OpenFlows FLOOD Quick Start - Watershed Simulation

Practice Workbook
This workbook is designed for use in live instructor-led training and for OnDemand self-study.
The explanations and demonstrations that are provided by the instructor in a live setting are available via the Bentley
LEARN Server (learn.bentley.com).
This practice workbook is formatted for on-screen viewing using a PDF reader. It is also available as a PDF
document in the dataset for this course.
Watershed Simulation – OpenFlows FLOOD

CONNECT Edition (10.03.00.01)
About this Practice Workbook...
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• Before starting this workshop, we recommend that you first complete this Generic Quick Start Guide,
which provides guidance and familiarity for first-time users of OpenFlows FLOOD. You will also need:
• Bentley OpenFlows FLOOD version 10.03.00.01 installed on your machine
• Bentley CONNECTION Client installed, actively running, and logged in with a user profile that has
organizational entitlements to access a valid license.
 Download workshop’s dataset to your machine. The included dataset is available only in metric units.
 For more information about OpenFlows FLOOD software access this link: OpenFlows FLOOD Technical Content
Page
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Bentley Communities where peers and Bentley subject matter experts are available to help.
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Exercise 1: Open and Explore a Previously-Configured Project
Description
This tutorial uses a previously created sample project so that you can get familiarized with OpenFlows FLOOD. In the following steps, you will
open the previously configured project and compute and review hydrology modeling results.
Preparation
Before starting the training, create the following folder and subfolders on your local computer (you can use a different drive letter or location if
desired, but you must create a primary project folder with the subfolders for Temp and Projects):
1. Create a directory C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise
2. Create a directory C:\ FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise \Temp
3. Create a directory C:\ FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise \Projects
IMPORTANT: To complete this workshop you must extract the dataset files from the ZIP file (download the dataset ZIP from
the same source you downloaded this manual) and copy/move the files from the extracted “Temp” folder into the “Temp”
directory you created above.
Following the extraction/move/copy of data files, your “Temp” folder should appear with the files listed below:
Copyright © 2020 Bentley Systems, Inc. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE – Printing for student use is permitted 2
Start FLOOD and Import the Preconfigured Example
With the files in place, you will open the software and load an existing project workspace to see how it is organized. Using this project, you will
explore the Domain and run a simulation of rainfall over the watershed.
1. Start OpenFlows FLOOD using the installed shortcut from your desktop or from the Windows Start Menu (Bentley folder).
2. Import the previously configured example. To do that, select Project > Workspace > Manage.
If you have used OpenFlows FLOOD before, you will see a list of workspaces which have been created previously. This dialog will be
blank if you have not previously used OpenFlows FLOOD or set up a workspace.
3. On the right side, click on Import… button
4. Next to the Workspace File field, click the Browse button and browse to the file Rainfall Explore File.ows you extracted in the
Temp directory [C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\Temp].
5. Next to the Destination Folder field, click the Browse button and browse to the Projects folder. Within the Projects folder, choose
Make New Folder and rename the new folder “Rainfall Explore”
6. Click OK. The ‘Import Workspace’ dialog should appear like the figure below:
7. Click the button to Start the Import Process.

8. At the end of import process, you will receive an information message. Click OK to continue.
9. Close the “Import Workspace” dialog box. Notice that the Workspace “OpenFlows FLOOD Training_1” has been created from the
import operation.
Note: If a workspace already exists with the same name of the workspace you are importing, the newly imported solution is automatically
renamed (example: OpenFlows FLOOD Training_1_1).
10. Close the Workspace Management window.
11. Open the Workspace that you just imported by selecting Project > Workspace > Open. Toggle the Load existing Workspace
radio button and select the OpenFlows FLOOD Training_1 workspace.
12. Click OK
Note: This action will open the “OpenFlows FLOOD Training _1” workspace in the ‘Explorer’ tab. Go to the Project Tree pane and press
on the arrows (>) to expand the tree view for each item visible in the ‘Explorer’ tab. Your screen should now look like the below figure.
Navigating the Project Structure
All OpenFlows FLOOD Workspaces are divided into the following items (with symbology):
 The root element – the “Workspace”
 One or more “Domains”, in this case a single domain titled “Watershed”
 General data folders for storing data common to all simulations
 Simulations that store the configuration settings, specific input files, and results for run-specific scenarios
In the middle of the ‘Explorer’ tab window you will find the Modules pane. Selecting an item in the “Project Tree” will update the “Modules”
pane and its dialogs to show the specific files available for the selected item. For example, if you select the simulation “Sim #1 Constant
Rainfall”, your listed Modules will include the Data Files associated with this simulation, as shown in the below figure.
Note: The Modules pane is divided into 3 dialogs or files lists: Data Files, HDF Files and Time Series Files. Notice that the tab for simulations
includes results files listed under the other two tabs in addition to the settings files shown in the above figure.
Project/scenario management is one of the core features of OpenFlows FLOOD and is controlled via this Explorer window and Project Tree.
Another core feature is the internal GIS engine, which allows you to visualize spatial data. In the next section you will learn how to use the
Map tab GIS engine to visualize the digital terrain of this Watershed project.
Visualize the Digital Terrain of the Watershed
While the visualization of the project files is controlled on the ‘Map’ tab, adding layers to the GIS engine can be done directly from the ‘Explorer’
tab. To add the digital terrain of the Watershed to the Map view, please complete the next steps:
1. In the Project Tree pane on the left, select Watershed > General Data > Digital Terrain
This will list individual components of the terrain model within the Data Files section of the Modules panel in the middle of the window.
2. Select the file “DTM200m.dat” and then right-click to get the dropdown menu. Choose the Add to Map… option.
The Add Vector Layer dialog box will appear, with configuration settings controlling the display of the data.
3. Verify that the Projection section is configured with a Type set to Geographic and based on WSG1984 World coordinate system
(see above figure) and press OK.
4. Now switch to the ‘Map’ tab to see the digital terrain in the map window. Your screen should look like the below figure.
Note: This specific DTM file is not the raw source of elevation data, but rather one that has already been projected to the OpenFlows
FLOOD computation grid. The displayed raster image shows each grid cell with its loaded elevation information. You can customize the
color scale, ad a legend, and smooth the grid display using the “Properties” settings accessed by right-clicking the Map layer.
5. To add a background Aerial Map, go to Map > Background Layers > Web Maps.
Note: A warning appears informing you that the coordinate system of the map must be changed to “Web Mercator Projections”.
6. Click Yes to continue.
7. A window which lets you choose from a range of background layers will appear. Choose the radio button for Bing Maps > Aerial and
click OK to add this layer (aerial photo background) to the Map area.
Your Map graphic area should look like the figure below:
Running a Simulation
You will now run a simulation of the sample project.

