HEC-SSP User's Manual PDF
HEC-SSP User's Manual PDF
HEC-SSP User's Manual PDF
of Engineers
Hydrologic Engineering Center
HEC-SSP
Statistical Software Package
User’s Manual
Version 2.1
July 2016
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14. ABSTRACT
The Hydrologic Engineering Center's Statistical Software Package (HEC-SSP) allows the user to perform statistical
analyses of hydrologic data. The current version of HEC-SSP can perform peak flood flow frequency analysis using
Bulletin 17B and 17C procedures, a general frequency analysis using any type of hydrologic data, a volume frequency
analysis, a duration analysis, a coincident frequency analysis, and a balanced hydrograph analysis. Data storage and
management is handled either through the use of text files (ASCII, XML) or the Hydrologic Engineering Center's Data
Storage System (HEC-DSS).
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User’s Manual
July 2016
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www.hec.usace.army.mil CPD-86
Statistical Software Package, HEC-SSP, User’s Manual
This Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) documentation was developed with U.S. Federal
Government resources and is therefore in the public domain. It may be used, copied, distributed,
or redistributed freely. However, it is requested that HEC be given appropriate acknowledgment
in any subsequent use of this work.
Use of the software described by this document is controlled by certain terms and conditions.
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the software can be installed or used.
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vendor list (on our web page) to locate organizations that provide the program, documentation,
and support services for a fee. However, we will respond to all documented instances of
program errors. Documented errors are bugs in the software due to programming mistakes not
model problems due to user-entered data.
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Microsoft, Windows, and Excel are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. ArcGIS, ArcView
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Contents
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................. 1-1
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1-1
Contents ............................................................................................................... 1-1
General Philosophy of HEC-SSP ........................................................................... 1-2
Overview of Program Capabilities ......................................................................... 1-2
User Interface ...................................................................................................... 1-2
Statistical Analysis Components ......................................................................... 1-3
Data Storage and Management ............................................................................ 1-3
Graphical and Tabular Output ............................................................................. 1-4
Overview of This Manual ....................................................................................... 1-4
CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................. 2-1
Installing HEC-SSP ....................................................................................................... 2-1
Contents ............................................................................................................... 2-1
Hardware and Software Requirements ................................................................... 2-2
Installation Procedure ............................................................................................. 2-2
To install the software onto your hard disk do the following: ............................ 2-2
Uninstall Procedure................................................................................................. 2-3
CHAPTER 3 ................................................................................................................. 3-1
Working With HEC-SSP – An Overview ..................................................................... 3-1
Contents ............................................................................................................... 3-1
Starting HEC-SSP ................................................................................................... 3-2
To Start HEC-SSP from Windows: ..................................................................... 3-2
Overview of the Software Layout ........................................................................... 3-2
Steps in Performing a Bulletin 17C Frequency Analysis ..................................... 3-11
Starting a New Study ......................................................................................... 3-11
Adding a Background Map ............................................................................... 3-12
Importing, Entering, and Editing Data .............................................................. 3-14
Performing the Bulletin 17C Flow Frequency Analysis ................................... 3-18
Viewing and Printing Results ............................................................................ 3-20
CHAPTER 4 ................................................................................................................. 4-1
Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer ............................................................................... 4-1
Contents ............................................................................................................... 4-1
Developing a New Data Set .................................................................................... 4-2
Importing Data from an HEC-DSS File .............................................................. 4-3
Importing Data from the USGS Website............................................................. 4-4
Importing Data from an Excel Spreadsheet ........................................................ 4-8
Entering Data Manually .................................................................................... 4-10
Importing Data from a Text File ....................................................................... 4-11
Metadata................................................................................................................ 4-15
Plotting and Tabulating the Data .......................................................................... 4-17
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Example 5: Crest Stage Gage Censored Data – Bear Creek at Ottumwa, IA ...... C-34
Example 6: Historic Data and Low Outliers – Santa Cruz River at Lochiel, AZ C-42
Creating a Partial Duration Series................................................................................. D-1
Figures
Figure 3-1. The HEC-SSP Icon. ................................................................................... 3-2
Figure 3-2. The HEC-SSP Main Window. ...................................................................3-3
Figure 3-3. Study Explorer before Defining a Working Set. ........................................ 3-5
Figure 3-4. Edit Working Set Editor. ............................................................................ 3-5
Figure 3-5. Activate a Working Set from the Study Explorer. .....................................3-6
Figure 3-6. Bulletin 17 Folder Only Displays Analyses in Working Set. .................... 3-6
Figure 3-7. Plot Probability Lines Editor. .....................................................................3-9
Figure 3-8. Dialog for Controlling the Number of Decimal Digits Shown in Result
Tables and Reports. .................................................................................................3-9
Figure 3-9. New Study Window. ................................................................................ 3-11
Figure 3-10. Select a Map Layer to add to the Base Map. .......................................... 3-13
Figure 3-11. Example Background Map. .................................................................... 3-13
Figure 3-12. HEC-SSP Data Importer. ....................................................................... 3-14
Figure 3-13. Window to Select a State for Downloading Data. .................................3-15
Figure 3-14. Example of Choosing Gages from a USGS State List to Import. .......... 3-16
Figure 3-15. Open the Metadata Editor Using the Right Mouse Click Menu. ........... 3-16
Figure 3-16. Metadata can be Viewed or Edited by Opening the Metadata Editor. ...3-17
Figure 3-17. Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis General Tab. .............................. 3-19
Figure 3-18. Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis EMA Data Tab. ......................... 3-20
Figure 3-19. Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis EMA Tabular Results Tab. ....... 3-21
Figure 3-20. Flow Frequency Curve Plot. ..................................................................3-22
Figure 3-21. Report File from Bulletin 17 Frequency Analysis. ................................ 3-23
Figure 4-1. HEC-SSP Data Importer. ........................................................................... 4-2
Figure 4-2. Data Importer with HEC-DSS Import Option. .......................................... 4-3
Figure 4-3. HEC-SSP Data Importer with USGS Website Import Option. .................. 4-5
Figure 4-4. Window to Select a State for Importing USGS Data. ................................ 4-5
Figure 4-5. Data Importer with USGS Gages Listed in Table. .....................................4-6
Figure 4-6. Data Importer with MS Excel Import Option Selected. ............................. 4-8
Figure 4-7. Example Excel Data Viewer. .....................................................................4-9
Figure 4-8. Data Importer with Manual Data Entry Option Selected. ........................ 4-10
Figure 4-9. Data Importer with Text File Option Selected. ........................................ 4-11
Figure 4-10. Example Text File Data Viewer. ............................................................ 4-12
Figure 4-11. Identify Rows that do not Contain Data to be Imported. ....................... 4-13
Figure 4-12. Identify Date and Time Columns. .......................................................... 4-14
Figure 4-13. Editor for Defining the Data Properties. ................................................ 4-15
Figure 4-14. Details Tab on the HEC-SSP Data Importer. ......................................... 4-16
Figure 4-15. Menu Option for Opening the Metadata Editor. .................................... 4-16
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Figure 8-4. Results Tab for a Bin (STATS) analysis. ................................................. 8-10
Figure 8-5. Plot Tab of the Duration Analysis. ........................................................... 8-11
Figure 8-6. Manual Entry Tab of the Duration Analysis Editor. ................................ 8-12
Figure 8-7. Duration Curve Plot. ................................................................................ 8-13
Figure 8-8. Duration Analysis Report File. ................................................................ 8-15
Figure 9-1. Example Application of the Coincident Frequency Analysis. ................... 9-1
Figure 9-2. Variable B Duration Curve Divided into Discrete Segments. ................... 9-2
Figure 9-3. Response of Variable C for Combinations of Variable A and Variable B.9-3
Figure 9-4. Coincident Frequency Analysis Editor. ..................................................... 9-5
Figure 9-5. Variable A Tab when Variable A and B are Independent. ........................ 9-8
Figure 9-6. Variable A Tab when Variable A and B are not Independent. .................. 9-9
Figure 9-7. Variable B Tab. ........................................................................................ 9-10
Figure 9-8. User-Specified Option to Define Index Points and Probability Ranges. .9-12
Figure 9-9. Response Curves Tab for Same Variable A for Each Variable B Index. 9-14
Figure 9-10. Response Curves Tab for Different Variable A for Each Variable B Index.
............................................................................................................................... 9-14
Figure 9-11. Plot of Response Curves. ....................................................................... 9-15
Figure 9-12. Results Tab of the Coincident Frequency Analysis Editor. ................... 9-16
Figure 9-13. Plot of Conditional Frequency Curves. .................................................. 9-17
Figure 9-14. Coincident Frequency Analysis Plot. ..................................................... 9-19
Figure 9-15. Coincident Frequency Analysis Report File. ......................................... 9-20
Figure 10-1. Balanced Hydrograph Analysis Editor................................................... 10-2
Figure 10-2. Balanced Hydrograph Analysis Frequency Curves Tab. ....................... 10-6
Figure 10-3. Plot of Frequency Curves Defined in the Frequency Curves Tab. ........ 10-7
Figure 10-4. Results Tab of the Balanced Hydrograph Analysis Editor. ................... 10-8
Figure 10-5. Balanced Hydrograph Analysis Plot. ................................................... 10-10
Figure 10-6. Balanced Hydrograph Analysis Report File. ....................................... 10-11
Tables
Table 4-1. Quality Codes for USGS Annual Peak Flow Data. .....................................4-7
Table 4-2. Quality Codes for USGS Annual Peak Stage Data. ....................................4-7
Table 9-1. Default Probability Patterns. ..................................................................... 9-11
Table C-1. Moose River at Victory, VT Annual Peak Flow Record. .......................... C-4
Table C-2. Orestimba Creek near Newman, CA Annual Peak Flow Record. ........... C-11
Table C-3. Back Creek near Jones Springs, WV Annual Peak Flow Record. ........... C-18
Table C-4. Arkansas River near Pueblo, CO Annual Peak Flow Record (Modified). .. C-
27
Table C-5. Bear Creek at Ottumwa, IA Annual Peak Flow Record. ......................... C-35
Table C-6. Santa Cruz River at Lochiel, AZ Annual Peak Flow Record. ................. C-43
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Foreword
Foreword
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Hydrologic Engineering
Center’s (HEC) Statistical Software Package (HEC-SSP) is software that
allows users to perform statistical analyses of hydrologic data.
The first official version of HEC-SSP (Version 1.0) was released in
August of 2008. Version 1.1 was released in April, 2009 and included
improvements to data entry, results visualization and reporting, and added
capability to the volume frequency analysis. Version 2.0 was released in
October 2010 and included three new analyses: a duration analysis, a
coincident frequency analysis, and a curve combination analysis. Version
2.1, released in July 2016, included improvements to the volume
frequency analysis, general frequency analysis, and Bulletin 17B
(Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data, 1982) flow frequency
analysis in addition to two new analyses: Bulletin 17C (England, et al.,
2015) flow frequency using the Expected Moments Algorithm and a
Balanced Hydrograph analysis. These new features are discussed in the
User’s Manual for Version 2.1.
The HEC-SSP software was designed by Mr. Gary Brunner, Mr. Jeff
Harris, Dr. Beth Faber, Mr. Matthew Fleming, Mr. Michael Bartles, and
Mr. William Lehman. The HEC-SSP user interface and computation code
was programmed by Resource Management Associates. This manual was
written by Mr. Michael Bartles, Mr. Gary Brunner, Mr. Matthew Fleming,
Dr. Beth Faber, and Ms. Julia Slaughter.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 1 – Introduction
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Welcome to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hydrologic Engineering
Center’s (HEC) Statistical Software Package (HEC-SSP). This software
allows users to perform statistical analyses of hydrologic data. The
current version of HEC-SSP can perform flood flow frequency analysis
based on Bulletin 17B (Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data,
1982) and Bulletin 17C (England, et al., 2015), a generalized frequency
analysis on not only flow data but other hydrologic data as well, a volume
frequency analysis on high and low flows, a duration analysis, a
coincident frequency analysis, and a balanced hydrograph analysis.
HEC-SSP has been implemented using software guidelines established at
HEC. These guidelines will produce more consistent results when using
HEC software in water resources studies. Also, the guidelines facilitate a
common graphical user interface and “look and feel” for HEC software in
the PC environment. Recent HEC software implemented under these
guidelines include: rainfall-runoff analysis (HEC-HMS), river hydraulics
(HEC-RAS), reservoir system analysis (HEC-ResSim), flood damage
analysis (HEC-FDA), flood impact analysis (HEC-FIA), and ecosystem
function analysis (HEC-EFM). HEC software implementation is under the
guidance of Christopher N. Dunn, Director, Hydrologic Engineering
Center.
This chapter discusses the general philosophy of HEC-SSP and gives a
brief overview of the capabilities of the software. An overview of this
manual is also provided.
Contents
General Philosophy of HEC-SSP
Overview of Program Capabilities
Overview of this Manual
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User Interface
The user interacts with HEC-SSP through a graphical user interface
(GUI). The main focus in the design of the interface was to make it easy
to use the software, while still maintaining a high level of efficiency for
the user. The interface provides for the following functions:
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 1 – Introduction
File management
Data entry, importing, and editing
Statistical analyses
Tabulation and graphical displays of results
Reporting facilities
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 2 - Installing HEC-SSP
CHAPTER 2
Installing HEC-SSP
The user can install HEC-SSP using the program installation package
available from HEC’s web site. The setup program installs the software,
documentation, and the example applications. This chapter discusses the
hardware and system requirements needed to use HEC-SSP, how to install
the software, and how to uninstall the software.
Contents
Hardware and Software Requirements
Installation Procedure
Uninstall Procedure
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Installation Procedure
Installation of the HEC-SSP software is accomplished through the use of
the Setup program.
2. Save the setup file in a temporary directory and then execute the
“HEC-SSP_21_Setup.exe” file to run the setup program.
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Uninstall Procedure
The HEC-SSP Setup program automatically registers the software with the
Windows operating system. To uninstall the software, do the following:
From the Start Menu select Control Panel.
Select Add/Remove Programs from within the Control Panel folder.
From the list of installed software, select the HEC-SSP program and
press the Remove button.
Follow the uninstall directions on the screen and the software will be
removed from the computer.
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CHAPTER 3
Contents
Starting HEC-SSP
Overview of the Software Layout
Steps in Performing a Bulletin 17C Frequency Analysis
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Starting HEC-SSP
When you run the HEC-SSP Setup program, a new program group called
HEC and a program icon called HEC-SSP are created. They should
appear in the start menu under the section called All Programs. The user
also has the option of creating a shortcut on the desktop. If a shortcut is
created, the icon for HEC-SSP will look like Figure 3-1.
The upper right pane (which occupies most of the window area) is the
Desktop Area (Referred to as the "Desktop" from this point in the
manual). This area is used for displaying maps, data editors, and analysis
windows.
The upper left pane is called the Study Explorer. The Study Explorer
acts like an explorer tree for the study. The top level of the tree is the
study (“SSP Examples” in this example). Below the study is an analysis
branch, a data branch, and a map branch. Under the analysis branch, the
first level is the type of analysis. Under each analysis type will be the
current user-defined analyses for that type. The data branch lists all of the
available data sets that have been brought into the current study.
Generally, a data set represents a piece of data at a specific gage location.
For example, all of the peak annual flows at a single gage would be stored
as a single data set. When an analysis is created, the user selects a data set
to be used for that particular analysis. The map branch of the tree contains
any maps the user has put together for the study. By default there is
automatically a "Base Map" listed under the maps folder.
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The lower left pane, and associated tabs, also belongs to the study
explorer. This window is used to show additional information about items
selected in the study explorer. The tabs are used to switch to different
views within the study explorer window. The first tab, labeled Study,
shows the explorer view of the study. The second tab, labeled Maps, lists
the available maps and map layers associated with each map. The last tab,
labeled Files, shows all of the files that make up the current study.
The lower right pane is called the Message Window. This window is
used to display messages from the software as to what it is doing.
Message Window
At the top of the HEC-SSP main window is a Menu bar with the following
options:
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File: This menu is used for file management. Options available under the
File menu include New Study, Open
Study, Save Study, Save Study As,
Close Study, Study Properties,
Export, Recent Studies, and Exit.
The Study Properties option is used
to describe the study. The Export
option is used to export HEC-SSP
results, stored in the study DSS file,
to another DSS file. The Recent
Studies option lists the most recently
opened studies, which allows the user
to quickly open a study that was
recently worked on.
View: The View menu allows the user to control display of the toolbars
and the study windows. The user can
also toggle between viewing all of the
panes or just the Main View Pane. The
View menu also has options for saving
the current layout (currently opened
windows and their sizes and locations)
and restoring a previously saved layout.
The Set Study Display Units option
allows the user to switch output between
English and metric units.
The Select Working Sets menu option
allows the user to group items in each
folder and then display only those items
in the user interface. For example,
Figure 3-3 shows the Bulletin 17 folder
in the study explorer. The Edit Working Set editor, Figure 3-4, was used
to group all Bulletin 17 analyses that started with “FFA” into one working
set. The working set was named “FFA Analyses”. This working set was
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Maps: This menu is used to set the Default Map Properties (Coordinate
system, extents, etc…), define a new map, add map layers to the study,
and remove a map. Additionally,
this menu has the following options
available: Map Window Settings
(allows the user to turn map layers
on and off), Zoom To Entire Map
Extents, Save Map Image, Import,
and Export. The Zoom To Entire
Map Extents option displays the
entire set of map layers within the
map window. The Save Map
Image option can be used to save
the current view of the map to a
file.
Data: The Data menu allows the user to define a new data set, open the
metadata editor, and delete any existing data
sets from the data list. Other options include
opening a plot and table of the data.
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Results: The Results menu allows the user to graph and tabulate any of
the existing analyses that have been computed.
Additionally, the user can request to view the
report file from a analysis. Users must select at
least one analysis in the Study Explorer before
selecting Graph, Table, Report, or Summary
Report. If more than one analysis of the same
type are selected (this is accomplished by
holding down the control key while clicking on
the various analyses), the Graph and Summary
Report options will include results from all analyses that are selected.
However, when multiple analyses are selected, the Table and Report
option bring up separate windows for each of the selected analyses. The
Default Plot Line Styles menu option lets the user change the default line
styles applied to different data types that are plotted in a graph. For
example, the user can change the default line style for high outliers so that
they are displayed as black triangular data points when a plot is opened.
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Figure 3-8. Dialog for Controlling the Number of Decimal Digits Shown in
Result Tables and Reports.
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Help: This menu allows the user to open the HEC-SSP User’s Manual,
install example data sets, read the terms and conditions of use statement,
and display the current version information about HEC-SSP.
Also on the HEC-SSP main window is a Tool Bar. The buttons on the
tool bar provide quick access to the most frequently used options under the
HEC-SSP File and Edit menus.
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The user is required to enter a name for the study, select a directory to
work in (a default location is provided), and select the desired units
system. Adding a description of the study is optional. The user should
also define a Coordinate System if background spatial data will be plotted.
Multiple coordinate systems are provided for use. The choice of a
coordinate system will not affect any computed results. Once you have
entered all the information, press the OK button to have the information
accepted. After the OK button is pressed, a subdirectory will be created
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under the user chosen directory. The subdirectory will be labeled with the
same name as the user-entered study name. This study directory is where
the HEC-SSP project file, as well as other study files and directories will
be located. Additionally, a default map window will appear in the Main
View Pane. However, the map window will be blank when it first opens.
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SSP cannot always determine the coordinate system for all map layers
entered. However, under the Maps menu is an option called Default Map
Properties. This menu option can be used to set the default coordinate
system for the map layers displayed in HEC-SSP. The user should set the
default coordinate system first and then bring in map layers to the study.
As shown in Figure 3-12, the Data Importer has fields for the Name, Short
Identifier, and the Description of the data at the top of the window.
Additionally, it lists the study DSS file name that the data will be stored in
once it is brought into the study. The study DSS file is always labeled the
same name as your study with the .DSS file extension.
The Data Importer contains two tabs, Data Source and Details. The Data
Source tab is shown first. This tab is used for selecting and defining a
source for bringing data into the HEC-SSP study. Currently, there are five
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ways to bring data into an HEC-SSP study: import from another HEC-
DSS file, import data from the USGS web site, import from a Microsoft
Excel spreadsheet, manually entering the data into a table, and import the
data from a text file. All of these methods will import data into the study
DSS file.
For this example, importing data from the USGS website will be shown.
For a complete description of the data importer see Chapter 4. To import
data from the USGS website, first select the USGS Website option from
the list of five options available in the Location panel. Next, select
Annual Peak Data as the data type and make sure the Flow option is
selected. The next step is to press the button labeled Get USGS Station
ID’s by State. When this button is pressed a window will appear (Figure
3-13) allowing the user to select a state from which to get data.
Once a state is selected, press the OK button and a list of the available
gages from that state will appear in a pick list as shown in Figure 3-14.
Check the boxes for all of the gages you would like to import and then
press the Import to Study DSS File button. Once the import button is
pressed, a process will begin during which the data will be downloaded
from the USGS website and saved to the study DSS file. HEC-SSP will
automatically name the data when importing multiple gages at one time.
The USGS import process will download annual peak flow data, and the
USGS data quality codes. The quality codes will be added as an addition
object to the Data folder.
In addition to the data itself, any metadata that is available will be
downloaded and stored with the data. The metadata can be viewed from
the Details Tab on the Data Importer. Metadata can also be viewed or
edited by opening the Metadata Editor. To open this editor, place the
mouse on top of a data object in the Data folder and click the right mouse
button. The shortcut menu contains an Edit Metadata option, as shown
in Figure 3-15. The metadata editor is shown in Figure 3-16.
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Figure 3-14. Example of Choosing Gages from a USGS State List to Import.
Figure 3-15. Open the Metadata Editor Using the Right Mouse Click Menu.
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Figure 3-16. Metadata can be Viewed or Edited by Opening the Metadata Editor.
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After the data is imported into the study, the user can select any one of the
gages in the Data folder and Plot or Tabulate the data. The plot and
tabulate options are available from the Data menu and from a shortcut
menu that opens by clicking the right mouse button when the pointer is
located on top of the gage object in the Data folder. If you select the Plot
option, you will get a plot of the peak flow data for that gage. If you
select the Tabulate option, you will get a table containing the data. Data
values can be edited within the table; however, the editing mode must be
turned on. To turn on editing, select the EditAllow Editing menu
option. Use the FileSave or FileSave As menu option to save the
data when you are satisfied with edits.
