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Many readers have been asking
how to create shapefiles and other static maps in RAS Mapper. One of the main
differences between RAS Mapper in RAS 4.1 and RAS 5.0 is the existence of Dynamic Maps. What makes these maps dynamic is that when you have that Results
Layer selected in RAS Mapper, you can use the slider bar (top right) to animate through the simulation and see the results of that layer at each mapping output
interval (or each profile for steady flow models). These maps are not
saved to the disk, they are temporarily stored in memory.
With this change, you can no
longer “Export Layer to Shapefile” as you could previously, due to the fact
that these dynamic layers are not one map, they are many maps.
To create static maps, such as
shapefiles or rasters, we must first tell RAS Mapper what type of static map we
want (Inundation Boundary, Velocity, Shear Stress, etc.) and whether we want
the data from a specific timestep, or max/min. To do this, right click on the
bold “Results” heading in
the Layer Manager in RAS Mapper, then choose “Manage Results Maps”.
All of your plans and default layers will load (like below):
Choose the plan you are
interested in, and click on “Add New Map.”
If you’re running a Steady
model, the window that pops up will look like this:
If you’re running an Unsteady
model, the window that pops up will look like this:
Choose the Map Type you are
interested in creating; in this case we are creating a maximum Inundation
Boundary. Notice we have chosen “Maximum” under the Unsteady Profile options,
but we could have chosen “Minimum” or a specific point in time. On the right
hand side of the window, make sure to change the Map Output Mode to one of the
“Stored (saved to disk)” options, depending on your needs. In this case, we are
creating a shapefile polygon. Then click Add Map.
One last step. The
Manage Results Maps layer should now look like below:
Notice the static map we have
added has appeared. However, the Inundation Boundary map status says “Map Not
Created”. You will need to select that map, and click on “Compute/Update Stored
Maps” at the top right. If you have multiple static maps, you can select them
all by holding the CTRL key and selecting multiple maps prior to computing
them.
Once the computations have
completed, the status will change to “Map files up to date” and RAS will save
your shapefile in your HEC-RAS project folder, in a subfolder that has the same name as the plan from which the shapefiles were created.
