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Download page Task 2b - Create a New HEC-MetVue Project.
Task 2b - Create a New HEC-MetVue Project
A new HEC-MetVue project may be created within the CAVI if a MetVue Project does not already exist or if the user wants to recreate a CWMS-specific project that only includes the necessary sessions and map windows needed for CWMS forecasts.
Add Reference Shapefiles & Data to HEC-MetVue Project Directory
For CWMS watersheds, it can be useful to add reference shapefiles of the watershed's HEC-HMS subbasins, major tributaries, areas upstream of reservoirs or any other key geographic references to the watershed.
Users can specify a polygon shapefile as "Basin Avg" and HEC-MetVue will compute the average values within each polygon to display. This is useful for quickly assessing the impact of an event across the watershed. Basin average shapefiles can also be written out as basin-averaged time series data.
It is good practice to save a copy of all reference shapefiles and data to the HEC-MetVue project directory at:
.../watershed/[WatershedName]/metvue/maps/ (shapefiles) and
.../watershed/[WatershedName]/metvue/data/ (data)
Copy the Eau Galle River HEC-HMS subbasin shapefile provided in the C:\Workshops\MetVue\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation_Start\maps directory into the HEC-MetVue project directory at: C:\Workshops\MetVue\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation_Start\EauGalleCAVI\watershed\EauGalleRiver\metvue\maps
Create a directory called data at: C:\Workshops\MetVue\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation_Start\EauGalleCAVI\watershed\EauGalleRiver\metvue\data
Copy the sample data provided at: C:\Workshops\MetVue\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation_Start\data\forecast.dss
into the HEC-MetVue project directory at: C:\Workshops\MetVue\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation_Start\EauGalleCAVI\watershed\EauGalleRiver\metvue\data
For the sake of simplicity, this workshop includes gridded data samples for the Eau Galle Watershed that have already been downloaded from the Cumulus website.
Tips for collecting sample data for a new HEC-MetVue CWMS project within a different watershed include:
- Sample Size: Only a small sample (3-4 timesteps) of each dataset is needed. It is good practice to keep sample datasets small to avoid storing unnecessarily large files.
- Pathnames: Sample data pathnames should match what HEC-MetVue is expecting from the CWMS Extract List.
- Extents: The extents of sample gridded data sohuld match what HEC-MetVue will be receiving from the CWMS Extract.
Create a New HEC-MetVue Project
By default, each watershed creates a WatershedName.metvue (in this case, EauGalleRiver.metvue) project file. To open this file and create MetVue alternatives, select the MetVue raindrop icon (
) towards the top of the CAVI window to open the MetVue interface.
An empty HEC-MetVue project will open.
Set Project Defaults
Project defaults such as basin-average or background shapefiles will be inherited by all future Sessions and Map Windows within the project.
It is good practice to set Project Defaults at the start of a project to streamline the process.
In this example, the HEC-HMS subbasins shapefile will be added to the map as the basin average shapefile.
Expand (+) the Project Defaults menu within the Project Explorer.
Right-Click on No map data (shapefiles) and Select Maps...
Select Add Maps... and navigate to the HEC-HMS subbasin shapefile at: C:\Workshops\MetVue\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation_Start\EauGalleMetVue\maps\hmsBasinsEauGalle.shp
Check the Basin Avg box to make the hmsBasinsEauGalle.shp shapefile the basin average shapefile of the project.
Select OK to add the shapefile to the project.
Create a New Session
Sessions are the work area for organizing your sub-work units (Map Windows) within a MetVue project. Within CWMS, a Session within MetVue is considered the MetVue Alternative. Each session includes a Map Window for each gridded data product required for that MetVue alternative.
The organization of Sessions and Map Windows in HEC-MetVue is up to user preferences or application needs. For example, HEC-MetVue Sessions can be organized based on geographic regions or watersheds and can have different Map Windows based on the various data sources. Any session can have one or more map windows associated with it. Map windows contain the information that the user views and edits.
For the Eau Galle River CWMS MetVue project, two sessions will be set up–one that include forecast precipitation (QPF) and one that does not (NoQPF). The relevant Map Windows that correspond to that MetVue alternative will be added within each Session:
| Session | QPF | NoQPF |
|---|---|---|
| Map Windows | Observed Precipitation Forecast Precipitation Observed Temperature Forecast Temperature Snow Water Equivalent Cold Content | Observed Precipitation Observed Temperature Forecast Temperature Snow Water Equivalent Cold Content |
Right-Click on the Project heading within the Project Explorer and select New Session...
Name the Session QPF and Select OK.
Notice that the QPF Session has been added to the Project Explorer and a QPF Tab has been added to the Project Window.