If the data has coordinate location information, it will then be plotted on
top of the background maps. The software will
convert the coordinates of the point data to the
default coordinate system of the base map. The
user can interact with the plotted points by right
clicking on the gage icon in the map and a shortcut
menu will appear as shown. The user has the
option to edit the metadata, plot, tabulate, rename,
or delete the data.
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Figure 3-19. Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis EMA Tabular Results Tab.
Graphical output can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis editor. When this button is pressed, a plot will
appear like the one in Figure 3-20. This plot contains the computed
frequency curve, the expected probability adjusted curve (if enabled on the
General tab), the confidence limits, and the data points plotted using the
Hirsch/Stedinger plotting position method. Additionally, a plot title is
listed at the top. The plot title is by default the user-defined name of the
analysis. The user can modify the plot properties by selecting the
EditPlot Properties menu option. A plot properties window will open
that lets the user change the line style for each data type, change the axis
labels, modify the plot title, and edit other plot properties. The user can
also edit line styles by placing the mouse on top of the line or data point in
the plot or legend and clicking the right mouse button. Then select the
Edit Properties menu option in the shortcut menu. The plot can be
printed or sent to the windows clipboard by using the Print and Copy to
Clipboard options found under the File menu.
Additional points and lines can be added to a plot by placing the mouse
anywhere in the plot area and clicking the right mouse button. Then select
the Add Marker option to add a line or Add Marker Point to add a
point. Draw properties can be edited for these user-defined lines and
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points by placing the mouse on top of the point or line and clicking the
right mouse button. Then select the Edit Properties option in the shortcut
menu.
The final piece of output available from a flow frequency analysis is a text
report file. The report file lists all of the input data and user settings,
plotting positions of the data points, intermediate results, each of the
various statistical tests performed (i.e. high and low outliers, historical
data, etc.), and the final results. This file is often useful for understanding
how the software arrived at the final frequency curve. Press the View
Report button at the bottom of the analysis editor to view the report file.
When this button is pressed, a window will appear containing the report as
shown in Figure 3-21.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 4 - Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer
CHAPTER 4
Contents
Developing a New Data Set
Importing Data from an HEC-DSS File
Importing Data from the USGS Website
Importing Data from an Excel Spreadsheet
Entering Data Manually
Entering Data from a Text File
Metadata
Plotting and Tabulating Data
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At the top of the Data Importer, the user can enter a Name for the new
data set. Optionally, the user can enter a short identifier (limited to 16
characters) and a Description of the data set. The study DSS file name is
provided. The DSS file is used for storing the data for the study. The user
does not have to enter a name when importing or manually entering data.
The program will automatically name the data using USGS names or
HEC-DSS pathname parts. If a Name is entered then it will be combined
with the USGS gage name or HEC-DSS pathname parts to create a unique
name. The user can rename a data set by selecting the data set in the study
explorer and clicking the right mouse button. A shortcut menu should
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 4 - Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer
open with a Rename menu option. The Data menu also contains a
Rename menu option; however, the data set must be selected in the study
explorer before this menu option is active.
The Data Importer contains two main tabs, Data Source and Details. The
Data Source tab is used for importing or entering data manually while the
Details tab is used to describe the data (i.e. metadata). The Data Source
tab contains five options for getting data into the study DSS file:
Importing from an existing HEC-DSS file, importing from the USGS
Website, importing from an Excel spreadsheet, entering the data manually,
and importing from a text file.
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As shown in Figure 4-2, the user first selects a DSS file to import from by
typing the path and name or by choosing the file browser at the end of the
input field. Once a DSS file is selected, the table of pathnames will be
filled with the records that are contained in that DSS file. The user can
reduce the number of listed pathnames by selecting pathname parts to
filter in the pathname part selection area just above the table. Any
pathname part can be used to filter the list down to a more manageable
number of pathnames to select from. The user can then select pathnames
to import by double clicking on one or more of the listed pathnames in the
table. Each selected pathname will show up in the list below the table.
Once the user has selected all of the pathnames that they want to import,
pressing the Import to Study DSS File button enacts the import process.
An HEC-SSP data set will be developed for each pathname that was
selected.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 4 - Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer
Figure 4-3. HEC-SSP Data Importer with USGS Website Import Option.
The first step in using the USGS import option is to select a data type to
import (e.g. Annual Peak Data). Then choose to import Flow and/or
Stage data. Next the user should select the Get USGS Station ID’s by
State button. Selecting this button will bring up a small window that
allows the user to select a state in which to acquire data, as shown in
Figure 4-4.
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Once the user selects a state and presses the OK button, a process will
begin in which all of the gage locations for that state will be downloaded
from the USGS website. A listing of all the gages for that state will then
be displayed in the table at the bottom of the data importer. An example
of the data importer with a list of USGS gages is shown in Figure 4-5.
The next step is to select the desired gages for importing into the HEC-
SSP study. The user can filter the list to a smaller number of gages by
using the filter drop down boxes at the top of the table. To select a gage
for importing, simply check the box in the left hand column for each gage
location that is to be imported. After all of the desired locations are
selected, press the Import to DSS File button to import the data into the
study DSS file. Pressing this button will start a process of downloading
data from the USGS website. For each selected location, the software will
download the Data Quality Codes if they are available. The program
issues a message that data quality codes are available and adds the codes
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Table 4-1. Quality Codes for USGS Annual Peak Flow Data.
Code Description
1 Discharge is a Maximum Daily Average
2 Discharge is an Estimate
3 Discharge affected by Dam Failure
Discharge less than indicated value which is Minimum
4
Recordable Discharge at this site
Discharge affected to unknown degree by Regulation or
5
Diversion
6 Discharge affected by Regulation or Diversion
7 Discharge is an Historic Peak
8 Discharge actually greater than indicated value
Discharge due to Snowmelt, Hurricane, Ice-Jam or Debris
9
Dam breakup
A Year of occurrence is unknown or not exact
B Month or Day of occurrence is unknown or not exact
All or part of the record affected by Urbanization, Mining,
C
Agricultural changes, Channelization, or other
D Base Discharge changed during this year
E Only Annual Maximum Peak available for this year
Table 4-2. Quality Codes for USGS Annual Peak Stage Data.
Code Description
1 Gage height affected by backwater
2 Gage height not the maximum for the year
3 Gage height at different site and(or) datum
4 Gage height below minimum recordable elevation
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The next step is to highlight the date and data values to be imported into
the study (only highlight the data, not the column headings). The data
must be in a format of Date in the first column and Data in the second
column. The date must be in the Day, Month, Year format (ddmmyyyy)
as shown in Figure 4-7. Next, press the OK button and the data will be
placed in the table at the bottom of the editor. The last step before
importing the data is to specify the units of the data, and each of the
pathname parts for storing the data in the study DSS file (make sure to edit
the C-part pathname if data is not annual peaks). Enter units of cfs for
data in cubic feet per second or units of cms for data in cubic meters per
second. The final step is to press the Import to Study DSS File button,
and the data will be imported.
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Figure 4-8. Data Importer with Manual Data Entry Option Selected.
To enter data manually, the user enters a name for the data set at the top,
along with a short identifier and a description (optional). A starting date
and time must be entered. The units of the data must also be defined as
well as the data type. The last step before entering the data is to specify
the pathname parts for how the data will be stored into the study DSS file.
This requires the user to enter a label for the A, B, C, E, and F part of the
DSS pathname. Once all of the data labeling is completed, the data can be
entered into the table at the bottom of the editor. The user must enter the
Date, Time, and data Value for each peak flow value to be entered. After
a Date, Time, and Value are entered into a row, a new row will be
generated in the table when the user leaves the Value field. The date must
be in the Day, Month, Year format (ddmmyyyy). Another option for
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 4 - Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer
getting data into the table is to copy it to the clipboard and then paste it
into the table. The table supports pasting data one column at a time or you
can paste the date, time, and value information all at once. When all of the
data are entered into the table, the user presses the Import to Study DSS
File button and the data will be stored in the study DSS file.
The first step in importing data from a comma delimited Text File is to
press the Select File, , button at the end of the File field. Once a
comma delimited text file is selected, a data view window will open
showing the data contained in the selected file. An example text file data
viewer is shown in Figure 4-10.
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Chapter 4 - Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer HEC-SSP User's Manual
The next step is to highlight the date, time, and data columns. Only
highlight the data that will be imported, not the column headings. If there
are column headings then they need to be identified. To do this, select the
row or rows that do not contain data to be imported. Then click the right
mouse button and select the Skip Row(s) menu option, as shown in Figure
4-11.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 4 - Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer
To identify the date and time columns, place the mouse pointer on the
column number at the top of the table and click the right mouse button.
Then move the mouse pointer to the Date – Time Column option to see
an additional menu of options, as shown in Figure 4-12. Figure 4-12
shows that column 2 will be defined as the date column. The date must be
in the Day, Month, Year format (ddmmyyyy). The data viewer will
highlight the date and time columns once they have been defined.
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To define the data column, place the mouse pointer on the column number
at the top of the table and click the right mouse button. Then choose the
Set Data Column menu option from the shortcut menu. Another editor
will open, as shown in Figure 4-13, that allows the user to define the
pathname parts, data units, and data type. After defining these data
properties, click the Import Now button to import the data and data
properties into the Data Importer. You can edit the data values or data
properties in the data importer before importing the data to the study. The
final step is to press the Import to Study DSS File button, and the data
will be imported.
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Metadata
When downloading data from the USGS website, in addition to the raw
data, the software will also attempt to download any metadata available
for each gage location. When using one of the other four methods for
importing data, the user can manually enter metadata by selecting the
Details tab, as shown in Figure 4-14. The metadata consists of the State,
County, Stream, Location, Drainage Area, DA Units, Gage Operator,
USGS Gage No., Gage Datum, HUC (Hydrologic Unit Code), Vertical
Datum, and a description field. Additionally, the coordinate location of
the data is shown. The coordinate location consists of Coordinate System,
Coordinate ID, Horizontal Datum, Datum Units, Coordinate X Value, and
Coordinate Y Value. If coordinate system data are entered, data icons and
text labels will show up on the background map at the specified locations.
Metadata can be viewed and edited any time after the data has been
imported into the study by opening the Metadata Editor. To open the
Metadata Editor, place the mouse pointer on top of a data set in the Data
folder and then click the right mouse button. Choose the Edit Metadata
option from the shortcut menu, as shown in Figure 4-15. The Metadata
Editor will look exactly like the Details tab on the Data Importer. The
Metadata Editor can also be opened from the Data menu and from a
shortcut menu that opens by right clicking on a data icon in a background
map.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 4 - Using the HEC-SSP Data Importer
If you select the Tabulate option, a table will open with the data listed as
shown in Figure 4-17. Data values in the table can be edited after
selecting the EditAllow Editing menu option. To save any edits, select
the FileSave menu option.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
CHAPTER 5
Contents
Bulletin 17B vs. Bulletin 17C
Starting a New Analysis
General Settings, Options, and Computations
Viewing and Printing Results
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The user is required to enter a Name for the analysis, while a Description
is optional. An annual peak flow data set must be selected from the
available data sets stored in the current study DSS file (see chapter 4 for
importing data into the study). The list of data that can be selected for a
Bulletin 17 analysis will only include those data that have an irregular
interval, like IR-CENTURY and IR-YEAR (E-part pathname). Once a
Name is entered, and a flow data set is selected, the DSS File Name and
Report File will automatically be populated. The DSS filename is by
default the study DSS file. The report file is given the same name as the
analysis with the extension ".rpt".
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General Settings
The first tab contains general settings for performing the flow frequency
analysis (Figure 5-1). These settings include:
Method for Computing Statistics and Confidence Limits
Generalized Skew
Expected Probability Curve
Low Outlier Test
Plotting Positions
Confidence Limits
Time Window Modification
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Generalized Skew
There are three options contained within the generalized skew setting: Use
Station Skew, Use
Weighted Skew, and
Use Regional Skew.
The default skew
setting is Use Station
Skew. With this
setting, the skew of
the computed curve
will be based solely
on computing a skew
from the data points
contained in the data set. No weighting with regional skew will be
performed to compute the final skew.
The Use Weighted Skew option requires the user to enter a generalized
regional skew and a Mean-Square Error (MSE) of the generalized regional
skew. This option weights the computed station skew with the generalized
regional skew based upon the inverse of the mean square error in each
skew estimate. The equation for performing this weighting can be found
in Bulletin 17B (equation 6). If a regional skew is taken from Plate I of
Bulletin 17B (the skew map of the United States), the value of MSE =
0.302. Additional estimates of regional skew to be used in peak flow and
flow-duration statistical analyses are being developed by the USGS and
others; for example, see (Parrett, et al., 2010).
The last generalized skew option is Use Regional Skew. When this
option is selected, the user must enter a generalized regional skew and an
MSE for that skew. The program will ignore the computed station skew
and use only the regional skew.
This setting has two options: compute the expected probability curve and
do not compute the expected probability curve. The default setting is to
not compute the
expected probability
curve. When using
the 17C EMA
method to compute
statistics and
confidence limits, the expected probability curve is not computed.
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However, when using the Bulletin 17B method and computing the
expected probability curve, this curve will be shown in both the result
tables and the plots as an additional curve. The expected probability
adjustment is a correction for bias in the computed frequency curve. The
bias is caused by uncertainty due to the shortness of the data record. The
Method of Moments estimation of the Log Pearson III parameters
produces a median estimate of each frequency curve quantile, and the
adjustment changes to a mean (unbiased) estimate, which is different from
the median because of the skewness of the uncertainty distribution. The
reader may review the discussion in Bulletin 17B about the expected
probability curve adjustment for an explanation of how and why it is
computed.
The use of the expected probability curve is a policy decision. It is most
often used in establishing design flood criteria. The basic flood frequency
curve without the expected probability adjustment is the curve used in
computation of confidence limits, risk, and in obtaining weighted averages
of independent estimates of flood frequency discharge (Interagency
Advisory Committee on Water Data, 1982).
This option allows the user to choose the test that is performed to identify
low-value data points that depart significantly from the trend of the
remaining data and
inappropriately affect
the extreme quantiles
in the upper tail of the
frequency curve.
There are two options
for testing low outliers within HEC-SSP: Multiple Grubbs-Beck and
Single Grubbs-Beck.
These low-value data points can significantly distort the entire computed
flow-frequency curve due to the use of logarithms within both the 17B and
17C EMA methods. These distortions are more severe with the 17C EMA
method. As part of the development of the Bulletin 17C methodology, the
standard Single Grubbs-Beck low outlier test was expanded to more
successfully identify multiple low outliers (also referred to as potentially
influential low floods, or PILFs). Therefore, the only option available
when using the 17C EMA method within HEC-SSP is the Multiple
Grubbs-Beck test. When low outliers are calculated using the Multiple
Grubbs-Beck test, both perception thresholds and flow ranges are
modified within the 17C EMA framework to prevent excessive influence
on the computed flow frequency curve. Example 2 within Appendix C
presents an instance where multiple low outliers are identified using the
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
Multiple Grubbs-Beck test and the resulting modifications that are made
within the 17C EMA framework.
When using the 17B methodology, the default test is the Single Grubbs-
Beck test.
Plotting Positions
(m A)
P
(n 1 A B)
where: m = rank of flood values with the largest equal to 1.
n = number of flood peaks in the data set.
A & B = constants dependent on which equation is used (Weibull
A and B=0; Median A and B = 0.3; and Hazen A and
B=0.5).
Plotting positions represent estimates of the exceedance probability of
each data point (peak flow). Different plotting position formulas can give
very different values for the probabilities of the highest and lowest points
in the data set. In both the Bulletin 17B and 17C EMA methodologies, the
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Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Confidence Limits
This option allows the user to narrow the time window used for the
analysis. The
default is to use all
of the annual peak
flow data contained
in the selected data
set. The user can
enter either a start
date for the analysis, and end date, or both a start and end date. If a start
and/or end date are used, they must be dates that are encompassed within
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
the data stored in the selected data set. The date range for the selected
data set is shown in the editor just above the Start Date field.
Any dates entered within the Time Window Modification will be ignored
when using the 17C EMA Method for Computing Statistics and
Confidence Limits. When using 17C EMA, changes to the start and end
period should be made within the EMA Data tab.
Options
In addition to the general settings, there are also several options available
to the user for modifying the computations of the frequency curves. These
options include:
Low Outlier Threshold
Historic Period Data
User-Specified Frequency Ordinates
When the Options tab is selected, the Bulletin 17 Editor will appear as
shown in Figure 5-2.
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Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
High and low outlier tests are based on the procedures outlined in Bulletin
17B and Bulletin 17C. The calculated outlier thresholds are used as
default values for the high and
low outlier thresholds in HEC-
SSP. The user has the option
to enter a different value for the
low outlier threshold if the
Single or Multiple Grubbs-Beck low outlier tests do not adequately
identify low outliers. If a value is entered for the low outlier threshold,
then this value will override the computed value. When applying the
outlier tests, HEC-SSP will identify both high and low outliers. However,
only low outliers will be removed from the data set when performing the
analysis. If a high outlier is identified in the data set, the analyst should
try to incorporate historical period information to extend the time period
for which the high outlier(s) is (are) considered to be the maximum
value(s). When using Bulletin 17B procedures, the low outlier threshold
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
cannot be set to a value that would censor more than 50 percent of the
peak flows.
To override the computed low outlier threshold, simply check the box and
enter the value.
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This option allows the user to change or add to the frequency ordinates for
which the resulting frequency curve and confidence limits are computed.
The default values listed in
percent chance exceedance are
0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 80,
90, 95, and 99. Check the box
next to Use Values from Table
below to change or add
additional values. Once this
box is checked, the user can
add/remove rows and edit the
frequency values. To add or
remove a row from the table,
select the row(s), place the
mouse over the highlighted
row(s) and click the right
mouse button. The shortcut
menu contains options to Insert
Row(s) and Delete Row(s). The program will use the default values, even
if they are not contained in the table, when the Use Values from Table
below option is not checked. Finally, all values in the table must be
between 0 and 100. Note that these values have no impact on the
computed frequency curve, but rather only the values of the curve that are
reported.
EMA Data
The Bulletin 17C methodology represents a shift in the determination of
peak flow frequency and how data is used within peak flow frequency
analyses. When using the 17C EMA methodology, additional data is
required in order to compute peak flow frequency, confidence intervals,
and plotting positions. This new information includes perception
thresholds and flow ranges. Every year in the analysis period must have
perception thresholds and a flow range specified. The additional data that
is required for use within a 17C EMA analysis is accessed/input within the
EMA Data tab, as shown in Figure 5-3.
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Perception Thresholds
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Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
80000
70000
perception
range
60000
Annual Peak Flow (cfs)
unobserved systematic
20000
period period
10000
0
1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
The first row within the Perception Thresholds table will automatically be
created to span the entire period of record of the selected Flow Data Set.
The start and end year of this first perception threshold can be modified to
alter the analysis time frame. This first perception threshold must have a
low value of 0 and a high value of infinity. Additional rows within the
perception threshold table supersede the rows above, for the specified time
frame. Within HEC-SSP, perception threshold time frames should not
overlap one another.
For any missing years in the analysis period, perception thresholds other
than zero to infinity must be entered after the first row. The reason for this
requirement is that a perception threshold of zero and infinity presumes
any flow that occurred could have been observed, implying that
unobserved years would not be possible. Therefore, unobserved years
must have a perception threshold with either a lower bound greater than
zero or an upper bound less than infinity. Most commonly, since very
large flows do tend to be observed in some way (as historical events are
estimated based on some evidence in the watershed), a lower bound
greater than zero is chosen.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
To assign a value of
infinity within the High
Threshold column, double
left-click to begin editing
the desired cell, right-click,
and select Set as INF
(infinity). Use the
Comments column to provide a descriptive note to a perception threshold.
The use of this column is not required. The comment associated with the
first perception threshold will be automatically set to “Total Record”.
Multiple rows within the Perception Thresholds table can be sorted using
chronological order by right-clicking within the table and selecting Sort by
Start Year. Similarly, rows can also be inserted or deleted by right-
clicking within the table.
When low outliers are detected using the Multiple Grubbs-Beck test, the
perception threshold low value for systematic events will be changed to
use the smallest non-screened annual peak flow. Further discussion
regarding the impacts of low outliers on perception thresholds is contained
within the Appendix C EMA examples.
Flow Ranges
The Bulletin 17B methodology limited the use of annual peak flow data to
point-value flow estimates or zero flows. The 17C EMA methodology
represents each annual peak flow within the analysis period as a range,
whether it was observed or not. The flow range for a given year is
assumed to be the value itself for an observed value or the complement of
the perception threshold for that same year.
Flow data can be classified within one of three categories: Systematic,
Censored, and Historical. This choice is specified in the Data Type
column of the Flow Ranges table and can be changed by the user. By
default, all flow data contained within the associated Flow Data Set will
be set to Systematic while missing years will be set to Censored.
Historical data generally refers to flood peaks that occurred outside of the
systematic data collection period. Within the USGS NWIS database, a
qualification code of “7” will indicate the presence of an historical peak.
If this flow data is contained within the associated Flow Data Set, it will
be labeled as Systematic by default. The user should change the data type
to Historical.
By default, the low and high value for an observed (gaged/systematic)
flood event is set equal to the gage estimate. The perception thresholds for
these data points are 0 to infinity. However, if there is uncertainty about
the flow estimate, the range can expand to represent the possible value(s).
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Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure 5-5. Example Flow Range Table with Systematic, Censored, and
Historical Data.
When a flow event is reported as only a high and low value, a peak value
should be estimated by taking the average of the low and high values. The
peak value is used to compute a plotting position as well as within the
Multiple Grubbs-Beck low outlier threshold computation.
The Apply Thresholds button can be used to automatically fill out the flow
range table with the complementary flow
ranges. For example, if a perception threshold is
specified for a period of missing flow data with a low value of 50,000 cfs
and a high value of infinity, the complementary flow range for each
missing year would be set to 0 to 50,000 cfs after hitting Apply
Thresholds. The user should ensure that the peak, low, and high
values within the flow range table are appropriate for use before
computing the analysis.
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Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure 5-6. Example Peak Discharge Time Series and the Treatment of the
NWIS Qualification Codes used within the Expected Moments Algorithm
(Paretti, Kennedy, & Cohn, 2014).
