Interactive
Groundwater (IGW)
Description:
Interactive Groundwater (IGW) is a fully interactive visual
software system for unified deterministic and stochastic groundwater
modeling. The system is designed to simulate unsteady flow
and reactive transport in general groundwater formations subject
to both systematic and 'randomly' varying stresses and geological
and chemical heterogeneity. It is capable of real-time simulations
and of generating animated visualizations.
The user-friendly software system dramatically simplifies
the process of groundwater modeling and provides virtually
instant analysis with visual solution representation. It is
a particularly effective tool for:
• Research of field-scale physical and chemical groundwater
processes in heterogeneous soils
• Exploring the physical processes involved with groundwater
flow and transport
• Site investigation and remediation
• Planning, managing, and regulating sites (experimenting
with various sampling strategies, management options, and
remedial schemes)
Capabilities:
IGW is characterized by its extensive groundwater modeling
capabilities. These include:
• The ability to edit the model domain, aquifer properties,
and stresses over any arbitrarily shaped area at any point
in time during model construction, simulation, and analysis
• Automatic conversion of conceptual representation
to numerical model(s)
• Simulation and animation of flow in response to deterministic
or stochastic stresses
• Particle tracking and reactive plume modeling
• Scattered data interpolation, regression, and kriging
• Water and contaminant mass balance analysis with visual
and real-time flux updates
• Real-time modeling and visualization of aquifer transition
from confined to unconfined to partially desaturated or completely
dry and rewetting
Limitations:
• Limited options for exporting data
• Simple interface allows user to get a general idea
of what is going on at a particular site, how plumes may spread
over time, and what effects adding pumping wells or otherwise
modifying the study area will have. Good for getting an idea
of site conditions, but not ideal for use as a technical tool
for designing extensive remediation systems. It is a useful
preparatory tool prior to making use of more complex simulation
software.
Basic Inputs:
• Shape and characteristics of study area
• Groundwater and aquifer information (head, elevation,
etc)
• Pollutant information and location(s)
Basic Output:
• Flow directions
• Particle tracks and plume movement
• Changes in the study area over a period of time
How to Run the Model:
General steps for most IGW simulations are as follows:
• Create a computational domain (define your
study area by drawing a polygon)
• After defining your working area, define its features
and attributes (aquifer size, elevation, head, surface elevation,
etc)
• Add wells, pollution sources/ contaminants, rivers,
lakes, etc., and assign them properties
• Click the "Convert Model into a Numerical Model"
button to discretize the model and prepare it for the solving
step
• Click the "Forward" button to run the model,
solve it, and update the working area to show the velocity
vectors and head contours. You can also add particles to the
model and follow their paths.
• Click the "Pause" button to stop and update
the model at any time
Developer: Interactive Groundwater was developed by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University.
Faculty Contact:
Application:
