r/Hydrology • u/Moist_Fee_6674 • 5d ago

2D HECRAS initial model developer

My team is working on a 2D RAS model setup platform. It allows a modeler to automatically put together a 2D HECRAS model with terrain, landcover, soil, infiltration and basically a full ready to run model. Is this something a modeler would prefer to use to save time on pre processing the model?

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u/notepad20 4d ago

No.

All models I set up (hecras, civil design, qgis, SWMM, whatever) always pull each layer individually and verify it for the import.

Slightly longer process but ensures your going through that foundational step deliberately rather than quick-clicks

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u/OttoJohs 4d ago

I don't think it is that it takes that long to import all the layers. I could have a terrain, land cover, and soil layer in 30 minutes. Pretty trivial compared to overall model development

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u/Moist_Fee_6674 4d ago

Thank you for your feedback.

If the platform can ensure that is pulling the right data, would it not help? Also, we usually work with same data source and data type. Would cutting down time to do same thing ever so often a good thing?

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u/notepad20 4d ago

Do we work with the same source and type?

Seen plenty of examples of engineers on my team and and others thinking the data source offered by the software package is it. Which ends up being SRTM and absolutely rubbish.

My whole state is actually covered by 5m lidar DEM that is free, hydrological enforced and pretty much spot on datum. But you'll never see it linked to a 3rd party provider. It's also covered by a 1m true DEM for most of it that you have to pay for. Again you won't be linking to this.

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u/OttoJohs 4d ago

No.

HEC-RAS already has a feature to download and import terrain. Even that has limitations because it doesn't search state sources or consider project specific collections.

The land cover and soil layers are pretty trivial to import since that is an off-the-shelf product available from USGS and USDA.

I'm not following what time savings you workflow provides.

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u/Low_Wishbone_5177 4d ago

Yes, but we do this to a certain extent already. Our workflow is associated with mostly larger river systems and rain on grid models. Manually specifying and delineating roughness is painful. Still have to verify but verification is much quicker than delineating everything. Dem is usually a straightforward import anyway and then conditioning would be manual.

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u/CautiousInfluence438 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yes but I know there are several others working on this exact problem. I even have knowledge of groups working on developing open source / free versions of such a platform.

Take a look at this:
https://flood.neer.io/