Compute
Once the new analysis has been defined, and the user has all of the settings
and options the way they want them, performing the computations is
simply a matter of pressing the Compute button at the
bottom of the Bulletin 17 Editor. If the computations are
successful, the user will receive a message that says Compute Complete.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
At this point, the user can begin to review the results of the flow frequency
analysis.
Multiple Bulletin 17 analyses can be computed using the Compute
Manager. Select the AnalysisCompute Manager menu option to open
the Compute Manager. Select the analyses to be computed and then press
the Compute button. Close the compute dialogs and Compute Manager
when the program finished computing the analyses.
Tabular Output
Once the computations for the flow frequency analysis are completed, the
user can view tabular output by opening the Tabular Results tab. When
this tab is pressed, the results will be displayed as shown in Figure 5-7.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
flows, missing values, systematic events, and the number of years in the
historic period.
The tabular results can be printed by using the Print button at the bottom
of the Bulletin 17 Editor. When the print button is pressed, a window will
appear giving the user options for how they would like the table to be
printed.
Graphical Output
Graphical output of the frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the
Plot Curve button. When the Plot Curve button is pressed, a frequency
curve plot will appear in a separate window as shown in Figure 5-8. The
user can modify the plot properties by selecting the EditPlot Properties
menu option. A plot properties window will open that lets the user change
the line style for each data type, change the axis labels, modify the plot
title, and edit other plot properties. The user can also edit line styles by
placing the mouse on top of the line or data point in the plot or legend and
clicking the right mouse button. Then select the Edit Properties menu
option in the shortcut menu. Both the Y and X-axis properties can be
edited by placing the mouse on top of axis and clicking the right mouse
button. Then select the Edit Properties menu option in the shortcut
menu. For example, the user can turn on minor tic marks for the y-axis
and modify the minimum and maximum scale for the x-axis.
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The frequency curve plot can be sent to the printer by selecting the Print
option from the File menu at the top of the window. Additional printing
options available from the File menu are Page Setup, Print Preview, and
Print Multiple (used for printing multiple graphs on the same page). The
graphic can also be sent to the Windows Clipboard by selecting Copy to
Clipboard from the File menu. Additionally, the plot can be saved to a
file by selecting the Save As option from the File menu. When the Save
As option is selected, a window will appear allowing the user to select a
directory, enter a filename, and select the format for saving the file.
Currently, four file formats are available for saving the graphic to disk,
windows metafile, postscript, JPEG, and portable network graphic.
The data contained within the plot can also be tabulated by selecting
Tabulate from the File menu. When this option is selected, a separate
window will appear with the data tabulated. Additional options are
available from the File menu for saving the graphics options as a template
(Save Template) and applying previously saved templates to the current
graphic (Apply Template).
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
The Edit menu on the graphic window contains several options for
customizing the graphic. These options include Plot Properties, Configure
Plot Layout, Default Line Styles, and Default Plot Properties.
Also, a shortcut menu will appear with further customizing options when
the user right-clicks on a line on the graph or the legend.
The graphic customizing capabilities within HEC-SSP are very powerful,
but are also somewhat complex to use. The code used in developing the
plots in HEC-SSP is the same code that is used for developing graphics in
HEC-DSSVue and several other HEC software programs. Please refer to
the HEC-DSSVue User’s Manual for details on customizing plots.
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Plots, tables and reports can also be created by selecting menu options
from the Results menu. At least one Bulletin 17 analysis must be selected
in the study explorer before selecting one of the menu options on the
Results menu. Results from multiple analyses are combined in one graph
if they are selected in the study explorer when the Graph menu option is
selected. The ResultsSummary Report menu option will create a
summary table of statistics and frequency curve ordinates for the selected
analyses as shown in Figure 5-10.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 5 - Performing a Bulletin 17 Flow Frequency Analysis
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
CHAPTER 6
Contents
Starting a New Analysis
General Settings and Options
Analytical Frequency Analysis
Graphical Frequency Analysis
Viewing and Printing Results
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
The user is required to enter a Name for the analysis, while a Description
is optional. A data set (flow, stage, or other) must be selected from the
available data sets stored in the current study DSS file (see Chapter 4 for
importing data into the study). The list of data that can be selected for a
general frequency analysis will only include those data that have an
irregular interval, like IR-CENTURY and IR-YEAR (E-part pathname).
Once a Name is entered and a data set is selected, the DSS File Name and
Report File will automatically be filled out. The DSS filename is by
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
default the study DSS file. The report file is given the same name as the
analysis with the extension ".rpt".
General Settings
The first tab contains general settings for performing the frequency
analysis (Figure 6-1). These settings include:
Log Transforms
Confidence Limits
Time Window Modification
Data Sampling
Plotting Positions
Log Transform
There are two options contained within the Log Transform setting: Use
Log Transform and Do not use Log
Transform. If the user selects Use Log
Transform then the logs of the data will
be taken first. The frequency analysis
will be performed on the logs of the data.
If the user selects Do not use Log
Transform, then the frequency analysis will be performed on the raw data
values without taking the logs of the data. The default setting is Use Log
Transform.
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Confidence Limits
This option allows the user to narrow the time window used for the
analysis. The
default is to use all
of the data
contained in the
selected data set.
The user can enter
either a start date
and end date or
both a start and end date. If a start and/or end date are used, they must be
dates that are encompassed within the data stored in the selected data set.
The date range for the selected data set is shown in the editor just above
the Start Date field.
Data Sampling
Two methods are available for sampling data within HEC-SSP: Partial
Duration and Annual Maximum. An annual maximum series is ordinarily
used when the
primary interest
lies in the larger
events or when the
second, third,
fourth… nth largest
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
6-5
Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure 6-2. Hourly Flow, Annual Maximum, and Partial Duration Series for a
Stream Gage.
Plotting Positions
Plotting positions are used for plotting the raw data points on the graph.
There are four options for plotting position
methodologies within HEC-SSP: Weibull,
Median, Hazen, and user entered
coefficients. The default method is the
Weibull plotting position formula. The
generalized plotting position equation is:
(m A)
P
(n 1 A B)
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
Options
In addition to the general settings, there are also several options available
to the user for modifying the computations of the frequency curves. These
options include:
Low Outlier Threshold
Historic Period Data
User-Specified Frequency Ordinates
Output Labeling
When the Options tab is selected, the General Frequency Analysis editor
will appear as shown in Figure 6-3.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
in Bulletin 17B. To use the low outlier threshold, simply check the box
and enter the value.
All historic data that provides reliable estimates outside the systematic
record should be used in order to improve the frequency computations.
Information outside of the systematic record can often be used to extend
the record of the largest events to a historic period much longer than that
of the systematic record.
HEC-SSP uses historic
data as recommended in
Bulletin 17B. This
calculation is applied in
the same manner in the
General Frequency
Analysis. To use
historic data, check the
box labeled Use
Historic Data. The user
can enter a starting year
for the historic period,
ending year for a historic
period, and a High Threshold value. If the user enters a high threshold
value, then any data in the systematic record greater than that value will
also be treated as a historical annual maximum. The user can also enter
historic data that are not contained in the systematic record. This is done
in the table at the bottom labeled Historic Events. All years must be
entered as water year values (October 1 through September 30). If a start
year is not entered, then the assumed start year is the earliest year of the
systematic record and any historical values that have been entered. If an
end year is not entered, then the assumed end year is the latest year in the
systematic record and any entered historic values. Further discussion of
the use of historical data can be found in Bulletin 17B.
Note: The program treats all data in the data set as systematic data. If
historic events are included in the data set, then the user can define the
analysis time window (General tab – Time Window Modification) so that
it only bounds the systematic record. Then define the historic events in
the Historic Events table. Instead of using the Time Window Modification
option, another option is to enter a High Threshold value so that the
historic data point(s) would be treated as historic data (rather than part of
the systematic record). Please see Example 6 in Appendix B for an
example of using the historic data adjustment.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
This option allows the user to change the frequency ordinates used in
computing the resulting
frequency curves and confidence
limits. The default values listed
in percent chance exceedance
are 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50,
80, 90, 95, and 99. Check the
box next to Use Values from
Table below to change or add
additional values. Once this box
is checked, the user can
add/remove rows and edit the
frequency values. To add or
remove a row from the table,
select the row(s), place the
mouse over the highlighted
row(s) and click the right mouse
button. The shortcut menu
contains options to Insert Row(s) and Delete Row(s). The program will
use the default values, even if they are not contained in the table, when the
Use Values from Table below option are not checked. Finally, all values
in the table must be between 0 and 100.
Output Labeling
This option allows the user to change the default labels for data contained
in the output tables and plots.
The user can change both the
name of the data as well as
how the units of the data are
labeled.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
Figure 6-4. Analytical Analysis Tab of the General Frequency Analysis Editor.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Settings
The Settings tab contains additional settings for the analytical frequency
analysis. These settings include:
Distribution
Generalized Skew
Expected Probability Curve
Distribution
This option allows the user to select from available analytical distributions
to perform the frequency analysis.
The current version of HEC-SSP
contains three distribution choices:
None, Normal, LogNormal, Pearson
III, and LogPearson III. If the user
has selected to transform the data to
log space (General tab), then the
only available choices for
distribution will be None, LogNormal, and LogPearson III. If the user did
not select the option to transform the data to log space (General tab), then
the only available choices for distribution will be None, Normal and
Pearson III. Finally, if the user has selected to use a partial duration series
on the General Tab, then no distributions will be available for use.
Generalized Skew
There are three options contained within the generalized skew setting: Use
Station Skew, Use Weighted Skew, and Use Regional Skew. The default
skew setting is Use Station Skew. With this setting, the skew of the
computed curve will be based solely on computing a skew from the data
points.
To use either of the two other
options requires the use of the Log
Person III distribution. The Use
Weighted Skew option requires the
user to enter a generalized regional
skew and a Mean-Square Error
(MSE) of the generalized regional
skew. This option weights the
computed station skew with the
generalized regional skew. The
equation for performing this
weighting can be found in Bulletin 17B (Equation 6). If a regional skew is
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
taken from Plate I of Bulletin 17B (the skew map of the United States), the
value of MSE = 0.302.
The last generalized skew option is Use Regional Skew. When this
option is selected, the user must enter a generalized regional skew and an
MSE for that skew. The program will ignore the computed station skew
and use only the generalized regional skew.
This setting has two options: Compute the expected probability curve and
do not compute the expected probability curve. The default setting is to
not compute the expected probability curve. When computed, this curve
will be shown in both the
tables and the plots as an
additional curve to the
computed curve. The
expected probability
adjustment is a correction for
bias in the computed frequency curve. The bias is caused by the skew in
the uncertainty due to the shortness of the data record. The Method of
Moments estimation of the Log Pearson III parameters produces a median
estimate of each frequency curve quantile, and the adjustment changes to a
mean (unbiased) estimate, which is different from the median because of a
skewed uncertainty distribution. Please review the discussion in Bulletin
17B about the expected probability curve adjustment for an explanation of
how and why it is computed. The use of the expected probability curve is
a policy decision. It is most often used in establishing design flood
criteria. The basic flood frequency curve without the expected probability
adjustment is the curve used in computation of confidence limits, risk, and
in obtaining weighted averages of independent estimates of flood
frequency discharge (Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data,
1982).
Compute
Once the new analysis has been defined, and the user has all of the
General, Options, and Settings information selected the way they want,
performing the computations is simply a matter of pressing the Compute
button at the bottom of the General Frequency Analysis editor. If the
computations are successful, the user will receive a message that says
“Compute Complete”. At this point, the user can begin to review the
results of the Analytical Frequency computations.
Multiple General Frequency analyses can be computed using the
Compute Manager. Select the AnalysisCompute Manager menu
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Tabular Results
The Tabular Results tab will bring up a table of results for the Analytical
Frequency analysis. An example of the results tab is shown in Figure 6-5.
As shown in Figure 6-5, the window contains three tables. The top table
contains results of the computed frequency curve. The very left column of
the top table is the Percent Chance Exceedance for all the computed
values. The next three columns in the top table contain the computed
frequency curve and the 95% and 5% confidence limits that correspond to
that computed curve. The last three columns of the top table contain a
computed frequency curve and confidence limits for an analysis based on
user-adjusted statistics for the mean, standard deviation, adopted skew,
and equivalent years of record. User entered adjusted statistics are an
option that the user can set on the Plot tab, which is discussed in detail in
the next section of this manual. If the user has not entered adjusted
statistics, then these columns will be empty. Data in the frequency curve
table can be re-sorted. Click the Percent Chance Exceedance column
header (two mouse clicks are required the first time). The percent chance
exceedance ordinates, along with frequency curve and confidence limits
values, will sort so that the lowest values are on top or the highest values
are on top.
Two additional tables are shown at the bottom of the window: Statistics
and Number of Events. The Statistics table consists of the mean, standard
deviation, station skew, user entered regional skew, weighted skew
(weighted between station skew and regional skew), and the adopted skew
for the analysis. The Number of Events table contains the number of
historic events, high outliers, low outliers, zero or missing values,
systematic events, and the number of years in the historic period (this
value only comes into play if the user entered historic data).
Additionally, the lower right portion of the table will show if Log
Transform is On or Off, and which analytical distribution was selected for
the analysis.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
Plot
In addition to tabular results, a Plot tab is available for viewing a graphical
plot of both the computed frequency curve, as well as a computed curve
based on any user-adjusted statistics. When the Plot tab is selected the
window will change to what is shown in Figure 6-6.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
As shown in Figure 6-6, the plot contains the computed frequency curve,
95% and 5% confidence limits, and raw data points plotted by the user
selected plotting position method. The computed statistics for the
frequency curve are shown in a table on the right side of the window.
Below the computed statistics is a table labeled "User Statistics". There is
a check box and a data entry field for the Mean, Standard Deviation,
Adopted Skew, and Equivalent Years of Record. The user can enter
values into any or all of these fields. Turning on the check box then
enables that field to be used in computing a curve with the user entered
statistic overriding the computed value from the raw data. The user
statistics option allows the user to see how the curve would change if any
or all of the statistics were different. When data is entered into the user
statistics fields, and the check boxes are turned on, the user must press the
compute button again in order for the computations to be performed with
the user entered statistics. After the compute button is pressed, both the
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
plot and the table on the Tabular Results tab will be updated to reflect any
user entered statistics.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
Tabular Output
Once the computations for the analytical frequency analysis are
completed, the user can view tabular output by selecting the Tabular
Results tab under the Analytical analysis tab. The details of this table
were discussed under the analytical analysis option above.
The tabular results can be printed by using the Print button at the bottom
of the General Frequency Analysis editor. When the print button is
pressed, a window will appear giving the user options for how they would
like the table to be printed.
Graphical Output
Graphical output of the analytical frequency curve can be obtained by
selecting either the Plot tab under the analytical analysis tab, or by
pressing the button labeled Plot Analytical Curve at the bottom of the
general frequency editor. When the Plot Analytical Curve button is
pressed, a frequency curve plot will appear in a separate window as shown
in Figure 6-9.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
The analytical frequency curve plot can be sent to the printer by selecting
the Print option from the File menu at the top of the window. Additional
printing options available from the File menu are Page Setup, Print
Preview, and Print Multiple (used for printing multiple graphs on the same
page). The graphic can also be sent to the Windows Clipboard by
selecting Copy to Clipboard from the File menu. Additionally, the plot
can be saved to a file by selecting the Save As option from the File menu.
When the Save As option is selected, a window will appear allowing the
user to select a directory, enter a filename, and select the format for saving
the file. Currently four file formats are available for saving the graphic to
disk: windows metafile, postscript, JPEG, and portable network graphic.
The data contained within the plot can also be tabulated by selecting
Tabulate from the File menu. When this option is selected, a separate
window will appear with the data tabulated. Additional options are
available from the File menu for saving the plot options as a template
(Save Template) and applying previously saved templates to the current
plot (Apply Template).
The Edit menu contains several options for customizing the graphic.
These options include Plot Properties, Configure Plot Layout, Default
Line Styles, and Default Plot Properties. Also, a shortcut menu will
appear with further customizing options when the user right-clicks on a
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
line on the graph or the legend. Both the Y and X-axis properties can be
edited by placing the mouse on top of axis and clicking the right mouse
button. Then select the Edit Properties menu option in the shortcut
menu. For example, the user can turn on minor tic marks for the y-axis
and modify the minimum and maximum scale for the x-axis. The graphic
customizing capabilities within HEC-SSP are very powerful, but are also
somewhat complex to use. The code used in developing the plots in HEC-
SSP is the same code that is used for developing plots in HEC-DSSVue
and several other HEC software programs. Please refer to the HEC-
DSSVue User’s Manual for details on customizing plots.
A plot of the graphical frequency curve can be obtained by pressing either
the Graphical tab, or by pressing the button labeled Plot Graphical
Curve at the bottom of the general frequency editor. When the Plot
Graphical Curve button is pressed, a frequency curve plot will appear in a
separate window as shown in Figure 6-10. All of the same options for
tabulating, printing, and sending results to the windows clipboard are
available for this plot as they are for the analytical frequency curve plot.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis
Plots, tables, and reports can also be created by selecting menu options
from the Results menu. At least one General Frequency analysis must be
selected in the study explorer before selecting one of the menu options on
the Results menu. Results from multiple analyses are combined in one
graph if they are selected in the study explorer when the Graph menu
option is selected. The ResultsSummary Report menu option will
create a summary table of statistics and frequency curve ordinates for the
selected analyses as shown in Figure 6-12.
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Chapter 6 - Performing a General Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis
CHAPTER 7
Contents
Starting a New Volume Frequency Analysis
General Settings and Options
Extracting the Volume-Duration Data
Analytical Frequency Analysis
Graphical Frequency Analysis
Viewing and Printing Results
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Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
The user is required to enter a Name for the analysis; while a Description
is optional. A data set must be selected from the available data sets stored
in the current study DSS file (see Chapter 4 for importing daily flow data
into the study). The list of data that can be selected for a volume
frequency analysis will only include those data that have a regular interval,
like 1HOUR and 1DAY (E-part pathname). Once a Name is entered and
a data set is selected, the DSS File Name and Report File will
automatically be filled out. The DSS filename is by default the same
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis
name as the study DSS file. The report file is given the same name as the
analysis with the extension ".rpt".
General Settings
The first tab contains general settings for performing the frequency
analysis (Figure 7-1). These settings include:
Log Transforms
Plotting Positions
Maximum or Minimum Analysis
Year Specification
Time Window Modification
Log Transform
There are two options contained within the Log Transform setting: Use
Log Transform and Do not use Log
Transform. If the user selects Use Log
Transform, then the logs of the data
will be computed first, and the frequency
analysis will be performed on the logs of
the data. If the user selects Do not use
Log Transform, then the frequency analysis will be performed on the raw
data values without taking the logs of the data. The default setting is Use
Log Transform.
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Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Plotting Positions
Plotting positions are used for plotting the raw data points on the graph.
There are four options for
plotting position within
HEC-SSP: Weibull,
Median, Hazen, and user
entered coefficients. The
default method is the
Weibull plotting position
method.
The generalized plotting
position equation is:
(m A)
P
(n 1 A B)
where: m = rank of
flood values with the
largest equal to 1.
n = number of flood peaks in the data set.
A & B = constants dependent on which equation is used (Weibull
A and B=0; Median A and B = 0.3; and Hazen A and
B=0.5).
Plotting positions are estimates of the exceedance probability for each data
point. Different methods can give different values for the probabilities of
the highest and lowest points in the data set. The plotting of data on the
graph by a plotting position method is only done as a guide to assist in
evaluating the computed curve. The plotting position method selected
does not have any impact on the computed curve.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis
Year Specification
This option allows the user to define the beginning and ending date for
what will be considered as the analysis year for extracting the data. These
dates are used for extracting the annual maximum or minimum flows, in
order to get one value for each analysis year. It is important to choose a
start date that captures all flood events from a certain hydrologic regime.
If high flows generally occur between November and May, then the year
should not start between
these months. This will
minimize the possibility
that the same flood event
is used for consecutive
years. There are three
options contained in the
Year Specification
section. If Water Year
is selected, the program
uses a starting date of
October 1 and an ending
date of September 30. If
Calendar Year is selected, the program uses a starting date of January 1
and an ending date of December 31. The Other option lets the user define
the starting date. One way to determine when the year should begin is to
plot each year of record on top of one another, as shown in Figure 7-2.
The program will create a graph like the one shown in Figure 7-2 when the
Plot Yearly Data button is pressed. This data set is from an area that
experiences both snowmelt floods and summer/fall rain floods. Starting
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Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
the year on January 1 would be more appropriate for this data set because
a few large flood events occurred around October 1.
This option allows the user to narrow the time window used for the
analysis. When left unchecked, the program will use all of the data
contained in the selected data set. The user can enter either a start or end
date or both a start and end date. If a start and/or end date are used, they
must be dates that are included within the selected data set. The date
range for the selected data set is shown in the editor just above the Start
Date field.
An additional option at the bottom of the time window modification
section allows the user to define a shorter duration, a Season, within the
year in which the program extracts maximum or minimum flows. This
option allows the user to analyze floods that typically occur during a
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis
specific season, like snowmelt floods. When left unchecked, the program
will examine all flow records during the year. The season start and end
dates must be entered using a two digit day followed by the month,
example 15May. The season start and end dates must fall within a year as
defined in the Year Specification. The user must enter both start and end
dates to define the season subset.
Options
In addition to the general settings, there are also several options available
to the user for modifying the computation of the volume-frequency curves.
These options include:
Flow-durations
User-Specified Frequency Ordinates
Output Labeling
Low Outlier Threshold
Historic Period Data
When the Options tab is selected, the Volume Frequency Analysis editor
will appear as shown in Figure 7-3.
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Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure 7-3. Volume Frequency Analysis Editor with Options Tab Selected.
Flow-Durations
This option lets the user define which durations are used in the volume
frequency analysis. The program will extract annual maximum or
minimum volumes based on the durations defined in this table. The
default durations are 1, 3, 7, 15, 30, 60, 120, and
183 days. Check the box next to Change or
add to default values to change or add
additional durations to the analysis. Once this
box is checked, the user can add/remove rows
and edit the duration values. To add or remove
a row from the table, select the row(s), place the
mouse over the highlighted row(s) and click the
right mouse button. The shortcut menu contains
options to Insert Row(s) and Delete Row(s).
