Importing and Exporting Rainfall Events

New rainfall event

The rainfall event is imported in the same way as any other sort of event. Initial conditions can also be imported at the same time as the rainfall event:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on the model group and choose either Import InfoWorks | Rainfall event | from event file or Import SWMM | Rainfall event | from event file from the popup menu
2. A standard File Open dialog is displayed. The dialog lists all the files containing rainfall data. These are:
• rainfall event files (*.RED)
• catchment runoff data files (*.CRD) - Relevant only for InfoWorks networks
• catchment surface data files (*.CSD) - Relevant for water quality simulations only in InfoWorks networks
• initial snow data files (*.ISD) - Relevant only for InfoWorks networks
• temperature data files (*.TEM)
• wind data files (*.WND)
• evaporation data files (*.EVP)
• soil moisture deficit data files (*.SMD) - Relevant only for InfoWorks networks
3. Choose one or more files from the list with the same base filename (the part of the filename before the dot). In the filename basepart.sfx the base filename is basepart and the suffix is sfx.
   

   Note

   If files with different base filenames are selected, a different Rainfall Event will be created for each base filename.

4. To import files with different base filenames to the same event, import one or more files (with the same base filename) when creating the rainfall event, and then follow the procedure below to import additional files into the rainfall event.

5. Click OK.

The rainfall event will be created. Its name is automatically set to be the base filename.

Existing rainfall event

To import additional data into an existing rainfall event:

1. Right-click on the existing rainfall event.
2. Choose Import | from event file from the popup menu.
3. The standard File Open dialog displays all possible rainfall data files that can be imported.
4. Choose one or more files from the list. There is no limit the number or names of files that can be selected. However bear in mind the points about the import process below when selecting files.
5. Click OK.

The files are imported into the existing rainfall event as follows:

• If this data type (for example RED) already exists in the rainfall event, you will be asked if you want to replace the existing data. You can choose Yes or No. Choose Cancel to stop the entire import process.
• You should only select one file of each type.

  If you have more than one file of the same type in your file list they will be imported in the order in which Microsoft Windows stores them. This is not necessarily the order in which they are displayed in the dialog. After you have selected multiple files, you can see the order by scrolling through the Filename box on the File Open dialog.

  You will be asked if you want to replace earlier files with later ones if they are of the same data type.

Rainfall event data, including initial conditions, can be imported from CSV files that are in the appropriate format. Further details on format requirements can be found in the Events - CSV File Format topic.

Normally, the rainfall event CSV file will contain one of the following types of time varying data:

• Rainfall
• Temperature
• Wind
• Evaporation
• Solar Radiation - Relevant only for InfoWorks networks
• Soil Moisture Deficit - Relevant only for InfoWorks networks

New rainfall event

To import new event data from an InfoWorks format CSV file:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on a Model Group.
2. From the popup menu, select either Import InfoWorks | Rainfall event | from InfoWorks format CSV file or Import SWMM | Rainfall event | from InfoWorks format CSV fileand a new window is displayed.
3. Select the CSV file to be imported.

Multiple CSV files can be selected to be imported, but each of these will be imported into a separate event. To import multiple CSV files into the same event, select only one CSV file at this stage, and then import the additional files according to the instructions provided in Existing Rainfall Event (below).

4. Click Open to import the file.

A new event is created, and other InfoWorks format CSV files, containing TVD, can now be imported into this event.

Existing Rainfall Event

To import additional CSV files, containing time varying data, into an existing rainfall event:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on the name of the event file which is to receive the imported files.
2. From the popup menu, select Import | from InfoWorks format CSV file and a new window is displayed.
3. Select which file(s) are to be imported into the event. You can use the CRTL and SHIFT keys to make multiple selections. If the rainfall event already contains the same type of TVD as is being imported, a prompt appears, giving you the option to cancel the import of that particular type of data.
4. Click Open to import the selected file(s), and the data from the CSV files is imported into the existing event file.

Rainfall events can be imported from one or more generic CSV files via the Import Time Varying Data from CSV dialog. You can choose to import one or more CSV files into individual rainfall events or multiple CSV files into a single event.

Importing one or more CSV files into an individual rainfall event

To import event data from one or more files in general CSV format into separate rainfall events:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on a model group.
2. From the popup menu, select either Import InfoWorks | Rainfall event | from generic CSV file or Import SWMM | Rainfall event | from generic CSV file .
3. Select the files to be imported (multiple files may be selected) and click Open. The Import Time Varying Data from CSV dialog will be displayed for each selected file.
4. Set the import parameters on the dialog.
5. Click OK to complete the import.

A profile will be created for each data series imported.