1. Switch back to the ‘Explorer’ tab to compute a simulation based on the data files entered.
2. In the Project Tree pane select the simulation Sim #1 Constant Rainfall, then on the top ribbon select Project > Execute Models
> Run Now
3. A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Yes to confirm the execution.
The “Model Controller” located in the bottom left corner of the screen (depicted below) will be populated and show the current running
module and the relative progress bar of the simulation. The “Cancel” button in the window allows you to abort the simulation at any
time.
4. Press the Output button while the simulation is running to review detailed progress of the simulation, including current time step and
estimated time the run will finish. Click on Close when done reviewing the intermediate output.
5. At the end of the simulation a window will appear notifying you that the model has finished. To see the log file of the model run select
Yes.
6. A window with the Model Output log file of the model run will appear. Scroll though this window using the scroll bar at the right side
of the dialog. At the end of the log file, you will notice messaging that the simulation ran and terminated successfully. Click on Close
when done.
Exploring the Results
During the simulation of the model, OpenFlows FLOOD created several output files. To review these results, select the simulation that just
finished running (‘Sim #1 Constant Rainfall’) in the Project Tree, and in the Modules pane there will be listed “HDF Files” and “Time Series
Files” with results from the run.
HDF files contain a time series of raster model results for the entire computational grid, and can be viewed as instantaneous snapshots of the
study area progressing in time. These results can be added as maps and animated in time.
Time series files contain results for single, predefined computational grid points. These results can be visualized as time series graphs.
The configuration process for defining these outputs will be explained later in this exercise. This section will focus on the review of these data
files; you will follow the steps below to create a time series plot of the watershed channel flow:
1. Within the Time Series Files dialog on the Modules pane, double click on the file Node_Outlet.srn.
2. A window appears with a list of available time series graphs. Check the box next to [channel flow] [MOHID Land Model]
3. Press the OK button. You will see a new XY Graph window with a plot of the selected series. Your graph should look like the one
shown in the below figure.
Note: The graph uses the default unit m3/s for flow.
4. You will now add the channel flow for the entire domain as an animated layer to the Map window. Switch back to the ‘Explorer’ Tab
and select the simulation “Sim #1 Constant Rainfall” in the Project Tree. Then double-click on the file Drainage Network_1.hdf5
listed in the HDF Files dialog.
5. An HDF Animation dialog will appear with various display configuration settings. Select the Geographic projection based on the
WGS1984 World coordinate system as depicted below. All other options should remain unchanged (channel flow is the default feature
to display) and click OK.
6. Switch to view the ‘Map’ tab.

On top of the digital terrain you now see a layer which shows the flow in the channels. Your screen should look like the below figure.
If you are unable to see the channel flow, try editing the visualization settings – the change in map projection that was done when we
loaded the aerial base map may have resulted in the default channel width being too thin. Double-click the Drainage Network_1
[channel flow] layer and change the “Base Width” property (under Advanced->Network Properties) to 5000.
7. Since you have loaded an HDF animation file, you can now use the Date & Time controller, located in the lower left corner, to step
forward and backward in time to see the variation in flow reflected in the color coding.
8. You will now load a map representing the depth of flooding (height of the runoff water column). Switch back to the Explorer tab and
ensure that the “Sim #1 Constant Rainfall” simulation is selected in the Project Tree pane. Then double-click the file
RunOff_1.hdf5 in the HDF Files list/dialog.
The HDF Animation dialog appears, as did previously when we loaded the channel flow layer, allowing us to select which features will
be loaded and how they will be displayed on the map.
9. Leave all options as the defaults (see below figure, this time water column is the default property to display) and press OK.
10. Switch to the Map Tab to review the added layer.
Your display should now show the water column, channel flows, the DTM and the aerial background layer and should resemble the below
figure (note that some transparency settings were used when the below figure was generated, so your screen may not look exactly like
this, but rather will have the blue “blob” of water column results blocking out everything underneath).
11. On the Layers pane, first turn off the DTM, by unchecking the box in the layer list to get a better view of the runoff results.
12. Move the “Channel Flow” layer on top of the “Water Column” layer by selecting it (left mouse button) and then using the context menu
(right mouse button) to choose “Layer Move Up”.
13. Use the Date & Time controller to step forward in time. You can now see the channel flow and the water column represented as
colors, as shown in the next figure.
14. There are many ways to customize how these layers are displayed. You can access the Layer Style Properties of the current
selected layer by pressing “F4” or by simply double-clicking on the layer. The below figure shows the properties of the layer Runoff_1
[water column] with a visualization Style Type based on Color Range (changed from the default Gradient). If you make this change
and scroll down in the Classified Style dialog, you can edit the lowest value class to use a minimum of 0.1 rather than 0. This will
change the visualization to show only grid elements where the water column has reached at least 0.1m, and will eliminate the “blue
blob” that dominated the screen prior to the change.
You have now finished the first exercise. In the next section you will learn about how create and configure a new project from scratch!
Close OpenFlows FLOOD.
Exercise 2: Simulate a Rainfall Runoff Event in a Watershed
Description
This exercise will teach you how to create an OpenFlows FLOOD workspace to simulate a rainfall runoff event. You will use the same
watershed that was used in the previous exercise, but instead of pre-loading the created project, you will go through all steps required to build
and set up the model.
Preparation
For Exercise 2, you will use the files “Estuary.xy”, “TrancaoPoints.xyz” and “RiverCenterLines.xml” that are stored in the Temp directory
previously created.
Skills Taught
 Create a workspace, domain and simulation
 Add a background image from Online services
 Load and edit the Digital Elevation Model
 Create grid data to represent model input properties
Creating a New Workspace, Solution and Domain
1. Start the OpenFlows FLOOD software.

