Part A: Create Study then Import or Specify Study Data

Transcript for Impact Area Sets video

Hello and welcome to the Hydrologic Engineering Center's Flood Damage Reduction Analysis Version 2.0 training video. My name is Julia Slaughter, and this video provides instructions for importing an Impact Area Set in HEC-FDA Version 2.0. To import the impact area set in Version 2.0 From the Study Tree, right-click on Impact Areas Set and select the import option. The import dialog opens as a tab. Enter the desired impact area name. Whenever possible we recommend users enter a description. For example, a description can be used to share information with team members. Now we need to set the path to the impact area shapefile. Select the ellipse button to open the shapefile browser window. Navigate to the location of the desired shapefile, select the file and click open. Shapefiles store geometric location and attribute information. The Unique Name drop-down list updates with a list of the attributes in the selected shapefile. Select the appropriate attribute containing the unique impact area names. Review the Quick Start Guide's Recommended GIS Skills page for more information. You are ready to import the impact area set. Click OK, the Importer tab closes and the Study Tree updates with the imported impact area set. Users can edit, remove or rename imported impact area sets.

Transcript for Index Points video

Hello and welcome to the Hydrologic Engineering Center's Flood Damage Reduction Analysis Version 2.0 training video. My name is Julia Slaughter, and this video provides instructions for importing index points in HEC-FDA Version 2.0. To import the index points, from the Study Tree, right-click Index Points, and select the create option. The import dialog opens as a tab. Enter the desired index points name. Whenever possible we recommend users enter a description. For example, a description can be used to share information with team members. Now we need to set the path to the index points shapefile. Select the ellipse button to open the shapefile browser window. Navigate to the location of the desired shapefile, select the file and click open. Shapefiles store geometric location and attribute information. The Unique Name drop-down list updates with a list of the attributes in the selected shapefile. Select the appropriate attribute containing the unique index points names. You are ready to import the index points. Click OK, the Importer tab closes and the Study Tree updates with the imported index points. Users can edit, remove or rename imported index points.

Transcript for Working with Occupancy Types video

Welcome to the Hydrologic Engineering Center's Flood Damage Reduction Analysis Version 2.0 training video. My name is Julia Slaughter, and this video focuses on occupancy type data in Version 2.0. Specifically, this video explains what occupancy data is and how it is used in HEC-FDA Version 2.0. Note, that example study data has already been imported for the purposes of this video.

To explain what occupancy types are we need to briefly review flood risk. Flood risk generally, is assessed as the probability of getting wet times the consequences of getting wet. And economic data is required to assess the consequences of the hazard, where consequences are a function of vulnerability and flood risk is a function of consequences. Specifically, vulnerability describes how susceptible a structure or person is to harm. And for structures, occupancy type data coincides with the vulnerability piece of the consequences side of the risk equation. Which is the focus of this video. Review the HEC-FDA Version 2.0 Quick Start Guide for more information.

To understand the purpose of occupancy type data, we will look at three conceptualized residential structures created based on the generic depth-damage curves, from various Economic Guidance Memorandums. The first is a one-story no basement, two-story no basement, one-story with basement. Now, let's consider the how we can assess the consequences of these three generic structures if they are exposed to an 8ft flood event in HEC-FDA Version 2.0.  In FDA, from the Occupancy Type Editor let's examine the generic depth-damage function we'd link to our first structure. You are looking at potential damages based on the 8 ft flood for a one-story structure with a foundation height of zero ft. And here's the depth-percent damage function for the one-story with basement structure, with a foundation height at 0ft. And lastly, let's look at the vulnerability of the two-story structure without basement with a foundation height of also 0ft. If we review the depth-percent damages curves for these three structures side-by-side you can see the importance of identifying the relationship between flood depth and the severity of structure damage which is essential to estimating flood risk. 

Now understand the importance of occupancy type data in FDA, let's go over some important concepts regarding the Occupancy Type Editor. There are several occupancy type parameters that may be defined with uncertainty. These parameters include uncertainty in the first floor elevation; structure, content, vehicle, and other value; and uncertainty in the depth-damage function. Available uncertainty distributions for these parameters include Normal, Triangular and Uniform. More information regarding probability distributions can be found on HEC-FDA’s tutorial page. Let's take a look at the first floor elevation. Uncertainty in the first floor elevation is usually from a combination of terrain elevation uncertainty and foundation height uncertainty. And depending on the distribution selected users will need to input the appropriate uncertainty parameters based on the unit of measurement that is used to measure the first floor elevation, which you set when you import the structure inventory.

Uncertainty can be added to the structure, content, vehicle and other values. This reflects knowledge uncertainty, which can be due to many things; such as errors in identifying and classifying assets, real estate appraisals and content-inventory surveys. Again, the inventory value refers to the value that you’ve selected for your imported structure inventory. You can also enter a content-to-structure or other-to-structure value ratio; and you can add uncertainty around this ratio. And as we reviewed earlier with our three hypothetical generalized structures you can include uncertainty in the depth-percent damage function for your structure. This uncertainty is also knowledge uncertainty, which can be due to many things; such as a higher velocity which can mean higher damage, or a longer duration which can mean higher damage.

There’s one more important concept that we need to discuss with regards to the Occupancy Type Editor in Version 2.0. In Version 2.0 the Structure Damage tab is required. If for example, you want to include an occupancy type that only has vehicle damage, then as a workaround you can add the vehicle percent damage to the Structure Damage tab, instead of the Vehicle Damage tab.