The program will use the default durations, even
if they are not contained in the table, when the
Change or add to default values option is not
checked.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis
This option allows the user to change the frequency ordinates used for
creating result tables and graphs. The default
values listed in percent chance exceedance are 0.2,
0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 80, 90, 95, and 99. Check
the box next to Use Values from Table below to
change or add additional values. Once this box is
checked, the user can add/remove rows and edit
the frequency values. To add or remove a row
from the table, select the row(s), place the mouse
over the highlighted row(s) and click the right
mouse button. The shortcut menu contains
options to Insert Row(s) and Delete Row(s). The
program will use the default values, even if they
are not contained in the table, when the Use
Values from Table below option is not checked.
Finally, all values in the table must be between 0
and 100.
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Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Output Labeling
This option allows the user to change the default labels for data contained
in the output tables and plots. The user can change both the name of the
data and how the units of the data are labeled.
High and low outlier tests are based on the procedures outlined in Bulletin
17B, and are applied in the same manner in the Volume Frequency
Analysis. The
outlier
magnitudes
calculated by
the Bulletin
17B procedure
are used as
default values
for the high
and low outlier thresholds in HEC-SSP. The user has the option to enter a
different low outlier threshold for each duration. If a value is entered for
the low outlier threshold, then this value will override the computed value
from the Bulletin 17B methodology. When analyzing maximum flows,
HEC-SSP will identify both high and low outliers. However, only low
outliers will be removed from the data set when performing the analysis.
If a high outlier is identified in the data set, the analyst should try to
incorporate historical period information to extend the time period for
which the high outlier(s) is considered to be the maximum value(s).
Further discussion of outlier thresholds can be found in Bulletin 17B and
the HEC-SSP Statistical Reference Guide. To use the low outlier
threshold, simply check the box and enter a value for one duration or all
durations.
When Analyzing Minimums is selected on the General tab, then the Low
Outlier Threshold criteria becomes the High Outlier Threshold. When
applying the outlier tests, HEC-SSP will identify both high and low
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outliers. However, only high outliers will be removed from the data set
when performing the analysis. If a low outlier is identified in the data set,
the analyst should try to incorporate historical period information to
extend the time period for which the low outlier(s) is considered to be the
minimum value(s).
All historic data that provides reliable estimates outside the systematic
record should be used in order to improve the frequency computations.
Information outside of the systematic record can often be used to extend
the record of the largest events to a historic period much longer than that
of the systematic record. HEC-SSP uses historic data as recommended in
Bulletin 17B. This calculation is applied in the same manner in the
Volume Frequency Analysis. To use historic data, check the box labeled
Use Historic Data. The user can enter a starting year for the historic
period, ending year for a historic period and a High Threshold value for
each duration as shown in Figure 7-4. If the user enters a high threshold
value, then any data in the systematic record greater than that value will
also be treated as a historical annual maximum. The user can also enter
historic data that are not contained in the systematic record. This is done
in the table at the bottom labeled Historic Events. If a start year is not
entered, then the assumed start year is the earliest year of the systematic
record and any historical values that have been entered. If an end year is
not entered, then the assumed end year is the latest year in the systematic
record and any entered historic values. Further discussion of the use of
historical data can be found in Bulletin 17B. If Analyze Minimums is
selected on the General tab then the High Threshold becomes the Low
Threshold. The program will treat systematic values that are lower than
the low threshold as historic annual minimums.
Note: The program treats all data in the data set as systematic data. If
historic events are included in the data set, then the user can define the
analysis time window (General tab – Time Window Modification) so that
it only bounds the systematic record. Then define the historic events in
the Historic Events table. Instead of using the Time Window Modification
option, another option is to enter a High Threshold value so that the
historic data point(s) would be treated as historic data (rather than part of
the systematic record).
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The Allow Editing checkbox in the upper left portion of the Duration
Table tab allows the user to manually edit values in the volume-duration
table. The table becomes editable when the Allow Editing box is
checked. Then the user can overwrite the extracted volume-duration data.
In addition, the program will no longer extract volume-duration data
during a compute and the Extract Volume-Duration Data button
becomes inactive.
When computing the analysis, the program will issue a warning message if
any of the maximum/minimum flows occur a specific number of days
after the beginning of the year. The number of days is determined by the
duration plus five days. For example, for a fifteen-day duration, the
program issues a warning if the maximum/minimum is within twenty days
after the beginning of the year. If water year is chosen, then the program
issues a warning if the maximum/minimum occurs between October 1 –
October 20. This warning is an attempt to let the user know if a maximum
or minimum flow is generated by an event that began in the previous year.
The goal is to prevent a scenario in which the same flow event causes
maximum/minimum flows in consecutive years; this is why it is important
to choose an appropriate annual starting date.
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The user must Compute the analysis before viewing a frequency plot of
the volume-duration data. The plot created by pressing the Plot Duration
Data button, located at the bottom of a Volume Frequency Analysis
editor, shows the annual maximum/minimum volumes plotted using the
user specified plotting position method, as shown in Figure 7-6.
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Settings
In addition to settings on the General and Options tabs, there are more
options on the Settings tab the user must define in order to perform an
Analytical Frequency analysis on the volume-duration data. These
settings include:
Distribution
Expected Probability Curve
Skew
Distribution
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This setting has two options, Compute Expected Prob. Curve and Do
Not Compute Expected Prob. Curve. The default setting is to have the
expected probability curve computed. When computed, the expected
probability curves will be
shown in the report that is
opened by pressing the View
Report button at the bottom of
the Volume Frequency
Analysis editor. The expected
probability curves are also saved to the study DSS file, along with the
computed volume frequency curves and 5 and 95 percent confidence
limits. The expected probability adjustment is a correction for bias in the
computed frequency curve. The bias is caused by the skew in the
uncertainty due to the shortness of the data record. The Method of
Moments estimation of the Log Pearson III parameters produces a median
estimate of each frequency curve quantile, and the adjustment changes to a
mean (unbiased) estimate, which is different from the median because of a
skewed uncertainty distribution. Please review the discussion in Bulletin
17B about the expected probability curve adjustment for an explanation of
how and why it is computed. The use of the expected probability curve is
a policy decision. It is most often used in establishing design flood
criteria. The basic flood frequency curve without the expected probability
adjustment is the curve used in computation of confidence limits, risk, and
in obtaining weighted averages of independent estimates of flood
frequency discharge (Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data,
1982).
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Skew
Compute
Press the Compute button, located at the bottom of the Volume Frequency
Analysis editor, once options have been set on the
General, Options, and Settings tabs. If the compute is
successful, the user will receive a message that says
Compute Complete. At this point, the user can review results from the
analytical analysis by selecting the Tabular Results and Plot tabs.
Multiple Volume Frequency analyses can be computed using the
Compute Manager. Select the AnalysisCompute Manager menu
option to open the Compute Manager. Select the analyses to be computed
and then press the Compute button. Close the compute dialogs and
Compute Manager when the program finishes computing the analyses.
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Tabular Results
The Tabular Results tab contains a table of results for the analytical
frequency analysis. An example of the results table is shown in Figure 7-
8. The top portion of this table contains the analytical frequency curves
for each duration. Data in the frequency curves can be re-sorted. Click
the Percent Chance Exceedance column header (two mouse clicks are
required the first time). The percent chance exceedance ordinates, along
with the frequency curves, will sort so that the lowest values are on top or
the highest values are on top. The statistics of the analytical frequency
curves are contained below the frequency curve ordinates. The statistics
include the mean, standard deviation, station skew, regional skew,
weighted skew, adopted skew, number of years of record, and number of
years with zero or missing flow.
User-adjusted statistics can be defined by the user on the Statistics tab. If
the user has not entered statistics on the Statistics tab, then the results table
will look similar to Figure 7-8. If the user does enter statistics on the
Statistics tab, then the results table will include the adjusted mean,
adjusted standard deviation, and adjusted skew. If specified by the user,
the program will use the user-adjusted statistics when computing the
analytical curves.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis
Plot
In addition to tabular results, a Plot tab is available for viewing results, as
shown in Figure 7-9. The results graph includes the systematic annual
maximum/minimum volumes, plotted using the specified plotting position
method, and the analytical frequency curves. The analytical frequency
curves are based on the computed statistics or user-adjusted statistics if
they are defined on the Statistics tab.
Statistics
As discussed in EM 1110-2-1415, a necessary step in a volume-frequency
analysis is to make sure the analytical frequency curves are consistent
across all durations (USACE, 1993). In some situations, frequency
curves from different durations might cross one another. The Statistics
tab contains tools allowing the user to modify the mean, standard
deviation, and skew to make sure frequency curves do not cross one
another.
When the user selects the Statistics tab, the window will appear as shown
in Figure 7-10. The upper portion of the Statistics tab contains a plot of
the computed and user-adjusted statistics. The user has the option of
choosing the parameter to be plotted in the comparison graph. Computed
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Chapter 7 - Performing a Volume Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
statistics are plotted as black data points and user-adjusted statistics are
plotted as blue data points. The first table, Sample Statistics, contains the
statistics computed from the systematic data. In addition, the adopted
skew value in this table can be the station skew, weighted skew, or
regional skew. The adopted skew is set by the user on the Settings tab.
The lower table is where the user enters the adjusted statistics. Before
entering adjusted statistics, the user must check the box in Column 1.
User-adjusted statistics entered in this table are used when the program
computes the analytical frequency curve.
regulated stream will be very flat in the zone in which upstream regulation
can control the flow. This type of data lends itself to a graphical fit.
When the Graphical tab is selected on the Volume Frequency analysis
editor, the window will appear as shown in Figure 7-11. As indicated, two
additional tabs will appear on the screen, Curve Input and Plot.
Curve Input
The user manually enters the frequency ordinates for all durations in the
table on the Curve Input tab. As previously mentioned, the number of
frequency ordinates and durations are set on the Options tab. The idea is
to enter values in the table that will create a best fit line of the data, based
on the user’s judgment. Data entered in the graphical curve table will be
plotted as a line in the graph on the Plot tab after the Compute button is
pressed.
Plot
The graphical analysis Plot tab is available for viewing results, as shown
in Figure 7-12. The results graph includes the historic annual
maximum/minimum flows, plotted using the specified plotting position
method, and the user-defined graphical curve, which was entered in the
table on the Curve Input tab.
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Tabular Output
Once the computations for the analytical frequency analysis are
completed, the user can view tabular output by opening the Tabular
Results tab under the Analytical analysis tab. The details of this table
were discussed above. The tabular results can be printed by using the
Print button at the bottom of the Volume Frequency Analysis editor.
When the print button is pressed, a window will appear, giving the user
options for how the table is to be printed.
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Graphical Output
Graphical output can be opened by selecting one of the plot buttons at the
bottom of the Volume Frequency Analysis editor or by selecting the Plot
tab under the Analytical or Graphical tabs. There are three plot buttons at
the bottom of the Volume Frequency Analysis editor, Plot Duration Data,
Plot Analytical Curve, and Plot Graphical Curve. Pressing the Plot
Duration Data button will open a new window containing a graph showing
the systematic data plotted using the user-defined plotting position
method. Pressing the Plot Analytical Curve button will open a new
window containing a graph with both the systematic data and the
computed analytical frequency curves, as shown in Figure 7-13. Pressing
the Plot Graphical Curve button will open a new window containing a
graph with both the systematic data and the user-defined frequency curves.
All plots opened by selecting one of the plot buttons at the bottom of the
Volume Frequency Analysis editor contain menu options for printing,
editing, and saving the plots.
Plots can be sent to the printer by selecting the Print option located on the
File menu. Additional printing options available from the File menu are
Page Setup, Print Preview, and Print Multiple (used for printing multiple
graphs on the same page). The plot can also be sent to the Windows
Clipboard by selecting Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
Additionally, the plot can be saved to a file by selecting the Save As
option from the File menu. When the Save As option is selected, a
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Plots, tables and reports can also be created by selecting menu options
from the Results menu. At least one volume frequency analysis must be
selected in the study explorer before selecting one of the menu options on
the Results menu. Results from multiple analyses are combined in one
graph if they are selected in the study explorer when the Graph menu
option is selected. The ResultsSummary Report menu option will
create a summary table of statistics and frequency curve ordinates for the
selected analyses as shown in Figure 7-15.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 8 - Performing a Duration Analysis
CHAPTER 8
Contents
Starting a New Analysis
General Settings and Options
Analytical Duration Analysis
Manual Analysis
Viewing and Printing Results
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The user is required to enter a Name for the analysis, while a Description
is optional. A data set (flow, stage, or other) can be selected from the
available data sets stored in the current study DSS file (see Chapter 4 for
importing data into the study). The list of data that can be selected for a
duration analysis will only include those data that have a regular interval,
like 1HOUR and 1DAY (E-part pathname). Choose “None” for the Data
Set when defining the duration curve manually on the Manual Entry tab.
Once a Name is entered and a data set is selected, the DSS File Name and
Report File will automatically be filled out. The DSS filename is by
default the study DSS file. The report file is given the same name as the
analysis with the extension ".rpt".
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 8 - Performing a Duration Analysis
General
The first tab contains general settings for performing the duration analysis
(Figure 8-1). These settings include:
Method
X-Axis Scale
Y-Axis Scale
Time Window Modification
Duration Period
Method
This option allows the user to choose the Rank All Data Values or Bin
(STATS) method for computing the duration
analysis; the rank all data values method is the
preferred choice. This method computes the
duration curve by sorting the data from largest
to smallest, ranking the values from 1 to n, and
using: P 100 * [M /( n 1)] where M is the
ranked position and n is the number of events. The Bin method uses a
similar procedure as in the STATS program for computing the duration
curve (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1996). The data is grouped into
bins (classes) and the duration curve is computed using the number of data
in each bin.
X-Axis Scale
This option allows the user to choose the scale of the x-axis. The options
are Linear and Probability. This option will affect the x-axis scale in the
duration curve plot and how the “interpolated”
frequency curve is computed. The program
will use a probability scale when interpolating
the final duration curve to the user specified
exceedance ordinates.
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Y-Axis Scale
This option allows the user to choose the scale of the y-axis. The options
are Linear and Log. This option will affect the y-axis scale in the
duration curve plot, how the program computes
evenly spaced bins when the Bin (Stats) method
is selected, and how the “interpolated” frequency
curve is computed. One option for computing
bins is to let the program define the bins at evenly
spaced intervals between the minimum and
maximum values from the selected data set. When Log is set as the y-axis
scale, the program will convert the minimum and maximum values to log
space before computing the evenly spaced bin limits. Also, the program
will use log scale when interpolating the final duration curve to the user
specified exceedance ordinates.
This option allows the user to narrow the time window used for the
analysis. The default is to use all of the data contained in the selected data
set. The user can
enter either a start
date and end date or
both a start and end
date. If a start
and/or end date are
used, they must be
dates that are
contained within the data stored in the selected data set. The date range
for the selected data set is shown in the editor just above the Start Date
field.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 8 - Performing a Duration Analysis
Duration Period
This option allows the user to compute multiple duration curves for
different time windows within the year. If Annual is selected, then the
program uses all the data when computing the duration curve. If
Quarterly is selected, then the program separates the data into quarters
and computes a separate duration curve for each quarter. For example, a
duration curve for the 1st quarter includes all data measured from Jan 1 –
March 31. The program will compute a separate duration curve for each
month of the year when the Monthly option is selected. The User-
Defined option lets the user define one or multiple periods within the year.
Then the program will perform the duration analysis using data only
measured during the user-defined period(s).
Options
In addition to the general settings, there are also several options available
to the user for modifying the computations of the duration curve. These
options include:
Output Labeling
Plotting Position Formula
User-Specified Exceedance Ordinates
Bin Limits
When the Options tab is selected, the Duration Analysis editor will appear
as shown in Figure 8-2.
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Chapter 8 - Performing a Duration Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Output Labeling
This option allows the user to change the default labels for data contained
in the output tables and
plots. The user can
change both the name of
the data as well as the units
of the data. The output
labeling does not result in
the conversion of data from
one unit system to another;
it only affects what is
displayed on table headings and the y-axis of the results plot.
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This option allows the user to change the ordinates used in computing the
resulting duration curves. The default values listed in percent of time
exceedance are 99,
95, 90, 80, 50, 25,
15, 10, 5, 2, 1, and
0.1. Check the box
next to Change or
add to default
values to change or
add additional
values. Once this
box is checked, the
user can add/remove
rows and edit the
ordinates. To add or
remove a row from
the table, select the
row(s), place the
mouse over the
highlighted row(s)
and click the right mouse button. The shortcut menu contains options to
Insert Row(s) and Delete Row(s). The program will use the default
values, even if they are not contained in the table, when the Change or
add to default values option is not checked. Finally, all values in the
table must be between 0 and 100.
Bin Limits
The Bin Limits panel is only active when the Bin (STATS) method is
selected on the General tab. This option helps the user to define the limits,
the minimum and maximum values, for each bin. There are two options;
Evenly Spaced and User-Defined. When Evenly Spaced is selected the
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user must also enter the number of bins. The Extract Bin Limits button
will automatically populate the bin limits table by first extracting the
minimum and maximum values from the data set and then linearly
interpolating evenly spaced bin limits. If Log is selected as the Y-axis
scale on the General tab, then the program converts the minimum and
maximum values to log space before computing the evenly spaced bin
limits. The User-Defined option lets the user manually enter the bin
limits. The user must ensure the minimum and maximum values from the
data set are contained in the bin limits table. For example, if the minimum
flow from the data set is 100.0 then the first row in the table must be less
than or equal to 100.0. Additional rows can be added to the table. Place
the mouse pointer on top of the table and click the right mouse button.
Then select the Insert Row(s)… menu option to open an editor for
specifying the number of rows to insert into the table.
Compute
Once the new analysis has been defined, and the user has all of the
General and Options information selected the way they want, performing
the computations is simply a matter of pressing the
Compute button at the bottom of the Duration Analysis
editor. If the computations are successful, the user will
receive a message that says “Compute Complete”. At this point, the user
can begin to review the results.
Multiple Duration analyses can be computed using the Compute
Manager. Select the AnalysisCompute Manager menu option to open
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 8 - Performing a Duration Analysis
the Compute Manager. Select the analyses to be computed and then press
the Compute button. Close the compute dialogs and Compute Manager
when the program finished computing the analyses.
Results
This section of the manual describes results that are available for the
Duration analysis. When the user selects the Results tab on the Duration
Analysis editor, the window will appear as shown in Figure 8-3. As
shown, two additional tabs will appear on the screen: Tabular Results
and Plot.
Tabular Results
The Tabular Results tab will bring up a table of results for the duration
analysis. The tabular results are different for the Rank All Data Values
and Bin (STATS) methods. An example of tabular results for a Rank All
Data Values analysis is shown in Figure 8-3. The results table will
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Plot
In addition to tabular results, a Plot tab is available for viewing a graphical
plot of the duration curves. When the Plot tab is selected the window will
change to what is shown in Figure 8-5. The plot contains the computed
duration curve and the duration curve interpolated to the user-defined
ordinates (defined on the Options tab). Multiple duration curves will be
graphed if the Quarterly, Monthly, or User Defined options are selected as
the duration period.
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Tabular Output
Once the computations for the duration analysis are completed, the user
can view tabular output by selecting the Tabular Results tab under the
Results tab. The details of this table were discussed above.
The tabular results can be printed by using the Print button at the bottom
of the Duration Analysis editor. When the print button is pressed, a
window will appear giving the user options for how they would like the
table to be printed.
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Graphical Output
Graphical output of the duration curve can be obtained by selecting either
the Plot tab under the results tab, or by pressing the button labeled Plot
Duration Curve at the bottom of the Duration Analysis editor. When the
Plot Duration Curve button is pressed, a duration curve plot will appear in
a separate window as shown in Figure 8-7.
The duration curve plot can be sent to the printer by selecting the Print
option from the File menu at the top of the window. Additional printing
options available from the File menu are Page Setup, Print Preview, and
Print Multiple (used for printing multiple graphs on the same page). The
graphic can also be sent to the Windows Clipboard by selecting Copy to
Clipboard from the File menu. Additionally, the plot can be saved to a
file by selecting the Save As option from the File menu. When the Save
As option is selected, a window will appear allowing the user to select a
directory, enter a filename, and select the format for saving the file.
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Currently four file formats are available for saving the graphic to disk:
windows metafile, postscript, JPEG, and portable network graphic.
The data contained within the plot can also be tabulated by selecting
Tabulate from the File menu. When this option is selected, a separate
window will appear with the data tabulated. Additional options are
available from the File menu for saving the plot options as a template
(Save Template) and applying previously saved templates to the current
plot (Apply Template).
The Edit menu contains several options for customizing the graphic.
These options include Plot Properties, Configure Plot Layout, Default
Line Styles, and Default Plot Properties. Also, a shortcut menu will
appear with further customizing options when the user right-clicks on a
line on the graph or the legend. Both the Y and X-axis properties can be
edited by placing the mouse on top of axis and clicking the right mouse
button. Then select the Edit Properties menu option in the shortcut
menu. For example, the user can turn on minor tic marks for the y-axis
and modify the minimum and maximum scale for the x-axis. The graphic
customizing capabilities within HEC-SSP are very powerful, but are also
somewhat complex to use. The code used in developing the plots in HEC-
SSP is the same code that is used for developing plots in HEC-DSSVue
and several other HEC software programs. Please refer to the HEC-
DSSVue User’s Manual for details on customizing plots.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis
CHAPTER 9
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4) The program computes the variable C frequency curve by first using the
response curves to compute conditional frequency curves of variable C.
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This is done by assigning the same frequency from the variable A value
to the corresponding variable C value. Then for a selected value of
variable C, the frequency value from each conditional frequency curve
is multiplied by the corresponding proportion of time (probability) from
the variable B index value. The values are summed to obtain the
frequency of the selected value of variable C. This is done for a
number of values of variable C until a complete frequency curve is
created.
Contents
Starting a New Analysis
General Settings
Variable A
Variable B
Response Curves
Viewing and Printing Results
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The user is required to enter a Name for the analysis, while a Description
is optional. Once a Name is entered, the DSS File Name and Report File
will automatically be filled out. The DSS filename is by default the study
DSS file. The report file is given the same name as the analysis with the
extension ".rpt".
