ISIS News

The ISIS v3.5.1 interim release is now available to download from www.isisuser.com.

Users with a valid support and maintenance contract can download the latest release and upgrade their existing ISIS Professional and/or ISIS 2D licences at no cost. Those people using ISIS Free can also download v3.5.1, however the standard restrictions apply.

This additional release has allowed Halcrow to provide a number of new features including:

• a FREE version of ISIS FAST (restricted to DEM grid size of 2,500 cells)
• the ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE Link, enabling a dynamic link between ISIS and TUFLOW's 1D component (ESTRY), which is primarily suited to pipe modelling
• 64-bit version of ISIS-TUFLOW, enabling larger memory-intensive models to be run
• the ISIS damage calculator, allowing the user to calculate damages from 2D model results based on depth-damage curves
• multi-animation of 2D results within ISIS Mapper
• spatially-varying density introduced in ISIS Professional (1D), particularly applicable to tidal models
• a web-mapping service layer within ISIS Mapper, enabling background maps to be easily loaded into projects
• Refreshed Help, including improved links and navigation

A full list of new features and improvements can be found within the release notes.

For additional information, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard on +44 (0)845 094 7990 or at isis@halcrow.com.

The ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE Link provides all of the capabilities of the ISIS-TUFLOW link, in addition to direct 1D-1D dynamic link between ISIS and TUFLOW's 1D component (ESTRY).

Users that purchased the ISIS-TUFLOW link prior to the release of v3.5.1 can upgrade to the new ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE link for FREE.

This builds on the established ISIS (1D) and TUFLOW (2D) link and fully combines the complementary strengths of the well-established ISIS 1D software (e.g. 1D open channel flow, a wide range of structures and complex operating rules), and TUFLOW's 1D component, whose additional strengths are in pipe modelling, especially those of small cross-sectional area and conveying low or no flows.

This allows, for example, an ESTRY (1D) pipe network to be dynamically linked to ISIS (1D) river units, which can all be linked to TUFLOW's 2D domain(s).

The ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE Link enables an integrated approach to modelling, combining open-channel, closed pipe and overland flow, suitable for modelling flood risk in urban areas, amongst other scenarios.

In combination with ISIS, the ability to dynamically link storm water drainage networks and overland flow makes the new ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE link extremely powerful in enabling modelling of urban catchments. This could involve interactions between roads and the underground piped system. Large drainage networks with tens of thousands of 1D elements (pipes, open drains, pit inlets and manholes) connected to millions of 2D cells have already been modelled.

Click here to download the ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE Link brochure.

For additional information, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard on +44 (0)845 094 7990 or at isis@halcrow.com.

New for ISIS v3.5.1 - Gain simple access to free background GIS data from ISIS Mapper.

ISIS Mapper now provides a means to add freely available maps to your viewport. This can be beneficial both during the model building process to ensure model features are correctly defined and located or in the model post processing stage for the generation of flood maps or animations.

Read more ...

The Pilcomayo River is over 1,000km long and has one of the largest sediment loads in the world. It starts at an elevation of 3,500m in its origin in Bolivia, descending to 250m near Mision La Paz in Argentina.

Major lateral migration of the channel over a large alluvial fan causes significant water stress and economic losses for Argentina and Paraguay.

A hydrosedimentological study using ISIS 2D was undertaken for the Trinational Committee for the Development of the Pilcomayo River basin. This technical assessment supported the development of water management strategies, and associated structural measures, that could provide secure access to Pilcomayo water resources for both Argentina and Paraguay.

Click here to download the full case study.

Dr. Richard Dun, Principal Hydraulic Engineer at British Waterways presented a case study entitled 'improving the understanding of risk from canal breaches' at the 2011 ISIS user conference. Richard's presentation was recorded and the full presentation, including audio, can be viewed here.

If you are interested in representing your organisation at the 2012 user conference, please contact Alastair Sheppard on +44 (0)845 094 7990 or at isis@halcrow.com.

Halcrow understand that effective training enhances capabilities and enables you to get the most out of the software you use.

Click here to download the 2012 training course schedule.

