SMS - surface-water modeling system - hydrodynamic model

SMS - SURFACE-WATER MODELING SYSTEM

Announcing SMS Version 7.0 Release!

SMS V 7.0 Enhancements
Introduction to SMS
SMS Features
SMS Supported Models
SMS Interface
SMS Mesh Module
SMS Grid Module
SMS Scatter Point Module
SMS Map Module
SMS River Module
Steps for Defining Models in SMS
SMS Requirements

SMS 7.0 Enhancements

  • New "Quick Tour" to introduce users to SMS.
     
  • Coordinate system conversions – The user can specify what coordinate system his data is in and then convert mesh, map, grid, and scatter data between coordinate systems. Supported systems include UTM, Geographic (Lat/Lon), State Plane, Local system. NAD 27, NAD 83, NGVD 27, NGVD 88, and GRS 80. Many other ellipsoids are also supported.
     
  • Organization of data sets into "solutions" – Functional data set can be moved from one solution to another. All sets in a solution can be deleted with a single command. Data sets are automatically updated when file they reference is replaced with a newer version.
     
  • Edit window split into two sections (top/bottom of screen) – Top edit window now allows selection of solution/function/timestep/scatter set/coverage without going to any dialogs. Bottom edit window allows more information to be displayed for currently selected items such as volume of selected cells.
     
  • Addition of new SMS Project files (spr) – These files reference both SMS and model specific files. Single save command in the File menu stores all data. Single Open in the File menu restores all data. Greatly simplifies data management.
     
  • File I/O all through File menu now – Open command used for all files. If SMS cannot determine the file type, it asks the user for help. Three separate Save commands: Save Project saves a ".spr" file which references all data. Save Sim saves the files associated with the specific model being used, Save As… lets the user select the individual file to be saved.
     
  • Scatter point set triangulation now stored – User can edit triangulation to remove false dams and other features not desired in surface used for interpolation. Contour display on scatter sets now available. Can add/delete points in a scatter set. Can now edit functional data at points. Scatter point sets now have vector data sets. Scatter sets can also be split into two sets or two sets merged into a single set.
     
  • Generic data file support – File Import Wizard: Any ASCII text, columnar file can be opened into SMS as mesh nodes or scatter set. The columns can be delimited (separated) with any characters. The data can also be converted to another coordinate system as it is read into SMS. SMS can save mesh or scattered data and the data sets out to a tabular file.
     
  • SHOALS toolbox – Large scatter data sets can be opened in SMS. The toolbox allows for the visualization of the data sets. Filtering or deleting points in flat regions to reduce the data is included. The user can open, create, and plot profiles. Nautical grids can be created from a scatter set.
     
  • User-defined color palettes – The user can create and save their own color (color for our European users) palette. This means that they can set up any colors for contouring.
     
  • Cartesian Grid Module and STWAVE Interface (additional fee for these modules) – Ability to generate and edit Cartesian grids with support for the STWAVE Model. (This is being greatly expanded already in version 7.1).
     
  • Expanded 2DM file to support all element types and nodestrings.
     
  • Generic Model Interface – User can now define material properties, model parameters and boundary condition types which are saved in a template section of the 2dm file. All of these values can then be specified inside of SMS for models not explicitly supported inside of SMS. Can be accessed through the map module as well.

RMA2/RMA4 Enhancements:

  • New/Expanded tools for creation of one-dimensional elements with widths displayed.
     
  • New tools for defining junctions and flow control structures.
     
  • Renumbering now works through 1D zones of a mesh.
     
  • User may specify initial water surface explicitly (as in FESWMS).
     
  • Support for user-specified initial water surface (IC card).
     
  • Support of defined boundary node angle (BAN card).
     
  • Total Flow Node string support.
     
  • Model checker will check for GWN data and wet/dry flag.
     
  • Transition elements are forced to be perpendicular to the 2D edge.
     
  • Control structures cannot be created on transition elements.
     
  • New RMA4 interface (additional fee for this module).

SED2D Enhancements:

  • Support for input hotstart files.

FESWMS Enhancements:

  • FESWMS 3.0 interface (release version) – Free field format, new sediment transport and storm options. New tools for defining, editing and visualizing Piers. New tool to display weir width and define weirs for pairs of nodestrings.
     
  • Feature stamping – allows user to create an embankment or channel from the conceptual model by defining the centerline of the feature as an arc. Options include sloped sides which transition into the natural bathymetry and abutment options for vertical, sloped and wing walls.
     