2. On the ribbon toolbar, click Project > Workspace > New
3. Toggle Start with an empty Workspace and type “Rainfall Exercise 2” in the box
4. Click OK to close the window. You should now see the new Workspace in the ‘Explorer’ tab window under the Project Tree pane as
5. Select the ‘Rainfall Exercise 2’ Workspace in the Project Tree pane and select Project > Domain > New from the top ribbon/menu.
The Domain window appears.
6. Type in “Exercise 2” as the Domain Name and click the browse button next to the Root Directory. Browse to the folder
“C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\Projects” and then click the “Make New Folder” button. Rename the new folder “Exercise
2” and click OK.
7. Change the Numerical Model to MOHID Land. This is one of three different numerical models available in OpenFlows FLOOD, and
is the appropriate model for watershed analysis that is not connected to an urban stormwater network.
Your window should now look like the figure below:
8. Leave the remaining fields empty and press OK to save and close this Domain definition dialog.
You have now created the basic structure of the project (Workspace + Domain). Your Project Tree pane should look like
shown in the next figure (you may need to expand the branches to view the full detail):
Generate the Topography Grid Data
In this part of the exercise, you use a base topography file to generate a Gridded Digital Terrain Model (DTM). This file defines the 2D domain
to include both the computational grid and elevation values for each grid cell and is the basic and most essential information need to run
any OpenFlows FLOOD simulation.
To generate the DTM file for use in simulation, the following is needed:
• Digital terrain data in point format (XYZ)
• The computational grid for the model.
• A polygon defining the boundary area outside of which the model will not calculate any values (optional).
The digital terrain data can be obtained from many sources (e.g. ETOPO, SRMT, local data surveys, ContextCapture, etc.), but it must be
formatted into OpenFlows FLOOD’s XYZ format.
Note: OpenFlows FLOOD offers a Toolbox that includes File Conversion functionalities to XYZ format as well as Grid Data creation tools.
More information about FLOOD’s XYZ format can be found here: Loading XYZ file in OpenFlows FLOOD
For this exercise we will use an XYZ file that has been created and downloaded previously, the file “TrancaoPoints.xyz”. This file type can
be opened with any text editor if you would like to review the format.
The study boundary polygon can be provided in MOHID’s XY format, MOHID Studio’s XML format or as ESRI Shapefile. For this exercise you
will use the file “Estuary.xy,” which you have previously downloaded. Again, this is a text file format and can be opened with any text editor if
you would like to review the format.
The computational grid for this exercise will be constructed from scratch using tools within OpenFlows FLOOD.
1. It is good practice, though not a program requirement, to preserve your base data in a project folder and manipulate the information
required for the project in a separate folder. For this exercise, you will follow this suggested workflow by copying the two previously
noted files into the directory structure that you just created for the simulation. Expand the branches on the Project Tree pane and
select the folder “Digital Terrain”. After selecting, right click it and choose Import File…, as shown in the below figure:
2. Browse to the dataset directory (C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\Temp) where you stored the files “TrancaoPoints.xyz”,
“Estuary.xy” and “RiverCenterLines.xml”, select the three files and click Open. You should now see these files listed under
Modules -> Data Files. Note that a copy of these files has been made in the project folder under C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall
Exercise\Projects\Exercise 2\General Data\Digital Terrain – you will be using the copies to manipulate and create grid data.
Adding the Base Data to the Map
3. Within the Modules pane go to Data Files and right click on TrancaoPoints.xyz then select Add to Map… from the context menu
4. On the dialog which appears, please verify that WGS1984 is selected as Geographic Projection and press OK to continue.
5. Repeat the steps above to add as layers the file “Estuary.xy” and the file “RiverCenterLines.xml”.
Switch you view to the “Map” tab, and your screen should appear similar to the below figure.
Generate the Computational Grid
1. To create a computational grid, open the Toolbox dock dialog on the right, and double click on Grid > Constant Spaced Grid.
This will open the “Constant Spaced Grid” pane docked on the right of the map.
2. You will create a constant spaced horizontal grid with the parameters indicated in the table below.
Parameter Value Description
Geographic Coordinates (the Type of the coordinates to use. Options are geographic,
Coordinate Type
defaults) UTM and metric (local) coordinates.
Origin X -9.275 X coordinate of the lower left corner
Origin Y 38.755 Y coordinate of the lower left corner
Columns 205 Nº of columns of the grid
Rows 232 Nº of rows of the grid
Size of the grid cells along the X axis. Given in units of
dX 0.001
the coordinate system (in this case º).
Size of the grid cells along the Y axis. Given in units of
dY 0.001
the coordinate system (in this case º).
Angle 0.0 Grid rotation
This Constant Spaced Grid dialog should look like the below figure when you are finished:
3. Note that the Map tab updates dynamically as you change the grid parameters. You have specified the grid origin as the lower left
corner of the grid, and then the number and spacing of rows and columns. Your Map should appear as in the below figure.
4. Press the Save button in the lower right corner of the Constant Spaced Grid window and save the grid file with the name
“TrancaoGrid.grd” in the directory C:\ FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\Projects\Exercise 2\General Data\Digital Terrain. Click
Yes to automatically close the Constant Spaced Grid dialog. The grid remains loaded in the Map window.
Generating the Terrain Grid Data File
You now have elevation information (xyz file) and a computational grid as loaded and created separately in the previous steps. You will now
combine this information to complete the creation of the Gridded Digital Terrain Model (DTM), which will serve as the base 2D extent and
elevation surface for your simulation. This DTM must be represented in the form of a Grid Data file to be used by OpenFlows FLOOD.
More information about FLOOD’s Grid Data format and how to create a Gridded DTM can be found here: How to create a Digital Terrain Model
in OpenFlows FLOOD.
The OpenFlows FLOOD Toolbox includes several options to create, transform, and manipulate grid data files. To create the Gridded DTM,
you need three data sets:
• XYZ points file (TrancaoPoints.xyz - already loaded)
• Definition of the study area boundary (Estuary.xy - already loaded)
• The computational grid (TrancaoGrid.grd – created in the previous section)
1. Expand the Toolbox dialog and select the Grid Data > Create Grid Data from XYZ Points tool. Double click the tool to open the
Create Grid Data configuration dialog.
You will now construct the Gridded DTM file with the options indicated in the following table:

