What's new in InfoWorks WS Pro version 4.0

Spatial bookmarks

InfoWorks WS Pro v. 4.0 features spatial bookmarks that help improve the user experience: they give you a library of favourite views. Now users can quickly save views of a particular geographic location to reference later or to share with colleagues. Spatial bookmarks save the view you are working on while you zoom in or pan out of a view. The bookmark allows you to snap back to the selected view.

Users can base a selection on:

• the current view in the GeoPlan
• a selection of objects in the model
• specific coordinates

Default theme

The new default theme added to InfoWorks WS Pro v 4.0 makes it much faster to see the precise level of detail that you want to see, without having to see every item in a view. This is still fully customisable.

You can zoom in on the view quickly as there is no need for the system to include all the extraneous detail. This feature makes it easier to see the elements of the network that you choose and considerably increases the drawing speed.

The Thematic Key window has been enhanced to provide the ability to turn on or off the visibility of a specific object and to use or not use zoom levels for the visualization.

In addition to the above, you can also turn on or off sub-themes defined for the object.

User and shared custom actions

Within InfoWorks WS Pro 4.0 users can now create custom actions to run tasks that are performed frequently. Essentially, this feature emulates the effect of dropping a tree object onto the GeoPlan window. The custom action can also be set up to run a specific Ruby script. So for example you can use a single button to invoke a commonly used multi-step operation. Custom actions are added to the menu bar and can be limited to a single user, or shared across users. This makes your use of WS Pro fully customizable to your specific needs at an individual as well as at a company level.

Version control (lock and merge methods)

This feature takes collaborative working in InfoWorks WS Pro to new levels. In previous versions, users ‘check out’ a version-controlled object in order to change it. No one else can change the object while it is checked out. When the user has finished working on it, it has to be checked in, or the checkout must be undone.

This procedure, which we now refer to as the “lock method”, generates a long library of version-controlled objects that can take up valuable and costly memory. The lock method of version control is still available but in addition we offer an improved approach: the “merge method”.

The new merge method allows multiple people to edit the same version-controlled object simultaneously. They commit their changes to the master database so that other users can share them, and quickly see what has been changed. The system identifies and resolves conflicts between changes to objects committed by different users. Users can view the commit history to compare, view or edit older versions of the object, confident that the integrity of the data and its source is maintained.

This advance means that InfoWorks WS Pro v 4.0 users benefit from a single saved model, with all the changes clearly marked and accessible to all users.

Both lock and merge methods are available in InfoWorks WS Pro v 4.0.

To convert existing networks and controls to the merge method of working, you set the database option to Use merge version control, then choose a network and duplicate it. The duplicated network now uses the merge model.

Version-controlled objects in InfoWorks WS Pro v 4.0 are:

• Network
• Control
• Live data configuration
• Alternative demand
• Baseline
• Digitisation template
• GeoExplorer

All of the above (except the baseline object) are now available with both lock and merge version control methods.

Once the merge version control is selected, the software will automatically adopt the new merge version-control method for any new version-controlled object created within that database.

All version-controlled objects defined in previous software releases using the lock version-control method will continue to use the old model until the user decides to duplicate the object in order to use the new model.

A new set of icons have been introduced to distinguish between objects controlled by the old lock method and the new merge method.

The merge method allows users to associate a default control and demand diagram to a specific network object. Opening the network in the GeoPlan (or population of the Run dialog) will automatically bring in the relevant control object.

Users can now start editing the network. There is no need to"check out" a local copy. Multiple users can now edit the same network object and work collaboratively on single models.

All changes are saved locally, with a red exclamation mark on the Model Group window tree icon highlighting whether changes have been made to the model since it was last committed (saved). All changes applied by local users can be pushed back to the master database by committing the model.

This action automatically creates a new child version of the version-controlled object, saving all changes that have been made to the parent object. This delivers considerable performance improvements to the software as it is now working with deltas rather than the entire model.

Changes made over time on the entire network are listed in the Commit History dialog. It is easy to select the versions you want to compare and generate reports for the entire network.

Changes made over time to a specific object (pipe, valve, etc.) can be seen from the property sheet.

Multiple runs can be now associated with the same version-controlled object. The Run dialog provides information regarding the specific version of the object in use for that specific run.

A new Update to latest button tells users that the most recent version of a specific version-controlled object (possibly committed by a second user) could be used for the simulation.

Checking the Experimental run check-box allows new runs to overwrite the existing set of results.

Note: All version-controlled objects must be committed before any run is performed . The old run with a checked out object is no longer available within the merge method.

Having multiple people working on the same model could result in a conflict if the same parameter for the same object is edited with different values at the same time. In this case a Resolve Conflict dialog will provide information about the detected conflicts and users will be able to accept/disregard the latest changes when committing the object.

Warning summary exposed to Area Group polygons

Warning templates are an easy tool to assess service levels. Results can now be collated to an Area Group level and colour-coded themes can be defined to identify critical DMAs within the model.

A label can be added to further highlight network criticalities. Only simulation warnings are available for InfoWorks WS Pro. Verification warnings are available only in IWLive Pro.

Modelling open channels

We now use the De Saint Venant equations to model flow in a cross-sectional shape. The 1-D equations are used extensively in other Innovyze products to model open channels. This capability gives you greater flexibility to model flow over steep channels in particular.

Hydrant testing

Hydrant testing simulations have been extended to include multi-core simulations – where the computational workload is spread across multiple machines or processors. New hydrant testing delay simulation functionality shows what happens at different timesteps in the simulation, and duration testing allows you to model the impact of a hydrant being opened for different lengths of time.

Powerful import from InfoWater and regular EPANet models

A dedicated Import from XINP function streamlines the process of importing data from InfoWater to InfoWorks WS Pro when you want to convert your model. Because users can transfer models seamlessly, without having to pass data through EPANet, there is no longer the risk of losing valuable information or the overhead of transferring the data manually.