“The GIS integration that GeoHECRAS offers at the front-end has been very beneficial. GeoHECRAS lets an engineer fully develop, run, and get good results out of a model versus having 3 or 4 people doing the same amount of work.”
Engineer Steve Casey pointed out that his ability to perform project reviews has been enhanced due to GeoHECRAS’ interactive graphical user interface. He appreciated the software’s 2D and 3D viewing perspectives, which let the user zoom in and out of the digitized terrain map and view the project site at multiple scales—high-resolution panoramic to cross-section views—and make adjustments and modifications on-the-fly. These features make for an efficient and thorough review of a project and, in his words, gives engineers the ability “to easily dive into the minutiae of a flood study.”
The firm has only recently purchased GeoHECHMS but has already used the software on many large projects. Features that Casey finds useful are the ability to develop initial subbasin delineations, determine longest flow paths and times of concentrations, and make quick recalculations when necessary.
Engineers Gramza and Casey made clear throughout the interview that they are exacting “task-masters” for whom quality control is extremely important. In Gramza’s words: “Steve and I are very particular. We take our modelers to task if they take short cuts. Results we can stand by and trust are very important to us.”
That’s a guiding principle for everything we do at CivilGEO as well.