Georeferencing Terminal Outfalls

A terminal outfall is the discharge point of a waste stream into a body of water. It is the outlet of a pipe where it discharges into the sea, a lake or ocean. While importing a model, the GeoSTORM software automatically places the terminal outfalls on the Map View. However, if the original model is not spatially georeferenced, the terminal outfalls will not be located at the correct location on a pipe.

Therefore, it might become necessary to georeference the terminal outfalls. The Georeference Terminal Outfalls command of the GeoSTORM software can be used to automatically map outfalls to the desired location.

Note that a CRS should be assigned prior to running this command. Otherwise, the software will display the below informational dialog box.

Refer to this article in our knowledge base to learn how to assign a coordinate reference system to a project.

Follow the steps below to use the Georeference Terminal Outfalls command:

1. From the Input ribbon menu, click on Terminal Outfalls dropdown menu and select Georeference Terminal Outfalls command.
   
2. The Georeference Terminal Outfalls dialog box will be displayed.
   

The following sections describe how to georeference a terminal outfall to a desired location.

Selecting Outfall to Georeference

The Select Outfall to Georeference section allows the user to select the outfall to georeference.

Follow the steps below to select the terminal outfall to be georeferenced:

1. Select the outfall from the Outfall ID dropdown combo box listing all the outfalls contained within the model.
   
2. Alternatively, the user can click the [Pick] button to select the outfall from the Map View. After clicking the [Pick] button, the Georeference Terminal Outfalls dialog box will temporarily disappear, and a prompt will be displayed on the status bar instructing the user to select an outfall from the Map View.
3. Upon selecting an outfall, the user is immediately returned to the dialog box, and the selected outfall is highlighted on the Map View.
   Notes:

   • The user can select only one outfall at a time.

   • The user can click the [Clear] button to cancel all the previous selections and redo the entire process.

Once the outfall has been selected, the user can choose between the following options to georeference the outfall:

• Snap to Alignment Point
• Draw on Map View

Snapping Outfall to an Alignment Point

If an existing alignment point for the outfall exists on the Map View, the Snap to Alignment Point georeferencing option can be used to snap the outfall to the alignment point.

Follow the steps below to use the Snap to Alignment Point georeferencing option:

1. Select the Snap to Alignment Point radio button option.
2. Click the [Pick] button next to the Select alignment point read-only field.
   
3. The Georeference Terminal Outfalls dialog box will temporarily disappear, and a prompt will be displayed on the status bar instructing the user to select the alignment point from the Map View.
4. After selecting the alignment point, the Georeference Terminal Outfalls dialog box will be redisplayed and the status of the Select alignment point read-only field will be changed from Not Selected to Selected. Click the [Clear] button to cancel all the previous selections and redo the entire process.
5. After selecting the alignment point, click the [Snap] button to snap the selected outfall to the alignment point.
   

Drawing Outfall Node on Map View

The Draw on Map View georeferencing option allows the user to draw an outfall node on the Map View to which the selected outfall is to be georeferenced.

Follow the steps below to use the Draw on Map View georeferencing option:

1. Select the Draw on Map View radio button option. Then, click on the [Draw] button to draw the outfall node on the Map View.
   
2. The Georeference Terminal Outfalls dialog box will temporarily disappear, and a prompt will be displayed on the status bar instructing the user to draw the outfall node on the Map View.
3. After drawing the outfall node on the Map View, either press the [Enter] key or right-click and choose Done from the displayed context menu.
4. The Georeference Terminal Outfalls dialog box will be redisplayed, and the selected outfall will be georeferenced to the drawn node.

Assigning Outfall Elevation

The user can check the Assign Elevation checkbox option to assign an elevation to the georeferenced outfall using elevation data. The user should define the data for this section before georeferencing outfalls.

For assigning elevation data, the Terrain elevation source dropdown combo box supports the following surface types:

• Elevation grids
• LandXML data
• TIN surfaces

It does not support the following surface types:

• CAD drawings
• GIS contours

The user can define outfall invert elevation using the Outfall invert elevation entry field to raise or lower the invert of the terminal outfall by the specified amount. A negative invert elevation value lowers the terminal outfall by the specified amount.