HEC-WAT Interface

The HEC-WAT main window displays the framework for the HEC-WAT software that allows users to enter data, review data, create alternatives, run simulations, and view results. The Title Bar displays the HEC-WAT study title. After a study is opened, the name of the study will appear here.

HEC-WAT Main Window - Labelled Framework

Panes

The HEC-WAT main window is laid out in panes that allow the user to view HEC-WAT study data at the same time or to display different, yet simultaneous, views of the study data. The HEC-WAT main window has four main panes. The panes are:

Study Pane

Provides an overview of items that have been defined for an HEC-WAT study. Based on the view (Tab selection), the Study Pane can display information about alternatives; simulations; analysis periods; models that have been defined for the study; what map windows are actively open; the available schematics; stream alignments; measures; common computation points; and, impact areas.

Content Pane

This pane provides details on selected HEC-WAT components in the Study Pane (available in the study, maps, and schematic views). For example, an HEC-WAT simulation has been selected – Without Project Conditions-RR_Feb_1986 in the Study Pane. Therefore, the Content Pane displays the elements of the selected simulation. Information includes the alternative, the analysis period, the program order being used, the model alternatives that were run, the time window, the directory where the results from the simulation were written, and the status of the simulation. For a map view, the Content Pane displays the layers (map layers, primary layers) associated with the selected map windows listed in the Study Pane.

Desktop Pane

The Desktop Pane is where the different map windows available from HEC-WAT will display. For example, the Desktop Pane contains a map window of a selected schematic (Without Project Conditions) and a map window of a selected simulation (Without Project Conditions-RR_Feb1986). These two map windows provide the user with a graphical representation of a schematic and a simulation, respectively.

Desktop Pane with two Open Schematics

Messages Pane

The Messages Pane contains messages that the HEC-WAT software is providing for informational purposes. The information in the Messages Pane is a record of HEC-WAT software activities, recording the opening of a study, opening map windows, accessing DSS, and many other HEC-WAT activities.

Tabs

HEC-WAT tabs provide different views of the available data in a study and users can perform certain operations for a study from the tabs. The tabs can change the layout of the menu bar; and, available information in the Study and Content panes can change.

There are three tabs:

Study Tab

This is the default tab which provides a view of the study data in a tree (study tree) in the Study Pane. Also, from the Study Tree a user can create, edit, and delete alternatives, analysis periods, and simulations. From the Content Pane the user can view detailed information about items listed in the Study Tree. Also, this view affects the HEC-WAT menu bar.

Maps Tab

This tab provides a view (Maps View) of the map windows currently active in the Desktop Pane. The maps windows are displayed by type in the Study Pane portion. In the Content Pane portion information about the layers for a selected map window are displayed. Also, from the Content Pane in the Maps View the user can turn layers on/off, adjust properties of the layers, and order the layers for viewing in the associated map window. When the user switches to the Maps View the HEC-WAT menu bar options will change.

Schematic Tab

From this tab, the user is provided with a view (a tree) in the Study Pane of the map layers that are available in the study, schematics that have been defined for the study, and, available components - stream alignments, measures (levees, reservoirs), common computation points, and impact areas that have been defined for the study. Also, from the study tree, the user can create, edit, delete, and modify the elements in the Schematic View. In the Content Pane further information is provided about elements in the Schematic View. When the user switches to the Schematic View the HEC-WAT menu bar options will change.

Menu Bar

The menu bar of HEC-WAT provides the user with many commands to perform various functions. For further details on each command for the available menus, review the HEC-WAT User's Manual. For this manual, an overview of each menu that is available in the HEC-WAT software is provided.

File Menu

The File menu allows the user to perform study management functions such as creating, opening, closing, and saving an HEC-WAT study. Also, provides commands that will allow users to provide information about the study team; select the software applications or tools (plug-ins) that are needed for the study; import a CWMS watershed; import other HEC software application's model alternatives (HEC-HMS, HEC-ResSim, HEC-RAS, HEC-ResSim); open recently viewed HEC-WAT studies; and, exit the HEC-WAT software. This menu is available in all HEC-WAT views.

Edit Menu

From the Edit menu, the HEC-WAT users can create/modify/edit items that are the building blocks of an HEC-WAT study. A user can manipulate alternatives and simulations; establish the program order for a study; link the individual models of a study; modify the look and feel of the common computation point layers (CCPs); provide aliases for defined stream segments in the HEC-WAT study; access available FRA editors; and, access editors from the individual application software and tools that are part of a study. This menu is available in all HEC-WAT views.

View Menu

The View menu is where an HEC-WAT user can setup the HEC-WAT main window. The user can select which toolbars and panes to display and not display; set display units for plotting and tabulating; save layouts of the HEC-WAT framework; select which common computation point layer to view; and, review a report of the CCPs by common computation point layer in the HEC-WAT study. This menu is available in all HEC-WAT views.

