This version of HEC-FIA is a single event consequence estimation software package designed to deterministically analyze an event (e.g. a dam failure, historic floods, or hypothetical floods)
and determine the resulting consequences. HEC-FIA differs from HEC-FDA by utilizing the entire hydrograph of the single event, whereas HEC-FDA analyzes only the peak of many events in a Monte
Carlo simulation. This document summarizes some of the features of HEC-FIA.
User Interface
HEC-FIA 2.2 utilizes the NexGen GUI for HEC products. It allows for the display of GIS data, manipulation of data through table and form editors, generation of new projects, and display of inputs and
outputs through table and form editors.
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Hydraulic Inputs
HEC-FIA 2.2 can receive many different types of hydraulic inputs. Data can be delivered in gridded format through .smrmp, .flt, and .asc files. Grids utilized by HEC-FIA are: maximum depth grids, arrival
time grids, and duration grids. Alternatively, hydraulic data can be incorporated by flow or stage hydrographs through DSS-Vue.
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Structure Inventories
One of the key features of HEC-FIA 2.2 is the incorporation of point based structure inventories. These inventories can be imported from the HAZUS database, Parcel Data, or existing Point structure
inventory shapefiles. HEC-FIA 2.2 also provides support for aggregated stage damage functions at index locations.
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Computation Methodologies
HEC-FIA can run in three different ways:
Grids only – For this compute option, all hydraulic information is passed through gridded data such as depth grids, arrival grids, and duration grids. From the gridded data, HEC-FIA has enough information
to perform life loss calculations, economic losses, and agricultural losses. The project performance calculations are not explicitly handled in this compute methodology.
Grids and cross-section DSS files – This compute method is very similar to grids only. With this method, the arrival time and duration are calculated from DSS stage hydrographs at hydraulic
cross-sections and storage areas. To run HEC-FIA in this way a cross-section shapefile, corresponding stream centerline, and corresponding DSS output (e.g. from HEC-RAS) has to be provided for the full
range of calculations as specified in the grids only compute above. The project performance calculations are also not explicitly handled in this computation methodology.
DSS records at Common Computation Points – This compute method was designed to receive hydrographs from sources such as HEC-RESSim. Life loss calculations are not available using this compute
method. This method is specifically designed to work with aggregated stage damage functions for calculating project performance.
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Consequence Calculations
Life loss calculations – A simplified LifeSim approach is available in HEC-FIA to estimate life loss when the correct information is provided in terms of hydraulic data and structure inventory
data. This computation is intended to inform the risk posed to people from catastrophic or hypothetical flood events.
Structure loss calculations – The standard economic loss calculations are handled in HEC-FIA for structure, content, car, and other by structure occupancy type. The structure loss calculations are
calculated structure by structure for each even simulated.
Agriculture loss calculations - Agricultural loss calculations are possible within HEC-FIA. Damage calculations are dependent on both duration and timing of the event. Crops can be entered as
area-elevation curves by crop type, or by adding NASS cropland data layers which represent the geospatial location and type of crops in the study area. The NASS data specifies the spatial location of crops.
Additionally, users will have to define the production function, duration damage functions, crop prices, yields, and harvest costs.
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