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  Details & Highlights

  PCSWMM is a fully featured urban drainage system modeling package, with no limitations on model size or complexity. PCSWMM contains a complete GIS system (no third party software required) tailored to urban drainage modeling which supports most projections, datums, and ellipsoids, provides interaction with a large number of GIS formats, as well as topological operations and querying.

  PCSWMM provides advanced versions of all of the standard urban drainage modeling visualization techniques, including animated hydraulic grade line and energy grade line profiles, plan-view static and temporal thematic rendering, powerful plotting tools, as well as on-the-fly statistical and error analysis.

  PCSWMM automatically maintains standard US EPA SWMM5 models from GIS data and synchronizes in both directions, thus providing complete data compatibility with any other SWMM5 GUI (including the US EPA GUI).

  Highlighted below are some of the more prominent features of PCSWMM.

  Next generation interface

  • Windows Vista interface (also compatible with Windows 2000 and Windows XP)
  • Multi-threaded application with support for multiple cores (dual-core, quad-core and greater) for significant speed improvements
  • Written from the ground up in C# for .NET, utilizing many new technologies (e.g. Google Earth^®, web documentation, etc.)

  Open standards based

  • SWMM model natively stored in your choice of open GIS format (e.g. Shape file, Personal Geodatabase, OpenGIS SQL, GML, etc) *
  • Hydrology / Hydraulics engine is public domain (official US EPA SWMM5) – well written and well documented object-oriented C+ code
  • Standard US EPA SWMM5 input file automatically maintained at all times - models are editable by both interfaces (SWMM5 GUI and PCSWMM)
  • Standard US EPA SWMM5 reporting and time series files produced
  • Open standard GIS layers populated with computed SWMM5 results for analysis, thematic rendering, reporting and exporting
  • Comprehensive support for GIS layer types (over 30 formats)
  • Flexible importing from Microsoft Excel^®, CSV and virtually all database formats, incl. Access^®, SQL Server^®, Oracle^®, MySQL^®, XML, OLE DB and ODBC sources, plus direct importing from 17 common GIS/CAD vector formats
  • Straight-forward conversion of older SWMM models to SWMM5 format
  • Flexible exporting to most common GIS/CAD formats

  Complete support for all USEPA SWMM5 engine capabilities

  • Dynamic wave, kinematic wave, or steady state modeling
  • Natural river/stream modeling and macro-scale watershed modeling
  • Sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and/or combined sewer modeling
  • Backwater effects, surcharging, gravity and pressure flow modeling
  • Branched, dendritic and looped pipe network modeling
  • Natural channels, pumps, orifices, weirs, storage pond/tanks modeling
  • Inflatable dams, valves, gates, bendable weirs, leaping weirs and other complex flow structures
  • Fixed, variable, free and tidally-influenced outfalls, with or without flap gates
  • Culvert modeling under dynamically varying inlet and outlet control
  • Dual drainage (major/minor) system modeling, including dynamic interaction
  • Rainfall-runoff modeling via non-linear reservoir routing and/or triangular unit hydrograph methods
  • Dry weather flow (DWF), rainfall derived inflow and infiltration (RDII), and/or direct inflow modeling
  • Continuous and/or single event modeling
  • Low impact development (LID) modeling: permeable pavers, bio-retention areas (rain gardens, green roofs), vegetative swales and buffer strips, cisterns, infiltration trenches, etc.
  • Snow accumulation, relocation and melting
  • Pollutant modeling (land-use based build-up and wash-off, including treatment)
  • Global optimal and/or passive real time control (GO RTC) modeling, including modulated controls and PID controllers

  Unlimited model sizes and unrestricted modeling

  • No limits on number of entities (e.g. model 100,000 entities or more)
  • No limits on number of non-visual model objects (i.e. rain gages, pollutants, land uses, real-time control rules, unit hydrographs, transects, etc.)
  • No limits on the size or number of time series, with optimized graphing and analysis of millions of data points
  • Scalable GIS engine supports fast editing of extremely large data sets - real-world speed comparison tests suggest that some of PCSWMM's geospatial operations run 5 - 50 times faster than competitive GIS products
  • All common projections, units and GIS formats supported, with infinite zoom ability
  • Up to 50 character entity and object names

  Smart GIS engine

  • Stand alone, fully functional GIS (no third party software/licensing needed)
  • Direct support for opening/editing/saving ESRI ArcGIS data
  • Model data can be simultaneously edited and shared by PCSWMM and third party GIS/CAD software (ArcView, ArcInfo, ArcGIS, MapInfo, Microstation, AutoCAD, etc) and third party SWMM5 software (USEPA SWMM5 interface, etc.)
  • Streamlined GIS operations for efficient urban drainage modeling
  • Support for most projections, datums, and ellipsoids
  • Topological operation engine (intersections, unions, joining, splitting, area weighting, buffering, etc.)
  • Digital Elevation Model (DEM) support
  • Full SQL querying (incl. query builder) of any layer (model or other layer)
  • Thematic rendering of any layer (model or other layer), incl. plan view pie and bar charts
  • Animated thematic plan view rendering of any computed time series
  • Advanced label placement, overlap avoidance, styles, fonts
  • Transparency support for all raster and vector layers
  • Raster (pixel) layer operations, such as histograms equalizations, color coding
  • Full editing capability provided for a large number of vector layer GIS formats (see feature list below for supported formats)
  • Efficient handling of large raster and vector files (e.g. 2 Gigabyte shape files)