Importing multiple CSV files into a single rainfall event

To import event data from several CSV files into one rainfall event:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on a model group.
2. From the popup menu, select either Import InfoWorks | Rainfall event | from multiple generic CSV files into one event or Import SWMM | Rainfall event | from multiple generic CSV files into one event
3. Select the files to be imported and click Open. The Import Time Varying Data from CSV dialog will be displayed.
4. Set the import parameters on the dialog.
5. Ensure that the Apply to all files box is checked (default).
   

   Note

   Removing the check will result in only the first selected CSV file being imported. The Import Time Varying Data from CSV dialog will then be displayed for each of the other selected files, which can now be imported as individual events.

6. Click OK to complete the import.

If any of the start times in any of the files being imported are the same, then only the first file will be imported, and a suitable message will be displayed.

A single event profile will be created which includes all the imported data series.

Appending data to an existing event

Data can also be appended to an existing event:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on the rainfall event.
2. From the popup menu, select Import | from generic CSV file.
3. Select the files to be imported and click Open. The Import Time Varying Data from CSV dialog is displayed.
4. Set the import parameters on the dialog.
5. Click OK to complete the import.

Appending Rules

When appending data to an existing event, the following rules apply:

• If the profile being imported has the same profile (monitor) name as an existing profile, it will be appended as a new sub event to the existing profile, provided the timesteps in the new profile do not overlap those in the existing profile. Profiles with overlapping timesteps will not be imported.
• If the profile being imported does not have a profile name, a new profile will be created in the existing event, provided the times and timesteps in the new profile match those in the existing profile.
• If the profile being imported has a different profile name to existing profiles, it will be imported as a new profile provided the times and timesteps in the new profile match those in the existing profile.

This functionality allows a number of StormPac .RED files to be imported into one event, each file becoming a sub-event.

To import Rainfall data from StormPac files:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on a Model Group and choose either Import InfoWorks | Rainfall event | from Stormpac files or Import SWMM | Rainfall event | from Stormpac files from the popup menu. This will display a standard File Open dialog.
2. The dialog lists all files with filenames in the format <filename>001.RED.
3. Select a file to be imported and click Open.

InfoWorks ICM searches for all files with the same filename prefix in the selected directory and compiles a sorted list, e.g. if Storms_001.RED is selected a list of Storms_001.RED, Storms_002.RED, Storms_003.RED etc. is compiled. A new event is created and each file is imported in turn being appended as a sub-event.

Temperature data for use in modelling snow melt can be imported from NCDN TD3200 format files, which can be obtained from the US National Climatic Data Center.

To import a temperature file:

1. Right-click on a Rainfall Event and select Import | Temperature Event from NCDC or DLY02/4 file from the popup menu. This displays the Import Temperature Data dialog.
2. In this dialog, click Browse to search for a temperature file using a standard Windows Open dialog.
3. Set the Temperature variables in the dialog as required and click OK to import the data.

To import rainfall data from a SWMM5 text file:

1. In the Master Database window, right-click on a Model Group.
2. From the popup menu, select Import SWMM | Rainfall event | from SWMM5 text file. A standard Windows Open dialog is displayed.
3. Select the INP file to be imported.
4. Click Open to import the file.

A rainfall event, with the same name as the selected inp file is added to the model group. Any rainfall, temperature and evaporation time series data contained in the INP file will be included in the rainfall event.

Rainfall data consists of the core rainfall hyetograph component, and the additional catchment runoff data and catchment sediment data components. Each component is only created when you add data to them.

Rainfall data is exported in the same way as any other event, with an additional step that allows you to choose which components to export:

1. Right-click on the rainfall event and choose Export | To InfoWorks file from the popup menu
2. If there is more than one component in the rainfall event, you will see the Select Rainfall Event Data to Export dialog. Choose the components to be exported. (If there is only one component, this stage is skipped.)
3. You will now see one or more standard File Save As dialogs. There is one for each component selected for export. The suggested filename is the name of the event. You can change the filename or location for each file. Click OK to save each file.

Only the time varying data (rainfall, temperate, wind, evaporation, solar radiation or soil moisture deficit) from the event will be exported, with separate CSV files generated for each type of TVD.

To export a rainfall event file to CSV:

1. Right-click on the rainfall event and choose Export | to CSV from the popup menu.
2. A standard File Save dialog is displayed. Choose where you want to save the files, and if required, change the name of the file, and click Save.

   The time varying data from the event is exported to separate files, which can be identified by the following suffices:

   Data type	Suffix
   Evaporation	_EVP
   Rainfall
   Soil Moisture Deficit	_SMD
   Solar Radiation	_SOL
   Temperature	_TMP
   Wind	_WND

Note that no suffix is added to the name of the file containing the rainfall data.