TUFLOW Check Files
Introduction
If the Write Check Files == command is included in the .tcf (2D check files) and/or .ecf (1D check files) will be output from TUFLOW. These are a series of output files in both GIS (MapInfo or Shapefile format) and tabular data in .csv format. These check files contain information on the data processed by TUFLOW, for example the _zpt_check file contains the final elevation at each zpt in the model.
Managing Check Files
The 2D and 1D check files can be controlled separately by having the Write Check Files == in both the .tcf and .ecf files. However,
Write Check Files == in the .tcf file will automatically also write the 1D check files. There is no need to specify Write Check Files == in the .ecf file unless a different folder path for the files is desired.
The check files for big models can get very large and consume quite a lot of hard drive space. It is possible to exclude or include certain check file types. This is done by specifying either "Include" or "Exclude" to the left of the equals sign:
Write Check Files Exclude == <file list>
Write Check Files Include == <file list>
The file list is a space separated list of files. To exclude the large grd, uvpt and zpt files specify:
Write Check Files Exclude == zpt uvpt grd
To output only the gridded elevations (DEM_Z) the command would be :
Write Check Files Include == DEM_Z
Tips for Visualising Check Files
Depending on the size of the model, the check files may contain a large amount of data, for example the _grd_check file may contain thousands or millions of cells. As a modeller you probably won't inspect each cell to ensure that the data is value, however you may want to view this for the entire model. Thematic mapping or styling the input layers can be used in your GIS software to do this.
Some tips are given below for a range of GIS platforms, however, the functionality is likely to be available in almost all GIS platforms:
Check File Types
The check files are separated into 2D and 1D check files. The output location for these is controlled by commands in the .tcf and .ecf as described above. Not all check file types will be output for all models, if a model has no 2D Z Shape (2d_zsh) format topography modifiers then the _zsh_zpt check file type will not be output by TUFLOW. A list of the check file types is provided below. For more information on each of these please click on the page link.
It is also worth noting that the attributes of the check file may also change depending on the features in the model. If a model has soils specified (for infiltration) then the _grd_check file will contain the soil type for each grid cell. If no soils are specified this attribute is not output.
1D Check Files
| Filename prefix / suffix | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| _1d_bc_tables_check.csv | Contains the inverts of the 1D nodes and at the ends of the 1D channels. Very useful for checking for smooth transitions from one channel to another and with the nodes. |
| _pit_inlet_tables_check.csv | Similar to the _1d_bc_tables_check.csv. It contains tabular data as read from the pit inlet database. |
| _ta_tables_check.csv | Tabular data as read from tables via the 1d_tab layers for cross-section, storage and other data. Provides full traceability to original data source and additional information such as hydraulic properties determined from a cross-section profile. Flood Modeller XZ processed, and MIKE 11 processed cross-section data included. Refer also to the _xsl_check layer. |
| item | desc |