TUFLOW Setup with Kart QGIS Plugin: Difference between revisions

Kart is a version control tool which stores geospatial data (and tabular data) in Git, providing a neat version control system whilst building TUFLOW models. Despite using Git, there is no requirement for the user to have a thorough understanding of Git, it's processes and commands. The Kart QGIS plugin provides a user interface for Kart which provides some tools for reviewing changes to the geospatial data as it is iteratively edited. This page describes a workflow for setting up a TUFLOW project, utilising Kart, and provides some of the benefits of using the Kart tools for version control. Kart can be used with remote repositories to allow multiple users to access the data and work simultaneously with merge control, however, the example below is a local repository for the purposes of version control and ease of quality assurance checking.

* The Kart commit history table.

With Kart set up, we can now move towards setting up your TUFLOW model. To use Kart, you would need to be using a Geopackage GIS Format. ToWe will start at the beginning of a TUFLOW model build but it would be possible to set up yourkart TUFLOWwith folders,an youexisting canmodel usewith youra chosensimilar methodworkflow. of eitherHowver, thein [[QGISthis TUFLOWinstance, Createcommits Project|TUFLOWand Createchanges Project]]would toolonly orbe tracked for edits to the [[Creategeometry data after the TUFLOW Project]]model is initialised within a Kart toolfolder.

With the TUFLOW folders set up, there is now some fiddly steps to go through so that we can set up a Kart repository. Kart probably works best with a single Geopackage for the whole TUFLOW model, although it would be possible to use with seperate Geopackages. The steps below are for a single Geopackage.

* Cut and paste the Empties'''empty''' folder and the model Geopackage file from the '''TUFLOW\Model\GIS''' folder to TUFLOW\Model. This is because Kart can not initialise a repository if the folder is not empty.

* Rename the '<nowiki/>'''GIS'''<nowiki/>' folder to ''''*Model_Name*'''<nowiki/>' where '*Model_Name*' is the same as your Geopackage name.

* InWe thewill Kartnow remap the repositori<nowiki/>esrepository panel,to highlith<nowiki/>ghte '''GIS''' folder. In the Kart repositories panel, highlight the current repositiry and choose to 'remove this repository'. Click Yes when the prompt dialogue comes up.

* We now need to add the renamed folder as an existing repository. Right click on the repositories optoinoption and select 'Add existing repository'. Navigate to the '''TUFLOW\Model\GIS''' folder and choose select folder.

* We need tocan now import the '''Model_Name.gpkg''' into the repository. This is done by right clicking on the repository and selecting 'Import dataset from file'. Navigate to the '''TUFLOW\Model\Model_Name.gpkg''' and select open.

* The repository will now show the Geopackage layers, which at present is only the projection layer generate during the create TUFLOW project step.

The above steps are by far and away the fiddliest steps with the TUFLOW model Kart set up. Now we can start building the TUFLOW model and utilising Kart.

We can now build the TUFLOW model geometry as we would do usually. As we add additional layers to the geodatabase, they will start to appear in the Kart repositories panel.

If the option to 'Commit automatically after closing editing' then the changes will be automatically committed. This is useful to avoid forgetting to commit, similar to how an autosavaautosave can be beneficial. Alternatively, it is possible to commit manually, either by clicking the repository or the individual layers and using the 'Commit working copy changes' or 'Commit working copy changes for this dataset' option respectively. The benefit of the latter approach is that there are less frequent commits and the user is prompted for a commit message prior to committing the working changes.

The commit history can then be interrogated to show the details of the commits, the differences between versions, adding tags and other git like tools such as branching, merging, reverting back to older versions as well as replacing working copy changes.It is also possible to apply spatial and temporal filters for changes. For a full list of Kart tools, the user is recommended to consult the Kart documentation [https://docs.kartproject.org/en/latest/ here].

[[File:Remote repository.png|none|frame|Kart Push/Pull Functions to Remote Repository]]It should be noted that the TUFLOW team have not made sufficient use of Kart with remote repository toso recommendcannot suggest that it's useis a recommended approach.