The PRTF display is the front end (user interface) for the PRTF module. PRTF takes a transfer function approach (using the Physically Realisable Transfer Function model algorithm, available also in the WRIP forecasting system). The PRTF forecasting module is an external module. The PRTF module (provided by PlanB, UK) is linked to NFFS using the same method as any external forecasting module.
The PRTF display provides an interface to the configurable settings of the PRTF module. The settings entered by the user are stored in the form of a what-if scenario, that can then be run. Scenarios created with the PRTF display run locally on your own PC. The forecast result of each scenario can then be viewed in the same display. A scenario created in the PRTF Display is at first not visible to any other user than the user on the computer it's running on.
Within the PRTF Display it is possible to approve a scenario or a selection of scenarios to create a new forecast, which is then sent of to the Master Controller to run on one of the Forecasting Shells. When this forecast is ready it is automatically visible to all other users, because it has been approved.
The PRTF Display makes it possible to interactively change module settings and view the results of these changes. Changes in model settings, rainfall profiles and changing initial conditions will be stored in a scenario. Each scenario consists of a row in the top part of the Display (see example below). If you select a scenario (and one site) then the results of this scenario will be shown in the graphs in the lower part of the display.
To create a new scenario you have to select a group of sites in the top part of the display and optionally you also have to select a subgroup (Southwest only). Then you select a site or the option 'all locations' in the top row of the scenarios list and change the settings you want. If you change one the settings in a scenario, the cell will become green (apart from the cells in the columns 'Name', 'Location' and 'Baseflow hours'). You can make the name of a scenario editable by clicking in the cell with 'new scenario'. After changing the settings and the name of the scenario you need to click on 'Run' to run this scenario. A new row will be added to the top of the list. The scenario you have just created will move on record down and the top row will be the new scenario to edit.
The colour of the first cell in each row gives an indication of the status of that scenario (see picture below this paragraph). The following table explains the colours and their meaning.
colour | status |
green | scenario ran successfully |
purple | scenario is running |
red | scenario failed |
The first cell also contains an 'I' indicating that more background information (log messages) on this run is available. Double clicking will reveal this information.
The buttons 'Show All' and 'Remove' in the button bar in the lower part of the display, will respectively show all previously created scenarios for the selected group or subgroup of locations and remove the scenario which is currently selected.
Within the PRTF Display it is possible to change the following settings:
1. change model type or tune an existing model
2. create or select a rainfall profile
3. edit the flow profile
4. change model start time
5. change rainfall start time
6. change base flow search hours
Each of these options will be discussed briefly in the next section.
By clicking on the cell in the column 'Model' you get a dropdown box with additional model types to chose from. By default the default model type is displayed. You can select one of the available model types and run a scenario. It is also possible to tune the model you have selected by clicking on the 'Tune' button in the button bar in the lower part of the display. A new window will appear showing the current settings of the selected model (see example below). The graph reflects the response of a catchment to a rainfall event.
The red line shows the original settings and the blue graph shows the changed settings. The values for Volume, Shape and Lag can be modified by moving the slider bars. This results in a change in shape of the blue graph. After changing the Model parameters you should click on 'Apply' to add the modified settings to your new scenario. With the 'Restore' button you can go back to the settings that were applicable when you opened the Model Tune window.
The starting values for Volume, Shape and Lag are given in the upper left part of the display and the original and modified parameters for the Transfer Function are given in the upper right part of the Display.
To create or select a rainfall profile you need to click on the cell in the column Rainfall. A dropdown box will appear with some predefined rainfall scenarios. You can select one of those predefined scenarios or you can select the option 'user profile' to create a new profile. When the option user profile is selected you need to click on the 'Edit' button in the button bar in the lower part of the display. This button opens a window with a Time series Editor (see picture below).
You can type in or copy in the rainfall profile you want. The values inserted are interpreted as mm per time step (15 min). Before closing this window you should click on 'Apply'.
To edit a flow profile you need to click on the cell in the column Flow. A dropdown box will appear with two options, 'default' and 'user profile'. The default option will leave the flow time series as it is. You can select the option 'user profile' to create a new profile. When the option user profile is selected you need to click on the 'Edit' button in the button bar in the lower part of the display. This button opens a window with a Time series Editor (see picture below).
You can type in or copy in the flow profile you want. Before closing this window you should click on 'Apply'.
You can specify a model start which overrules the model start time PRTF derives itself. There are two ways to edit the model start time:
1. Edit the date in the column 'Model start' by clicking in the cell.
2. Click with the left mouse button some where in the graph (a black dashed line appears) and then use the right mouse button to select 'Set model start time'. The new model start time will appear in the 'Model start' column of this new scenario and the dashed black line will become blue.
You can specify a rainfall start which determines the start of the rainfall event. There are two ways to edit the rainfall start time:
1. Edit the date in the column 'Rainfall start' by clicking in the cell.
2. Click with the left mouse button some where in the graph (a black dashed line appears) and then use the right mouse button to select 'Set Rainfall start time'. The new rainfall start time will appear in the 'Rainfall start' column of this new scenario and the dashed black line will become yellow.
Another option in the PRTF display is to edit the Base flow search hours. This parameter automatically determines the start time of a PRTF model run by selecting the lowest level in the base flow search period (a tolerance around this level is used to make it less sensitive). To edit this value you need to type in a new value in this cell and press enter.
If you want to approve a forecast you need to select the scenarios you want to approve by checking the checkbox in each row you want approve. Then you need to click on 'Approve' in the button bar in the lower part of the display. A window will pop up with the options to run a single forecast based on your selected scenarios or a scheduled forecast over a period of time and with a certain time interval.