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Exploring Lisflood Utilities: Enhancing Efficiency and Accuracy in LISFLOOD Workflows

LISFLOOD is a powerful hydrological modeling software used by researchers and engineers around the world to simulate and analyze water flow and flood events. To further enhance the capabilities and usability of LISFLOOD, the LISFLOOD development team has created a set of utilities known as Lisflood Utilities. These utilities are designed to streamline common tasks and optimize workflows for LISFLOOD users, ultimately improving efficiency and accuracy in managing PCRaster/netCDF files.

What are Lisflood Utilities?

Lisflood Utilities is a collection of tools that provide solutions for various tasks involved in operating LISFLOOD and working with PCRaster/netCDF files. These utilities are specifically designed to help LISFLOOD users, as well as users working with PCRaster/netCDF files in general, accomplish mundane but necessary tasks more efficiently. The Lisflood Utilities package includes the following tools:

pcr2nc

The pcr2nc utility is used to convert PCRaster maps to netCDF4 files. With pcr2nc, you can convert individual maps into NetCDF4 files or convert time series of maps into a NetCDF4 mapstack. The utility supports multiple reference systems, such as WGS84 and ETRS89 (LAEA), and offers fine-tuning options for output files, including compression and significant digits.

nc2pcr

The nc2pcr utility is the counterpart of pcr2nc, allowing users to convert netCDF files into PCRaster maps. While it currently only supports 2D variables, the utility provides a straightforward and efficient solution for converting netCDF files into PCRaster format.

cutmaps

cutmaps is a versatile tool that enables users to cut netCDF files based on various criteria. It allows cutting files using bounding boxes of coordinates or matrix indices, existing boolean area masks, or a list of stations and a LDD (in netCDF or PCRaster format). This utility empowers users to reduce file sizes and focus on specific areas of interest within large datasets.

thresholds

thresholds is a utility specifically designed to compute discharge return period thresholds from netCDF4 files containing a discharge time series. By providing the necessary input file, thresholds can calculate thresholds for various return periods, facilitating flood forecasting and analysis.

compare

compare is a package that includes a set of simple Python classes for comparing netCDF, PCRaster, and TSS files. This utility simplifies the process of comparing different datasets, helping users identify differences and similarities in a structured and organized manner.

water-demand-historic

water-demand-historic is a package within Lisflood Utilities that enables the generation of sectoral water demand maps. These maps provide information on domestic, livestock, industrial, and thermoelectric water demands at varying temporal resolutions (monthly to yearly) for a range of past years. The water-demand-historic package is essential for the LISFLOOD OS water use module and allows users to define spatial resolutions and geographical extents according to their specific needs.

waterregions

waterregions is a package that aids in the creation and verification of water region maps. These maps are important for modeling water abstraction and require proper definition and verification to ensure accurate results. The waterregions utility allows users to create water region maps consistent with a set of calibration points or verify the consistency between existing water region maps and calibration catchment maps.

Benefits of Lisflood Utilities

By incorporating Lisflood Utilities into your LISFLOOD workflow, you can experience several benefits:

Improved Efficiency

The utilities in the Lisflood Utilities package automate and simplify many common tasks in working with LISFLOOD and PCRaster/netCDF files. By utilizing these utilities, you can save time and effort in executing mundane operations, allowing you to focus on more critical aspects of your work.

Enhanced Accuracy

Lisflood Utilities provide reliable and accurate solutions for file conversion, data cutting, and data comparison. By using these utilities, you can ensure the integrity and consistency of your data, leading to more accurate analyses and results.

Streamlined Workflows

The utilities in Lisflood Utilities are designed to seamlessly integrate with your LISFLOOD workflow. They follow established standards and conventions, ensuring a smooth and consistent experience as you incorporate them into your existing processes.

Increased Flexibility

Lisflood Utilities offer a range of functionalities that cater to different needs and scenarios. Whether you need to convert files, cut data, compute thresholds, compare datasets, or generate water demand maps, Lisflood Utilities provide the necessary tools to meet your specific requirements.

Getting Started with Lisflood Utilities

To start leveraging the power of Lisflood Utilities, you need to follow a few simple steps:

1. Install the Required Dependencies: Lisflood Utilities rely on Python 3.5+ and require the installation of the GDAL C library and software, as well as the netCDF4 C library. Conda environments are highly recommended for managing dependencies.

2. Install Lisflood Utilities: Use pip to install the lisflood-utilities package. If you are using conda, create a new environment or use an existing one, activate it, and install the package. If you are using a straight Python virtual environment, activate it and install the package.

3. Familiarize Yourself with Each Utility: Read the documentation provided with each Lisflood Utility to understand its usage, options, and corresponding command-line arguments.

4. Apply Lisflood Utilities in Your Workflows: Incorporate the appropriate Lisflood Utilities into your LISFLOOD workflow or PCRaster/netCDF data management processes as needed. Refer to the documentation for usage examples, command-line syntax, and best practices.

Conclusion

Lisflood Utilities are a valuable addition to the LISFLOOD ecosystem, offering a range of tools to enhance efficiency and accuracy in working with PCRaster/netCDF files. By leveraging these utilities, LISFLOOD users, as well as users working with PCRaster/netCDF files more broadly, can streamline their workflows, automate mundane tasks, and ensure data integrity. Whether you need to convert files, cut data, compute thresholds, compare datasets, or generate water demand maps, Lisflood Utilities provide the necessary tools to optimize your work and improve the overall performance of your LISFLOOD projects.

If you’re interested in exploring Lisflood Utilities and want to learn more about how to integrate them into your workflows, check out the Lisflood Utilities documentation and start leveraging the power of these tools today!

References:
– Lisflood Utilities Repository: github.com/ec-jrc/lisflood-utilities
– Lisflood Documentation: ec-jrc.github.io/lisflood
– Lisflood Utilities Documentation: github.com/ec-jrc/lisflood-utilities/blob/master/README.md
– Lisflood OS Water Use Module: ec-jrc.github.io/lisflood-model/2_18_stdLISFLOOD_water-use