All of our training courses are flexible, tailored to your specific needs and run at your office or at one of our 98 offices worldwide. Our training courses include:

• Overview of flood estimation and modelling
• Introduction to hydrology for flood modelling
• Flood Modelling with ISIS 2D
• Introduction to ISIS
• Introduction to ISIS Mapper
• Introduction to flood forecasting with ISIS
• Advanced ISIS
• 2D modelling with TUFLOW
• Integrated 1D-2D modelling with ISIS-TUFLOW
• Probabilistic flood modelling

Our training courses cover various areas including the theory and practice of hydrology, hydraulics and flood risk management and the use of GIS. Our courses also cover various software tools including ISIS and TUFLOW and have been specifically developed to:

• Provide cost-effective and well-structured training
• Be run by a knowledgeable and specialist team
• Be flexible and tailored to client specific needs
• Be informal with a focus on interactive, practical based work in small groups.

Our courses are run as part of an open programme with scheduled dates at various venues throughout the UK. We also run bespoke, specifically tailored courses that are developed to meet your specific requirements, at a venue and time suited to your exact needs.

For additional information, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard on +44 (0)845 094 7990 or at technicaltraining@halcrow.com.

Halcrow will be holding a lunchtime online WebEx presentation on ISIS Mapper at 13:00 (BST) on Friday 4th November 2011. WebEx combines real-time desktop sharing with phone conferencing so that everyone can see and hear the same thing. It eliminates the need for travel - all you need is access to the internet and a telephone.

ISIS Mapper is a visualisation tool specifically designed to be compatible with ISIS Professional (1D), ISIS 2D and TUFLOW model data, enabling these to be viewed interactively with other GIS data. It enables modellers to post-process their models to produce flood maps and animated flood sequences. It also provides modellers with tools to generate ISIS and TUFLOW model files, extracting information from GIS to utilise in model building. It is compatible with many commonly used GIS data types, e.g. ArcGIS, MapInfo, ascii raster, and provides both 2D and 3D viewing options to enable the most appropriate level of interaction for your needs.

The 30 minute session will be led by Dr. Bob Potter who is one of the lead developers of ISIS Mapper. Bob will discuss:

• ISIS cross section manipulation - loading, editing, rotating and extending
• ISIS 1D / 2D model linking
• Generating flood maps
• General summary of recent changes and additions

To reserve your place on the WebEx demonstration, please contact Alastair Sheppard at isis@halcrow.com. Specific information on how to access the WebEx session will be provided directly to those wishing to attend.

Please note that spaces are limited and are allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Due to the limited number of spaces, it is recommended that organisations use a conference or meeting room to hold the WebEx as this will allow several people to attend at each office via one registration.

If you have any questions about ISIS Mapper, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated technical support team on +44 (0)845 094 7994 or at isis@halcrow.com.

In addition to the two day TUFLOW workshop, BMT WBM’s Phillip Ryan and Chris Nielsen are also giving a two day beginners training course in TUFLOW FV (fully flexible mesh modelling). TUFLOW FV is a new 2D/3D flexible mesh, finite volume numerical model that simulates hydrodynamic, sediment transport and water quality processes in oceans, coastal waters, estuaries and rivers.

The workshop will take place on 31st October - 1st November 2011 at Halcrow’s headquarters in London (Elms House, 43 Brook Green, London, W6 7EF) and cost £500+VAT per person.

The workshop will start at 8:45am on both days with lunch and refreshments provided throughout. Note that the number of places is limited and early booking is recommended.

The aims of the workshop are:

• To introduce the concepts of flexible mesh modelling – how it differs from finite difference / fixed grid models (like TUFLOW), the advantages and disadvantages and when to use.
• To demonstrate and teach, through an interactive workshop environment, the flexible mesh modelling process. How to create a model mesh, establish boundary conditions, run simulations, view results, etc.
• To illustrate the application of TUFLOW FV through worked examples, including:
• 3D river flows during flood events
• Floodplains and structures
• Port entrance and dredging
• Water quality in reservoirs
• On completion of the workshop, participants are expected to have a solid understanding of TUFLOW FV, its range of applicability.

For further information, download the full course schedule.

To book your place, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard at technicaltraining@halcrow.com or on 0845 094 7990.

On 2nd-3rd November, Halcrow is hosting a two day TUFLOW workshop for experienced users of the software at their headquarters in London (Elms House, 43 Brook Green, London, W6 7EF). The workshop will be led by Bill Syme (TUFLOW Author and Manager) and Philip Ryan (TUFLOW Support Engineer) and cost £500+VAT per person.

The workshop will start at 9:00am on both days with lunch and refreshments provided throughout. The number of places is limited and early booking is recommended.

To book your place, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard at technicaltraining@halcrow.com or on 0845 094 7990.