General Settings
Once the analysis name has been entered, the user can begin to perform
the computations. Contained on the Coincident Frequency Analysis editor
are five tabs. The tabs are labeled General, Variable A, Variable B,
Response Curves, and Results. The first tab contains general settings for
performing the coincident frequency analysis (Figure 9-4). These settings
include:
Variable A
Variable B
Output Labeling
Y-Axis Scale
User Specified Frequency Ordinates
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Variable A
This option allows the user to choose whether the coincident frequency
analysis assumes variables A and B are independent or dependent. When
variables A and B can be assumed independent, there will be only one
frequency curve for variable A. A conditional variable A frequency curve
assumes variables A and B are not independent, so there will be a separate
variable A frequency curve for each variable B index value.
Variable B
This option allows the user to define the number of index values for
variable B. The index points are used to discretize the duration curve. A
probability, or a proportion of time, will be assigned to each index point.
Output Labeling
This option allows the user to enter labels for data contained in the output
tables and plots. The
user must enter the
name of the data as
well as the data units.
The output labeling
does not result in the
conversion of data
from one unit system to another; it only affects what is displayed on table
headings and the y-axis of the results plot.
Y-Axis Scale
This option allows the user to choose the scale of the y-axis. The options
are Linear and Log. This option will affect the
y-axis scale in the coincident frequency curve
plot.
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Variable A
The Variable A tab is used to define the frequency curve for variable A.
This tab will look different based on the user’s selection on the General
Tab. The Variable A tab will look like Figure 9-5 when “A and B can be
Assumed Independent” is selected on the General tab. Since variables A
and B are independent, there will only be one frequency curve for variable
A.
As shown in Figure 9-5, the user can choose to define the curve manually
or select an existing study analysis. When the Manual Entry option is
selected, the user must define the Data Name and Data Units. Then the
user must enter the frequency curve for variable A. A frequency curve
value must be defined for each percent chance exceedance ordinate in the
table. When the Existing Study Analysis option is selected, the
dropdown list will be active and the user can choose any Bulletin 17B or
General Frequency analysis in the HEC-SSP study. The variable A
frequency curve table will be populated with the frequency curve when an
analysis is selected. The program uses the statistics from the selected
analysis and computes the frequency curve that populates the table.
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The Variable A tab will look like Figure 9-6 when “A and B can not be
Assumed Independent” is selected on the General tab. A conditional
variable A frequency curve assumes variables A and B are not
independent, so there will be a separate variable A frequency curve for
each variable B index value.
As shown in Figure 9-6, the user must define the Data Name and Data
Units. Then the user must manually enter the variable A frequency curve
for each index value of variable B. This involves extracting the annual
peak values for variable A that occur for each discrete range identified on
the variable B duration curve and performing a separate frequency
analysis on each set of variable A data. Also, a frequency curve value
must be defined for each Percent Chance Exceedance ordinate in the table.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis
Figure 9-6. Variable A Tab when Variable A and B are not Independent.
Press the Plot button located at the lower left corner of the Variable A tab
to open a plot of the variable A frequency curve(s).
Variable B
The Variable B tab is used to define the duration curve for variable B and
the index points with an associated probability. The index points will be
used by the user when developing the response curves (response of
variable C to each combination of variables A and B). The associated
probability represents the proportion of time that each index point can be
expected to occur.
As shown in Figure 9-7, the left side of the variable B tab is used to select
the duration curve from an existing Duration Curve analysis. Once
selected, the program populates the duration curve table. Press the Plot
button located at the lower left corner of the Variable B tab to open a plot
of the variable B duration curve.
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Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
After the duration curve has been selected, the right side of the variable B
tab is used to define the index points and associated probabilities used to
discretize the duration curve. The number of index points is defined on
the General tab and is included on the Variable B tab to let the user know
how many index points must be defined in the table. There are 4 methods
for defining the index values and the associated probabilities. The user
selects one of the methods, edits the table, and then clicks the Generate
Table button in order for the program to finish populating the table. The
following text describes each method.
Define Automatically. The program will use a predefined pattern of
probability ranges when this option is selected, as contained in Table 9-1,
to populate the Probability column. The pattern is dependent on the
number of index points and the default probability patterns do not extend
beyond nine index points. If more than nine index points have been
selected for the analysis, then use one of the other methods for defining
the index points and associated probabilities. The program will compute
the Index and Break Point columns when the Generate Table button is
pressed. The Break Point column is computed using the probability
pattern. The first row in this column is always 100. The second break
point is computed by subtracting the first probability value from the first
break point value. The third break point is computed by subtracting the
second probability value from the second break point value. This
procedure is followed until the last break point is computed; it should
always have a value of 0. The Index values are taken from the duration
curve at the midpoint between each break point range. For example, if the
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis
first break point was 100 and the second was 60 then the first Index value
would be the value from the duration curve at 80 percent time exceeded.
Define from Index Points. The number of rows is set by the number of
index points. In this case, the Index column is edited by the user; the user
must enter an index value in each row. When the Generate Table button
is pressed, the program will compute the Break Point and the Probability
values. First, the program will use the selected duration curve and
interpolate a percent of time exceeded for each user-defined index value.
Then break points are computed so that they are half way between the
percent of time exceeded values (the first and last break points will be 100
and 0). The probability values are computed based on the break points.
For example, the first probability value is computed by subtracting the
second break point value from the first. The second probability value is
computed by subtracting the third break point value from the second. This
procedure is followed until the last probability value is computed.
Define from Probabilities. The number of rows is set by the number of
index points. In this case, the Probability column is edited by the user;
the user must enter a probability value in each row (the probability values
should add up to 100). When the Generate Table button is pressed, the
Break Point column is computed using the user-entered probability
pattern. For example, the first row in the break point column is 100;
therefore, the second break point is computed by subtracting the first
probability value from the first break point value. The third break point is
computed by subtracting the second probability value from the second
break point value. This procedure is followed until the last break point is
computed; it should always have a value of 0. The Index values are taken
from the duration curve at the midpoint between each break point range.
For example, if the first break point was 100 and the second was 60 then
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Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
the first Index value would be the value from the duration curve at 80
percent time exceeded.
User-Specified Index Points and Probability Ranges. This option can
only be selected when the user does not select an existing Duration Curve
to import. This would be applicable for the case where the user developed
the duration curve outside of HEC-SSP and developed the index points
and associated probabilities. As shown in Figure 9-8, the user must
specify both the Probability and Index values; the user must enter values
in each row. When the Generate Table button is pressed, the Break
Point column is computed using the user-entered probability pattern. For
example, the first row in the break point column is 100; therefore, the
second break point is computed by subtracting the first probability value
from the first break point value. The third break point is computed by
subtracting the second probability value from the second break point
value. This procedure is followed until the last break point is computed; it
should always have a value of 0.
Response Curves
The Response Curves tab is used to define the response of variable C to
each combination of variable A and variable B. This analysis is
performed outside of HEC-SSP. For example, a hydraulics model could
be used to apply flow values from the variable A frequency curve to the
tributary and the index flow (or stage) from the variable B duration curve
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis
9-13
Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure 9-9. Response Curves Tab for Same Variable A for Each Variable B
Index.
Figure 9-10. Response Curves Tab for Different Variable A for Each Variable B
Index.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis
Compute
Once the new analysis has been defined, and the user has all of the
information defined on the General, Variable A, Variable B, Response
Curves tabs, performing the computations is simply a matter of pressing
the Compute button at the bottom of the Coincident Frequency Analysis
editor. If the computations are successful, the user will receive a
message that says “Compute Complete”. At this point, the user can begin
to review the results.
The following describes how the variable C coincident frequency curve is
computed.
1) The program uses the variable A frequency curve(s) and the variable A
values in the response curves table to assign a frequency of
exceedance to each variable C value in the response curves table.
2) The program finds the minimum and maximum values of variable C in
the response curves table.
3) The program defines 100 evenly spaced values of variable C in-
between the minimum and maximum values (100 values include the
minimum and maximum values).
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Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
4) For each variable C from step 3, the program will look-up the
exceedance frequency value from each response curve in step 1 and
multiply by the corresponding proportion of time (using the
probability defined on the Variable B tab) obtained from the variable
B index value. These “weighted” values from each response curve are
summed to compute the variable C frequency curve.
5) The curve is interpolated to the selected exceedance ordinates defined
on the General tab.
Multiple coincident frequency analyses can be computed using the
Compute Manager. Select the AnalysisCompute Manager menu
option to open the Compute Manager. Select the analyses to be computed
and then press the Compute button. Close the compute dialogs and
Compute Manager when the program finishes computing the analyses.
Results
This section of the manual describes results that are available for the
Coincident Frequency analysis. When the user selects the Results tab on
the Coincident Frequency Analysis editor, the window will appear as
shown in Figure 9-12. Both tabular and graphical results are included.
The percent chance exceedance ordinates are the same as those defined on
the General tab. In addition, the Data Name and Data Units defined on the
General tab are used in the column header in the results table and the y-
axis label in the plot.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis
By pressing the Plot Condition Frequency Curves, the user can plot the
response curves entered on the Response Curves tab along with the
computed curve and the upper and lower accurate limits.
Data in the frequency curve table can be re-sorted. Click the Percent
Chance Exceedance column header (two mouse clicks are required the
first time). The percent chance exceedance ordinates, along with
frequency values, will sort so that the lowest values are on top or the
highest values are on top.
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Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Tabular Output
Once the computations for the coincident frequency analysis are
completed, the user can view tabular output by selecting the Results tab.
The tabular results can be printed by using the Print button at the bottom
of the coincident frequency analysis editor. When the print button is
pressed, a window will appear giving the user options for how they would
like the table to be printed. Result tables can also be created from the
Results menu. At least one coincident frequency analysis must be
selected in the study explorer before selecting the ResultsTable option.
Graphical Output
Graphical output of the coincident frequency analysis can be obtained by
selecting either the Results tab, or by pressing the Plot button at the
bottom of the coincident frequency analysis editor. When the Plot button
is pressed, a frequency curve plot will appear in a separate window as
shown in Figure 9-14. Result graphs can also be created from the Results
menu. At least one coincident frequency analysis must be selected in the
study explorer before selecting the ResultsGraph option. Results will
be graphed in the same plot if multiple coincident frequency analyses are
selected in the study explorer when opening a graph from the Results
menu.
The coincident frequency curve plot can be sent to the printer by selecting
the Print option from the File menu at the top of the window. Additional
printing options available from the File menu are Page Setup, Print
Preview, and Print Multiple (used for printing multiple graphs on the same
page). The graphic can also be sent to the Windows Clipboard by
selecting Copy to Clipboard from the File menu. Additionally, the plot
can be saved to a file by selecting the Save As option from the File menu.
When the Save As option is selected, a window will appear allowing the
user to select a directory, enter a filename, and select the format for saving
the file. Currently four file formats are available for saving the graphic to
disk: windows metafile, postscript, JPEG, and portable network graphic.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis
The data contained within the plot can also be tabulated by selecting
Tabulate from the File menu. When this option is selected, a separate
window will appear with the data tabulated. Additional options are
available from the File menu for saving the plot options as a template
(Save Template) and applying previously saved templates to the current
plot (Apply Template).
The Edit menu contains several options for customizing the graphic.
These options include Plot Properties, Configure Plot Layout, Default
Line Styles, and Default Plot Properties. Also, a shortcut menu will
appear with further customizing options when the user right-clicks on a
line on the graph or the legend. Both the Y and X-axis properties can be
edited by placing the mouse on top of axis and clicking the right mouse
button. Then select the Edit Properties menu option in the shortcut
menu. For example, the user can turn on minor tic marks for the y-axis
and modify the minimum and maximum scale for the x-axis. The graphic
customizing capabilities within HEC-SSP are very powerful, but are also
somewhat complex to use. The code used in developing the plots in HEC-
SSP is the same code that is used for developing plots in HEC-DSSVue
and several other HEC software programs. Please refer to the HEC-
DSSVue User’s Manual for details on customizing plots.
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Chapter 9 - Performing a Coincident Frequency Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
9-20
HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis
CHAPTER 10
Contents
Starting a New Analysis
General Settings
Frequency Curves
Viewing and Printing Results
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Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
The user is required to enter a Name for the analysis, while a Description
is optional. A Flow Data Set must be selected from the available datasets
stored within the current study DSS file. This flow data set could be
comprised of daily measurements or those of a shorter duration. Generally
speaking, shorter duration datasets (such as 1HOUR or 15MIN) should be
used in lieu of daily durations (see Chapter 4 for importing flow data into
the study). The list of data that can be selected for a balanced hydrograph
analysis will only include those data that have a regular interval, like
15MIN, 1HOUR, or 1DAY (E-Part pathname). Once a Name is entered,
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis
the DSS File Name and Report File will automatically be filled out. The
DSS filename is by default the study DSS file. The report file is given the
same name as the analysis with the extension ".rpt".
General Settings
Once the analysis name has been entered, the user can begin to perform
the analysis. Contained on the Balanced Hydrograph Analysis editor are
three tabs. The tabs are labeled General, Frequency Curves, and
Results. The first tab contains general settings for performing the
balanced hydrograph analysis (Figure 10-1). These settings include:
Output Labeling
Number of Durations
User-Specified Durations
Time Window Modification
Number of Probabilities
User-Specified Probabilities for Balanced Hydrographs
User Specified Frequency Ordinates
Output Labeling
This option allows the user to change the default labels for data contained
in the output tables and
plots. The user can
change both the name of
the data as well as the
units of the data. The
output labeling does not
result in the conversion
of data from one unit
system to another; it
only affects what is displayed on table headings and the y-axis of the
results plot.
Number of Durations
This option allows the user to set the number of frequency curve durations
that will be used to
construct the balanced
hydrographs. The
number entered will
modify the number of rows contained within the User-Specified
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Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis
Number of Probabilities
This option lets the user choose the number of probabilities that will be
used to construct the
balanced hydrographs.
The default setting is “1” probability. Using the default will result in the
creation of a single balanced hydrograph.
The User-Specified
Probabilities table
automatically adjusts
the number of rows
based on the defined
number of
probabilities. After the
user sets the number of
probabilities, the user
must input the
probabilities for the balanced hydrograph analysis. This listing should be
entered in ascending order (i.e. 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, etc). The input listing cannot
use frequencies outside of the User Specified Frequency Ordinates. The
input frequencies should have units of percent.
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Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
Frequency Curves
The Frequency Curves tab is used to define the flow- frequency curves for
the User-Specified Durations. As shown in Figure 10-2, the Frequency
Curves tab contains a panel for each frequency curve; the number of
frequency curves is defined in the General tab. Two options are available
to define these flow-frequency curves. First, the user can input the flow-
frequency information for all of the frequency ordinates. Second, the user
can input the Log-Pearson III statistics (mean, standard deviation, and
skew). Both forms of input can be determined using pre-determined flow-
and/or volume-frequency analyses (i.e. Bulletin 17B, Bulletin 17C,
Volume-Frequency, etc).
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis
Figure 10-3. Plot of Frequency Curves Defined in the Frequency Curves Tab.
Compute
Press the Compute button, located at the bottom of the
Balanced Hydrograph Analysis editor, once options have
been set on the General and Frequency Curves tabs. If the
compute is successful, the user will receive a message that says Compute
Complete. At this point, the user can begin to review the results.
Multiple Balanced Hydrograph analyses can be computed using the
Compute Manager. Select the AnalysisCompute Manager menu
option to open the Compute Manager. Select the analyses to be computed
and then press the Compute button. Close the compute dialogs and
Compute Manager when the program finishes computing the analyses.
Results
This section describes results that are available for the Balanced
Hydrograph analysis. When the user selects the Results tab on the
Balanced Hydrograph Analysis editor, the window will appear as shown
in Figure 10-4. Both tabular and graphical results are included. The
durations and probabilities for the balanced hydrographs are the same as
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Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
those defined on the General tab. In addition, when the Data Name and
Data Units are defined on the General tab they are used in the y-axis label
in the plot.
Tabular Output
Once the computations for the balanced hydrograph analysis are
completed, the user can view the tabular
output by selecting the Results tab. Tabular
results can be opened after clicking the Plot
Balanced Hydrograph button and selecting FileTabulate or by double
clicking on the balanced hydrograph plot in the Results tab and in the
opened plot selecting FileTabulate. The balanced hydrograph table can
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis
Graphical Output
Graphical output of the balanced hydrograph analysis can be obtained by
selecting either the Results tab, or by pressing the Plot Balanced
Hydrograph button at the bottom of the balanced hydrograph analysis
editor. When the Plot Balanced Hydrograph button is pressed, a balanced
hydrograph plot will appear in a separate window as shown in Figure
10-5. The example balanced hydrograph plot in Figure 10-5 was created
after modifying the Time-Window (in the General tab). The user can
modify the Time-Window to obtain balanced hydrographs for a specific
maximum peak in the dataset.
The balanced hydrograph plot can be sent to the printer by selecting the
Print option from the File menu at the top of the window. Additional
printing options available from the File menu are Page Setup, Print
Preview, and Print Multiple (used for printing multiple graphs on the same
page). The graphic can also be sent to the Windows Clipboard by
selecting Copy to Clipboard from the File menu. Additionally, the plot
can be saved to a file by selecting the Save As option from the File menu.
When the Save As option is selected, a window will appear allowing the
user to select a directory, enter a filename, and select the format for saving
the file. Currently four file formats are available for saving the graphic to
disk: windows metafile, postscript, JPEG, and portable network
graphic.
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Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis HEC-SSP User's Manual
As explained previously, the data contained within the plot can also be
tabulated by selecting Tabulate from the File menu. When this option is
selected, a separate window will appear with the data tabulated.
Additional options are available from the File menu for saving the plot
options as a template (Save Template) and applying previously saved
templates to the current plot (Apply Template).
The Edit menu contains several options for customizing the graphic.
These options include Plot Properties, Configure Plot Layout, Default
Line Styles, and Default Plot Properties. Also, a shortcut menu will
appear with further customizing options when the user right-clicks on a
line on the graph or the legend. Both the Y and X-axis properties can be
edited by placing the mouse on top of axis and clicking the right mouse
button. Then select the Edit Properties menu option in the shortcut
menu. For example, the user can turn on minor tic marks for the y-axis
and modify the minimum and maximum scale for the x-axis. The graphic
customizing capabilities within HEC-SSP are very powerful, but are also
somewhat complex to use. The code used in developing the plots in HEC-
SSP is the same code that is used for developing plots in HEC-DSSVue
and several other HEC software programs. Please refer to the HEC-
DSSVue User’s Manual for details on customizing plots.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Chapter 10 - Performing a Balanced Hydrograph Analysis
The computations that were used to create the balanced hydrographs are
contained within the Report output. Specifically, the base, required, and
final flow-duration values are detailed along with the percent error for
each duration and frequency. Additionally, the balanced hydrograph
report can be opened using the ResultsReport option in the Results
dropdown menu at the top of the SSP window.
10-11
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix A – References
APPENDIX A
References
Aldridge, B. N., & Eychaner, J. H. (1984). Floods of October 1977 in Southern Arizona
and March 1978 in Central Arizona. Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.
Cohn, T. A., England, J. F., Mason, R. R., Stedinger, J. R., & Lamontagne, J. (2013). A
Generalized Grubbs-Beck Test for Detecting Mulitple Potentially Influential Low
Outliers in Flood Series. Water Resources Research, 5047-5058.
Cohn, T. A., Lane, W. M., & Baier, W. G. (1997). An Algorithm for Computing
Moments-Based Flood Quantile Estimates When Historical Flood Information is
Available. Water Resources Research, 2089-2096.
Cohn, T. A., Lane, W. M., & Stedinger, J. R. (2001). Confidence Intervals for Expected
Moments Algorithm Flood Quantile Estimates. Water Resources Research, 1695-
1706.
England, J. F., Cohn, T. A., Faber, B. A., Stedinger, J. R., Thomas, W. O., Veilleux, A.
G., . . . Mason, R. R. (2015). Guildelines for Determining Flood Flow Frequency,
Bulletin 17C. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior.
Grover, N. C. (1937). The Floods of March 1936, Part III, Potomac, James, and Upper
Ohio Rivers. Reson, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.
Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data. (1982). Guidelines for Determining
Flood Flow Frequency, Bulletin 17B. Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.
Paretti, N. V., Kennedy, J. R., & Cohn, T. A. (2014). Evaluation of the Expected
Moments Algorithm and a Multiple Low-Outlier Test for Flood Frequency
Analysis at Streamgaging Stations in Arizona, SIR 2014-5026. Reston, VA: U.S.
Geological Survey.
Parrett, C., Veilleux, A., Stedinger, J. R., Barth, N. A., Knifong, D. L., & Ferris, J. C.
(2010). Regional Skew for California, and Flood Frequency for Selected Sites in
the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Basin, Based on Data Through Water Year
2006, SIR 2010-5260. Reson, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.
Prior, J. C. (1991). Landforms of Iowa. University of Iowa Press.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (1992). HEC-FFA, Flood Frequency Analysis, User's
Manual. Davis, CA: Hydrologic Engineering Center.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (1993). EM 1110-2-1415, Hydrologic Frequency
Analysis. Washington, D.C.: USACE.
A-1
Appendix A – References HEC-SSP User's Manual
A-2
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
APPENDIX B
B-1
Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
B-2
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
B-3
Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-2. Tabulation of the Peak Flow Data for Fishkill Creek.
To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record again and
then select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-3.
B-4
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
A Bulletin 17B and a General Frequency analysis have been developed for
this example. To open the Bulletin 17B analysis editor for Example 1,
either double-click on the analysis labeled FFA Test 1 from the Study
Explorer, or from the Analysis menu select open, then select FFA Test 1
from the list of available analyses. When FFA Test 1 is selected, the
Bulletin 17B analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure B-4.
B-5
Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-4. Bulletin 17B Analysis Editor with FFA Test 1 Data Set.
Shown in Figure B-4 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Weighted Skew. To use the weighted skew option, the user must enter a
value for the Regional Skew and the Regional Skew Mean Square Error
(MSE). This selection requires the user to either look up a value from the
generalized skew map of the United States, which is provided with
Bulletin 17B, or develop a value from a regional analysis of nearby gages.
In this example a value of 0.6 was taken from the generalized skew map of
the U.S. from Bulletin 17B. Bulletin 17B suggests using a Regional Skew
MSE of 0.302 whenever regional skew values are taken from the map.