  Importing / exporting

  • Conversion of existing older SWMM models to SWMM5 format
  • Flexible entity/attribute importing from all common GIS, CAD, spreadsheet and database data source formats (direct support for over 50 formats)
  • Time series importing/exporting to/from MS Excel and other graphing/analysis utilities.
  • HEC RAS importing of cross-sections and river reaches
  • Read/write time series support for HEC-DSS, NCDC 3240/3260, AES, database, spreadsheet, CSV, data-logger, NEXRAD products, user-defined formats, etc.
  • Model merging (combining smaller models to form a larger 'macro' model)
  • Model splitting (extracting a portion of a model for separate editing/running/analysis)
  • Model packaging/unpackaging for compressed, single file model sharing (e.g. emailing) and/or archiving
  • Exporting of model layers (and/or other layers) to most common destination formats (GIS, CAD, SQL, KML, etc.)

  Automated model input development and quality assurance/control (QA/QC)

  • Data entry error checking, advanced error detection and consistency checks
  • Automatic assignment of select entity attributes from GIS topological operations
  • Automatically create model connectivity (i.e. assign inlet and outlet nodes for links) for imported entities based on node proximity and relative node invert elevations 
  • Model-wide validation and reporting on attributes outside of expected ranges
  • Frequency distribution analysis and graphing for all input and result attributes
  • Compute inlet and outlet offsets from conduit invert elevations and connected node invert elevations
  • Compute max depth attributes from node ground (rim) elevations
  • Compute subcatchment width attributes from user-defined overland flow paths
  • Design utility to create drainage networks meeting minimum slope requirements
  • Find orphans (nodes, links and subcatchments not connected to drainage system)
  • Calculate and fill in missing data (e.g. manhole invert or rim elevations)
  • Compute area and length attributes from map (any map units supported, incl. degrees)
  • Identify conduits with negative or low slopes, and more
  • Identify confidence (or uncertainty) for all applicable numeric input attributes (both for model entities and non-visual model objects) and color-render table cells to illustrate the level of data uncertainty

  Tables

  • Table editing of all applicable visual entities and non-visual model objects as well as background vector (GIS/CAD) layers
  • All computed results for all model entities included as attribute data in entity tables
  • Attribute uncertainty (or confidence) displayed/editable in tables - cell colors thematically rendered to show uncertainty
  • Table sorting by attribute, synchronizing map extent with table selection, etc.
  • Full query support with query builder
  • Multi-entity attribute editing, incl. mathematical operations (add, subtract, multiply, divide, apportion, etc.)

  Dynamic Hydraulic Grade Line (HGL) plots

  • Plots and animates both the hydraulic grade line (HGL) and quasi-energy grade line (EGL)
  • Animates HGL for multiple scenarios on a single profile for comparison
  • Displays input profile plots (i.e. before model run) and provides full entity selection and attribute editing capabilities for model development or 'what if' scenarios
  • Allows graphical drag-and-drop editing of entities in the profile plot (conduit depths, offsets, node inverts, max. depths, etc.)
  • Displays and animates observed head/depth data along with computed head
  • Displays cross connections, natural channel overbanks and user-defined labels
  • Provides full zoom and pan control with intelligent label overlap prevention
  • Saves profiles for quick recall

  Comprehensive and customizable attribute sets

  • All applicable model data (input and computed results) is stored as GIS layer attributes to support GIS operations, querying and thematic rendering
  • Both SWMM5 and background GIS/CAD layers can be restructured (attribute fields defined, edited or deleted)
  • Support for any number of additional user-defined attributes for SWMM5 layers and other vector layers, with full editing, querying, thematic rendering and data analysis support

  Scenario management tools

  • Multiple event / design storm analysis
  • "What-if" scenario analysis and comparison
  • Compare/animate multiple scenario HGLs on the same profile
  • Scenario manager for creating, deleting and switching between scenarios
  • Dynamic hydraulic grade line (HGL) animations of multiple scenario results on the same profile
  • Scenario comparison graphs for all SWMM5 time series
  • Statistical comparison of any scenario time series (i.e. compare objective functions, with the same time period and event selection tools as before)
  • Scenario comparison tables for model inputs and computed results
  • Support for multi-core processors and computational grids (i.e. local network of computers) when running scenarios, cutting computational time by approx. 1/n where n = number of cores utilized

  Dual drainage creation wizard

  • Streamline major/minor system modeling with new Dual Drainage Creator
  • Editor for managing, creating, graphically editing, importing and assigning street cross-sections and other major system conveyance channels
  • Inlet controls modeled with SWMM5 outlet entities, with inflow/head relationship and modulated control
  • Automatic roughing out of the major system, based on minor system to streamline model development
  • Solve both systems simultaneously with dynamic interaction of flows between the major and minor systems

  Radar-rainfall tools

  • Automated NEXRAD radar acquisition, archiving and processing (rainfall-reflectivity conversion, bias removal, etc.)
  • Synthetic individual hyetograph generation for every subcatchment/sewershed from radar cells (area weighted)
  • Storm dynamics analysis and modeling (speed and direction can affect peak flow by up to 25% depending on catchment drainage orientation).

