Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ)
W2i and AGPM
Operation
Can
you give a quick tutorial on how to use the AutoProfile feature to
automatically build model-data overlays for vertical profiles?
Autoprofile quickly
builds a portfolio of model versus field data by matching model locations
and times (station-dates) with those in your field data file. Here are
steps to use Autoprofile:
1. Run
W2i and press the AGPM toolbutton.
2.
In AGPM portfolio window, select run name and constituent (only), then
AutoProfile on main menu.
3.
In the dropdown menu, select Express… (multiline plots) or
Express… (Separated…) (individual profiles, highly
recommended).
4.
In file dialog, select field data filename. This file MUST be formatted
according to field format in AGPM Help, one constituent per file, one
branch per file, each file containing up to 60 station-dates. If you have
more than 60 station-dates for a constituent on a given branch, you must
use a separate file for them.
5.
Press Plot button. Plots should appear with model and field data overlaid.
6.
Click in the white space of a plot window (outside the plot area border)
and click automatic
to tile automatically, or click a blue pattern box to tile the plot window
where you want it on the page.
7.
If desired, select menu items Add 2nd Run (to overlay a different model
run), Today-Tomorrow (to toggle today and tomorrow modeled profiles),
Statistics (to toggle AME and RMS stats for each profile), or Switch Format
(to toggle between separated profiles and multiline per window). Once
Statistics is turned on, you can review Overall Statistics by plot window,
and overall across all plot windows.
When I try to run
W2i's Met Find feature, I get an error about activezip.ocx not found or
properly registered. What is happening?
This problem occurred in
our setup files issued roughly from Jan-Mar 2003. The problem has been
fixed, and you need to request an upgraded setup file from
support@loginetics.com .
Does the model from
you only allows to run a period less then one year? or Julian day smaller
than 365?
That was a W2 v3 bug that
has been fixed in the latest (March 2003) release.
It appears that
statistics (ABS, RMS) are only available for model-data profile comparison
only, not for time-series. Is that correct?
Yes, as of this writing,
that is correct, but time-series statistics are planned for future
versions. We buffer the time-series I/O for faster plotting and this
complicates the statistics. Stay tuned.
I see that I need
Hypercam to use AGPM's AVI recording capability. Is that a separate
software. what does it cost, and how can I get it?
Hypercam is a separate
program used by AGPM via OLE link for perfect frame by frame capture of
AGPM animations to AVI. It is shareware and registration costs about $30
from Hyperion Software. You need the exact version (Hypercam v1.51) to
ensure compatibility with AGPM. Hypercam v1.51 is available for download
from our site. To
test it, download and install Hypercam, run it once to establish its
windows registry entry properly, then run AGPM and use Animation… AVI
Recording… menu selections. You will need to register Hypercam to
remove the "Unregistered" nag from your resulting AVIs.
When I do a New Build to
create template inputs for new geometry, all the inputs except the
bathymetry are for DeGray Reservoir, so may input files are a
"mix" of my bathymetry with the inputs of the DeGray reservoir.
Use of Degray inputs is
by design. The New Build process gets W2 working on your bathymetry with
Degray inputs. You can run this "model" and use AGPM to view how
the reservoir behaves with your bathymetry and the Degray inputs.
After that, you start the
process of replacing each of the input files with your real inputs, one by
one, making sure the model runs after each replacement. This process is
superior to building all your inputs at once and trying the model, then not
knowing which file is bad or where to look for the problem when the model
won't run.
As you replace the
template files with your real inputs, use the PRE toolbutton to run a
pre-check of your W2 inputs before model execution. This will help debug
your inputs quickly.
Why is the reservoir direction
"reversed" between test.xls inputs for the New Build routine and
AGPM outputs?
W2 inputs are normally in
terms of left to right; the New Build inputs reflect this convention to
facilitate filling the bathymetry array for W2. The AGPM developers
think that right to left is best for plotting, so river kilometers (which
increase as you go upstream) can appear normally as plots do with
increasing numbers to the right along the x-axis.
How do I display plot
values with a mouse click?