The grid which is to be used to create the grid data.
Grid Trancao Grid
You created this file in the previous exercise steps.
The point dataset(s) which will be used to assign
TrancaoPoints (box next to the file
XYZ Points elevations to the grid. In this example you only have
should be checked)
one, but you can use multiple XYZ files.
The polygon(s) which define the study area boundary.
Estuary (box next to the file should In this case, the boundary specified is a water body
Polygons
be checked) which will denote an area of the grid to be excluded
from computation (non-compute area).
Offset from the grid, in percentage, of the maximum
distance from which the “XYZ Points” are considered
Buffer % 10%
when using interpolation algorithms that assign
elevations to the grid elements.
The value to be attributed in non-compute areas. You
Fill Value -99.0 should not change this value unless you have a
specific reason to use a different indicator value.
If you want to consider a specific height in the non-
Z value in NCA (Leave unchecked) compute areas for the interpolation process near the
land-water interface.
This defines the interpolation method to use for
determining grid elevation. If the density of points is
Interpolation Triangulation (Extrapolate) smaller than the number of grid cells (not every cell
contains a XYZ Point), then triangulation using
extrapolation is the recommended option.
C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall
The name of the file which will be created. It’s
Exercise\Projects\Exercise
Grid Data recommended to place this file inside the folder
2\General Data\Digital Terrain\
General Data\Digital Terrain of your project.
TrancaoTopography_v01.dat
2. After entering the data from the above table, the Create Grid Data dialog should appear as shown in the below figure.
3. After filling all configuration data, choose the process button to generate the Gridded DTM file. This process will take a few
seconds and will finish with the following status message:
4. Click OK and then Close the Create Grid Data dialog box (click the “x” in the upper right corner of the pane). Your main window
should now show the Map view as in the below figure.
Smoothing the Digital Terrain Grid Data
Since the Gridded DTM file is an extrapolation of the terrain from the native source of elevations, you should check for outliers,
misrepresentative values, or other “noise” which can be introduced by the interpolation/extrapolation algorithms. Such “noise” commonly
appears in flat floodplains and/or when the source point data came from satellite imagery (e.g. SRTM). This step is optional, and the smoothing
tools within OpenFlows FLOOD should only be used regionally within the grid where “noise” is verified to exist.
To inspect the grid data for noise, it helps to focus your visualization scale to a specific band of elevations (for instance within a floodplain)
For this exercise, you will change the color range of the topography to focus on elevations between 0 and 20, enabling you to check the flat
floodplain where the “noise” is expected to exist.
1. Within the Map tab layers list, select the layer “TrancaoTopography_v01” and double click it to access the Layers Style Properties
dialog. You could alternatively select the layer, right-click, and choose Properties to open the dialog.
2. Change the values for Min. Value to 0 and Max. Value to 20 and uncheck the Above Max. option. Your dialog should appear as
3. Press Close to close the Layers Style Properties dialog with the new settings applied to the Map view. You will notice on your screen
(and in the below figure) that the topography has a lot of ‘noise’ evident in differing elevations in adjacent grid cells that create some
localized depressions that result from the interpolation and assignment mechanism rather than representing the actual land surface.
You will now use the “Smooth” tool to reduce the “noise” in the elevation data.
4. Expand the Toolbox dialog and double-click Grid Data > Smooth to open the Smooth Grid Data dialog as shown in the figure
below.
5. Within the Smooth Grid Data dialog, verify that the top pane 1. SELECT Grid Data has the file TrancaoTopography_v01 selected
as the Original and the file TrancaoTopography_v01_Smoothed.dat specified as the New Grid Data. These file names should
have populated by default.
6. Under the 2. Options pane select the radio button Denoise Algorithm and leave all other options with their default values.
7. Press the execute button to generate a new smoothed elevation grid data.
8. Once done, click OK to dismiss the information message and Close the Smooth Grid Data dialog.
The new grid data will appear in the list of layers with the name ‘TrancaoTopography_v01_Smoothed’.
9. Select the new layer in the Layers list and double-click to set its properties – use the same values/options as you did previously (Min.
Value to 0, Max. Value to 20 and uncheck the “Above Max” option).
Notice that you now have a more continuous gradient without localized depressions – this is providing a more representative surface
in an area critical to the simulation.
Defining the River Center Line Using the “River Burn In” Tool
In order to further improve the digital terrain, an optional tool called ‘River Burn In’ can be used. This tool allows you to modify the grid data
and enhance (“burn in”) rivers. This tool should only be used after first checking the river network to be modeled against the apparent river
network location from elevation data - if there are significant differences between the apparent and real locations of the rivers, the “burn in”
tool will help improve the model performance, particularly in flat floodplains.
In this exercise, the watershed to be modeled has some narrow valleys as well as flat floodplains where the resolution of the gridded elevation
data is too coarse to accurately describe the true river flow location, while previous river delineation indicated that some river stretches would
not be represented in their real position using the raw elevations. So, in this exercise the step of “burn in” is recommended to improve the
accuracy of simulated runoff flows and location.
Before you use this geoprocessing tool, you should arrange the layers in the Map area for more focused visualization as follows:
1. Turn off the layers “TrancaoPoints”, “Estuary”, “TrancaoGrid” and “TrancaoTopography_v01” by unchecking the box in the
column Visible on the Layers dialog.
2. Also move the layer River Center Lines to the top by using the shortcut menu (right mouse button) and choosing Move Up. You
could also select the layer and use the Up button within the Manage Layers section of the ribbon bar
3. Double-click the layer TrancaoTopography_v01_Smoothed and adjust the Layer Style Properties as indicated in the below
figure:
4. Close the Layer Style Properties dialog. Your Map window should look like the below figure:
5. Expand the Toolbox dialog and select Grid Data > River Burn In. This will open the Burn in River dialog to the right of the Map
view.
6. In the Burn in River dialog, check the layer “RiverCenterLines” within Lines (River Center) and under Output specify a new output
file named “TrancaoTopography_v02.dat” (use the same directory Digital Terrain where the other files are stored).
7. Press the process button to perform the “Burn In” operation.
