Delivering Storm&Sanitary Productivity Anywhere
A Case Study: CalTrans District 11
Summary
Need: Highway
Drainage Design and Deliverables
Agency Review Requirements:
Archaic, Manual and maybe even a bit Sadistic
Proven: Storm&Sanitary
delivers results in an Optimized, Extensible and FUN process.
What S&S delivers “out of the box”
Seamlessly integrates AutoCAD, MicroStation v8 and
InRoads, and its data. No conversion
or import/export required.
A single source drainage graphic and hydraulic engine
that effectively manages the primary roadway drainage workflows (HEC-22, HDS-5,
Modified Rational, SCS, etc.)
Integrates and Automates the typical design workflow:
·
graphic
drainage areas
·
structure
layout and annotation
·
Profile
creation and annotation
·
Automatic
Pipe and Inlet sizing capabilities
·
Individual
and “Bulk” tools to edit/tweak model (items AND their dependencies)
·
Has a
large variety of integrated tools to facilitate evaluation, design and Quality
Control (Reports, Visual Database Queries, etc.).
Calculations
Calculations are based on industry standards (HEC-22,
HDS-5, Modified Rational, SCS, etc.)
Case Study: CalTrans District 11
required deliverables
Industry Standard calculations with some deviations from
S&S defaults, delivered in the following (unconnected) hard- or soft-copies:
·
Plan sheets
o
Physical locations w/ unit # callouts
·
Profile Sheets
o
Physical Positions, ID, Station, Offset, Elevation; List of
Description and Basic Quantities
·
Profile Quantity Sheets
·
FlowMaster “Detail Reports”
·
Area “Greensheets” (Time of Concentration, Q=cia)
Advantages of their Current Processes
·
It’s a known process.
·
They trust the numbers.
Disadvantages of Current (Internal) Processes
·
Seems to be a largely 2D process.
·
(Internally) 3D comes from a sparse and vague CAiCE model
·
Plan graphics, Profile graphics, greensheets and flowmaster are
independent models connected by someone typing.
Almost any other system is an improvement over this. It’s slow and the
method most prone to random (transcription) errors.
·
Design time may be up to 80% transcribing: slow; a mental strain;
and not FUN.
·
Too much of the Engineering Review is a
transcription review.
·
It is much harder to review design when you are dealing with 4
independent sources.
·
Not FUN.
Advantages of InRoads/Storm&Sanitary Environment
·
Improved Data Management
·
Normalized Data Model (single source)
·
Seamless Integration with “upstream” processes (Roadway Design
results)
Three InRoads files (Geometry and Existing and Proposed Surfaces) are all
you need to dramatically streamline evaluation and design processes.
·
It is comparatively easier to start with a “drainage-ready”
design model from InRoads
·
Design Alternates are Easy to evaluate (change a grate, push a
button and all the calcs, including ripple effects, are taken care of).
·
Improve your Evaluation/Quality Control and Review processes by
using better reporting and filtering tools.
·
Single file for entire drainage scope.
·
Direct, easy-to-customize, “surgically precise” evaluation and
QC tools (displays, reports, visual/database queries, macros) reporting live
from the source data.
·
Calculations are based on industry standards
Customizations/Extensions are based on industry standard
development tools (Visual Basic, VBA, DAO) which provides comparatively easy
access to the data.
Delivering to District 11
Standard Storm&Sanitary Design Process (internally, had to
make a good InRoads design surface from CAiCE).
Valid (and validated!) Engineering Model is very quickly
produced.
Quality Control/Review process can begin very early.
While the model and results all conform to CalTrans standards,
S&S doesn’t deliver the CalTrans calculations sheets “out of the box.”
Some macros must be run.
Adequate #’s and Plan and Profile (with full annotation) is
easily produced.
Cosmetics and Drafting
Automatics/Bulk Output
| I currently run macros from a single
“SnSTools” executable, where any user can click an icon, browse to a
file, and then push buttons to get the “difficult results.”
Structure Callouts in Drainage Profile Sheets require a number of
pre-determined calculations and verbiage. The "Generate Profile
Unit Callouts" button creates a text file with the appropriate
formatting and calculations. It is then "included" in the
drainage profile sheet. No typing!
CalTrans does use a fairly complicated time of concentration
methodology that I calculate outside of Storm&Sanitary. The
"Calc Tc and i" button performs the calculation and updates the
database, where the values can be used throughout the entirety of S&S
functionality.
I've left some functionality in Excel macros, primarily to allow
modifications to be performed by the more common "Excel guy"
versus the rarer "Visual Basic guy." For example, the
Green Sheet is in flux; when one if finally ratified the current
greensheet and it macros can be adjusted as required. |
 |
I currently produce all CalTrans Greensheets via a Three Button
Process (Generate S&S Inlet Report, Import into “deluxe” Greensheet
Excel Workbook, run Macro). I haven't hooked it up to the SnSTools form
yet.
I currently produce All Flowmaster “Detail Reports” (Excel
look-alikes that I refer to as "FauxMaster") via another Three Button
Process (again, I could hook it up to the button in SnSTools, but I'm okay with
the 3-button solution).
Drainage Quantity Numbers can be generated via a command button.
Drafting/One-offs
Sheets can be cut via Plan and Profile Generator
Plan System and Unit callouts can be drafted via Drafting Plan
Notes.
Profile Sheets can be annotated via Drafting Profile Notes.
Summary
S&S “out of the box” provides an incredibly efficient
and versatile model for Drainage Design and plans production and an optimally
extensible platform for the automating the vagaries of the spectrum of
regulatory deliverables.
Software Demo Outline (BE 2007)
Given a single
Storm&Sanitary electronic file, do an engineering evaluation.
Show off (Display tools)
·
Display the drainage model.
·
Annotate (specific and full QC).
·
Cut a Drainage Profile or two.
Evaluate the engineering.
·
Generate “Bad Engineering” reports.
·
Do a quick Spread Query.
·
Change a value. Redesign
(one button!).
·
Verify the Quality of the Results.
Layout a New Branch
·
Add an Inlet or two.
·
Connect with pipes.
·
Add drainage areas.
·
Design.
·
Cut profile.
·
Evaluate.
Show how results compare and get
into Greensheets and Flowmaster.
Show other tools.
Follow groups lead in going over
their concerns.
Questions
| 