Also for this example, the Expected Probability Curve option was
selected to be computed in addition to the Log Pearson III computed
curve. The Weibull plotting position method was selected, as well as the
default Confidence Limits of 0.05 (5 percent chance exceedance) and
0.95 (95% chance exceedance). Shown in Figure B-5 is the Bulletin 17B
editor with the Options Tab selected.
B-6
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-5. Bulletin 17B Editor with Options Tab Selected for FFA Test 1.
As shown in Figure B-5, none of the available options for modifying the
frequency analysis were selected for this example. These options include
changing the Low Outlier Threshold and using Historic Data.
Additionally, the option to override the default Frequency Ordinates was
not selected.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stating
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure B-6.
B-7
Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-6. Bulletin 17B Analysis Window with Results Tab Shown for FFA
Test 1.
As shown in Figure B-6, the Frequency Curve table contains the following
results:
Percent Chance Exceedance
Computed Curve (Log-Pearson III results)
Expected Probability Curve
Confidence Limits (5% and 95% chance exceedance curves)
On the bottom, left side of the results tab is a table of Statistics for the
observed station data (mean, standard deviation, station skew) and
regional adjustment (regional skew, weighted skew, and adopted skew).
Also on the bottom, right side of the results tab is a Number of Events
table showing the number of historic events used in the analysis, number
B-8
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the Windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the Windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
B-9
Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-8 is the report file for
FFA Test 1.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis. The user should review the report file
to understand how HEC-SSP performed the Bulletin 17B frequency curve
calculations.
B-10
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-9. Tabulation of the Peak Flow Data for the Floyd River.
B-11
Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and then
select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-10.
A Bulletin 17B and General Frequency analysis have been developed for
this example. To open the Bulletin 17B analysis editor for FFA Test 2,
either double-click on the analysis labeled FFA Test 2 from the study
pane, or from the Analysis menu select open and then select FFA Test 2
from the list of available analyses. When FFA Test 2 is selected, the
Bulletin 17B analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure B-11.
B-12
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-11. Bulletin 17B Analysis Editor with FFA Test 2 Data Set.
Shown in Figure B-11 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Weighted Skew. To use the weighted skew option, the user must enter a
value for the Regional Skew and the Regional Skew Mean Square Error
(MSE). This selection requires the user to either look up a value from the
generalized skew map of the United States, which is provided with
Bulletin 17B, or develop a value from a regional analysis of nearby gages.
In this example a value of -0.3 was taken from the generalized skew map
of the U.S. from Bulletin 17B. Bulletin 17B suggests using a Regional
Skew MSE of 0.302 whenever regional skew values are taken from the
map.
Also for this example, the Expected Probability Curve option was
selected to be computed in addition to the Log Pearson III computed
curve. The Weibull plotting position method was selected, as well as the
default Confidence Limits of 0.05 (5 percent chance exceedance) and
0.95 (95% chance exceedance). Shown in Figure B-12 is the Bulletin 17B
editor with the Options Tab selected.
B-13
Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-12. Bulletin 17B Editor with Options Tab Selected for FFA Test 2.
As shown in Figure B-12, the Historic Period Data option has been
selected to reflect the fact that the 1953 flood peak of 71,500 cfs is known
to be the largest flood since 1892. When the analysis was originally
performed on this data set, the 1953 event was found to be a high outlier.
(The reader may replicate this result by un-checking the "Use Historic
Data" box, hitting the Compute button, and reviewing the Tabular Results
tab.) High outliers should not be eliminated from an analysis, as they are
valuable pieces of the flow record. However, when a high outlier is found
in a data set, it suggests that the event might actually be the largest in a
much longer period of record. The analyst should always try to locate and
incorporate historic information to define a longer record and improve the
quality of the frequency analysis. Since it was known that the 1953 event
was the largest value since 1892, the year 1892 is entered as the Start
Year for the historic period. Additionally, a High Threshold Value of
70,000 cfs was entered. By entering the High Threshold Value of 70,000
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
cfs, the 1953 flood of 71,500 cfs was removed from the systematic record
and treated as a historic data value during the historic data adjustment
calculations performed by HEC-SSP and outlined in Bulletin 17B,
Appendix 6. Since no End Year was entered for the historic period, the
last year of the systematic data set will be used as the End Year.
Other features on this tab include the Low Outlier Threshold and the
option to override the default Frequency Ordinates, neither of which are
selected in this example.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stating
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure B-13.
Figure B-13. Bulletin 17B Editor with Results Tab Selected for FFA Test 2.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-15 is the report file
for FFA Test 2.
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The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis. The user should review the report file
to understand how HEC-SSP performed the frequency curve calculations.
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Figure B-16. Tabulation of the Peak Flow Data for Back Creek.
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To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and select
Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-17.
A Bulletin 17B and General Frequency analysis have been developed for
this example. To open the Bulletin 17B analysis editor for FFA Test 3,
either double-click on the analysis labeled FFA Test 3 from the study
explorer, or from the Analysis menu select open and then select FFA Test
3 from the list of available analyses. When FFA Test 3 is selected, the
Bulletin 17B analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure B-18.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-18. Bulletin 17B Analysis Editor with FFA Test 3 Data Set.
Shown in Figure B-18 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Weighted Skew. To use the weighted skew option, the user must enter a
value for the Regional Skew and the Regional Skew Mean Square Error
(MSE). This selection requires the user to either look up a value from the
generalized skew map of the United States, which is provided with
Bulletin 17B, or develop a value from a regional analysis of nearby gages.
In this example, a value of 0.5 was taken from the generalized skew map
of the U.S. from Bulletin 17B. Bulletin 17B suggests using a Regional
Skew MSE of 0.302 whenever regional skew values are taken from the
map.
Also for this example, the Expected Probability Curve option was
selected to be computed in addition to the Log Pearson III computed
curve. The Weibull plotting position method was selected, as well as the
default Confidence Limits of 0.05 (5 percent chance exceedance) and
0.95 (95% chance exceedance). Shown in Figure B-19 is the Bulletin 17B
editor with the Options Tab selected.
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Figure B-19. Bulletin 17B Editor with the Options Tab Selected for FFA Test 3.
As shown in Figure B-19, none of the available options for modifying the
frequency curve were selected for this test example. These options
include the Low Outlier Threshold and Historic Period Data.
Additionally, the option to override the default Frequency Ordinates was
not selected.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed a message window will open stating
Compute Complete. Close this window and select the Tabular Results
tab. The analysis window should look like Figure B-20.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-20. Bulletin 17B Editor with the Results Tab Selected for FFA Test 3.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
missing data years, number of systematic events in the gage record, and
the historic record length (if historic data was entered).
In this analysis, the software detected one low outlier in the systematic
record. As recommended in Bulletin 17B, if a low outlier is detected, then
that data point will be removed and the Conditional Probability
Adjustment will be used to recalculate the frequency curve and then the
statistics without that point. Review the report file to see the original
statistics, computed curves, the low outlier test, and recomputed curves.
In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the computed
frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis window. A plot of the results for this example is
shown in Figure B-21.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-22 is the report file
for FFA Test 3.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis.
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Figure B-23. Tabulation of the Peak Flow Data for Orestimba Creek.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and then
select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-24. The
years with peak flows measuring zero are visible.
A Bulletin 17B and General Frequency analysis have been developed for
this example. To open the Bulletin 17B analysis editor for FFA Test 4,
either double-click on the analysis labeled FFA Test 4 from the study
explorer, or from the Analysis menu select open, then select FFA Test 4
from the list of available analyses. When FFA Test 4 is selected, the
Bulletin 17B analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure B-25.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-25. Bulletin 17B Analysis Editor with FFA Test 4 Data Set.
Shown in Figure B-25 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Weighted Skew. To use the weighted skew option, the user must enter a
value for the Regional Skew and the Regional Skew Mean Square Error
(MSE). This selection requires the user to either look up a value from the
generalized skew map of the United States, which is provided with
Bulletin 17B, or develop a value from a regional analysis of nearby gages.
In this example a value of -0.3 was taken from the generalized skew map
of the U.S. from Bulletin 17B. Bulletin 17B suggests using a Regional
Skew MSE of 0.302 whenever regional skew values are taken from the
map.
Also for this example, the Expected Probability Curve option was
selected to be computed in addition to the Log Pearson III computed
curve. The Weibull plotting position method was selected, as well as the
default Confidence Limits of 0.05 (5 percent chance exceedance) and
0.95 (95% chance exceedance). Shown in Figure B-26 is the Bulletin 17B
editor with the Options Tab selected.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-26. Bulletin 17B Editor with the Options Tab Selected for FFA Test 4.
As shown in Figure B-26, none of the available options for modifying the
frequency curve were selected for this test example. These options
include the Low Outlier Threshold and Historic Period Data.
Additionally, the option to override the default Frequency Ordinates was
not selected.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed a message window will open stating
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look Figure B-27.
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Figure B-27. Bulletin 17B Editor with the Results Tab Selected for FFA Test 4.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
missing data years, number of systematic events in the gage record, and
the historic record length (if historic data was entered).
As noted earlier, there were six zero values in this record, and also a low
outlier. A zero value causes difficulty because the first step in fitting a
Log Pearson III distribution is computing the base-10 log of each flow
value, which is undefined for zero. Bulletin 17B recommends removing
the zero values (and the low outlier) from the systematic record to
compute a preliminary frequency curve, and then adjusting that curve with
the Conditional Probability Adjustment. The final frequency curve and
statistics are shown in the table, and the preliminary calculations can be
reviewed in the report file.
In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the computed
frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis window. A plot of the results for this example is
shown in Figure B-28.
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The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-29 is the report file
for FFA Test 4.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis.
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Figure B-30. Tabulation of the Peak Flow Data for Kaskaskia River.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and then
select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-31.
A Bulletin 17B and General Frequency analysis have been developed for
this example. To open the Bulletin 17B analysis editor for FFA Test 5,
either double-click on the analysis labeled FFA Test 5 from the study
explorer, or from the Analysis menu select Open and then select FFA
Test 5 from the list of available analyses. When FFA Test 5 is selected,
the Bulletin 17B analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure B-32.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Shown in Figure B-32 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Weighted Skew. To use the weighted skew option, the user must enter a
value for the Regional Skew and the Regional Skew Mean Square Error
(MSE). This selection requires the user to either look up a value from the
generalized skew map of the United States, which is provided with
Bulletin 17B, or develop a value from a regional analysis of nearby gages.
In this example a value of -0.4 was taken from the generalized skew map
of the U.S. from Bulletin 17B. Bulletin 17B suggests using a Regional
Skew MSE of 0.302 whenever regional skew values are taken from the
map.
Also for this example, the Expected Probability Curve option was
selected to be computed in addition to the Log Pearson III computed
curve. The default method of Weibull plotting positions was selected.
The default values for confidence limits (.05 and .95) were changed to
0.01 (1 percent chance exceedance) and 0.99 (99% chance exceedance).
Shown in Figure B-33 is the Bulletin 17B editor with the Options Tab
selected.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-33. Bulletin 17B Editor with the Options Tab Shown for FFA Test 5.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab from the analysis window. The analysis window should look
Figure B-34.
Figure B-34. Bulletin 17B Editor with the Results Tab Selected for FFA Test 5.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-35. Plot of the Frequency Curve Results for FFA Test 5.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-36 is the report file
for FFA Test 5.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-37. Tabulation of the Peak Flow Data for Ridley Creek.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and then
select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-38.
A Bulletin 17B and General Frequency analysis have been developed for
this example. To open the Bulletin 17B analysis editor for FFA Test 6,
either double-click on the analysis labeled FFA Test 6 from the study
explorer, or from the Analysis menu select open, then select FFA Test 6
from the list of available analyses. When FFA Test 6 is selected, the
Bulletin 17B analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure B-39.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Shown in Figure B-39 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Weighted Skew. To use the weighted skew option, the user must enter a
value for the Regional Skew and the Regional Skew Mean Square Error
(MSE). This selection requires the user to either look up a value from the
generalized skew map of the United States, which is provided with
Bulletin 17B, or develop a value from a regional analysis of nearby gages.
In this example a value of 0.4 was taken from the generalized skew map of
the U.S. from Bulletin 17B. Bulletin 17B suggests using a Regional Skew
MSE of 0.302 whenever regional skew values are taken from the map.
Also for this example, the Expected Probability Curve option was
selected to be computed in addition to the Log Pearson III computed
curve. The Median plotting position method was selected, as well as the
default Confidence Limits of 0.05 (5 percent chance exceedance) and
0.95 (95% chance exceedance). Shown in Figure B-40 is the Bulletin 17B
editor with the Options Tab selected.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-40. Bulletin 17B Analysis Editor with Options Tab Shown for FFA
Test 6.
As shown in Figure B-40, the Historic Period Data option has been
selected to reflect a historical flood event of 15,000 cfs in 1843 and an
analysis period from 1843 to 1974. Historic data is used to account for
historic flood events large enough to be relevant to the analysis and not
contained in the systematic data record. The additional information
provided by historic data can improve the flood frequency analysis,
especially when the data collection period for a given area is relatively
short. Information for a Historic Flood Peak has been entered to account
for a peak flow of 15,000 cfs in the 1843 water year. The Historic Period
Start Year has been left blank. By default this value will be the earliest
year found in the historic flood peak data or the systematic record.
Therefore for this example, 1843 will automatically be used for the Start
Year of the Historic Period. An End Year of 1974 has been entered. The
systematic record for the gage ended in 1955, however when this analysis
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-41. Bulletin 17B Editor with the Results Tab Selected for FFA Test 6.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-42. Plot of the Frequency Curve Results for FFA Test 6.
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-43 is the report file
for FFA Test 6.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and then
select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-45.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
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Figure B-46. General Frequency Analysis Editor for Stage Analysis Test 7.
Shown in Figure B-47 is the General Frequency analysis editor with the
Options Tab selected. Features on this tab include the Low Outlier
Threshold, adding Historic Date to the analysis, an option to override the
default Frequency Ordinates, and Output Labeling. The 0.1 percent
frequency ordinate was added to the User Specified Frequency
Ordinates table.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-47. General Frequency Analysis Editor with Options Tab Shown for
Stage Analysis Test 7.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can choose to perform an Analytical or Graphical analysis. In this
example, a graphical analysis was performed on the peak stage data.
Shown in Figure B-48 is the Graphical tab. The frequency curve was
entered manually into the User-Defined Graphical Curve table. When
the Compute button is pressed, the program plots the graphical frequency
curve along with the annual maximum peak stage values.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-48. General Frequency Graphical Tab Shown for Stage Analysis Test
7.
In addition to the table and plot available on the Graphical tab, a plot of
the graphical frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot
Graphical Curve button at the bottom of the analysis window. A plot of
the results for this example is shown in Figure B-49.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-49. Plot of the Frequency Curve Results for Stage Analysis Test 7.
Graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows clipboard for
transfer into another piece of software. To print the graphical results, first
bring up the graphical plot and then select Print from the File menu. To
send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select Copy to Clipboard
from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-50 is the report file
for Stage Analysis Test 7.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, the final
computed frequency curve results, and the user-defined graphical
frequency curve. Different types and amounts of information will show
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
up in the report file depending on the data and the options that have been
selected for the analysis.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and then
select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-52.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-53. General Frequency Analysis Editor for Local Runoff at Alb Test 8.
Shown in Figure B-53 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. For this analysis, the Use Log Transform option
was selected, the Weibull plotting position method was selected, the
default Confidence Limits were selected, and no modification was made
to the Time Window.
Shown in Figure B-54 is the General Frequency analysis editor with the
Options Tab selected. Features on this tab include the Low Outlier
Threshold, an option to use Historic Data, an option to override the
default Frequency Ordinates, and Output Labeling. All defaults
settings were selected for this example.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-54. General Frequency Analysis Editor with Options Tab Shown for
Local Runoff at Alb Test 8.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can choose to perform an Analytical or Graphical analysis. In this
example, an analytical analysis was performed. Shown in Figure B-55 is
the Settings tab for the analytical analysis. As shown, the distribution
selected for this example is LogPearsonIII. The Skew option was set to
Use Station Skew and the Do Not Compute Excepted Probability
option was selected.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-55. General Frequency Analysis Editor with Settings Tab Shown for
Local Runoff at Alb Test 8.
Press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the computations
have been completed, a message window will open stating Compute
Complete. Close this window and then select the Plot tab within the
analytical analysis. The analytical plot window should look Figure B-56.
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Figure B-56. The Plot Tab for Local Runoff at Alb Test 8.
As shown in Figure B-56, the Plot tab contains a graph of the systematic
data, the computed frequency curve, and the confidence limits. The right
side of the plot tab contains a table of Computed Statistics and User
Statistics. The user has the option to enter a mean, standard deviation,
adopted skew, and equivalent years of record in the User Statistics table.
The Compute button must be pressed after User Statistics have been
entered in order for the program to compute a frequency curve using the
user statistics.
As mentioned at the beginning of this example, the annual peak flows
were based on daily averaged flows. In order to compute an instantaneous
peak flow frequency curve, a relationship between daily averaged flows
and the corresponding instantaneous peak flows was developed. This was
done by plotting daily averaged flow and the corresponding instantaneous
peak flow for selected flood events. Using this relationship, a Mean of
3.371 was computed and entered in the User Statistics table and the
analytical analysis was recomputed.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-57 shows that the frequency curve computed from the user-
adjusted statistics is added to the graph. This figure also shows that the
user does not have to enter values for all statistics in order for the program
to compute a user-adjusted frequency curve. The program will use
statistics computed from the systematic and historic data if the statistics
are not defined in the User Statistics table. In this example, the program
used the computed statistics for standard deviation, adopted skew,
equivalent years of record and the user-defined mean of 3.371 when
computing the user-adjusted frequency curve.
Figure B-57. Plot Tab with User Adjusted Statistics and Frequency Curves for
Local Runoff at Alb Test 8.
Select the Tabular Results tab to see information for both the computed
and user-adjusted frequency curves. As shown in Figure B-58, the
Frequency Curve table contains the percent chance exceedance, computed
curves (Log-Pearson III results), and the Confidence Limits (5% and 95%
chance exceedance curves) for both the computed and user-adjusted
statistics.
On the bottom left-hand side of the results tab is a table of Statistics for
the observed station data (mean, standard deviation, station skew) and
regional adjustment (regional skew, weighted skew, and adopted skew).
Also on the bottom right-hand side of the results tab is a table of Number
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Figure B-58. General Frequency Editor with Results Tab Selected for Local
Runoff at Alb Test 8.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-59. Plot of the Frequency Curve Results for Local Runoff at Alb Test
8.
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-60 is the report file
for Local Runoff at Alb Test 8.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis.
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To plot the data for this example, right-click on the data record and then
select Plot. A plot of the data will appear as shown in Figure B-62.
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Figure B-63. General Frequency Analysis Editor for Reg Flow Rio Grande Test
9.
Shown in Figure B-63 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. For this analysis, the Use Log Transform option
was selected, the Weibull plotting position method was selected, the
default Confidence Limits were selected, and no modification was made
to the Time Window.
Shown in Figure B-64 is the General Frequency analysis editor with the
Options Tab selected. Features on this tab include the Low Outlier
Threshold, an option to use Historic Data, an option to override the
default Frequency Ordinates, and Output Labeling. All defaults
settings were selected for this example.
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Figure B-64. General Frequency Analysis Editor with Options Tab Shown for
Reg Flow Rio Grande Test 9.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can choose to perform an Analytical or Graphical analysis. In this
example, a graphical analysis was performed. Shown in Figure B-65 is
the Graphical analysis tab. As shown, a graph containing the systematic
data and graphical curve is on the left side and a table containing the user-
entered frequency curve is on the right side of the window. The frequency
curve was entered manually into the User-Defined Graphical Curve
table. When the Compute button is pressed, the program plots the
graphical frequency curve along with the annual maximum flow values.
For this example, a reservoir model was used to route synthetic
hydrographs through the reservoir network upstream of Albuquerque
using current operating criteria. This was done for the 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0,
10, 20, and 50 percent events. Output from the model was input into the
Frequency Ordinates table. For the more frequent events (10 year and
below), the graphical curve was fit to the data visually. This example
shows how a reservoir network can influence the frequency curve. Notice
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how the frequency curve is flat for the 20 through the 1 percent chance
events. The reservoir network is able to control flooding in this range.
This example also shows that as flood events become larger, the reservoir
network has less influence on controlling downstream flooding.
Figure B-65. Graphical Tab Shown for Reg Flow Rio Grande Test 9.
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Figure B-66. Plot of the Frequency Curve Results for Reg Flow Rio Grande Test
9.
The graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows clipboard
for transfer into another piece of software. To print the graphical results,
first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print from the File menu.
To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select Copy to Clipboard
from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-67 is the report file
for Reg Flow Rio Grande Test 9.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, and additional calculations needed.
Different types and amounts of information will show up in the report file
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depending on the data and the options that have been selected for the
analysis.
Figure B-67. Report File for Reg Flow Rio Grande Test 9.
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select Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10 from the list of available
analyses. When test 10 is opened, the Volume Frequency Analysis editor
will appear as shown in Figure B-69.
Figure B-69. Volume Frequency Analysis Editor for Unreg Flow Rio Grande
Test 10.
Shown in Figure B-69 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. For this analysis, the Use Log Transform option
was selected, the Weibull plotting position method was selected, Analyze
Maximums was selected, the Calendar Year option was selected, and no
modification was made to the Time Window.
Shown in Figure B-70 is the Volume Frequency Analysis editor with the
Options Tab selected. Features on this tab include an option to override
the default Flow Duration values, an option to override the default
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Figure B-70. Options Tab Shown for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can extract the volume-duration data from the time-series of daily flows.
Select the Duration Data tab and press the Extract Volume-Duration
Data button at the bottom of the table. The table should then fill with the
flow-duration values, as shown in Figure B-71.
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Figure B-71. Volume-Duration Data Table for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
Once the data has been extracted, the user must choose to perform an
Analytical or Graphical analysis. In this example, an analytical analysis
was performed. Shown in Figure B-72 is the Settings tab for the
analytical analysis. As shown, the distribution selected for this example is
LogPearsonIII. The Skew option was set to Use Station Skew and the Do
Not Compute Excepted Probability option was selected.