8. Click OK to dismiss the information dialog that confirms that the Grid Data has been created.
9. Once processing is complete, the new layer TrancaoTopography_v02 is added to the Map view and you can close the ‘Burn In
River’ dialog.
Remove Depressions from the Digital Terrain
In this exercise case, OpenFlows FLOOD is run to simulate rivers explicitly. As such, we want the topography data to be free of localized
depressions to the maximum extent possible. You have already used the Smooth tool to remove noise from the elevation surface, but there
is some further geoprocessing you can do within the software to focus particularly on the removal of localized depressions.
1. Expand the Toolbox and double-click on the tool MOHID Land > Remove Depressions.
2. Within the Remove Depressions dialog, select the file “TrancaoTopography_v02” as Original DTM and the layer
TrancaoTopography_v02_ND.dat as New DTM (these should be the defaults - the default extension “ND” stands for “No
Depression”).
3. This geoprocessing tool works in two steps. First, all existing depressions are identified by analyzing the DTM. This is done by using
the ‘Analyze DTM’ process button within the “1. Select DTM” box.
4. Once this process is finished all depressions in the topography are highlighted in the Map window and shown in the list of layers –
you will notice a layer named “TemporaryGeometryLayer” which depicts the depressions. Your screen should resemble the below
figure.
5. There are a number of options you can use to remove the depressions. In this exercise, you will use the default options to remove all
depression. This is done by using “Remove Depression(s) by Iterations” process button located below on “3. Depression
Removal” box
6. Notice that after processing, all depressions within the TemporaryGeometryLayer disappear. You can now press the Save button
to save the topography and exit the tool.
Note: The process of depression removal can take a long time, depending on the size and complexity of the DTM file. When using this tool, if
you notice a long processing time, you may benefit from canceling and spending more time pre-processing with the smoothing and/or river
burn in tools before you attempt the iterative depression removal.
7. You have now prepared the final gridded DTM data for use in simulation.
Associate the Domain With the Topography
Previously in this exercise, you created a Workspace with a Domain, then created the Gridded DTM (topography) file. The Gridded DTM was
created, but now needs to be associated with the Domain.
1. Switch back to the Explorer tab, and in the Project Tree pane, select the domain “Exercise 2”, right click and choose “Properties”.
A window with the properties of the Domain will show.
2. Under the Digital Terrain Model field, browse for the final, depression-free topography you created earlier (C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall
Exercise\Projects\Exercise 2\General Data\Digital Terrain\ TrancaoTopography_v02_ND).
3. Press OK to close the window, completing the association of this gridded data to the ‘Exercise 2’ Domain.
Watershed Delineation
OpenFlows FLOOD can run simulation for a single watershed or for multiple watersheds at the same time. In the current exercise case, you
will cover the option to run a single watershed. To specify a single watershed, it must first be delineated. Watershed delineation requires that
the topography is free of local depressions, which is why the tools for smoothing, river burn-in, and depression removal have been incrementally
executed. You will now delineate the watershed for simulation.
1. Expand the Toolbox dialog and double-click the tool MOHID Land > Delineate Watershed.
The watershed delineation typically involves two steps. First, you need to get the exact path on which the river passes by running the tool
initially to generate all rivers, select then an outlet and rerun the tool.
2. Select the digital terrain for processing within the on 1. Select DTM field – the file TrancaoTopography_v02_ND should be selected
by default.
3. Leave all other options set with the defaults and press the process button within the 4. Process pane. The status of processing will
display in the message box beneath the button, and a new layer named Drainage Network will be added to the map.
4. You will now select the desired outlet and rerun the tool. This is done within the 2. Delineation Options pane. Check the option
Delineate Watershed and specify the coordinates Outlet X = -9.0925 and Outlet Y = 38.7965 as shown in the below figure. Notice
that a marker appears on the map indicating the position of the outlet.
Alternatively, this location can be specified by graphical selection with the mouse by using the button and then selecting a
location along the drainage network built in the previous step (so that you choose an outlet in an existing model reach).
Note: The outlet location must be in a cell through which the drainage network passes and cannot lie on the border of the watershed. If
you zoom in to the location noted in the above figure, you will notice that there is one grid cell between the chosen location and the border
(grey area).
5. Press the process button under 4. Process again. One or more warnings will appear asking if you want to replace the existing layers.
Press Yes to dismiss these dialogs and close the tool.
Your window should now look like the below figure. You have now finished the delineation of the watershed
Note: Later on in this exercise, you will need to know the maximum Strahler order of the network. If you select the “Drainage Network”
layer and use the query tool , you can query information about a specific layer. The maximum Strahler Order is 4, located nearest to
the outlet.
Define Cross Sections of the Drainage Network
In order to calculate the propagation of the flow in the watershed, OpenFlows FLOOD’s river module requires that the drainage network has
cross sections defined for each node. You will now complete these definition steps.
1. Expand the Toolbox and select MOHID Land > Default Cross Sections.
This tool allows you to define default cross sections for all river reaches in the watershed using one of two methods: (i) cross sections as
a function of the Strahler order or (ii) cross sections as a function of drained area. In this example you will use the first option.
2. On the Edit Cross Sections dialog you need to work within the 2. Default Cross Sections pane, ensure the Strahler Method option is
toggled, and define each cross section using the Add button to add to the list of cross sections.
3. Set the following values for each cross section that you add:
Order Type Top Width (m) Bottom Width (m) Height (m)
1 Trapezoidal 10 5 5
After adding these values, the 2. Default Cross Sections pane should look like the below figure:
4. Once complete, click the save button under the 4. Save Network pane.
5. You will receive an information message indicating that Cross Sections file have been saved. Click OK.
The tool will close, and all drainage network nodes have now a cross section defined
Configuration of a New Simulation
You have now created the basic input files which are needed to run an OpenFlows FLOOD watershed simulation model. You will now create
the simulation and review/set the appropriate configuration options to run the analysis.
Setting Modules in Simulation

