This is the User Manual for the Hydrologic Engineering Center - Real Time Simulation (HEC-RTS) software. HEC-RTS is a comprehensive, integrated software system developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support real-time water resources management. It enables the collection, processing, visualization, and analysis of hydrologic data to assist in managing reservoirs, rivers, and other water infrastructure. HEC-RTS is used for flood risk management, water supply, navigation, environmental stewardship, and emergency response by enabling data-driven decisions.

HEC-RTS integrates multiple software packages developed by HEC, including:

  • HEC-MetVue (Meteorological Visualization Utility Engine) - for processing observed and forecasted hydrometeorological data
  • HEC-HMS (Hydrologic Modeling System) - for computing rainfall-runoff
  • HEC-ResSim (Reservoir Simulation) - for reservoir operations
  • HEC-RAS (River Analysis System) - for hydraulic modeling
  • HEC-FIA (Flood Impact Analysis) - for computing economic impacts due to floods

This manual outlines the features and functionality of HEC-RTS, provides an overview of its graphical user interface (GUI), explains how to configure the system to integrate with analysis software, and illustrates the flow of data and information between the analysis tools and the data components within HEC-RTS.