US 8,510,667 B2Granted

Automated floodplain encroachment computation

AssigneeAutodesk, Inc.

InventorChristopher Edward Maeder

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Abstract

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to define a floodplain encroachment. River reach and station information are received into a geographic information system (GIS). Floodplain encroachment values are defined using a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI provides a simultaneous view of station identifiers for each station for which the floodplain encroachment is to be defined, profiles defined for each of the station identifiers, a method identification corresponding to each of the defined profiles, and a target water surface elevation change for each profile. The values are provided to a HEC-RAS engine which outputs analysis results that are simultaneously displayed in the GUI with the other information. The analysis results include a water surface elevation change, a top width, and a velocity for each profile-station pair. Users can modify the values and dynamically view the results from HEC-RAS in the GUI.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for defining a floodplain encroachment, comprising:

(a) obtaining river reach and station information into a geographic information system (GIS);
(b) defining floodplain encroachment values using a floodplain encroachment graphical user interface (GUI) of the GIS, wherein the floodplain GUI comprises a simultaneous view of:
(i) station identifiers for each station for which the floodplain encroachment is to be defined;
(ii) one or more profiles defined for each of the station identifiers, wherein the one or more profiles comprise discharge profiles that specify an amount of water that passes a point in a given time period;
(iii) a method identification corresponding to each of the one or more profiles except for a base profile, wherein the method identification identifies the method used to analyze the corresponding profile to compute a base flood elevation;
(iv) a target water surface elevation change for each profile that is input into the GIS;
(c) providing the floodplain encroachment values to a Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) engine;
(d) receiving analysis results from the HEC-RAS engine and further populating the floodplain GUI with the analysis results by displaying items (b)(i)-(iv) simultaneously with:
(v) for each of the one or more profiles, a water surface elevation change as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(vi) for each of the one or more profiles, a top width of a floodway as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(vii) for each of the one or more profiles, a water velocity as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(e) modifying the floodplain encroachment values that are used by HEC-RAS and repeating steps (c)-(e) until the floodplain encroachment values are finalized;
(f) finalizing the floodplain encroachment values;
and
(g) outputting the finalized floodplain encroachment values.

12 more elements

An apparatus for defining a floodplain encroachment in a computer system comprising:

(a) a computer having a memory and a processor;
(b) an application executing on the processor, wherein the application is configured to:
(i) obtaining river reach and station information into a geographic information system (GIS);
(ii) defining floodplain encroachment values using a floodplain encroachment graphical user interface (GUI) of the GIS, wherein the floodplain GUI comprises a simultaneous view of:
(1) station identifiers for each station for which the floodplain encroachment is to be defined;
(2) one or more profiles defined for each of the station identifiers, wherein the one or more profiles comprise discharge profiles that specify an amount of water that passes a point in a given time period;
(3) a method identification corresponding to each of the one or more profiles except for a base profile, wherein the method identification identifies the method used to analyze the corresponding profile to compute a base flood elevation;
(4) a target water surface elevation change for each profile that is input into the GIS;
(iii) providing the floodplain encroachment values to a Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) engine;
(iv) receiving analysis results from the HEC-RAS engine and further populating the floodplain GUI with the analysis results by displaying items (b)(ii)(1)-(4) simultaneously with:
(5) for each of the one or more profiles, a water surface elevation change as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(6) for each of the one or more profiles, a top width of a floodway as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(7) for each of the one or more profiles, a water velocity as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(v) modifying the floodplain encroachment values that are used by HEC-RAS and repeating steps (c)-(e) until the floodplain encroachment values are finalized;
(vi) finalizing the floodplain encroachment values;
and
(vii) outputting the finalized floodplain encroachment values.

14 more elements

A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer program instructions which when accessed by a computer cause the computer to load the program instructions to a memory therein creating a special purpose data structure causing the computer to operate as a specially programmed computer, executing a method of defining a floodplain encroachment, comprising:

(a) obtaining, in the specially programmed computer, river reach and station information into a geographic information system (GIS);
(b) defining, in the specially programmed computer, floodplain encroachment values using a floodplain encroachment graphical user interface (GUI) of the GIS, wherein the floodplain GUI comprises a simultaneous view of:
(i) station identifiers for each station for which the floodplain encroachment is to be defined;
(ii) one or more profiles defined for each of the station identifiers, wherein the one or more profiles comprise discharge profiles that specify an amount of water that passes a point in a given time period;
(iii) a method identification corresponding to each of the one or more profiles except for a base profile, wherein the method identification identifies the method used to analyze the corresponding profile to compute a base flood elevation;
(iv) a target water surface elevation change for each profile that is input into the GIS;
(c) providing, in the specially programmed computer, the floodplain encroachment values to a Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) engine;
(d) receiving, in the specially programmed computer, analysis results from the HEC-RAS engine and further populating the floodplain GUI with the analysis results by displaying items (b)(i)-(iv) simultaneously with:
(v) for each of the one or more profiles, a water surface elevation change as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(vi) for each of the one or more profiles, a top width of a floodway as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(vii) for each of the one or more profiles, a water velocity as calculated by the HEC-RAS engine;
(e) modifying, in the specially programmed computer, the floodplain encroachment values that are used by HEC-RAS and repeating steps (c)-(e) until the floodplain encroachment values are finalized;
(f) finalizing, in the specially programmed computer, the floodplain encroachment values;
and
(g) outputting, in the specially programmed computer, the finalized floodplain encroachment values.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.