Highlights

Scenario analysis

Efficient "what if" scenario analysis and/or multiple design storm comparisons are made possible with a number of scenario comparison tools in PCSWMM, including:

• 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).
• Comparison tables for inputs and results from scenarios.
• 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.

Sub-model creation and model merging

Essentially, sub-model creation allows you to quickly select one or more branches of a larger "macro" model and instantly create a separate sub-model. This sub-model can be a scenario or a separate project. The program can strip out any unused objects (e.g. time patterns, time series, control rules, etc.) not used by the sub-model entities, and converts downstream nodes to outfalls automatically. The sub-model can be run immediately with no user-edits required.

The model merging tool enables the opposite process, merging two or more models to produce a larger combined model. Again, the tool intelligently handles the entity connections between the two models, and can even rename the entities to avoid conflicts and tag the merged entities so their source model can be identified. Non physical model objects (time series, curves, unit hydrographs, control rules, etc.) are merged as well, providing a macro model that can be run immediately.

Both these tools work with standard US EPA SWMM5 input files, and, like all the tools of PCSWMM, generate detailed reports on the operation.

Engineering audits (QA/QC)

Quality assurance / quality control is simplified through attribute validation, orphan detection, pipe slope screening tools and attribute frequency distribution plots. The attribute validation tool provides model-wide analysis and reporting on over 60 different attributes, with support for any number of user-defined expected-range validation sets. Select, zoom to, and edit any entity directly from the validation report. Disconnected entities (link, node and subcatchment), missing data, and potential data errors such as negative pipe slopes are quickly identified and reported on.

Fill in missing data with PCSWMM Calculators

As well as the flexible multi-entity mathematical and topological editing tools, specific calculators tools have been created for quickly identifying and estimating missing data. Choose either to manually control the calculation of subcatchment area or conduit length attributes from map units, or turn on the auto-length feature and have these spatial attributes automatically synchronized. Determine subcatchment width from user-defined overland flow path lengths. Calculate conduit inlet and outlet offsets from conduit inlet and outlet elevation data. Determine node invert elevations from adjoining conduit elevation data and/or fill in missing node invert elevations (even in consecutive nodes) by length-weighted interpolation between upstream and downstream node data. Calculate missing node ground/rim elevations by conduit slope-based interpolation. Determine node maximum depth by subtracting invert elevation from ground elevation. Adjust node invert elevations to achieve a user-defined conduit slope. Connect links to inlet and outlet nodes based on proximity, and more.

Dual drainage creation wizard

Developing major/minor system models is simplified with the new Dual Drainage Creator. Providing an editor for managing, creating, graphically editing, importing and assigning street cross-sections and other major system conveyance channels, as well as modeling inlet control with SWMM5 divider or outlet entities, the Dual Drainage Creator also provides for the automated roughing out of the major system, based on minor system. The two systems are solved simultaneously with dynamic interaction of flows between the systems.

Time pattern creation and load allocation for DWF

A new dry weather flow (DWF) analyzer tool allows for the instant creation of hourly, daily, and/or monthly patterns for sanitary sewer DWF model inputs. Dry weather flow periods can be selected from long-term observed flow records as the basis for the analysis, and tools are provided for assigning DWF patterns to manholes on a sub-sewershed basis. Flexible and powerful options are provided for DWF load allocation (for example, conduit-length-weighted apportioning within each sewershed), and/or topological operations for allocation of parcel or point water metering records.

Area weighting

Area weighting operations are provided for any polygon layer (e.g. SWMM5 subcatchments, RDII and/or DWF sewersheds). This tool has application in both radar-rainfall integration (generating individual input hyetographs from radar-rainfall polar coordinate or grid cells & associated time series), as well as for impervious area and infiltration parameter computations (e.g. from soil maps), and many other applications.

Radar rainfall

Subcatchment-specific hyetographs can be computed from rain-gage calibrated radar-rainfall data through an area weighting process (DE-9IM model) relating a radar-rainfall overlay (polar coordinate, grid, etc.) to the model's subcatchment polygons. This process is fast and supports any length of radar-rainfall time series and any number of radar cells or subcatchments. Native support is provided for Vieux and Associates (rain-gage calibrated radar-rainfall data providers) data.

Visual editors

All applicable editors include plots to illustrate concepts and data. For example, the rainfall derived inflow/infiltration (RDII) editor includes a plot of the three unit hydrographs (fast, medium and slow response) as well as the sum of the three. All curve editors include plots, including even functional storage stage-area relationships.

Dynamic hydraulic grade line plots

The dynamic hydraulic grade line (DHGL) panel gets an update, with the ability to see cross-connections, improved representation of natural channels, plotting of the energy grade line (EGL), plotting of storage tanks and ponds, improved aesthetics with gradient fill, and probably best of all, the ability to not only select individual entities by clicking on them in the profile (for immediate viewing of entity graphs and attributes), but to also graphically edit the entities (node inverts, depths, conduit lengths, diameters, offsets, etc.)

Design storm generation

PCSWMM includes a new tool to easily generate design storms based on SCS, Huff, AES, Chicago and other design storm methods with varying durations, intensity distribution and total volume. The first three require only the total rainfall as input, the Chicago method requires a, b, c, r and storm duration as input. Time series and Rain gage objects are automatically created for the chosen design storm.

Data importing

Support is provided for populating entities and attributes from external data sources such as GIS/CAD, database, spreadsheet and delimited text files. 16 popular open standard and proprietary GIS/CAD formats are supported, including ESRI formats, Mapinfo, GeoMedia, OpenGIS, GML, XML, Google Earth, MicroStation, DXF and many more. In addition, direct support for importing from Microsoft Excel and Access (Office 2007 and earlier) is provided, along with csv/text. Database server importing (through OLE DB) is provided for Oracle, SQL Server, mySQL, AS/400, DB2 and 18 other formats. Finally, full ODBC support is embedded for importing from anything else. The Import Data Wizard supports importing to multiple SWMM5 layers from multiple data sources simultaneously, and provides data filtering and attribute matching control.

Layer reprojection

Vector layers can be reprojected between any of the 26 supported projections and 227 supported datums, including Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM - all zones), Transverse Mercator, Lambert Conformal Conic, Albers Equal Area Conic, Hotline Oblique Mercator (i.e. the three state plane projections), Geodetic (unprojected lat./long.) and 20 other projections. Supported datums include WGS 84, WGS 72, NAD 83, NAD 27, and 223 others. Supported units include feet, meters, decimal degrees and 20 more. In addition, with a single button click, any model (or any vector layer) can be reprojected on-the-fly, directly into Google Earth for 3-dimensional visualization of model layout and results.

Scatter plots

Scatter plots can be generated for any two computed model time series (conduit depth v. velocity, storage depth v. discharge, subcatchment rainfall v. runoff, etc.). Positive or negative strong, weak, or no correlation is reported along with r-coefficient and significance (t). Optional plotting of trend line or best fit curve (2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th order polynomial) is provided with the polynomial equation reported.