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.

 

Loginetics, Inc.