Baseline and Variant Runs

The variant run functionality allows multiple scenarios based on a baseline network to be run when an event occurs causing an alert trigger. For example, if a flooding event occurs in the network that raises an alert, multiple simulations using different RTC can be triggered in order to assess the most effective scenario.

A default run is selected in the Manifest in InfoWorks ICM Ultimate or ICMLive Configuration Manager. The default run may contain multiple simulations. One of the simulations is selected as the baseline simulation to be used for all full runs and observed runs in the Operator Client. The other simulations associated with the default run will be run as variant simulations according to the run schedule in the manifest.

When variant simulations are run, the results from the baseline simulation and all variants are loaded in the GeoPlan allowing results to be compared.

Note that when baseline and variant simulations are run:

• The Alerts Window only displays alerts for the baseline simulation.
• Alert actions are only enabled and carried out for baseline simulation alert jobs.

• Externally triggered runs will only generate variant simulations when run variants are scheduled to run Always in the manifest.

Variant run initial states

Variant runs are used to model different responses to the occurrence of an event in the baseline model, therefore each variant run should start from the saved state of the baseline run.

For automatic runs there is always a saved state: the variant run will use the saved state of the baseline run as its initial state and will start at the save state time of the baseline run.

For manual runs a number of situations can occur:

• The baseline run has a state saving run specified:
  • The variant run uses the saved state of the baseline run as its initial state.
  • The variant run starts at the save state time of the baseline run.
• The baseline run has no state saving run and uses no initial state:
  • The variant run will not use an initial state.
  • The variant run starts at the same time as the baseline run.
• The baseline run has no state saving run and uses an initial state:
  • The variant run uses the same initial state as the baseline run.
  • The variant run starts at the save state time of the initial state.

Export of variant run results

Results of variant runs may be exported in a similar way to results of baseline simulation runs. This includes export to CSV and database, and export of graphs and maps.

Export settings are configured in InfoWorks ICM Ultimate or ICMLive Configuration Manager via a Manifest object. If export is enabled in InfoWorks ICM, export will automatically occur when an automatic run is carried out in ICMLive Operator Client. As for baseline simulation runs, every time the same simulation is run, the latest exported files will overwrite previously exported files.

It is possible to override InfoWorks ICM Ultimate or ICMLive Configuration Manager settings for manual runs in ICMLive Operator Client, by enabling or disabling the Run variants option of the Run Window for the currently selected run.

Variant run results (CSV export and export of maps and graphs) are exported to the directory specified in InfoWorks ICM, inside subfolders (one subfolder per variant run) within the export folder of the parent run.