1. In the Explorer tab within the Project Tree pane, select the domain “Exercise 2”, right-click and select Insert Simulation.
A dialog with the properties of a new simulation will appear, from which you can specify the name of the simulation, a brief description,
and choose which modules will be active for the analysis.
2. Within the Properties box, type the name Sim #1 – Hydrology Model.
3. You will add the module Drainage Network using the button (this will move the line item from the Available Modules box on
the right to the Modules in Simulation box on the left, as shown in the below figure).
4. Press OK to close the window.
5. A new simulation is created and is listed in the Project Tree pane. When you select this simulation, in the Data Files list within the
Modules pane will show the configuration files related to the selected Simulation Modules.
Defining the Simulation Properties
You observed the several input files listed in the Modules pane under Data Files after creating a simulation in the last exercise steps. These
files each contain groups of configuration settings for each module. The files are set up with default options - you may wish to review the
available options and parameters. Within this exercise, you will only change the specific Data Files which require modification for this
watershed simulation.
Time Options – Model_1.dat

The simulation start, end and time step is provided in the file Model_[X].dat where is [X] is the simulation number (e.g. Model_1.dat).
1. Within the Modules pane, Data Files list double click the file “Model_1.dat”, which will open in the File Editor dialog to the right.
2. Set the values for the following options:

Start time for the simulation. Values are day, month,
Start Date 01/Mar/2020 00:00:00 year, hour minute and second (could vary according
operational system regional settings).
End Date 02/Mar/2020 00:00:00 End time for the simulation.
Time Step (s) (DT) 10 (Initial) Time step of the model, in seconds.
Indicates whether a variable DT is to be used. This will
Variable Time Step (Variable
True typically be set to True for FLOOD simulation for best
DT)
performance.
Maximum Timestep (s) Maximum DT if variable time step is used, in seconds.
600
(MAXDT)
If you are running the model in a place other than in
Time Zone Greenwich Mean Time zone (GMT) + 0 then you will
0
(GMTREFERENCE) need to edit accordingly (positive to east and negative
to west for each hour increment).
Progress Update Update interval for the progress simulation bar
15.0
(DT_PREDICTION_INTERVAL)
After editing the file and changing the values as shown in the table above, press the button to Save the file .
3. You will receive a confirmation dialog about saving the .dat file. Click Yes to finish, then use the Close button to close the file
editor.
Watershed Delineation – BasinGeometry_1.dat

