Analyzing and Visualizing Results in HEC-RAS

Course Description

This course provides learners with comprehensive training in analyzing and visualizing HEC-RAS 2D model outputs for stream restoration and stormwater infrastructure projects. Participants will learn to navigate the RAS Mapper interface, interpret critical hydraulic variables including depth, velocity, and water surface elevation, and apply effective symbology techniques to produce defensible flood-mapping deliverables. The curriculum emphasizes practical troubleshooting skills, teaching engineers how to use diagnostic tools such as profile lines, time-series plots, Courant numbers, and Froude numbers to validate model performance and identify computational issues.

Through hands-on demonstration of real-world workflows, learners will be introduced to the complete results analysis process—from initial result visualization and animation through advanced comparative scenario analysis using the RASter calculator. This training presents engineers with the fundamental workflows required to interpret complex hydraulic model outputs, diagnose model behavior, and support data-driven infrastructure design decisions for resilient and cost-effective stormwater and stream restoration projects.

Learning Objectives

1. Navigate the RAS Mapper interface to view, animate, and interrogate 2D unsteady-flow model results including depth, velocity, and water-surface elevation.

2. Apply appropriate symbology settings (discrete vs. interpolated color ramps, sloping vs. horizontal rendering) to produce clear and defensible flood-mapping products.

3. Use profile lines, time-series plots, and structure hydrographs to diagnose model behavior and validate boundary conditions.

4. Interpret diagnostic variables – Courant number, Froude number, WSEL error, shear stress, and depth × velocity hazard – to assess model quality and stability.

5. Export deliverable-quality products (GeoTIFF rasters, shapefiles, Google Earth KMZ files) and perform comparative analyses using the RASter calculator.