Move the cursor anywhere
in the colored part of the reservoir in an animation or time-depth contour
plot, and the XY values will appear in the window caption.
How do I display
multiple run overlays?
In your portfolio, select
a run name, then a constituent and a line plot (say a vertical
profile). Then, as a second portfolio item, select a different run
name, then select the same constituent and select line plot again, and make
sure you select the same plot window as the previous run's profile.
When you plot this portfolio, you will see both profiles in one plot
window. This is a multiple run overlay.
Since most lakes
experience significant water surface elevation changes, we would prefer to
have the Y-axis to be elevation, not depth. Are the time-depth
contours actually plotted versus depth or elevation?
Elevation (we just call
it time-depth).
For both
distance-depth and time-depth contour plots, is it possible to replace the
blended colors with contour lines, or include the lines as an overlay with
the colors?
On the animation window,
use the Banded color option instead of the Blended color option to show
distinct contour intervals rather than blended colors.
How can I cut plots
from AGPM and paste them into Word?
This is the preferred
method of creating report plots. With the AGPM plots showing, press
the Print Screen button to capture the image to the Windows
clipboard. Then open Word and use Edit...
Paste... (or Cntl-V) to
paste the clipboard contents (image) into Word. You might want to
hide the window borders before the copy-paste; to hide them, press the Hide
button on one of the windows. You can also use the Edit... Copy... and
Edit... Copy All... to copy one or all windows (borderless) to the
clipboard.
Is it possible to
specify MS Word as the editor to use for revising input files?
Yes, but that is
dangerous because if you fail to save the file as text you could trash your
input files such that W2 could not read them. Better to use Notepad
or better yet, another text editor like UltraEdit
that can handle large files. UltraEdit has the advantage also of being able
to perform column edits, which are handy in the time-series input files.
How does the portfolio
concept save me time during calibration?
Once you build and save a
portfolio with multiple windows, different plot types, field data overlays,
etc., you can get this same set of plots for each successive calibration
run by a simple push of the Plot button. AGPM's
startup default is to bring up the last portfolio you had open, so it is
literally this simple if each successive run uses the same AGPM plot file
name in your w2_con.npt file (also the default). And if you want to
save a run's plots (i.e., avoid overwriting each time), change the plot
file name for the next run, then use AGPM's Save
As... feature to get a copy of your previous
portfolio with the new run name. Now you can plot either run with the
full complex of plots and data overlays by opening each portfolio and
pushing the Plot button. Compare this to the old way -- having to
rebuild each plot each run, setting consistent scales, line colors, add
data overlays, etc. and you see how superior the portfolio concept can be.
If you use different
folders for each successive run, you should use W2i's File... Run
Management... feature. This feature makes a copy of essential files your
previous folder (model inputs, model, AGPM portfolio files), giving the
folder a new name. It then updates all run references in all AGPM
portfolios and in AGPM.NPT to show the new run name, which is the same as
the folder name. If you take care to set up all portfolios you need in the
first run, they will all be spawned and updated automatically for
succeeding runs by W2i's Run Management feature.
How can I speed up the
animation plots?
You can use a longer AGPM
plot file interval (see AGPM.NPT file to set this), or reduce the smoothing
level, or select a frame rate that skips more frames, or get a faster
computer, or save the animation as an AVI recording and just show the AVI
recording.
NYC does all the
smoothing for the animation on the fly as the animation is running.
The frame rate therefore depends largely on the smoothing you select.
Unsmoothed is fastest, and high smoothing is very slow, and it should be
avoided for animations. High smoothing is mainly for making nice
final report-ready plots. PCs are getting faster and faster, and we
are always looking for ways to speed the animation in the software, so in
time animation frame rate will not be an issue.
If you want fast, smooth
movies with an small time-step, you should use AGPM's
AVI Capture feature on the animation window.
How do I position the
windows that AGPM creates?
Click on on the blank part of a window outside the plot, and a
pop-up window will prompt you for window size and position. Click on one of
the position icons in the relative location where you want the selected
window to appear. You can also drag the windows by the title bar and
resize the windows by dragging the edges and corners.