  • Map -> 2D Mesh – New options for element creation include adaptive density meshing, and density paving which use underlying size function to control element size. Polygons can now be converted to 2D mesh individually and the new elements merged into the existing mesh. Tools to create/remove vertices on an arc inside the Polygon Attributes dialog. Degenerate patches now supported. Option to use area coverages to determine material zones instead of strictly following polygons used for mesh generation.
     
  • FLO2DH version 3.0 support.
     
  • Create weir across node string for auto-width definition.
     
  • Model checker will check for valid nodestrings, the wet/dry flag specification, and the fluid density value.
     
  • Maximum interior angle mesh quality display.
     
  • Support of JPEG images in addition to the TIF support.
     
  • Recently used files stored in File Menu for easy access.
     
  • Show flow direction arrows on nodestrings.
     
  • Auto save at user-specified time interval.
     
  • Press Delete button to delete all entities without selecting them.
     
  • Enhanced tools in Polygon Attributes dialog.
     
  • Materials dialogs have Cancel buttons.
     
  • Entity selection info options (the "File | Info Options" command).
     
  • Enhanced default node Z options (Node Options dialog).
     
  • Open Files on Startup/Registered File extensions (.spr).

Fixes in SMS Version 7.0

  • Correction in calculation of center point of nodestrings/arcs/cellstrings.
     
  • Added Cancel Button in Material Properties dialogs.
     
  • Active array bugs in data set management cleaned up.
     
  • Faster, more robust contour management.
     
  • Cleaned up Node options for interpolation, and assignment of z values.
     
  • Total flow nodestrings bug cleaned up.
     
  • Improvement on the thin triangle check.
     
  • Modification to the area change mesh quality check to account for quad to tri transitions.

Introduction to SMS

SMS - Surface-Water Modeling System, SMS is a graphical pre and postprocessor for 1D and 2D hydrodynamic modeling of complex river systems, lakes, estuaries and coastal systems. It includes interfaces for the finite-element analysis packages RMA2, RMA4, HIVEL2D, SED2D-WES, FESWMS and the one-dimensional step backwater profiler WSPRO. SMS also now includes interfaces for the ADCIRC, STWAVE and CGWAVE coastal models. Feature objects patterned after the ARC/INFO GIS data model are used to construct conceptual models that define the mesh domain and material zones. Boundary conditions and other parameters are assigned to the feature objects. A mesh can be automatically generated from the conceptual model using sophisticated mesh generation tools available in SMS. Materials and boundary conditions are automatically assigned to the appropriate mesh nodes or elements.

SMS Features

  • Microsoft Windows and X-Windows Graphical User Interface.
  • Windows 95 and Windows NET compatible.
  • Sophisticated tools for creating finite-element networks including adaptive tessellation and patch construction.
  • Interactive editing tools for modification of finite-element meshes.
  • Interactive creation of boundary conditions for both steady-state and transient conditions.
  • Automatic model checker to protect against common user mistakes.
  • Creation of FESWMS, HIVEL2D, WSPRO, GFGEN, RMA2, RMA4, STWAVE, ADCIRC, CGWAVE, and SED2D-WES input files. All model parameters are entered using user-friendly dialog boxes.
  • Import/export of DXF files.
  • Use of TIFF images for backdrops (on-screen digitizing) or as texture maps.
  • Superior graphics including contour plots, color fringes, shaded images, and ".avi" file generation for transient data.
  • Flow trace plots for visualization of complex flow fields and patterns.
  • Scatter-point interpolation to compare similar meshes.
  • Virtual gages for model calibration.

GIS objects can be created by on-screen digitizing from a georeferenced TIFF image. From these feature objects, material boundaries can be defined and meshes can be designated to follow specific feature lines.

Contour Plots can be created from the underlying bathymetry or from the analysis results. Color plots provide a graphical interpretation of analysis results and can be combined with film loops to create animated solutions. Vectors can also be displayed at node locations to enhance visualization.

Flow Traces of the hydrodynamic model results can be created from the analysis data. Flow traces offer a visual representation of how the water will move under various boundary conditions. These and other animations are saved in standard video for Windows format (.AVI). AVI files can then be embedded in presentations or viewed using stand-alone AVI players.

