MODELING TASK DESCRIPTION
In FEFLOW 10.0 new mapping functionalities have been implemented for improved visualization and model construction. It enables displaying online maps as overlays or background images. It is now possible to quickly switch between topographic maps, satellite images or different types of street maps without importing large raster datasets. The user can add or import spatial references like landmarks or local addresses and has access to a search bar to find specific locations from open source databases. The following workflow description shows how to add online maps to a FEFLOW project and how to use such maps for example for meshing and model construction. It also introduces the new 'Online Maps' toolbar and how to use it.
SOLUTION
Step #1 - Adding online maps
To add online maps it is required to define a unique coordinate system for the .fem model file. You can find more information in the knowledge base article FEFLOW | Map Projections and Definition of Model Coordinate System.
Given the model coordinate system is correctly defined, the context menu of the Maps panel offers the addition of online maps, see Fig. 1. The list of Maptiler themes includes a number of topographic, physical and street maps as well as satellite images. These maps can be displayed in the supermesh window as well as in the slice and 3D view, just as any other Map in FEFLOW, by double-clicking the Maptiler theme in the Maps panel. The added maps are visible beneath any other facet, edge or parameter layers and are as such most suitable as background images. Online maps can be edited regarding brightness and opacity.
Fig. 1 – Adding online maps from the Maps panel and selecting a Satellite Maptiler theme for visualization.
Step #2 - Setting up supermesh and discretizing the model using maps
Once an online map is selected for display in the supermesh window, the user can easily use polygons, polylines and points to delineate the model domain or to represent surface water or well locations, see Fig. 2. For instance, streams and rivers can be drawn with the polyline tool directly in FEFLOW without the need to pre-process and import the course of the stream from third-party software. Another advantage is to follow the isolines of a topographic map to delineate an alluvial aquifer from adjacent mountain ranges. Satellite images, on the other hand, can support to correctly place buildings or anthropogenic structures within the domain.
Finally, the user can proceed constructing a mesh respecting all relevant internal features identified from different map displays.
Fig. 2 – Map visualization during geometric model construction. The topographic background map was added as online map from the FEFLOW Maps panel.
Step #3 - Online Maps Toolbar
To quickly switch between different online maps, FEFLOW offers a new toolbar, called ‘Online Maps’, see Fig. 3. It can be added from the toolbar context menu. It includes the list of Maptiler themes, a search bar and a marker list.
Fig. 3 – Adding the Online Maps toolbar and its layout with Maptiler list, search bar and Marker list.
The search bar can be used to look for certain locations like addresses or popular locations and create little markers on the map. Once the search has been started, the location is automatically added to the list of markers with coordinates and a short description, see Fig. 4. The color and size of the marker can be edited for each item individually.
Fig. 4 – Marker list with three locations identified with the search function of the Online Maps toolbar and its local coordinates and description.
FURTHER INFORMATION & USEFUL LINKS
Manuals and Guidelines
FEFLOW 10.0 Documentation - Maps Panel
FEFLOW 10.0 Documentation - Working with Maps