  Rainfall disaggregation

  • Disaggregation tool for the generation high temporal-resolution continuous rainfall time series from coarse historical records (e.g. NCDC 3240, etc.) for model inference studies

  Design storm creation tools

  • SCS, Huff, AES and Chicago design storm generation automated
  • Regional design storms (e.g. Hurricane Hazel, Timmins, SA SCS) with areal reduction computed
  • Your local design storms added upon request (free service)

  Dry weather flow (DWF) pattern creation and DWF allocation

  • Automated hourly, daily and monthly pattern creation from observed flow
  • Dry weather event identification for pattern creation
  • Tools for assigning patterns and apportioning DWF to model nodes, based on topological assigning of meter records, and/or observed flows.
  • Reports generated on pattern derivation and apportioning

  Automated pipe sizing

  • Sizing method uses Manning’s formula calculated using hydraulic slope under peak computed flow for circular pipes

  Pond, storage and LID design

  • Model extended detention (wet/dry) ponds, constructed wetlands, marshes
  • Model low impact development (LID) practices: permeable pavers, bio-retention areas (rain gardens, green roofs), vegetative swales and buffer strips, cisterns, infiltration trenches
  • Model underground tanks, arched pipes, large diameter storage pipes (superpipes)
  • Compute storage volume required to meet peak flow reduction objectives
  • Compare pre and post hydrology conditions
  • Pond infiltration (exfiltration)
  • Multiple interconnected ponds, treatment trains, with backwater effects
  • Support for multiple inlets and outlets, complex outflow structures with or without tailwater submergence
  • Pollutant routing and removal
  • Surface evaporation

  Graphical time series manager

  • Manipulation / statistics / error analysis

  Parameter uncertainty / confidence tracking

  • Parameter uncertainty estimation available for all numeric model input parameters (both entity attributes such as subcatchment parameters and non-visual object parameters such as RDII parameters, pollutant build-up and wash-off parameters, DWF patterns, etc.)
  • Thematic color rendering of table cells to visually display uncertainty / confidence

  Sensitivity, Calibration and Error Analysis (SCEA)

  • Sensitivity-based radio tuning calibration (SRTC) for any number of SWMM5 parameters
  • SRTC calibration tool provides fast calibration for any model size or model complexity and calibrates to multiple objective or response functions simultaneously
  • Genetic algorithm calibration tool for any SWMM5 parameter (requires PCSWMM 2006)
  • GA calibration tool calibrates either to a specified objective function or to entire response function (e.g. hydrograph shape - requires PCSWMM 2006)
  • Observed vs computed error analysis on objective functions and/or response functions

  Project documentation and presentation

  • Support for embedding external resources (e.g. spreadsheets, CCTV, photos, notes) into the modeling environment, either as general notes & documents, or as geo-referenced points of interest (POIs) on the map.
  • Embedded external resources can include locally stored (on LAN) documents, images, video, as well as Internet resources such as images, video, documents, web pages from HTTP sites, secured FTP servers, or from Internet storage services like Flickr^®, YouTube^®, etc.)
  • Full Google Earth^® presentation support for 3D visualization, thematic rendering and even results animation of your complete model, including all SWMM5 entities and attributes, as well as background layers

  Technical Support

  • Free and immediate email and direct telephone technical support with our staff of knowledgeable professional engineers
  • Extensive, searchable documentation with comprehensive reference tables for parameter values
  • Searchable PCSWMM Frequently Asked Questions database
  • Comprehensive searchable US EPA SWMM5 knowledge base (3400+ topics and growing)
  • Free SWMM-USERS list server (800+ participants around the world)
  • Web-based and classroom workshops available at locations across North America and overseas.
  • Library of peer-reviewed case studies available through our publications
  • Cost-effective and timely model review services available
  • Professional consulting engineering services available
  • Software customization services available

* multi-format SWMM5 layer coming soon. Current GIS format for SWMM5 layers is the open standard ArcView shape file format.

PCSWMM and PCSWMM.NET are trademarks of CHI, Microsoft, Excel and Access are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation, ArcGIS and ArcView are registered trademarks of ESRI Inc., MapInfo is a registered trademark of Pitney Bowes MapInfo, Microstation is a registered trademark of Bentley Systems Inc., Google Earth and YouTube are registered trademarks of Google Inc., Flickr is a registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc, AutoCAD is a registered trademark of AutoDesk Inc. Google Earth functionality requires Google Earth application and separate license agreement.