SMS Supported Models

RMA2
RMA2, hydrodynamic analysis model, computes flow velocities and water-surface elevations at each mesh node. It also computes the dynamic boundary between wet and dry regions in the model. Flow separations and eddy currents are accurately modeled. RMA2, part of the TABS modeling system, has been used extensively by the Army Corps of Engineers and their consultants. Its output can be used by RMA4 and SED2D-WES to model contaminant migration and sediment transport problems.

RMA4
RMA4 is a finite-element water-quality transport numerical model in which the depth concentration distribution is assumed uniform. It computes concentrations for either conservative or non-conservative constituents within the one- and/or two-dimensional computational mesh domain. Some applications of the water quality model include the horizontal salinity distribution, tracing temperature effects from power plants, calculate residence times of harbors or basins, and optimization of the placement of outfalls.

SED2D-WES
SED2D-WES, sediment transport model, models the bed scour and sediment deposition for both clay and sand beds. Part of the output includes a modified geometry file for iterative analysis using RMA2.

FESWMS
FESWMS, hydrodynamic analysis model, developed for the FHWA, produces hydrodynamic solutions similar to RMA2. It includes options for easily modeling control structures such as weirs, culverts and bridge piers. It applies to both sub and supercritical flow conditions.

HIVEL2D
HIVEL2D is a 2-D hydrodynamic modeling code that supports both subcritical and supercritical flow analysis. HIVEL2D was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station to model flow in high-velocity channels. HIVEL2D is typically used to predict and analyze flow shock events, such as hydraulic jumps and oblique standing waves, and to determine the super-elevation of the water surface in channel bends. The success of the model to generate accurate predictions depends largely upon accurate water depth specification at both the inflow and outflow boundaries. SMS supports both pre and postprocessing for HIVEL2D.

WSPRO
The WSPRO model is a one-dimensional backwater calculation model designed to compute the water-surface elevations through single and multiple bridge and culvert openings. River stations along the model include topographic data defined as valley cross sections and flow control cross sections such as bridges, culverts, guide banks, and roadways. The model supports both single- and multiple-opening bridges and culverts and includes the simulation of piers. Tributary flow may be defined at any cross-section, and multiple flow conditions can be modeled in a single run.

SMS presents the river being modeled as a tree diagram, displaying all cross-section elements along the river. The user may select any cross-section element and graphically edit it. Tools are also provided for copying and modifying cross sections. In addition, SMS can display the water surface and energy gradeline on both the cross-section plot and profile plot. Also, WSPRO can create up to three user-defined output tables describing the computed modeling results along the river. And a scour report can be generated, reporting the maximum scour computed at each bridge abutment, pier, and opening.

STWAVE
STWAVE is a finite-difference coastal model designed to analyze near-shore wind-wave growth and propagation. It includes effects of wind, wave breaking, white capping, wave-wave interaction, etc.

ADCIRC
ADCIRC is a 2D depth-integrated, barotropic time-dependent long wave, hydrodynamic circulation model. It can be applied to the deep ocean, continental shelves, coastal seas, or small estuarine systems.

CGWAVE
 

SMS Interface

The SMS interface has been designed in a modular fashion. Five separate modules representing different data types are supported. As you switch from one module to another, the Tool Palette and Menus change to reflect the commands available in the newly selected module. By separating commands in this fashion, you can focus only on the tools and commands related to the module you are currently working on. Switching from one module to another is done instantaneously to facilitate the use of multiple commands and data types for a single project. The following modules are supported in SMS: Meshes, Grids, 2-D Scatter Points, Conceptual Map, and Rivers.

SMS 2D Mesh Module

The 2D Mesh Module is used to construct 2D finite element meshes. A variety of tools are provided for automated mesh generation and mesh editing. In SMS, 2D meshes are used to generate models for both the TABS suite of software and the FESWMS analysis package.

Meshes are created using the feature objects data as a guide for creating elements. Bathymetric data is then interpolated to the mesh from a scatter point set. Meshes can be edited directly using interactive mesh editing tools or by modifying the GIS objects and regenerating the mesh.

SMS Grid Module

The 2D Boundary Fitted Grid Module will be used to construct 2D boundary fitted grids. This module will be available in the next release of SMS and has been included in this version to facilitate future expansion.

SMS Scatter Point Module
The 2D Scatter Point Module is used to interpolate from groups of 2D scattered data points to any of the other data types. For example, the user may gather field data points representing the bathymetry of the region to be modeled. The elevation data from these points can be interpolated to a well structured set of elements to create the bathymetry of the entire mesh.

