WMS Tutorials Introduction – Advanced Feature Objects

v. 11.1

WMS 11.1 Tutorial

Introduction – Advanced Feature Objects
Learn how to do advanced operations with feature objects

Objectives
Use feature object drainage coverages for manual watershed delineation.

Prerequisite Tutorials Required Components Time

 Introduction to WMS  Data  20–30 minutes
 Introduction – Basic Feature  Drainage
Objects  Map
 Hydrology

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1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2
2 Getting Started .................................................................................................................... 2
3 Defining a Watershed with Feature Objects ..................................................................... 2
3.1 Creating Basin Boundaries ........................................................................................... 3
3.2 Creating the Stream Network ....................................................................................... 4
3.3 Building Polygons ........................................................................................................ 8
3.4 Updating Geometric Parameters .................................................................................. 8
4 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 10

1 Introduction
In the “Introduction – Basic Feature Objects” tutorial, feature points, lines, and polygons
were created and organized into coverages and feature object attributes were explored.
This tutorial continues showing how to apply those concepts with a focus on the drainage
coverage—the primary coverage type used in WMS to develop watershed models.
This tutorial discusses and demonstrates:
 Using feature object drainage coverages for watershed delineation.
 Using advanced feature object editing functions.
 Assigning appropriate feature object attributes.

2 Getting Started
Starting WMS new at the beginning of each tutorial is recommended. This resets the data,
display options, and other WMS settings to their defaults. To do this:
1. If necessary, launch WMS.
2. If WMS is already running, press Ctrl-N or select File | New… to ensure that the
program settings are restored to their default state.
3. A dialog may appear asking to save changes. Click Don’t Save to clear all data.
The graphics window of WMS should refresh to show an empty space.

3 Defining a Watershed with Feature Objects

By using a combination of stream arcs, outlet nodes, and basin polygons, the entire
watershed can be developed without the use of a digital terrain model. The watershed can
be to scale or a schematic. If it is not to scale, polygon areas and stream lengths will not
be valid for a hydrologic model.
Here, the Aspen Grove watershed will be created from an image of a scanned paper map
with clearly marked streams and basin boundaries. In most cases, demarcation lines for
the stream and basin boundaries are not provided and instead an understanding of
topography is used when creating these boundaries. In this case, the marked streams and
basin boundaries are provided only for training purposes.
1. Select File | Open to bring up the Open dialog.

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2. Browse to the \featureadv\featureadv directory and select “[Link]”.

3. Click Open to import the image file and exit the Open dialog.
A portion of a USGS quad map will be displayed with basin boundaries outlined in red
and the stream network in black.
7. Right-click on “ [Link]” in the Project Explorer and select
Transparency… to bring up the Layer Transparency dialog.
8. Set the Transparency to “65%” and click OK to close the Layer Transparency
dialog.
The map image should now be somewhat faded (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Background map image

3.1 Creating Basin Boundaries

Begin by creating the basin boundaries. It does not matter whether the basins or streams
are created first.
1. Switch to the Map module.
2. Select the Create Feature Arc tool.
3. Select Feature Objects | Attributes… to bring up the Feature Arc Type dialog.
4. In the Type section, select Generic and click OK to close the Feature Arc Type
dialog.
Start by digitizing the entire watershed boundary. Then, digitize the interior sub-basin
boundaries. Practice good topology by ensuring that arcs are fully connected at each
location where the arcs intersect.

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5. Start the arc by clicking on the outlet location in the lower right corner, and
continue to click along the exterior red lines to trace the entire watershed
boundary.
6. Click on the starting point to end the arc.
When digitizing arcs, it is often helpful to use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out by
scrolling or pan around by holding down the mouse wheel and dragging.
7. Click in the center of the watershed where all the interior red lines intersect.
8. Continue to click along one of the red lines to trace one of the sub-basin
boundaries. Click on the exterior watershed arc to end the arc.
9. Repeat steps 7–8 for the other two interior red lines making sure to start at the
same central point and end at the exterior watershed boundary.
When finished there should be three areas enclosed by arcs that represent the watershed
and sub-basin boundaries (Figure 2, with nodes and vertices turned on in the Display
Options dialog).

Figure 2 All the boundary arcs digitized

3.2 Creating the Stream Network

The stream network is created in much the same way the basin boundaries were. The only
thing to note is that in the upper basin the basin boundary comes very close to the stream.
It is recommended to zoom in on this region in order to avoid conflicts with the snapping
tolerance.
1. Select Feature Objects | Attributes… to bring up the Feature Arc Type dialog.
2. In the Type section, select Stream and click OK to close the Feature Arc Type
dialog.

