HEC-RTS can display various maps of watershed features to help you visualize your watershed. These maps, known as map layers, appear as color images and serve as a geographical reference for the watershed. This section explains the map layer formats and provides guidance on how to configure and manage them.

File Formats

Common map layer formats recommended for use include the ESRI Shapefile (.shp) format for displaying points, lines, and polygons and the GeoTiff (.tif) format for displaying gridded data.

  • Shapefile (.shp) - The native format for ArcGIS®, shapefiles store non-topological geometry and attribute information for spatial features. For more information on shapefiles, see the ESRI Shapefile Technical Description.
  • GeoTIFF (.tif) - A standard format that embeds georeferencing metadata (such as map projections and coordinate systems) within a TIF file. This format stores raster images and spatial data in one file.
  • OpenStreetMap (.osm) - An XML file format used for saving street map data. The software generates this file in the watershed’s map folder, and you should not move or modify it.
  • USGS DEM (.dem) - A raster format from the US Geological Survey used for terrain elevation data or other surfaces. DEM files include metadata about the coordinate system and publication date, typically referencing a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection or a geographic coordinate system.
  • ASCII NetTIN (.net) - An ASCII file format representing a triangulated irregular network (TIN), commonly used for transferring TIN data between software applications. It defines nodes, edges, and triangles in a simple format.

Shortcut Menu

To access the shortcut menu for a map layer, right-click the layer in the Map Layers dialog. This menu provides various options for managing the selected layer. Available commands may vary depending on the map layer format, as not all formats support the same functions. 

Map Layers Shortcut Menu

Available Commands

  • Move to Top - Moves the selected layer to the top of the layer tree.
  • Move Up - Moves the selected layer up one position.
  • Move Down - Moves the selected layer down one position.
  • Move to Bottom - Moves the selected layer to the bottom of the layer tree.
  • Show/Hide Legend - Toggles the display of the legend for the selected layer.
  • Change Label - Allows you to rename the layer label as it appears in the editor (this does not change the actual file name).
  • Properties - Opens the properties dialog for the selected layer. Depending on the layer, the properties may be editable or read-only.
  • Set Scale for Zoom-in - Sets the minimum zoom level at which the layer becomes visible.
  • Set Scale for Zoom-out - Sets the maximum zoom level at which the layer remains visible.
  • Remove Scale Factors - Clears all zoom scale settings for the layer.
  • Copy To - Copies the layer file to another folder.
  • Attributes Table - Opens a table displaying the attribute data associated with the selected layer.