1. Pipe Network Modelling

• Importing and setting up pipe network layers.
• Representing gully traps or pit inlets
• Interpreting automatically generated manholes
• Manually setting up manholes
• Theory on manhole and pipe junction energy losses
• Linking to 2D
• Linking to ISIS
• Viewing pipe network output
• What-if scenarios – overriding individual pipes
• Tips on identify and addressing problem areas

2. Inside the Black Box

• 1D theory for modellers
• 2D theory for modellers
• 1D/2D and 1D/1D linking
• 1D and 2D hydraulic structures

3. Multiple Events Management

• Using the .tef TUFLOW event database file
• Simulating multiple events from the same .tcf file
• Managing multiple events

4. Multiple Scenario Management

• Using the same control files for multiple scenarios
• Simulating multiple scenarios from the same .tcf file
• Managing multiple scenarios

5. Advanced Output Presentation

• Using XMDF files
• User defined output – setup different output locations and times
• Advanced GIS flood mapping
• Making 3D animations

6. Working with TINs

• Creating TINs in TUFLOW
• TIN creation / manipulation in SMS

7. Question and Answer Session.

Workshopping of challenging TUFLOW modelling techniques including, but not limited to:

• 2D-2D link modelling
• Direct rainfall modelling
• Steep watercourse modelling
• Modelling narrow channels in coarse grids
• Linking to ISIS (in line storage areas, SX connections, etc)
• Getting the most from miTools and your GIS

To book your place, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard at technicaltraining@halcrow.com or on 0845 094 7990.

The ISIS v3.5.1 interim release will be available to download in September 2011.

This additional release will allow Halcrow to provide a number of new features including:

• a FREE version of ISIS FAST (restricted to DEM grid size of 2,500 cells)
• the ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE Link which enables a dynamic link between ISIS and TUFLOW's 1D component (ESTRY), which is primarily suited to pipe modelling
• 64-bit version of ISIS-TUFLOW, enabling larger memory-intensive models to be run
• the ISIS damage calculator which allows the user to calculate damages from 2D model results based on depth-damage curves
• multi-animation of 2D results within ISIS Mapper
• spatially-varying density introduced in ISIS 1D, applicable to tidal models
• a web-mapping service layer within ISIS Mapper, enabling background maps to be easily loaded into projects
• refreshed help, with improved links and navigation
  
  

For additional information, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard on 0845 094 7990 or at isis@halcrow.com.

Halcrow has developed a syntax file for TUFLOW for use with the TextPad editor as part of the software provision to the Environment Agency and are pleased to provide this syntax file for general use.

The syntax file provides highlighting for keywords in TUFLOW control and log files, and instructions are also provided on how to configure TextPad to use the syntax file and also to run simulations of TUFLOW directly from the text editor.

This syntax file and instructions for usage are provided as-is and Halcrow encourage and would welcome any feedback on its use.

Click here to download the syntax file.

The international uptake of ISIS, Halcrow's suite of modelling software, has risen dramatically over recent years. ISIS is now used across the globe from Korea to Egypt to Vietnam to Australia to Argentina.

This upward trend has led to a full-time operational desk for the Americas being established in Halcrow's Buenos Aires office. Formalising a long-standing relationship between the Buenos Aires office and ISIS teams across the UK, this latest development is based on shared experiences in the refinement and application of the software to a large number of catchment management projects in the Americas.

The Buenos Aires team will provide integral support by contributing to a wider range of services including day to day support to users, research and software development. Halcrow’s Buenos Aires team is currently developing flood risk studies for the Colorado River basin in Argentina, comprising five provinces within its catchment authority. The Americas ISIS team will be implementing ISIS and providing training in each of the catchment authorities' five provincial offices. This will kick start a long-term institutional strengthening programme that will seek to use ISIS as a tool to host the modelling system, embracing the 1D model of the fluvial corridor as well as 2D development into the urban developments at risk.

ISIS sales manager Vijay Jain commented: "This is a really exciting development for ISIS. The suite is constantly evolving to meet the needs of projects and clients, and this collaboration between our global teams can only serve to further strengthen Halcrow's software product base."

The 2011 ISIS User Conference was held on Tuesday 21st June at Halcrow's offices in Hammersmith, London.

Once again, the conference attracted great interest, with approximately 100 people from local authorities, drainage boards, universities, engineering consultants, British Waterways and the Environment Agency attending.