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Figure B-72. Settings Tab Shown for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
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Figure B-73. Tabular Results Tab for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
As shown in Figure B-74, the Plot tab contains a graph of the systematic
data and the computed frequency curves. Notice how some of the
frequency curves look like they might cross if the lines were extended.
The Statistics tab can be used to modify the computed statistics to ensure
that the frequency curves are consistent.
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Figure B-74. Plot Tab for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
For this example, the standard deviation and the adopted skew values were
modified to make sure the volume frequency curves were consistent. As
shown in Figure B-75, the check boxes next to mean, standard deviation,
and adopted skew were checked and then user-adjusted statistics were
entered into the table for all durations. The Compute button must be
pressed after adjusted statistics have been entered in order for the program
to recompute the frequency curves using the user-adjusted statistics.
Figure B-76 shows the Plot tab after the user-adjusted statistics were
entered on the Statistics tab. Results on the Tabular Results tab will also
update when user-adjusted statistics are entered on the Statistics tab.
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Figure B-75. Statistics Tab for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
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Figure B-76. Plot Tab for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10 After the Statistics
were Adjusted on the Statistics Tab.
In addition to the Tabular Results and Plot tabs, graphical plots can be
opened by selecting the Plot Duration Data or Plot Analytical Curve
buttons at the bottom of the analysis window. A plot of the results for this
example is shown in Figure B-77.
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Figure B-77. Plot of the Frequency Curve Results for Unreg Flow Rio Grande
Test 10.
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-78 is the report file
for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
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will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis.
Figure B-78. Report File for Unreg Flow Rio Grande Test 10.
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study explorer, or from the Analysis menu select open, then select Low
Flow Analysis Test 11 from the list of available analyses. When test 11 is
opened, the Volume Frequency Analysis editor will appear as shown in
Figure B-80.
Figure B-80. Volume Frequency Analysis Editor for Low Flow Analysis Test
11.
Shown in Figure B-80 are the general settings that were used to perform
this frequency analysis. For this analysis, the Use Log Transform option
was selected, the Weibull plotting position method was selected, Analyze
Minimums was selected, and the Calendar Year option was selected.
The Calendar Year option was selected because low flows are possible in
late September, early November. Starting the year on January 1
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minimizes the possibility of using the same low flow event in multiple
years. An end date of 31 December 2007 was entered in the Time
Window Modification. This end date was specified because not all the
data for the summer of 2008 was available at the time of the analysis.
Shown in Figure B-81 is the Volume Frequency Analysis editor with the
Options Tab selected. Features on this tab include an option to override
the default Flow Duration values, an option to override the default
Frequency Ordinates, and Output Labeling.
Figure B-81. Options Tab Shown for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can extract the volume-duration data. Select the Duration Data tab and
press the Extract Volume-Duration Data button at the bottom of the
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table. The table should then fill with the flow-duration values, as shown
in Figure B-82.
Figure B-82. Volume-Duration Data Table for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
Once the data has been extracted, the user must choose to perform an
Analytical or Graphical analysis. In this example, an analytical analysis
was performed. Shown in Figure B-83 is the Settings tab for the
analytical analysis. As shown, the distribution selected for this example is
LogPearsonIII. The Skew option was set to Use Station Skew and the Do
Not Compute Excepted Probability option was selected.
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Figure B-83. Settings Tab Shown for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
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limits). The bottom portion of the results table contains the statistics for
all durations.
Figure B-84. Tabular Results Tab for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
As shown in Figure B-85, the Plot contains a graph of the systematic data
and the computed frequency curves. Notice how some of the frequency
curves look like they might cross if the lines were extended. The
Statistics tab can be used to modify the computed statistics to ensure that
the frequency curves are consistent.
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For this example, the standard deviation and the adopted skew were
modified to make sure the volume frequency curves were consistent. As
shown in Figure B-86, the check boxes next to mean, standard deviation,
and adopted skew were checked and then user-adjusted statistics were
entered into the table for all durations. The Compute button must be
pressed after adjusted statistics have been entered in order for the program
to recompute the frequency curves using the user-adjusted statistics.
Figure B-87 shows the Plot tab after the user-adjusted statistics were
entered on the Statistics tab. Results in the Tabular Results table will
also update when user-adjusted statistics are entered on the Statistics tab.
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Figure B-86. Statistics Tab for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
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Figure B-87. Plot Tab for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
In addition to the Tabular Results and Plot tabs, graphical plots can be
opened by selecting the Plot Duration Data or Plot Analytical Curve
buttons at the bottom of the analysis window. A plot of the results for this
example is shown in Figure B-88.
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Figure B-88. Plot of the Frequency Curve Results for Low Flow Analysis Test
11.
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report
file and display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-89 is the report file
for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis.
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Figure B-89. Report File for Low Flow Analysis Test 11.
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Figure B-90. Plot of the Daily Average Flow for Example 12.
A Duration analysis has been developed for this example. To open the
analysis editor for this example, either double-click on the analysis labeled
Fishkill Creek Test 12 from the study explorer, or from the Analysis
menu select open, then select Fishkill Creek Test 12 from the list of
available analyses. When Test 12 is opened, the duration analysis editor
will appear as shown in Figure B-91.
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Figure B-91. Duration Analysis Editor for Fishkill Creek Test 12.
Shown in Figure B-91 are the general settings that were used to perform
this duration analysis. For this analysis, the Bin (STATS) method was
selected, the x-axis scale was set to Linear, the y-axis scale was set to
Linear, and the Annual duration period was selected.
The Options Tab is shown in Figure B-92. Features on this tab include
Output Labeling, the Percent of Time Exceeded ordinates, and Bin
Limits. The Bin Limits panel is active in this example because the Bin
(STATS) method was selected on the General tab. The User-Defined bin
limits method was selected and the bin limits were entered manually.
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Figure B-92. Duration Analysis Editor with Options Tab Shown for Fishkill
Creek Test 12.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can choose to compute the analysis by pressing the Compute button.
Once the computations have been completed, a message window will open
stating Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the
Results tab, shown in Figure B-93.
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Figure B-93. The Results Tab for Fishkill Creek Test 12.
As shown in Figure B-93, the Result tab contains both tabular and
graphical results. The Tabular Results tab contains a table with
information about the bins, like the lower bin limit, the number of values
in the bin, the accumulated number of values greater than or equal to the
lower bin limit, and the percent of time equaled or exceeded for each bin.
Tabular results also include a table of the duration curve interpolated to
the percent of time exceeded ordinates defined on the Options tab. The
Plot tab contains a graph of the duration curve, shown in Figure B-94.
The plot includes the computed duration curve and the duration curve
interpolated to the user-defined percent of time exceeded ordinates. The
duration curve plot can also be opened by pressing the Plot Duration
Curve button at the bottom of the analysis window.
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The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the input data and results for the analysis. To review the report file,
press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis window.
When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report file and
display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-95 is the report file for
Fishkill Creek Test 12.
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Figure B-96. Plot of the Daily Average Flow for Example 13.
A Duration analysis has been developed for this example. To open the
analysis editor for this example, either double-click on the analysis labeled
Duration Curve Test 13 from the study explorer, or from the Analysis
menu select open, then select Duration Curve Test 13 from the list of
available analyses. When Duration Curve Test 13 is opened, the
duration analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure B-97.
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Figure B-97. Duration Analysis Editor for Duration Curve Test 13.
Shown in Figure B-97 are the general settings that were used to perform
this duration analysis. For this analysis, the Rank All DataValues
method was selected, x-axis scale was set to Linear, the y-axis scale was
set to Log, and the Annual duration period was selected.
The Options Tab is shown in Figure B-98. Features on this tab include
Output Labeling, the Percent of Time Exceeded ordinates, and Bin
Limits. The Bin Limits panel is not active in this example because the
Bin (STATS) method was not selected on the General tab.
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Figure B-98. Duration Analysis Editor with Options Tab Shown for Duration
Curve Test 13.
Once all of the General and Optional settings are set or selected, the user
can choose to compute the analysis by pressing the Compute button.
Once the computations have been completed, a message window will open
stating Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the
Results tab, shown in Figure B-99.
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Figure B-99. The Results Tab for Duration Curve Test 13.
As shown in Figure B-99, the Result tab contains both tabular and
graphical results. The Tabular Results tab contains a table of the
duration curve interpolated to the percent of time exceeded ordinates
defined on the Options tab. The Plot tab contains a graph of the duration
curve. The plot includes the computed duration curve and the duration
curve interpolated to the user-defined percent of time exceeded ordinates.
The duration curve plot can also be opened by pressing the Plot Duration
Curve button at the bottom of the analysis window, shown in Figure B-
100.
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The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot and then select Print
from the File menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select
Copy to Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the input data and results for the analysis. To review the report file,
press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis window.
When this button is selected a text viewer will open the report file and
display it on the screen. Shown in Figure B-101 is the report file for
Duration Curve Test 13.
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Figure B-102. Duration Analysis Editor for Manual Duration Curve Test 14.
The y-axis scale was set to Log while all other default options were
selected on the General and Options tabs. Figure B-103 shows the
Manual Entry tab for Manual Duration Curve Test 14. A variable
name of “FLOW” and units of “cfs” were entered as well as the duration
curve. The program will plot the duration curve when the Compute
button is pressed.
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Figure B-103. Duration Analysis Editor with Options Tab Shown for Manual
Duration Curve Test 14.
The duration curve plot can also be opened by pressing the Plot Duration
Curve button at the bottom of the analysis window, shown in Figure B-
104.
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Figure B-104. Plot Tab for Manual Duration Curve Test 14.
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Figure B-106. General Tab Shown for Coincident Freq Test 15.
Shown in Figure B-106 are the general settings for this coincident
frequency analysis. For this analysis, the A and B can be Assumed
Independent (Marginal Frequency Curve for A) option was selected.
This would be determined by performing a correlation analysis between
variables A and B; little correlation would indicate that variables A and B
could be assumed independent. The number of variable B index values
was set to 9, the Data Name was set to “Stage” and the Data Units to
“feet”, and the y-axis scale was set to Linear.
Shown in Figure B-107 is the Coincident Frequency Analysis editor with
the Variable A Tab selected. The Manual Entry option was selected
and a Data Name of “Flow” and Data Units of “cfs” were entered. The
frequency curve values were manually entered into the Variable A
Frequency Curve table.
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Once the Variable A and Variable B tabs have been completed, the user
can populate the response curves table. Figure B-109 shows the Response
Curves tab for Coincident Freq Test 15. The Same Variable A for
Each Index option was selected and the Import Variable A button was
pressed to automatically copy values from the Variable A tab and fill in
the Variable A column. The remaining columns in the table were
populated with results from a hydraulics model. For example, the first
value in the second column is 479.16. This value is the stage at the point
of interest given a flow of 60219.18 (cfs) on the tributary (variable A) and
a flow of 3005.92 (cfs) on the mainstem (variable B). A total of 108
simulations were required from the hydraulics model to fill in the response
curves table. Figure B-110 shows a plot of the response surface. The plot
shows variable A (x-axis) and variable C (y-axis). For this example, the
response surface shows that flows greater than 53000 (7th index point) on
the mainstem affect the stage at the point of interest on the tributary.
When the flow in the mainstem is below 53000 (cfs), only the flow on the
tributary affects the stage at the point of interest.
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Figure B-109. Response Curves Tab for Coincident Freq Test 15.
Figure B-110. Response Curves Plot for Coincident Freq Test 15.
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Press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the computations
have been completed, a message window will open stating Compute
Complete. Close this window and then select the Results tab. The results
tab should look Figure B-111. The left portion of the results tab contains
the computed variable C frequency curve and the right portion of the
results tab contains a plot of the computed variable C frequency curve.
The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot by pressing the Plot
button from the bottom of the analysis. Then select Print from the File
menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select Copy to
Clipboard from the File menu.
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In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows input data and results. To review the report file, press the View
Report button at the bottom of the analysis window. When this button is
selected a text viewer will open the report file and display it on the screen.
Shown in Figure B-112 is the report file for Coincident Freq Test 15.
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Figure B-114. General Tab Shown for Coincident Freq Test 16.
Shown in Figure B-114 are the general settings for this coincident
frequency analysis. For this analysis, the A and B can not be Assumed
Independent (Conditional Frequency Curve for A) option was selected.
This would be determined by performing a correlation analysis between
variables A and B; a correlation coefficient in the range of 0.3 – 0.7 would
indicate that variables A and B could not be assumed independent. The
number of variable B index values was set to 9, the Data Name was set to
“Stage” and the Data Units to “feet”, and the Y-Axis scale was set to
Linear.
Shown in Figure B-115 is the Coincident Frequency Analysis editor with
the Variable A Tab selected. A Data Name of “Flow” and Data Units
of “cfs” were entered. A separate frequency curve for variable A was
developed for each index value defined on the Variable B tab. For
example, the frequency curve in the “Flow P(A|B1)” column is the
variable A frequency curve for the 1st variable B index value. The
variable B tab shows the 1st index value, 3005.92, is assigned a proportion
of time of 40 percent. Therefore, the 1st variable A frequency curve was
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developed using annual peak flows on the tributary when flows in the
mainstem were in the range of the 1st variable B index value. For this
example, a multivariate lognormal random number generator was used to
develop a large enough data set so that variable A frequency curves could
be computed for each variable B index value. The random numbers were
generated using statistics from the annual peak flows occurring on the
tributary, statistics from the coincident (same day) flows occurring on the
main stem, and the covariance between the two datasets.
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Once the Variable A and Variable B tabs have been completed, the user
can populate the response curves table. Figure B-117 shows the Response
Curves tab for Coincident Freq Test 16. The Different Variable A for
Each Index option was selected. When selected, a separate Variable A
column is added for each variable B index value. For example, the first
Variable A column is linked to the C = f(A,B1) column. The second
variable A column is lined to the C = f(A,B2), and so on. The Import
Variable A button was pressed to automatically copy values from the
Variable A tab to fill in appropriate Variable A column. The remaining
columns in the table were populated with results from the hydraulics
model. For example, the first value in the second column is 473.95. This
value is the stage at the point of interest given a flow of 42464 (cfs) on the
tributary (variable A) and a flow of 3005.92 (cfs) on the mainstem
(variable B). A total of 108 simulations were required from the hydraulics
model to fill in the response curves table.
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Figure B-117. Response Curves Tab for Coincident Freq Test 16.
Press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the computations
have been completed, a message window will open stating Compute
Complete. Close this window and then select the Results tab. The
Results tab should look Figure B-118. The left portion of the results tab
contains the computed variable C frequency curve and the right portion of
the results tab contains a plot of the computed variable C frequency curve.
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The tabular and graphical results can be sent to the printer or the windows
clipboard for transfer into another piece of software. To print the tabular
results, select Print from the bottom of the analysis window. To send the
tabular results to the windows clipboard, highlight the data you want to
send to the clipboard and then press the Control-C key sequence. To print
the graphical results, first bring up the graphical plot by pressing the Plot
button from the bottom of the analysis. Then select Print from the File
menu. To send the graphic to the windows clipboard, select Copy to
Clipboard from the File menu.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows input data and results. To review the report file, press the View
Report button at the bottom of the analysis window. When this button is
selected a text viewer will open the report file and display it on the screen.
Shown in Figure B-119 is the report file for Coincident Freq Test 16.
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Figure B-120. General Tab Shown for Balanced Hydrograph Test 17.
Shown in Figure B-120 are the general settings for this curve combination
analysis. The Number of Durations was set to three: 0.0417-days (1-
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hour), 1-day, and 3-days. These three durations are those which will be
used to “balance” throughout the analysis. The DSS Range was set to
16Sep2004 through 29Sep2004, which corresponded to the passage of the
remnants of Tropical Storm Ivan, as shown in Figure B-121.
Time Window
The number of probabilities was set to six: 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 percent
frequencies. Using six probabilities will result in the creation of six
balanced hydrographs. The frequency ordinates were left as the default
values.
Shown in Figure B-122 is the Balanced Hydrograph analysis editor with
the Frequency Curves tab selected. Frequency Curve Duration 1 was
manually defined using results from the Bulletin 17 analysis named
“Sinnemahoning_B17C”. Frequency Curve Duration 1 corresponds to a
duration of 0.0417-days or 1-hour. It is assumed that the Log Pearson
Type III distribution that was fit within the “Sinnemahoning_B17C”
Bulletin 17 analysis is indicative of a 0.0417-day duration. Log Pearson
Type III parameters were entered for both Frequency Curve Duration 2
and Frequency Curve Duration 3 using results from the Volume
Frequency analysis named “Sinnemahoning_VolumeFrequency”.
Frequency Curve Duration 2 uses the 1-day results while Frequency Curve
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Duration 3 uses the 3-day statistics from the Volume Frequency analysis.
Figure B-123 shows the plotted frequency curves for this analysis.
Figure B-122. Frequency Curves Tab for Balanced Hydrograph Test 17.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-123. Plotted Frequency Curves for Balanced Hydrograph Test 17.
Press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the computations
have been completed, a message window will open stating Compute
Complete. Close this window and then select the Results tab. The results
tab should look Figure B-124. The left portion of the Results tab window
displays the computed balanced hydrographs in a table using the six
frequencies that were previously defined on the General tab. The right
portion of the Results tab displays all six balanced hydrographs in a plot.
To view the balanced hydrographs in a separate window, either click Plot
Balanced Hydrograph or double click on the plot within the Results tab.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows input data and results. To review the report file, press the View
Report button at the bottom of the analysis window. When this button is
selected a text viewer will open the report file and display it on the screen.
Shown in Figure B-125 is the report file for Balanced Hydrograph Test
17.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
Figure B-126. General Tab Shown for Balanced Hydrograph Test 18.
Shown in Figure B-126 are the general settings for this curve combination
analysis. The Number of Durations was set to six: 0.0417-days (1-hour),
1-day, 2-days, 3-days, 5-days, and 10-days. These six durations are those
which will be used to “balance” throughout the analysis. The DSS Range
was set to 31Jan2099 through 12Feb2099, which is used to signify the
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
The number of probabilities was set to four: 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 2 percent
frequencies. Using four probabilities will result in the creation of four
balanced hydrographs. The frequency ordinates were left as the default
values.
Shown in Figure B-128 is the Balanced Hydrograph analysis editor with
the Frequency Curves tab selected. Frequency Curve Duration 1 was
manually defined using results from the Bulletin 17 analysis named
“Sinnemahoning_B17C”. Frequency Curve Duration 1 corresponds to a
duration of 0.0417-days or 1-hour. It is assumed that the Log Pearson
Type III distribution that was fit within the “Sinnemahoning_B17C”
Bulletin 17 analysis is indicative of a 0.0417-day duration. Log Pearson
Type III parameters were entered for Frequency Curve Duration 2,
Frequency Curve Duration 3, Frequency Curve Duration 4, Frequency
Curve Duration 5, and Frequency Curve Duration 6 using results from the
Volume Frequency analysis named “Sinnemahoning_VolumeFrequency”.
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Figure B-128. Frequency Curves Tab for Balanced Hydrograph Test 18.
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Appendix B – Example Data Sets HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure B-129. Plotted Frequency Curves for Balanced Hydrograph Test 18.
Press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the computations
have been completed, a message window will open stating Compute
Complete. Close this window and then select the Results tab. The results
tab should look Figure B-130. The left portion of the Results tab window
displays the computed balanced hydrographs in a table using the four
frequencies that were previously defined on the General tab. The right
portion of the Results tab displays all four balanced hydrographs in a plot.
To view the balanced hydrographs in a separate window, either click Plot
Balanced Hydrograph or double click on the plot within the Results tab.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix B – Example Data Sets
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows input data and results. To review the report file, press the View
Report button at the bottom of the analysis window. When this button is
selected a text viewer will open the report file and display it on the screen.
Shown in Figure B-131 is the report file for Balanced Hydrograph Test
18.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
APPENDIX C
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
When the "Bulletin 17C Examples" study file is open, the screen will
appear as shown in Figure C-1. The following sections document each of
the example data sets.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
A Bulletin 17 Analysis using EMA and Bulletin 17C procedures has been
developed for this example. To open the analysis, either double-click on
the analysis labeled “B17C Example 1” from the Study Explorer or from
the Analysis menu select open, then select “B17C Example 1” from the
list of available analyses. When “B17C Example 1” is selected, the
Bulletin 17 analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure C-3.
Shown in Figure C-3 are the general settings that were used to perform
this Bulletin 17 Analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Weighted Skew. To use the weighted skew option, the user must enter a
value for the Regional Skew and the Regional Skew Mean Square Error
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
(MSE). In this example, a regional skew of 0.44 was used along with a
Regional Skew MSE of 0.078.
Figure C-3. Bulletin 17 Analysis General Tab for “B17C Example 1”.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-4. Bulletin 17 Analysis EMA Data Tab for “B17C Example 1”.
Once all of the General and EMA Data tab settings are set or selected,
the user can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stations
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure C-5.
As shown in Figure C-5, the Frequency Curve table contains the following
results:
Percent Chance Exceedance
Computed Curve (Log Pearson Type III results)
Confidence Limits (5% and 95% chance exceedance)
On the bottom, left side of the results tab is a table of Statistics for the
observed station data (mean, standard deviation, and station skew) and
regional adjustment (regional skew, weighted skew, and adopted skew).
Also on the bottom, right side of the results tab is a Number of Events
table showing the number of historic events used in the analysis, number
of high outliers found, number of low outliers and zero flows found,
number of missing flows, number of systematic events, and the historic
period in years. In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-5. Bulletin 17 Analysis Tabular Results Tab for “B17C Example 1”.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Because the annual peak flow record contains only systematic peaks with
no historic information, no censored peaks, and no low outliers identified
using the Multiple Grubbs-Beck Test, the fitted peak flow frequency curve
using EMA and Bulletin 17C procedures is the same as that obtained using
Bulletin 17B procedures. However, due to the appropriate use of diverse
information within the Bulletin 17C procedures, the 5% and 95%
confidence limits are different when compared against results obtained
using Bulletin 17B procedures.
In addition to the tabular and graphical results, there is a report file that
shows the order in which the calculations were performed. To review the
report file, press the View Report button at the bottom of the analysis
window. When this button is selected, a text viewer will open the file and
display it on the screen. Shown in Figure C-7 is the report file.