The data file BasinGeometry_1 contains information about the outlet and the threshold area, which must be consistent with the options used
during the basin delineation process.
1. Within the Data Files list, double-click the file “Basin_Geometry_1.dat” to open the file in the File Editor pane.
2. Navigate in the Project Tree to “Rainfall Exercise > General Data > Digital Terrain”. With Digital Terrain selected, in the Modules
pane double-click on the file “Basin Geometry Info.dat”. The File Editor pane will now have two open tabs.
3. The four parameters highlighted in the figure above (TRESHOLD_AREA, DELINEATE_BASIN, OUTLET_I and OUTLET_J) are the
key statistics you will need to set in the simulation configuration. Note that these describe the maximum threshold area for the
watershed and the grid element (row, column) where the outlet is specified.
4. Switch back to the file “Basin_Geometry_1.dat” and change the Delineate watershed field to “True”, which corresponds to the
positive value for DELINEATE_BASIN. Replace the values for the remaining three parameters as shown in the next figure, matching
the settings from the information summary.
5. Click on the save button to Save the file BasinGeometry_1.dat, then click on the close all button to close both open tabs
in the File Editor (this will close the files BasinGeometry_1.dat and BasinGeometryInfo.dat.
Precipitation – Atmosphere_1.dat
The configuration options related to precipitation and atmospheric conditions are provided in the file “Atmosphere_1.dat”. In this example you
will use a constant precipitation of 3 mm/h.
1. Under the Project Tree pane select the simulation “Sim #1 - Hydrology Model”.
2. Double-click the file “Atmosphere_1.dat” to review the default values.
3. Set the following parameters within the File Editor pane. You will need to expand the parameter lists in the dialog to gain access to the
settings:
Precipitation Parameter
True Allows simulation of precipitation event
Enabled?
Units for precipitation. Note that the current version of
OpenFlows FLOOD hardwires many of the units and uses
Units mm/hour
the SI system, though future versions of the program may
allow selection of units.
Initial precipitation can be set as a constant value over the
Initialization Method Constant entire grid or can use polygons or a Grid Data file to initialize
variable values.
Default Value 3 Value for the constant initial precipitation, in mm/h
Specifies whether the initial value remains constant over time

Remain Constant True
or varies according to other atmospheric properties.
Specifies whether the analysis should create a map output of
Map Output True
this property.
Specifies whether the analysis should produce time series
Time Series Output True output of this property.
4. Leave all other parameters set to their default values.

5. Once complete, the File Editor pane for ‘“Atmosphere_1.dat’ file should look like the figure below:
Note: OpenFlows FLOOD can also consider other aspects such as: solar radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, etc. – in this example
you will only use the precipitation module.
6. Press the Save button and close the file in the File Editor.
General Watershed Options – Basin_1.dat

General options about the processes to include in simulation are defined in the file “Basin_1.dat”.
1. On the Modules pane and Data Files list, double click the file “Basin_1.dat” to open it in the File Editor.
2. For this exercise, set the following options:
Atmosphere Module True Specifies whether simulation will use the atmosphere module.
Runoff Module True Specifies whether simulation will use the surface runoff module
Specifies whether simulation will use the drainage network
Drainage Network Module True
module.
Porous Media Module False Specifies whether simulation will use the porous media module
Specifies whether simulation will use the vegetation media
Vegetation Module False
module.
Specifies whether simulation calculate infiltration using the
Infiltration Method None
Curve Number Method.
3. Leave all other parameters set to default values. Your File Editor pane should appear as the figure below:
4. Save the file and close the File Editor.

River Flow – Drainage Network_1.dat
You will now review and modify the configuration settings for the drainage network, which are stored in the file “Drainage Network_1.dat.”.
1. On the Modules pane and Data Files list, double click the file Drainage Network_1.dat and set the following options in the File
Editor pane.