The conference included popular and informative sessions that were independently chaired by Chris Whitlow from Edenvale Young Associates. It provided the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other modellers who presented case studies, network with fellow modellers in the industry and help direct the future development of ISIS.

Attendees had the opportunity to listen to a number of guest speakers from the Environment Agency, British Waterways, Capita Symonds, Black & Veatch, Thomas Mackay, Hyder Consulting, Edenvale Young Associates and Halcrow.

The User Conference was a great opportunity for ISIS users to provide feedback and suggestions on how they believe the software should be developed. If you would like to suggest your ideas, please visit the 'Ideas Lab' on the ISIS user website or contact us directly at isis@halcrow.com.

In addition, a list of ideas that were recommended by ISIS users during the open forum at the User Conference have been uploaded to the 'Ideas Lab' on isisuser.com. Why not vote on the ideas that you would like to see implemented in future releases of ISIS?

The conference presentations can be viewed on ISIS user community website, which recently saw it's 5,000th member.

For additional information on the ISIS suite, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard on 0845 094 7990 or at isis@halcrow.com.

Since the launch of the ISIS user community (www.isisuser.com) in June 2008, it has gone from strength to strength. The website provides manuals, support forums, knowledge bases and other useful downloads such as ISIS Free.

The website recently registered its 5,000th subscriber, Shan Senthilkumaran from Capita Symonds, who was awarded a free place on the 'Introduction to ISIS' training course in Swindon on 2nd and 3rd August (worth £500).

Shan was delighted to accept this place and said: "that's great news, it will help boost my knowledge for the ISIS project that I am currently working on. Perhaps I should enter the EuroMillions draw tonight!"

If you would like to attend one of our training courses, please visit www.halcrow.com/training or email technicaltraining@halcrow.com.

For additional information on the ISIS suite, contact Vijay Jain or Alastair Sheppard on 0845 094 7990 or at isis@halcrow.com.  

The 2011 ISIS User Conference will be held on Tuesday 21st June at Halcrow's offices in Hammersmith, London. Attendance is free to organisations with a valid ISIS support and maintenance contract and to all academic staff and students. To others there is only a small administrative charge.

To secure your place at the conference, simply complete the booking form and return it to Alastair Sheppard at SheppardA@halcrow.com. Please note that spaces are limited and allocated on a first come, first serve basis.

The last conference in 2010 attracted attendees from local authorities, drainage boards, universities, engineering consultants and the Environment Agency. The conference includes popular and informative sessions that are independently chaired by Chris Whitlow from Edenvale Young Associates.

The conference provides the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other modellers who will be presenting case studies, network with fellow modellers in the industry and help direct the future development of ISIS. Speakers and presentations will include:

• Helen James (Environment Agency) will present the work the Environment Agency have been carrying out since the Flood and Coastal Risk Management Modelling Strategy was published a year ago
• Konrad Adams (Halcrow) will discuss the new features, updates and improvements to ISIS v3.5 which has been developed in response to user needs
• Richard Dun (British Waterways) will present an approach that has been developed to assist in the understanding of breach risk from canals
• Jon Wicks (Halcrow) will present a case study on how ISIS FAST was used to model pluvial flood risk for the whole of Scotland (78,000km2).
• Kevin Hemmings (Capita Symonds) will discuss a case study on an integrated flood forecasting model for the Upper Forth which presents the work undertaken translating existing models, building new models and producing a complete flood forecasting solution using ISIS combining both hydrodynamic and routing reaches
• Jon Bartlett (Black & Veatch) will consider, using a number of case studies, the lessons learnt when moving from one-dimensional to two-dimensional modelling
• Simon Jepps and John Jepps (Thomas Mackay in partnership with Hyder Consulting) will present a joint case study on flood modelling of the River Colne tributaries at Huddersfield and the challenges faced during the study
• Maria Jarquin (Edenvale Young) will present a talk on modelling oblique bridges in which she will cover a comparison between the ISIS outputs using a number of different assumptions and the results from a TUFLOW only model of the channel
• Paul Crossley (Hyder Consulting) will present a case study entitled ‘A tale of two tadpoles’ which discusses the modelling of heavily modified watercourses in an upside down catchment
• Jon Wicks and Konrad Adams (Halcrow) will hold an open discussion to discuss the future developments within ISIS.

Book your place now!

To secure your place at our next meeting, please complete the booking form and return it to Alastair Sheppard at SheppardA@halcrow.com.

