19 Aug 2014

Epanet Java

Epanet Java offers an efficient, Java-implemented Epanet simulation engine and natively integrated MSX library, for full-range hydraulic and water quality network simulation. It takes advantage of Baseform Core’s NETWORKS and its 2D / 3D network and results visualization.

Epanet Java makes available a network simulation engine that is a full Java re-write of the USEPA Epanet standard. It offers the full network modeling functionality, performing static or extended-period simulation on .INP standard model files.

Modeling details can be sought in the extensive documentation available for the USEPA’s Epanet (e.g., Rossman, 2000). The network model implemented is a rigorous, from-scratch Java implementation of the Epanet hydraulic and water quality model and of the Epanet MSX advanced water quality library. A degree of visual and functional similarity was sought in integrating it in the Baseform and NETWORKS user interface, while taking advantage of the latter’s next-generation capabilities, such as the 3D visualization.

The simulator’s implementation is particularly strong in network visualization, with the capability to seamlessly overlay on a range of publicly available maps (such as Google®, Bing® or OpenStreetMaps) or on the user’s own maps. It takes advantage of powerful charting tools that allow for full manipulation of the network’s values (parameters or simulation results), and it uses the Baseform Core’s NETWORKS 2D and 3D network displays to full effect.

At present, network editing is not available and the program is essentially intended for use with network model files prepared elsewhere. Full graphical editing capabilities are central to Baseform's roadmap and in the pipeline for 2015.

Baseform's Epanet Java is also made available through a fully programmable, open source, Java library (see below).

Epanet Java library

This tool can also be used as a standalone Java library, in a similar way to the USEPA Epanet Toolkit. This library incorporates the full Java re-write of the standard Epanet toolkit with the added bonus of a fully integrated MSX water quality engine.

Other that running it from the Aware-P app, the library may be used in 3 different ways: by linking with your code, by using the command-line interface or by running the LaunchPad.

Linking

For linking and invoking from any Java program, check the online source code and documentation on GitHub.

Command-line

You can run the library in command-line mode by typing:

java -cp BaseformEpaNetLib-1.0.jar org.addition.epanet.EPATool -OPTIONS INP_FILE_NAME.inp

OPTIONS are:
-T 02:00:11 (HH:MM:SS restrict to single timestep)
-N NODE_ID (restrict to a single node)
-L LINK_ID (restrict to a single link)

Output is available on the console for status messages and on two files with a tab separated, UTF-8 encoded, structure named: INP_FILE_NAME.inp.nodes.out and INP_FILE_NAME.inp.links.out

LaunchPad

If all you want is to run simulations and analyse results, without having to write code, you can also use the library from its purpose-made LaunchPad, which allows you to:

Run hydraulic, quality and MSX simulations at full speed in Windows, Mac, Linux or any other Java-supported platform.

To download the Launchpad, goto the GitHub location and navigate to (org.addition.epanet.ui.EpanetUI).

License and availability

The source code is licensed under GNU v3 and available at github.com/Baseform.

Credits

EpaNet Java was developed through intensive colaboration in the framework of the AWARE-P research project. This development, and in particular the EpaNet Java library, were only feasible given the outstanding work done at USEPA, namely by Dr. Lewis Rossman, whom we strongly thank for Epanet itself and for his availability and time in discussing this port.