C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\ Use the browse button to navigate to this file, which
Network File Projects\Exercise 2\General Data\Digital you created previously in the exercise. This file
Terrain\Drainage Network.dnt describes the reaches in the drainage network.
This specifies the global Manning coefficient for all
Manning Coefficient 0.035
river sections within the entire drainage network.
Minimum Water Depth (m) 0.0001 Minimum depth for flow computation
Specifies whether the simulation will consider
Discharges False additional flow discharges. This would require an
additional module not used during this exercise.
Downstream boundary Free Fall Boundary condition at the outlet.
2. Leave all other parameters at their default settings. The File Editor window should appear as in the figure below:
Overland Flow – Runoff_1.dat
You will now review and modify the configuration settings for surface runoff routing, which are stored in the file “Runoff_1.dat.”.
1. On the Modules pane and Data Files list, double click the file Runoff_1.dat For this simulation you will leave the default values for
all options. The File Editor view of this file and its options is shown below.
Time Series Output
By default, time series output is turned on in most modules which will set up the simulation to write time series output for specific grid elements.
However, for OpenFlows FLOOD to actually generate the time series output, you need to specify each location for which the time series are
to be written. This must be done to define both time series of specific grid parameters (e.g. infiltration rate, precipitation rate) as well as
for specific nodes of the drainage network (e.g. flow, channel water depth).
The file which defines the locations for which time series are to be written is named “TimeSeriesLocation.DAT”.
1. For grid time series this file can be created using the software Toolbox and select Time Series > Create Output Time Series in
Grid Location tool.
2. Within the Create Time Series in Grid Location pane, use the “Add Points” button to add new element. Select a grid element
within the watershed boundary. Since we are using constant grid parameters, it does not matter which element, as long as you are
within the watershed boundary – it is suggested that you pick an element near the center.
3. Check the box next to the option for Save also as XML Geometry. Your screen should appear similar to the below figure, noting that
you likely will have picked a different element in the watershed and will therefore see different I, J values:
4. Press the Save Button , and specify the following path and filename: C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\Projects\Exercise
2\General Data\Time series\TimeSeriesLocation.dat. Within the file explorer browser, you will have to create the subfolder ‘Time
Series’ under ‘General Data’ by right-clicking and choosing New > Folder and then renaming and selecting the new folder.
5. After saving you will see a confirmation dialog that the file was saved. Click Yes to close the dialog and the tool pane (the selection
mark(s) will be removed upon close).
The Grid Time Series location file will be referenced to the Runoff module later.
6. You will now set up a Node Time Series using a similar procedure. Expand the Toolbox, and double-click the tool Time Series >
Create Output Time Series in Node Location.
7. Within the Create Time Series in Node Location pane, use the Add Points button , and select a location over the drainage
network.
8. Again check the box for Save also as XML Geometry. Your screen should now look like the below figure (you may have a different
point selected):
9. Press the Save button , and use the following path: C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\Projects\Exercise 2\General Data\Time
Series\NodeTimeSeriesLocation.dat. Acknowledge the dialog and close the tool.
10. Switch to the Explorer view, and within the Modules pane double-click on Drainage Network_1.dat to open it in the File Editor
window.
11. Expand the item for Output Options and set the following options to specify the location of Time Series output files:
Map Output True This will enable map output during simulation
Output Interval (s) 600 Time interval for output
Enables time series output on specified node
Time Series True
locations
C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\ Path to the file which defines specific locations for
Time Series Location Projects\Exercise 2\General Data\Time which to output time series.
Series\ NodeTimeSeriesLocation.dat
If True, all output results are organized by node
Time Series by Nodes True location. Otherwise, results will be organized by
variables.
12. Within the File Editor, the output options for Drainage Network_1.dat should now appear as in the below figure:
13. Switch back to the Explorer view, and within the Modules pane double-click on Runoff_1.dat
14. Expand the item for Output Options and set the following options to specify the location of Time Series output files:
Map Output True This will enable map output during simulation
Output Interval (s) 600 Time interval for output
Enables time series output on specified node
Time Series True
locations
C:\FLOOD Course\Rainfall Exercise\ Path to the file which defines specific locations for
Time Series Location Projects\Exercise 2\General Data\Time which to output time series.
Series\TimeSeriesLocation.dat
If True, all output results are organized by node
Time Series by Nodes True location. Otherwise, results will be organized by
variables.
15. Close and Save both modules.
Run the Simulation and Explore Results
Everything is now prepared to run the watershed simulation. You will now run the analysis and review results.
1. In the Explorer view select the simulation Sim #1 and then select the ribbon bar option Project -> Execute Models > Run Now.
2. In the dialog box which appears, click Yes to start the run. It may take several minutes to complete the simulation. Simulation status will
appear in the Model Controller pane.
3. When the analysis finishes, a dialog box will appear asking if you would like to see the model results.
4. Click Yes and you will see a window like the one in the below figure.
5. It is always a good practice to scroll to the end of the output window to review the final status message and ensure the simulation
completed successfully, as shown in the below figure:
6. You can now explore the analysis results by adding layers to the map and/or by creating time series graphs, as described on pages
14 to 23. The following steps will review specific results.
7. To check the Time Series Files results, go to the Modules pane and double click on Node_XXXX.srn file within the Time Series Files
box (note that if you selected more than one node, you would see one file listed for each node).
16. Within the Load Time Series dialog, select the check boxes for [channel Water level] [MOHID Land Model] and [channel flow]
[MOHID Land Model] and then press OK
17. The XY graph for the specified hydraulic parameters (flow and water level) at the selected channel location will appear as shown
below (your graph may look different if you selected a different node location):
18. Close the graph window. Go to the Explorer tab and in the Modules pane, double click on the Drainage Netwok_1.hdf5 file within
the HDF files box.
19. Accept the default options for Channel Flow results but verify that the Projection is specified with the Geographic projection based
on World WGS1984. Press OK.
20. Switch to the Map tab.
At the top of the Layers list you will see a new layer, Drainage Network_1 [channel flow] which shows the calculated flow within the
Drainage Network. Your screen should look like the one shown in the below figure.
21. Since you have loaded an HDF animation file, you can now use the Date & Time controller, located in the lower left corner, to step
forward and backward in time to see how flow varies in the network throughout the time period represented in the analysis. To
understand the quantity of flow represented by the color coding you can enable and expand a legend.

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Practice Workbook

Watershed Simulation – OpenFlows FLOOD

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3. On the right side, click on Import… button

7. Click the button to Start the Import Process.

 The root element – the “Workspace”

 One or more “Domains”, in this case a single domain titled “Watershed”

 General data folders for storing data common to all simulations

You will now run a simulation of the sample project.

3. A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Yes to confirm the execution.

6. Switch to view the ‘Map’ tab.

1. Start the OpenFlows FLOOD software.

The Domain window appears.

• Digital terrain data in point format (XYZ)

• The computational grid for the model.

Origin Y 38.755 Y coordinate of the lower left corner

Columns 205 Nº of columns of the grid

Rows 232 Nº of rows of the grid

Parameter Value Description

to save the topography and exit the tool.

Setting Modules in Simulation

Time Options – Model_1.dat

Parameter Value Description

Watershed Delineation – BasinGeometry_1.dat

Parameter Value Description

Default Value 3 Value for the constant initial precipitation, in mm/h

Specifies whether the initial value remains constant over time

4. Leave all other parameters set to their default values.

General Watershed Options – Basin_1.dat

Parameter Value Description

4. Save the file and close the File Editor.

Parameter Value Description

Parameter Value Description

15. Close and Save both modules.

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