For any additional information, please contact Alastair Sheppard at SheppardA@halcrow.com or Vijay Jain JainV@halcrow.com. To speak to us directly call 0845 094 7990.

Additional information

Venue details
Halcrow, Elms House, 43 Brook Green, London, W6 7EF

Start and finish times
10:00 (registration and refreshments from 09:00) - 15:00

Local accommodation
Copthorne Tara, Scarsdale Place, London W8 5SR
Grange Strathmore, 41 Queens Gate, London, SW7 5NB
Hilton, 380 Kensington High St, London, W14 8NL
Novotel, 1 Shortlands, London, W6 8DR

Nearest London Underground station
Barons Court or Hammersmith (approximately 5 minutes walk from the venue)

Not only do ISIS users gain valuable information when using the ISIS user website, but for every contribution made to the site, a donation is made to WaterAid and the Halcrow Foundation. Users gain points by interacting with the ISIS user website, posting on the forum, commenting on items, posting/voting on ideas and downloading ISIS Free.

At the end of 2010, these points were converted into a donation of £358 and presented to the above charities.

WaterAid is an international non governmental organisation. Their mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities.

The Halcrow Foundation aims to alleviate poverty and suffering around the world caused by natural disaster or as a result of people's social and economic condition.

For more information on the Halcrow Foundation and WaterAid, log in to the website.

For those of you who have not registered with the website yet, isisuser.com is the online community for ISIS users. It aims to give users quick and easy access to ISIS related information. Why not sign up today?

Following the success of the 2010 annual ISIS User Conference which attracted approximately 70 attendees from local authorities, drainage boards, universities, engineering consultants and the Environment Agency, Halcrow is able to confirm that the next conference will be held in London (Hammersmith) on Tuesday 21st June 2011.

The user conference includes popular and informative sessions that are independently chaired by Chris Whitlow from Edenvale Young Associates. Attendance is free to organisations with a valid ISIS support and maintenance contract and to all academic staff and students. For others, there is a nominal charge of £50.

The conference provides the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other modellers who will be presenting case studies, network with fellow modellers in the industry and help direct the development of ISIS. Information on presenters and their case studies will follow shortly.

If you would like to secure your place at our next conference, please complete the booking form and return it to Alastair Sheppard at SheppardA@halcrow.com.

• ISIS software prices frozen for 2012!
• Helen James discusses modelling flood and coastal risk
• Flood risk modelling case study: Siret River, Romania
• ISIS v3.5.1 released, including ISIS FAST free edition!
• Brand new ISIS-TUFLOW-PIPE Link - available now!
• Viewing WMS layers in ISIS Mapper
• ISIS 2D case study: Pilcomayo river basin, Argentina-Paraguay
• Improving the understanding of risk from canal breaches - British Waterways
• 2012 flood risk management and modelling course
• FREE ISIS Mapper online demonstration - book your place now!
• TUFLOW FV Workshop
• TUFLOW workshop led by Bill Syme and Philip Ryan from BMT WBM
• ISIS v3.5.1 interim release - coming soon!
• Textpad syntax file for TUFLOW
• Halcrow's ISIS software strengthens profile in the Americas
• ISIS User Conference - great success!
• ISIS online community registers its 5,000th user!
• ISIS User Conference 2011 - Reserve your place now!
• ISIS charity points
• Date for your diary - the annual ISIS User Conference
• ISIS FAST Demonstration
• ISIS contributes to Science Museum exhibit
• FREE online ISIS FAST demonstration - book your place now!
• ISIS FAST - It's coming soon!
• What to expect in ISIS v3.5
• ISIS FAST wins IAHR competition!
• HECTIC - a new FREE tool for converting HEC-RAS models to ISIS
• 2011 flood risk management and modelling training courses - book now!
• ISIS v3.4 is released - download now
• ISIS August Newsletter
• ISIS 2D Webex
• ISIS June Newsletter
• Environment Agency procures 2D Flood Modelling Software from Halcrow
• Halcrow presents ISIS to universities throughout the UK and across the world
• ISIS in GeoConnexion
• ISIS January Newsletter
• ISIS has joined Facebook
• ISIS users raise money for WaterAid and the Halcrow Foundation
• ISIS v3.3 is released - download now
• ISIS User Conference - Back by popular demand!
• ISIS 2D released
• What to expect in ISIS v3.3
• ISIS - the choice of Government
• 1,000 Not Out!
• ISIS users donate over £850 to charity!
• ISIS v3.1 is now OpenMI compliant

Older news items can be found here.