Interface

Graphical User interface
Thanks to the graphical tools of WMS, along with standard MS Windows functionality, building models and viewing results is very easy and intuitive. All modeling parameters are entered through interactive graphics and easy-to-use dialog boxes. The software reads and writes native model input/output files, so there is no need to worry about formatting text files to get the models to run nor will you need to search through text output files to find the results from the model run.

The Project Explorer Window of WMS has been developed to give you GIS-style, quick access to data layers and display settings. By simply clicking on data layers you can:

- Turn display on/off

- Convert data to other formats/types

- Project data to a different coordinate system

- Control display settings

- Set the active data set for editing

- And much more…

The Project Explorer also allows you direct access to modeling parameters/tables for control of your hydrologic model. With WMS and the Project Explorer, you will find that managing data for hydrology and hydraulic modeling is easier than ever before.

Thanks to simple CAD/GIS style tools and functionality, you will find that manipulating digital terrain data and GIS data to delineate watersheds and compute model input parameters is very smooth. Further, presentation of results of your work will be impressive and easy to understand.

Graphics and Visualization
WMS is a powerful graphical tool for model creation and visualization of results. Models can be built using digital maps and elevation models for reference and source data. During the model building process, the graphical representation of the model allows quick review and presentation of your work. Fully 3D views, with contouring and shading, of your model allow anyone to see and understand the domain and parameters of your analysis.

Implementation of OpenGL technology in WMS allows faster 3D rendering, near real-time rotation, and immediate refresh of vector and raster (image) data. WMS also supports color transparency, allowing layered presentation of results in a single view.

Presentation of transient model input or output data is better than ever with the improved FilmLoop Editor of WMS. The filmloop approach allows you to create AVI and Google Earth animations of changing conditions/results in your model. For example, you might create an animation showing flood depths on the land surface of your model over some time frame. Another application could be the animation of gridded rainfall data used for input to a hydrologic model. Spatial and temporal variation in data is presented with amazing clarity with such graphical tools. With the capabilities of GSSHA, a 2D hydrologic model, water depth animations and any of the many other parameters GSSHA computes can be viewed and geo-referenced to any location on the earth using the Google Earth KMZ file output capability in WMS.

Basic watershed and river data display options include elevation contouring, basin-boundary outline or color fill, streams, time of concentration flow path plotting, base map (orthophotos, USGS Quad maps, etc.) rendering, and many others. Watershed data such as areas, slopes, flow distances, basin centroids, etc. can be displayed as well. Model results such as hydrographs can be plotted with a variety of plotting options. Further, floodplain results can be reported as flood depth maps, flood extent maps, and flood impact maps – all scaled and reported in real-world coordinates.