Note that while a QPF tab has been added to the project window, the project window is still empty until Map Windows are created and data is added.
Expand (+) the QPF Session, Session Defaults and 1 active mapping file.
Notice that the hmsBasinsEauGalle.shp added to the project defaults earlier was inherited into the new QPF session.
Create Map Windows
Next, Map Windows will be created for each gridded data component that is required within the QPF MetVue Alternative.
Right-Click on the QPF session and select Sessions and Maps → Add Map Window...
Name the new Map Window ObsPrecip and select OK.
Set the Map Window Color Scale
Highlight the ObsPrecip map window heading and set the Color Scale within the Properties window to (English) Precipitation - max 30 in.
Add Sample Data to the Project
Right-click the No data node within the ObsPrecip Map Window and Select DSS paths...
Select the "..." button to browse to the sample data file at: C:\Workshops\MetVue\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation\HEC-MetVue_CWMS_SetupOrientation_Start\EauGalleCAVI\watershed\EauGalleRiver\metvue\data\forecast.dss
Filter the F-Part to NCEP-STAGE4 to view the available Observed Precipitation grids.
Select all of the available paths selecting Add All. The pathnames will be added to the Selected TINs area in the lower part of the window.
The Eau Galle River gridded data has already been clipped to the extents of the watershed by the cumulus web server.
If the dataset is not already clipped to the watershed, MetVue can filter the grid extents within the Select Data dialog box by:
Expanding the Active Read Constraints/Overrides option and selecting Constrain Imported TIN to Defined Rectangle then Define Constraint Extent...
Selecting Polygon Mask allows the user to filter the grid extents with a shapefile by either browsing and selecting a shapefile or selecting Basin Average to apply the shapefile set as the basin average shapefile as the mask:
Click OK to view the data in MetVue.
Add Remaining Map Windows
Repeat the process above to add the remaining Map Windows required for the QPF alternative:
| Map Window | Pathname | Color Scale |
|---|---|---|
| FcstPrecip | /SHG/EAU GALLE RIVER/PRECIP///WPC-QPF-2.5KM/ | Precipitation - max 30 in |
| ObsTemp | /SHG/EAU GALLE RIVER/AIRTEMP///NDGD-RTMA/ | Temperature |
| FcstTemp | /SHG/EAU GALLE RIVER/AIRTEMP///MBRFC-KRF-FCT/ | Temperature |
| SWE | /SHG/EAU GALLE RIVER/PRECIP///SNODAS-INTERP/ | Snow 1 (Explicit, Max 40in) |
There should be a total of five map windows once all have been added.
Specify Temporal Transformation
The forecast precipitation product (WPC-QPF-2.5KM) is only available in 6-hour increments which is often typical of gridded forecast products. Since HMS will need hourly input, the user must specify how it wants MetVue to deal with the forecast precipitation hourly output by specifying a temporal transformation.
To specify the temporal transformation of the 6-hour forecast precipitation grids, highlight the FcstPrecip map window within the Project Explorer and select the Temporal TIN Transformation icon (
) from above.
By default, MetVue will evenly distribute the 6-hour grids into one-hour increments. For example, if a single QPF grid had values of 1.2 inches, MetVue would write out six one-hour grids with values of 0.2 inches each.
Notice the table below that breaks down hours 1 through 6 with the associated factor (even increments by default).
For the Eau Galle River forecast precipitation, a conservative approach will be taken and the full volume of each QPF grid will be applied to a single one-hour timestep by creating a new transformation set.
Select New Set, name it Max Intensity and select OK.
Change the Pattern Name to Peaked_Center_1 within the drop-down menu.
Select Apply and Close to save the temporal transformation settings for the FcstPrecip data.
Adding a Second MetVue Session
As mentioned above, the Eau Galle River watershed will have two MetVue alternatives: QPF and NoQPF. The QPF alternative has just been populated by creating the QPF session and adding the relevant Map Windows.
The only difference between the QPF and NoQPF alternatives is that the NoQPF does not include Forecast Precipitation. Since the two alternatives are so similar, the QPF alternative can be Copied and modified to create the NoQPF alternative.
Right-click on the QPF session within the Project Explorer and select Sessions and Maps → Copy Session...
Name the new Session NoQPF and select OK.
Notice the NoQPF session was created as a copy of the QPF session with all of the same Map Windows, data and settings.
Right-Click on the FcstPrecip map window within the NoQPF session and select Delete Map Window...
Select Yes to Continue.
The FcstPrecip map window has now been removed and the NoQPF alternative is complete.
The next step is to set up the HEC-MetVue alternatives within the CAVI in Part B.
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