SMS Map Module
The Map Module is used to manipulate four types of objects. The first three objects: DXF objects, image objects, and drawing objects are primarily used as graphical tools to enhance the development and presentation of a model. The fourth type of object, feature objects, are used to construct high-level conceptual models. Once a conceptual model is constructed, it can automatically be converted to a numerical model.

SMS River Module

The River Module allows the creation of cross sections of rivers. SMS is taking the first steps in integrating the use of traditional modeling of rivers using one-dimensional analysis with topographic models. Tools are provided to define bridge openings, culverts, guidebanks, and roadways at the cross sections. If a topographic representation of the site has been modeled in SMS, the cross section information data can be extracted. Tools are also being developed to create a topographic model from a user defined centerline and the cross sectional information used by the one-dimensional model. These tools will allow integration of one- and two-dimensional modeling.

SMS Visualization

SMS has coupled the most advanced flow and transport codes available with the state-of-the-art in scientific visualization. SMS includes two-dimensional contour plots of meshes and vectors.

SMS Animation

The only way to truly visualize transient solutions is by using animation. The SMS filmloop tool enables generation of flow traces as well as rapid generation of animations with two-dimensional direction and magnitude of water flow and sediment transport over time. The MS Windows version of SMS builds filmloops using MS Windows AVI format.

Steps for Defining Models in SMS

While no two modeling projects are exactly alike, the typical set of steps used to create hydrodynamic models in SMS consists of the following:

1. Obtain scatter point set of bathymetric data from one of the following sources.

  • Sampled data from external source such as a survey or digital elevation map.
  • Digitized points from scanned topographic map.

2. Define background mesh by triangulating sampled data if needed.

3. Create a set of feature arcs and points along topographically important features such as channel bottoms and ridges, material region boundaries, flow control structures, etc., in one of the following ways.

  • On-screen digitizing from a georeferenced TIFF image.
  • Conversion from a DXF file.
  • On-screen digitizing using the contours from the background mesh.

4. Define polygons bounding the material zones in the region being represented using the previously-defined arcs.

5. Assign meshing parameters to the polygons, arcs and points.

  • Specify element-edge size adjacent to each feature point.
  • Redistribute vertices along the feature arcs to desired density. Element density in the resulting mesh matches density of vertices along the arcs.
  • Assign meshing technique to be either patch or adaptive tessellation for each polygon. Patch parameters will redistribute vertices along the affected arcs.

6. Assign boundary conditions attributes to feature points, arcs, and polygons.

  • Points may be assigned velocities or head values.
  • Arcs may be assigned flow, head, or flux status.
  • Polygons may be ceiling-elevation functions.

7. Define material types and assign a material to each feature polygon. Examples of material properties include Manning's n values, eddy viscosities and Peclet number.

8. Create elements from the polygons, and other feature arcs using the scatter point set to define elevations at the mesh nodes of adaptively tessellated polygons.

9. Examine the mesh for element and mesh quality. Correct mesh errors by either modifying features and repeating Steps 3-7 or edit the mesh interactively by hand. The amount of hand editing should be kept to a minimum due to the fact that it must be repeated each time the mesh is generated.

10. Renumber the mesh to optimize the numerical performance.

11. Assign model parameters such as iteration control, simulation time, model units, output control, etc., for selected model. For FESWMS, this is done using the FESWMS Control Dialog.

12. Define the flow control structures such as piers, culverts and drop inlets. For TABS, this is done using one-dimensional elements. For FESWMS, SMS provides tools to interactively insert flow control structures into the mesh.

13. Run the appropriate model checker.

14. Run the model (FLO2DH or TABS).

15. Import solution file through the data browser and examine the resulting flow field.

Visualization tools include vector plots and contour plots. Check for consistency of computed results with site-measured gage data. Make modifications to material parameters or model parameters if necessary and rerun.

SMS provides utilities for doing all the steps outlined above. The steps are similar for all hydrologic models supported by SMS. Traditionally users have built the mesh interactively instead of utilizing the feature arcs and polygons. This method is still supported.

SMS Requirements
Windows: PC 486/Pentium running Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT, math coprocessor, and 8 MB RAM (16 MB recommended). UNIX X-Windows: HP-UX, IRIX, DEC-OSF, and Sun Solaris.

Take a Quick Tour of SMS V 7.0