The report file contains a listing of the input data, preliminary results,
outlier and historical data tests, additional calculations needed, and the
final frequency curve results. Different types and amounts of information
will show up in the report file depending on the data and the options that
have been selected for the analysis. The user should review the report file
to understand how the Bulletin 17C procedures were applied.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-8. Orestimba Creek near Newman, CA Annual Peak Flow Record.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Table C-2. Orestimba Creek near Newman, CA Annual Peak Flow Record.
Date Flow (cfs) Date Flow (cfs) Date Flow (cfs)
08 Feb 1932 4260 10 Feb 1960 448 30 Nov 1987 0
29 Jan 1933 345 30 Nov 1960 0 30 Nov 1988 0
01 Jan 1934 516 15 Feb 1962 1740 28 May 1990 4
08 Apr 1935 1320 01 Feb 1963 8300 24 Mar 1991 1260
13 Feb 1936 1200 22 Jan 1964 156 15 Feb 1992 888
13 Feb 1937 2180 06 Jan 1965 560 13 Jan 1993 4190
11 Feb 1938 3230 30 Dec 1965 128 20 Feb 1994 12
09 Mar 1939 115 24 Jan 1967 4200 10 Mar 1995 12000
27 Feb 1940 3440 30 Nov 1967 0 19 Feb 1996 3130
04 Apr 1941 3070 25 Jan 1969 5080 23 Jan 1997 3320
24 Jan 1942 1880 01 Mar 1970 1010 03 Feb 1998 9470
21 Jan 1943 6450 21 Dec 1970 584 09 Feb 1999 833
29 Feb 1944 1290 30 Nov 1971 0 14 Feb 2000 2550
02 Feb 1945 5970 11 Feb 1973 1510 05 Mar 2001 958
25 Dec 1945 782 03 Mar 1974 922 03 Jan 2002 425
30 Nov 1946 0 08 Mar 1975 1010 16 Dec 2002 2790
30 Nov 1947 0 30 Nov 1975 0 25 Feb 2004 2990
12 Mar 1949 335 30 Nov 1976 0 16 Feb 2005 1820
05 Feb 1950 175 17 Jan 1978 4360 02 Jan 2006 1630
03 Dec 1950 2920 21 Feb 1979 1270 30 Nov 2006 0
12 Jan 1952 3660 16 Feb 1980 5210 25 Jan 2008 2110
07 Dec 1952 147 29 Jan 1981 1130 17 Feb 2009 310
30 Nov 1953 0 05 Jan 1982 5550 20 Jan 2010 4400
19 Jan 1955 16 24 Jan 1983 6360 24 Mar 2011 4440
23 Dec 1955 5620 25 Dec 1983 991 30 Nov 2011 0
24 Feb 1957 1440 09 Feb 1985 50 24 Dec 2012 6250
02 Apr 1958 10200 19 Feb 1986 6990
16 Feb 1959 5380 06 Mar 1987 112
A Bulletin 17 Analysis using EMA and Bulletin 17C procedures has been
developed for this example. To open the analysis, either double-click on
the analysis labeled “B17C Example 2” from the Study Explorer or from
the Analysis menu select open, then select “B17C Example 2” from the
list of available analyses. When “B17C Example 2” is selected, the
Bulletin 17 analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure C-9.
Shown in Figure C-9 are the general settings that were used to perform
this Bulletin 17 Analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Station Skew.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-9. Bulletin 17 Analysis General Tab for “B17C Example 2”.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-10. Bulletin 17 Analysis EMA Data Tab for “B17C Example 2”.
Once all of the General and EMA Data tab settings are set or selected,
the user can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stations
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure C-11.
In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the computed
frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis window. The Log Pearson Type III distribution fit
using EMA to the input annual maximum flow data set, the 5% and 95%
confidence limits, and the annual maximum flow data set Hirsch/Stedinger
and Median (for low outliers) plotting positions are shown in Figure C-12.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-11. Bulletin 17 Analysis Tabular Results Tab for “B17C Example 2”.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-13. Report File for “B17C Example 2” showing censored low outliers
and zero flows.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-14. Report File for “B17C Example 2” showing recoded perception
threshold.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
C-17
Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-15. Back Creek near Jones Springs, WV Annual Peak Flow Record.
Table C-3. Back Creek near Jones Springs, WV Annual Peak Flow Record.
Date Flow (cfs) Date Flow (cfs)
17 Apr 1929 8750 20 Mar 1963 5190
23 Oct 1929 15500 10 Jan 1964 3960
08 May 1931 4060 06 Mar 1965 5600
17 Mar 1936 22000 21 Sep 1966 4670
04 Feb 1939 6300 08 Mar 1967 7080
20 Apr 1940 3130 17 Mar 1968 4640
06 Apr 1941 4160 02 Feb 1969 536
22 May 1942 6700 10 Jul 1970 6680
15 Oct 1942 22400 13 Nov 1970 8360
24 Mar 1944 3880 22 Jun 1972 18700
18 Sep 1945 8050 09 Dec 1972 5210
03 Jun 1946 4020 27 Dec 1973 4680
15 Mar 1947 1600 20 Mar 1975 7940
14 Apr 1948 4460 05 Mar 1993 11800
31 Dec 1948 4230 08 May 1994 8730
02 Feb 1950 3010 16 Jan 1995 2300
05 Dec 1950 9150 19 Jan 1996 13900
28 Apr 1952 5100 09 Nov 1996 4190
22 Nov 1952 9820 21 Mar 1998 6370
02 Mar 1954 6200 29 Sep 2004 9460
19 Aug 1955 10700 29 Mar 2005 6560
15 Mar 1956 3880 30 Nov 2005 2000
10 Feb 1957 3420 16 Apr 2007 5040
27 Mar 1958 3240 21 Apr 2008 7670
03 Jun 1959 6800 05 May 2009 4830
09 May 1960 3740 14 Mar 2010 9070
19 Feb 1961 4700 17 Apr 2011 10300
22 Mar 1962 4380 01 Mar 2012 4650
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
A Bulletin 17 Analysis using EMA and Bulletin 17C procedures has been
developed for this example. To open the analysis, either double-click on
the analysis labeled “B17C Example 3” from the Study Explorer or from
the Analysis menu select open, then select “B17C Example 3” from the
list of available analyses. When “B17C Example 3” is selected, the
Bulletin 17 analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure C-16.
Shown in Figure C-16 are the general settings that were used to perform
this Bulletin 17 Analysis. As shown, the Skew option was set to use the
Station Skew.
Figure C-16. Bulletin 17 Analysis General Tab for “B17C Example 3”.
thresholds for the periods of missing annual peak flow data. The use of a
perception threshold of 21000 – inf for these periods of missing data
implies that had a flood event occurred with a peak flow greater than
21,000 cfs, someone would have measured and recorded it. Once all five
perception thresholds have been entered as shown in Figure C-17, click
the Apply Thresholds button to assign the complementary flow ranges for
the periods of missing data.
Finally, the March 1936 Event should be set to the historical data type, as
denoted by a USGS peak flow rate qualification code of “7”.
Figure C-17. Bulletin 17 Analysis EMA Data Tab for “B17C Example 3”.
Once all of the General and EMA Data tab settings are set or selected,
the user can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stations
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure C-18.
In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the computed
frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis window. The Log Pearson Type III distribution fit
C-20
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
using EMA to the input annual maximum flow data set, the 5% and 95%
confidence limits, and the annual maximum flow data set Hirsch/Stedinger
and Median (for low outliers) plotting positions are shown in Figure C-19.
Figure C-18. Bulletin 17 Analysis Tabular Results Tab for “B17C Example 3”.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-20. Report File for “B17C Example 3” showing censored low outliers.
C-23
Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-21. Report File for “B17C Example 3” showing recoded perception
thresholds.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
C-25
Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-22. Arkansas River near Pueblo, CO Annual Peak Flow Record
(Modified).
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Table C-4. Arkansas River near Pueblo, CO Annual Peak Flow Record (Modified).
Date Flow (cfs) Date Flow (cfs) Date Flow (cfs)
31 Jul 1895 6100 12 Jul 1923 25600 03 Aug 1951 9300
18 Aug 1896 16500 15 Jun 1924 6510 08 Jun 1952 4740
02 Jun 1897 4300 03 Jul 1925 4930 21 Jul 1953 6770
13 Jul 1898 7500 14 Jun 1926 4520 30 Jun 1954 10200
14 Aug 1899 8800 22 Jul 1927 12400 19 May 1955 11100
20 May 1900 7600 21 Jul 1928 7800 01 Aug 1956 8010
21 May 1901 11100 28 Jul 1929 10500 29 Jun 1957 9070
05 Aug 1902 30000 28 Aug 1930 6050 05 Jun 1958 4540
09 Jun 1903 10500 01 Sep 1931 3560 17 Jun 1959 2820
15 Aug 1904 8500 26 Jun 1932 4380 08 Jun 1960 5260
06 Aug 1905 8000 02 Aug 1933 8630 02 Aug 1961 5760
13 Jun 1906 11000 03 Aug 1934 2580 08 Jul 1962 3540
28 Jul 1907 6600 18 May 1935 9880 14 Aug 1963 8360
01 Aug 1908 7600 24 May 1936 11200 27 May 1964 2840
18 Aug 1909 5800 29 Aug 1937 9300 22 Aug 1965 23500
29 Jul 1910 8400 26 Aug 1938 11200 01 Aug 1966 10600
28 May 1911 3700 01 Jun 1939 2910 18 Jul 1967 5870
31 Jul 1912 10500 19 Aug 1940 3860 10 Aug 1968 5190
23 Jul 1913 7800 19 Jul 1941 7560 23 Aug 1969 6620
03 Aug 1914 7500 08 Jun 1942 10300 11 Aug 1970 6300
24 Jun 1915 17000 18 Aug 1943 3320 07 Jun 1971 3360
17 Jun 1916 8900 05 Jul 1944 5980 28 Jun 1972 3360
19 Jun 1917 6800 14 Aug 1945 9290 30 Jul 1973 6760
23 Jun 1918 9600 27 Aug 1946 7050 23 Jul 1974 5440
04 Sep 1919 6300 09 Jul 1947 7280 10 Jul 1975 10200
18 Jul 1920 8500 13 Jun 1948 10900 10 Jul 1976 12800
03 Jun 1921 91500 06 Jun 1949 12800
06 Aug 1922 8850 26 Jul 1950 8700
A Bulletin 17 Analysis using EMA and Bulletin 17C procedures has been
developed for this example. To open the analysis, either double-click on
the analysis labeled “B17C Example 4” from the Study Explorer or from
the Analysis menu select open, then select “B17C Example 4” from the
list of available analyses. When “B17C Example 4” is selected, the
Bulletin 17 analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure C-23. As
shown, the Skew option was set to use the Station Skew.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-23. Bulletin 17 Analysis General Tab for “B17C Example 4”.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-24. Bulletin 17 Analysis Options Tab for “B17C Example 4”.
The EMA Data tab for this example is shown in Figure C-25. This
example uses an annual maximum series consisting of both systematic
data along with historical events and paleoflood information. Multiple
perception thresholds are needed to reasonably incorporate the various
historical and paleoflood information.
The default “Total Record” perception threshold should be modified to
reflect the additional paleoflood and post Pueblo Dam construction
information. A start year of 1165 and end year of 2004 along with a
perception threshold of zero – inf should be entered on the first line.
The second perception threshold relates to the non-exceedance
information obtained through the paleoflood analysis. A start and end
year of 1165 and 1858 should be entered, respectively, along with a
150,000 – inf perception threshold. This implies that no floods exceeded a
peak flow rate of 150,000 cfs from 1165 – 1858 even though there were
no gages present.
The third and fourth perception thresholds represent a period of historical
information from 1859 – 1892 where floods in excess of 40,000 cfs would
have been recorded had they occurred. Since a historical event was
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-25. Bulletin 17 Analysis EMA Data Tab for “B17C Example 4”.
Once all of the General and EMA Data tab settings are set or selected,
the user can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stations
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure C-26.
In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the computed
frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis window. The Log Pearson Type III distribution fit
using EMA to the input annual maximum flow data set, the 5% and 95%
confidence limits, and the annual maximum flow data set Hirsch/Stedinger
and Median (for low outliers) plotting positions are shown in Figure C-27.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-26. Bulletin 17 Analysis Tabular Results Tab for “B17C Example 4”.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
As is shown in Figure C-27, the Log Pearson Type III distribution is well
fit to the majority of the data. However, the largest flood event (June
1921) is underfit by the EMA-computed Log Pearson Type III curve. This
is likely due to the influence of the paleoflood information which
lengthens the historical record from 85 years to 840 years. Consequently,
the at-station skew coefficient is reduced which primarily affects the upper
end of the computed curve. Had the paleoflood information not been
included, a larger at-station skew coefficient would have been computed.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
A Bulletin 17 Analysis using EMA and Bulletin 17C procedures has been
developed for this example. To open the analysis, either double-click on
the analysis labeled “B17C Example 5” from the Study Explorer or from
the Analysis menu select open, then select “B17C Example 5” from the
list of available analyses. When “B17C Example 5” is selected, the
Bulletin 17 analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure C-29. As
shown, the Skew option was set to use the Station Skew.
Figure C-29. Bulletin 17 Analysis General Tab for “B17C Example 5”.
the gage base, consult your local USGS office. A total of nine different
gage bases have been in effect for this gage. Including the first perception
threshold (which sets the start and end year of the analysis), this requires a
total of 10 perception thresholds. Once all five perception thresholds have
been entered as shown in Figure C-30, click the Apply Thresholds button
to assign the complementary flow ranges for the periods of missing data.
A peak flow rate below the gage base occurred in 1966, 1971, 1975, 1997,
and 2006, as signified by the USGS qualification code of 4. This implies
that the actual annual peak flow rate could have been between zero and
whatever the gage base was at the time. This requires a change to the flow
range table. For each of these years, a low value of zero and high value of
whatever the gage base was at the time should be entered. For instance, in
water year 1966, the annual peak flow rate was below the gage base of
1180 cfs. Therefore, the flow range for that year should be entered as zero
– 1180, as shown in Figure C-30. The other four water years in which an
annual peak flow was below the recordable limit should be entered in a
similar fashion within the flow range table.
Figure C-30. Bulletin 17 Analysis EMA Data Tab for “B17C Example 5”.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Once all of the General and EMA Data tab settings are set or selected,
the user can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stations
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure C-31.
In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the computed
frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis window. The Log Pearson Type III distribution fit
using EMA to the input annual maximum flow data set, the 5% and 95%
confidence limits, and the annual maximum flow data set Hirsch/Stedinger
and Median (for low outliers) plotting positions are shown in Figure C-32.
Figure C-31. Bulletin 17 Analysis Tabular Results Tab for “B17C Example 5”.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-33. Report File for “B17C Example 5” showing censored low outliers.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-34. Report File for “B17C Example 5” showing recoded perception
thresholds.
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Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-35. Santa Cruz River at Lochiel, AZ Annual Peak Flow Record.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Table C-6. Santa Cruz River at Lochiel, AZ Annual Peak Flow Record.
Date Flow (cfs) Date Flow (cfs) Date Flow (cfs)
13 Sep 1949 1650 10 Aug 1971 2830 18 Jan 1993 4880
30 Jul 1950 4520 16 Jul 1972 2070 30 Aug 1994 478
02 Aug 1951 2560 30 Jun 1973 1490 12 Jul 1995 2020
16 Aug 1952 550 04 Aug 1974 1730 10 Jul 1996 1860
14 Jul 1953 3320 22 Jul 1975 3330 11 Sep 1997 2970
22 Jul 1954 1570 22 Jul 1976 3540 07 Jul 1998 1110
06 Aug 1955 4300 05 Sep 1977 1130 28 Jul 1999 4870
17 Jul 1956 1360 09 Oct 1977 12000 06 Aug 2000 2240
09 Aug 1957 688 25 Jan 1979 1060 22 Oct 2000 1080
07 Aug 1958 380 30 Jun 1980 406 04 Mar 2002 2
14 Aug 1959 243 15 Jul 1981 1110 14 Aug 2003 22
30 Jul 1960 625 11 Aug 1982 2640 05 Aug 2004 256
08 Aug 1961 1120 04 Mar 1983 1120 23 Aug 2005 73
29 Jul 1962 8 15 Aug 1984 12000 08 Aug 2006 5940
25 Aug 1963 2390 19 Jul 1985 850 19 Jul 2007 3060
09 Sep 1964 2330 29 Aug 1986 4210 23 Jul 2008 1180
12 Sep 1965 4810 10 Aug 1987 291 01 Jul 2009 1530
18 Aug 1966 1780 23 Aug 1988 804 31 Jul 2010 392
03 Aug 1967 1870 04 Aug 1989 871 13 Aug 2011 95
20 Dec 1967 986 17 Jul 1990 3510 28 Jul 2012 12
05 Aug 1969 484 26 Jul 1991 17 08 Sep 2013 612
03 Aug 1970 880 01 Aug 1992 483
A Bulletin 17 Analysis using EMA and Bulletin 17C procedures has been
developed for this example. To open the analysis, either double-click on
the analysis labeled “B17C Example 6” from the Study Explorer or from
the Analysis menu select open, then select “B17C Example 6” from the
list of available analyses. When “B17C Example 6” is selected, the
Bulletin 17 analysis editor will appear as shown in Figure C-36. As
shown, the Skew option was set to use the Station Skew.
C-43
Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-36. Bulletin 17 Analysis General Tab for “B17C Example 6”.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-37. Bulletin 17 Analysis EMA Data Tab for “B17C Example 6”.
Once all of the General and EMA Data tab settings are set or selected,
the user can press the Compute button to perform the analysis. Once the
computations have been completed, a message window will open stations
Compute Complete. Close this window and then select the Tabular
Results tab. The analysis window should look like Figure C-31.
In addition to the tabular results, a graphical plot of the computed
frequency curves can be obtained by pressing the Plot Curve button at the
bottom of the analysis window. The Log Pearson Type III distribution fit
using EMA to the input annual maximum flow data set, the 5% and 95%
confidence limits, and the annual maximum flow data set Hirsch/Stedinger
and Median (for low outliers) plotting positions are shown in Figure C-32.
C-45
Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure C-38. Bulletin 17 Analysis Tabular Results Tab for “B17C Example 6”.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples
Figure C-40. Report File for “B17C Example 6” showing censored low outliers.
C-47
Appendix C – Bulletin 17C / EMA Examples HEC-SSP User's Manual
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series
APPENDIX D
D-1
Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series HEC-SSP User's Manual
To use the Find Peaks tool, the appropriate Java plug-in (“Peaks.jar”) must
be present within the “..HEC-DSSVue\Plugins\” directory. By default,
this directory is located at either “C:\Program Files\HEC\HEC-
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series
The Find Peaks tool requires multiple user inputs in order to determine
“hydrologically independent” peaks (or troughs), as described within EM
1110-2-1415 “Hydrologic Frequency Analysis”. For example, Figure D-3
shows a flow hydrograph at the Delaware Water Gap stream gage
(drainage area = 3,850 sq mi). The peak flow at 09Dec1950 is not
hydrologically independent; this peak was dependent upon the peak on
05Dec1950. The peak on 26Nov1950 can be considered hydrologically
independent. However, it is up to the user to decide whether the peak on
05Dec1950 is hydrologically independent.
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Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series HEC-SSP User's Manual
Hydrologically Hydrologically
Independent Independent?
Peak
NOT
hydrologically
independent
The first user input within the Find Peaks tool asks whether the user
wishes to find peak values (maximums) or troughs (minimums), as shown
in Figure D-4. Select “Peaks”, which will display a new window asking
the user to specify a threshold (minimum) value. By default, the Find
Peaks tool will estimate a threshold value based upon the values contained
within the selected data set. The user may also leave the field blank which
will enable all values to be discernable as peak values.
The threshold value can be set to the minimum peak contained within the
associated annual maximum series in order to capture a large number of
peaks. However, this threshold value is watershed (and study) dependent.
For this example, enter 30000 within this field, indicating that all peak
values greater than 30,000 cfs will be carried forward as potential peaks,
as shown in Figure D-5.
The next dialog will require the user to input a minimum magnitude and
time differential. These two inputs preliminarily determine whether a
peak is truly “independent”. In order for a peak to be independent, the
flow/stage hydrograph must decrease (or increase when determining
independent minimums) by a certain magnitude or below a certain
threshold. Also, a certain amount of time must elapse before the peak can
be classified as independent. These values are location dependent as well
as reliant upon the study purposes. By default, the Find Peaks tool will
estimate a minimum magnitude and time differential based upon the
values contained within the selected data set.
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HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series
For the Delaware River near Delaware Water Gap, PA stream gage, the
drainage area is large. The contributing watershed requires approximately
one week (i.e. seven days) to return to baseflow. For smaller watersheds,
such as highly urbanized streams that exhibit an extremely fast rise and
fall in flow or stage, the time required to return to an approximate
baseflow may be on the order of hours, not days. For this example, the
minimum magnitude and time differential can be set to 10000 and 240, as
shown in Figure D-6. This implies that the hydrograph must decrease by
10,000 cfs and 10 days must elapse before a new peak can be considered
independent of a previous peak. Figure D-7 displays the threshold value,
minimum magnitude, and minimum time differential values for a three-
month time span at the stream gage in question.
D-5
Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series HEC-SSP User's Manual
Minimum
Time
Differential
Minimum
Magnitude
Differential
D-6
HEC-SSP User's Manual Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series
As is shown in Figure D-9, this partial duration series contains peak flow
rates for multiple peak flow rates including the two extremely large peaks
that occurred in late August and early September, 2011 (corresponding to
the passage of Tropical Storm Irene and Tropical Storm Lee). By
definition, an annual maximum series only records a single peak flow rate
for each water year. Therefore, only the larger event (September 2011) is
stored within an annual maximum series.
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Appendix D – Creating a Partial Duration Series HEC-SSP User's Manual
Figure D-9. Resulting Peak Flow Partial Duration Series and Annual Maximum
Series for 2008 - 2012.
This peak flow partial duration series data set can now be used within a
General Frequency analysis in HEC-SSP. However, it is up to the user to
review the peak flow partial duration series. The three criteria (threshold,
magnitude differential, and time differential) may not be adequate to
completely define all independent peaks for a given data set; some non-
independent peaks may need to be deleted while others may need to be
added.
D-8