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Begin by digitizing the main channel and two branches in the lower right basin. Then,
digitize the main channels and branches in the two upper basins. When creating stream
arcs, always remember to digitize from downstream to upstream to ensure that the stream
arc direction is defined correctly.
While creating the stream arcs, take care when digitizing the stream where it comes close
to the basin edge. If clicking too close to the basin edge arc, WMS snaps the stream to the
basin edge. This causes a message stating the stream is illegal to appear and the stream
has to be redrawn. To avoid snapping to the basin edge, zoom in to a sufficient level so
the arc will not snap to the basin edge while creating the stream arc.
3. Click Display Options to bring up the Display Options dialog.
4. Select “Map Data” from the list on the left.
5. On the Map tab, turn on Points/Nodes and Vertices, then click OK to close the
Display Options dialog.
6. Begin by clicking on the outlet point (the node) in the lower right corner on the
exterior watershed boundary, continuing to click along the stream line to trace
the main channel in the lower right basin.
7. End the arc by clicking on the central node, where all the sub-basin boundary
arcs intersect (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Sub-basin and lower main channel arcs

6. Create the right branch in the lower sub-basin by clicking on the main channel
arc where it intersects the branch, and continue clicking upstream to the end of
the branch.
7. Double-click where the branch ends to end the arc.
8. Repeat steps 6–7 to create the left branch in the lower sub-basin.

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9. Zoom in on central node area (Figure 4).

Figure 4 Junction of main channel in Aspen Grove Watershed

11. Select the Create Feature Arc tool.

To create the stream arc for the upper right sub-basin:
12. Begin by clicking on the central node where all the sub-basin boundary arcs and
lower main channel arc intersect, continuing to click along the stream line to
trace the stream in the upper right basin. Zoom in using the scroll wheel, as
necessary, to avoid snapping to the basin edge.
13. Double-click at the end of the stream line to end the arc.
The single stream arc for the upper right basin has been created. Next, create the stream
arcs for the upper left basin.
14. Start by clicking on the central node and continue clicking along any of the
stream lines to trace the stream, double-clicking to end the arc at the end of the
stream.
15. Finish digitizing the remaining branches in the upper left basin by tracing all of
the remaining black line branches in that basin. Remember to digitize from
downstream to upstream.
The project should appear similar to the following (Figure 5, with nodes and vertices
turned off so the streams are more visible).

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Figure 5 All streams and basin boundaries digitized

In order to define separate basins at the central junction node, convert the node at the
junction to an outlet node. To do this, follow the steps below.
17. Using the Select Feature Point/Node tool, right-click on the central junction
node in the center of the watershed and select Attributes… to bring up the
Drainage Feature Point Type dialog.
18. In the Type section, select Drainage outlet and click OK to close the Drainage
Feature Point Type dialog.
19. Click anywhere away from a node to deselect the central junction node.
Notice that the node has changed to an outlet node (Figure 6).
20. Frame the project.

Figure 6 The sub-basin outlet node

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3.3 Building Polygons

At this point the watershed boundaries are only arcs. Now to create the polygon topology.
1. Right-click on the “ Drainage” coverage and select Build Polygon.
2. When asked to use all arcs, click OK.
Note that WMS excludes the stream arcs when building polygons.
3. Using the Select Feature Polygon tool, double click on the lower sub-basin
to bring up the Drainage Feature Polygon Type dialog.
4. In the Type section, select Drainage boundary and click OK to close the
Drainage Feature Polygon Type dialog.
5. Repeat steps 3–4 for the two upper sub-basin polygons.
The project should appear similar to Figure 7.

Figure 7 The sub-basin polygons have been built

3.4 Updating Geometric Parameters

1. Right-click on “ Drainage” in the Project Explorer and select Display
Options… to bring up the Display Options dialog.
2. Select “Map Data” from the list on the left.
3. On the Map tab, turn on Color Fill Polygons and click OK to close the Display
Options dialog.
Computing the basin data transfers the basin area and stream lengths and computes them
in appropriate units for hydrologic modeling. This allows the polygon area to be used in
any of the hydrologic modeling interfaces.

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4. Right-click on “ Drainage” and select Compute Basin Data… to bring up the

Units dialog.
This dialog computes areas, perimeters, and centroids for each of the sub-basins and
assigns these values to the hydrologic modeling tree
5. In the Model units section, click Current Projection… to bring up the Display
Projection dialog.
6. In the Horizontal section, select No projection.
7. Select “Meters” from the Units drop-down.
8. In the Vertical section, select “Meters” from the Units drop-down and click OK
to close the Display Projection dialog.
9. In the Parameter units section, select “Square miles” from the Basin Areas drop-
down.
10. Select “Feet” from the Distances drop-down.
11. Click OK to compute the sub-basin data and close the Units dialog.
The basin data labels should now appear on the screen (Figure 8). These labels can be
turned on in the Display Options dialog.
The basin model has been prepared and could now be used to develop a hydrologic
model. Developing a hydrologic model is outside the scope of this tutorial, so this model
will not be developed further here.

Figure 8 Each sub-basin has a computed area

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4 Conclusion
This concludes the “Introduction – Advanced Feature Objects” tutorial. The following
topics were discussed and demonstrated:
 Using feature object drainage coverages for watershed delineation.
 Assigning appropriate feature object attributes.
 Using CAD data to generate feature objects.

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