the event.
Click on an image below to download a PDF version of each presentation.
IT professionals and those who follow the development of computer Operating Systems will be aware Microsoft have announced that Windows XP will go out of support in April 2014. This means that organisations who are still utilising the old Operating System will be looking to move to the newer Windows 7 and Windows 8 platforms in the near future. In turn this will have an effect on the versions of InfoWorks that will work within these environments.
The first point to note is that InfoWorks CS/WS/RS version 7.5 or earlier will only work on Windows XP and it will not be possible to install these versions on Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8. This is due to fundamental architectural changes that were made for these newer operating systems.
Released in January 2007, Windows Vista was the first operating system following Windows XP. However it was not well received by either the public or businesses and as such most organisations upgrading from Windows XP move straight to Windows 7 or 8. That said InfoWorks CS/WS/RS version 8.0, released in February 2007, had around 85% support on Windows Vista and with a few minor issues resolved version 8.5 became fully compatible.
Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 7, was released to manufacturing in July 2009 and to retail in October 2009. InfoWorks CS/WS/RS is supported on Windows 7 from version 8.5 onwards, but for 100% compatibility version 10.5.6 (issued early 2010) should be used. InfoWorks ICM has supported Windows 7 since its very first release in 2011.
For those moving to Windows 8, InfoWorks CS/WS/RS version 13.5 and InfoWorks ICM version 3.5 are fully compatible; both of which were released in February 2013.
Finally, Microsoft have just announced that Windows 8.1 will be commercially available from the Windows Store on 18th October 2013. InfoWorks CS/RS/WS v14.0 and InfoWorks ICM v4.0 are already fully compatible with Windows 8.1
Users sometimes ask why certain rainfall data is not used within InfoWorks CS or InfoWorks ICM, even though it has been entered. Usually the reason for data being ignored is that it comes from a source with a lower priority than other values which are also present. There is a hierarchy within InfoWorks that dictates in which order rainfall information is retrieved. For any rainfall event the order which is used is as stated below:
Should there be no data in any of the locations outlined above then the next place that InfoWorks will look in is the profile properties for a profile within the rainfall event. Failing this the last source of data will be the sub-event properties page of a rainfall event under the Time Varying Data tab.