Maps Menu

From the Maps menu the user can setup map layers and map windows for the HEC-WAT study. Commands include setting up spatial properties; adding and removing map layers; manipulate map windows; add an Internet map; print a copy of the active map window in the Desktop Pane; and, import and export schematic elements (i.e., stream alignment, common computation points). This menu is available in all HEC-WAT views.

Compute Menu

The Compute menu is used to compute individual simulations; compute multiple simulations; view a list of simulations for the watershed that have been computed; compute the active simulation or compute the individual models of the active simulation; and, view the compute log for the active simulation.

This menu is only available in the Study View.

Results Menu

From the Results menu the user can view the simulation DSS file which contains data from a simulation; and, results from the software applications that are part of the active study.

This menu is only available in the Study View.

Tools Menu

The Tools menu provides access to DSS data (HEC-DSSVue); access to the Statistical Software Package (HEC-SSP); provides options for HEC-WAT startup, setting system properties, viewing threads, setup simulation and compute color, and plug-in information; view the log for HEC-WAT; view the logs that display DSS file activity and the logs of the applications software; monitor memory usage; what graphic elements HEC-WAT knows about from the other applications; information on how the different model alternatives are used for the study; and, setup for Distributed Computing (for more information review the Distributed Compute Plugin topic available here: HEC-WAT Plugin Documentation). This menu is available in all HEC-WAT views.

Window Menu

From the Window menu the HEC-WAT user can control the appearance of the map windows in the Desktop Pane of the HEC-WAT main window. This menu is available in all HEC-WAT views.

Help Menu

From the Help menu the user can access HEC-WAT documentation (i.e., HEC-WAT User's Manual, HEC-WAT Quick Start Guide), install the example study, connect to the HEC-WAT webpage, connect to the HEC website, and display current version information about HEC-WAT.

Map Windows

Map windows in HEC-WAT provide a way to graphically display HEC-WAT components. Map windows are displayed in the Desktop Pane of the HEC-WAT interface. There are three types of map windows available in HEC-WAT - schematic, alternative, and simulation. The HEC-WAT User's Manual provides more detailed information on map windows.

Plugins

The primary purpose of HEC-WAT is to streamline and integrate a water resources study using software commonly applied by multi-disciplinary teams. The integration of models uses a plug-in architecture (sometimes spelled as "plug-in"), where each model interacts with HEC-WAT through a pre-defined interface (sometimes API, for Application Programming Interface). Thus, HEC-WAT can incorporate individual pieces of software (such as HEC-HMS, HEC-ResSim, HEC-RAS, and HEC-FIA) into a common framework, allowing the individual software applications to work together in a coordinated fashion, modeling system effects of planned alternatives or current conditions across the watershed, using a common interface and data. Additional HEC-WAT features are implemented as their own plug-ins, for further details on these, see HEC-WAT Plugin Documentation.

To view the HEC-WAT default plug-ins:

From the HEC-WAT main window, from the Tools menu, click Plugin Information.
The Plugin Information dialog opens to the Plugin Status tab. The table that is displayed provides information on all of the current plug-ins that are available in HEC-WAT.
When a default plug-in is not needed, uncheck the checkbox in the Enabled column to turn it off. For example, if HEC-RAS is not installed because it is not needed, uncheck the Enabled checkbox for RasPluginClient and the startup messages will no longer display "Failed to start plugin server for RAS".

Note: If following the instructions included in the quick start guide Download and Install HEC-WAT page the FiaPluginClient would be disabled.
The WAT Plugins tab displays the installed plug-in version. Additional tabs provide more plug-in information for specific plug-ins.
Click OK to close the Plugin Information dialog.

To select the plug-ins for a study:

From the HEC-WAT main window, from the File menu, click Study Details.

A study must be open in HEC-WAT to access the Study Details dialog.
The Study Details dialog box will open. This dialog box provides information about the active study, allows the user to manipulate map windows; contact information for the study team; information on the model alternatives that make up the study; information about study simulations, and the plug-ins that are used by the study.
Click on the Plug-ins tab. By enabling or disabling the plug-ins listed, the user will define what plug-ins will be used for the active study.
Click OK, the Study Details dialog will close.

Directory Structure

When an HEC-WAT study is created, a directory structure is created at a location the user selected when creating an HEC-WAT study. To navigate directly to the study directory for an open WAT study, from the Study Tree, right-click on the study name (e.g., RussianRiver) and select Browse Study Folder from the shortcut menu.

Study Tree - Browse Study Folder - Shortcut Command

Expand the section below to see a snapshot that represents the HEC-WAT directory structure for the RussianRiver study. More information on this directory structure and the individual files is provided in Data and File Management of the HEC-WAT User Manual.

HEC-WAT Example Directory Structure