Coastal Manager

Coastal Manager

By Rick Cope, Backwell School, Bristol
Published by Geopacks
Coastal Manager
User’s Guide
Contents
Section 1 – Introduction
1.1 - What will Coastline Manager do?
1
Section 2 – Getting Started
2.1 - System Requirements
2.2 - Installing
1
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Section 3 – Running Coastline Manager
3.1 - Getting Started
3.2 - The thinking behind Coastline Manager
3.3 - The main screen display
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3
Section 4 – Information Gathering
4.1 and 4.2 - The map itself
4.3 - Linear Features
4.4 - Buildings
4.5 - Area Maps
4.6 - Cellular Maps
4.7 - Grid Lines
4.8 - The Scale Bar
4.9 - Defences and Labels
4.10 - Extra Information
4.11 - ‘Hot’ Locations
4.12 - Keys
4.13 - Further Information from Keys
4.14 - Changing Scale on the map
4.15 - Moving around the map
4.16 - Overlays
4.17 - 3D Views
Section 5 – The Handbook
5.1 - Using the Handbook
Section 6 – Slide Shows
6.1 - Running the Slide Shows
6.2 - Viewing Slides
6.3 - Slide Based Functiuons
6.4 - Using the Slide Browser
6.5 - Commentary Functions
6.6 - Accessing the Glossary(1)
6.7 - Accessing the Glossary(2)
6.8 - Slide Show Help
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14 - 15
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Section 7 – Modelling
7.1 - Setting up and Running a model
7.2 - Assessing Losses
7.3 - Risk Assessment
7.4 - Cost/Benefit Assessments
7.5 - Non-Monetary Considerations
16 - 17
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18 - 19
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Section 8 – Building Defences
8.1 - Selecting and Building Defences
8.2 - Incompatible Combinations
8.3 - Building Roads
8.4 - Overspending
20 - 21
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Section 9 – Running the Simulation
9.1 - Starting the Run
9.2 - Reviewing Details
9.3 - Graphs of Success rates
9.4 - Look back at Previous Years
9.5 - The Final Years Results
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Section 10 – Loading and Saving Files
10.1 - Saving Projects
10.2 - Loading Projects
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Section 11 – Getting Help
11.1 - Accessing Coastal Manager Help
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Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
Section 1 - Introducing Coastline Manager
1.1 What will ‘Coastline Manager’ do?
Coastline Manager is a package that allows the user to learn about the factors which need to be
considered when deciding on how best to defend an area of coast from erosion and flooding. You
take over as ‘Coastline Management Consultant’ whose job it is to plan the strategy for managing a
section of vulnerable coast some 10 kilometres long. The coastline has varied geology, a wide
range of human uses and a number of environmentally sensitive areas. You will need to balance the
necessity to reduce erosion with the economic, environmental and aesthetic constraints of the area.
Coastline Manager can be run on a number of levels each of which offers different challenges. You
can research the background to coastal processes using the on-screen ‘Coastal Management
Handbook’ or the two slide shows on Coastal Processes and Coastal Management.
The aim of the game is to be as successful as possible in saving land and property over the ten
years of your ‘contract’ whatever the level the simulation is being played at.
Section 2 - Getting Started
2.1 System requirements
IBM compatible PC with Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000 or XP
10 megabytes of hard disk space free
16 megabytes of memory
SVGA monitor (SVGA 800 * 600 resolution recommended for best effect)
2.2 Installing Coastline Manager
Insert the Coastline Manager CD then Run the program setup.exe and follow the on-screen
instructions.
During installation the setup program will install all program and data files into a folder called Coasts unless
you specify otherwise.
Users have sometimes experienced difficulty at this point as it is necessary to confirm the destination
directory in order to move on. The program says “Click this button to install Coastline Manager etc…” but
which button to use is not that clear as the Exit Setup button seems to be the most obvious option.
Hopefully the following diagram will clarify matters …..
This is the button
to click!
Hopefully all will then progress smoothly!
Further information on installing Coastline Manager onto a network is available in Appendix 1 at the end of
this user’s guide.
WARNING: Normal installation automatically checks system files to see if any are out of date. On
installation you may be presented with a message asking you to update your system files, if you wish to load
the program then click ok and follow the on screen message.
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Section 3 – Running Coastline Manager
3.1 Getting Started
To start Coastline Manager select ‘Coastline Manager’ from the Start menu.
The following Screen will appear…
Opens an Existing
Project
Creates a new
blank project
Opens the Coastal
Processes Slide
Show
Opens the Coastal
Management Slide
Show
Information
Help
This gives you direct access to the two slide shows if you wish to view them without entering the
management program.
However, to access the main program click on the
button.
To make it ‘user friendly’ Coastal Manager’ will ask for information about
who is playing by asking you to register as a Coastal Consultant. All
communication (in letters, application forms etc). are then personalised.
3.2 The thinking behind Coastal Manager
To manage any area of coast there are a number of factors to be taken into account…
•
What processes are acting on this section of coast and how may they be a threat?
•
What is the physical geography of the coastline like? (geomorphology, sediment budgets, estuaries
etc)
•
What is the human geography of the coast? (land use, sea use, roads, recreation)
•
Are there environmental factors to consider? (wildlife habitats, SSSI’s, RIGS etc.)
•
Are there aesthetic implications in modifying the coast?
•
What options are open to you as a Coastal Manager?
•
How much will it cost? Is it worth doing? Should we manage the coast at all?
There are basically FOUR main options open to any Coastal Manager…
1. Do Nothing – let the sea take the land
2. Hold the Line – repair existing defences or put new ones in place to keep the coastline in its
current position
3. Advance the Line – reclaim land from the sea protect / drain salt marshes. Create new farmland
or land for building.
4. Retreat the Line – sometimes called managed retreat. Move vulnerable structures, do not allow
any new building near the coast and work with coastal processes.
The basis of most planning is embodied in the Benefit/Cost ratio. If the cost of carrying out a scheme (costs)
are more expensive than the land and buildings being defended (benefits) then it would be silly to carry out
the scheme.
2
The zoom buttons allow you to zoom in on
selected areas of the map to see things in
more detail. It is possible to enlarge the
map areas up to 32* original size
This is the main mapping screen.
It allows ‘layers’ of data to be
displayed in the form of lines,
symbols and shadings. Individual
elements (buildings, locations) are
‘hot’ and can be clicked to reveal
further text or visual information.
Opens modelling
options module
Accesses handbook
and Slide Shows
Displays or
hides map
Opens and Saves
Projects
Copy and Paste
Functions
Displays this screen
for map displays
3D versions of
selected map displays
3.3 The main display
Coastal Manager
3
Runs simulation
Displays balance
sheets by year
The ‘Display’ button activates currently
selected options. Some activate
automatically when selected. This
‘refreshes’ using current selection.
Activates area
interrogation functions
Turns on defence
building options
panel
Zoom out
Transfers control to the panel
which allows you to select
which defences to build
Allows any year covered so
far to be reviewed.
Turns on the overlay showing
buildings and land lost to the sea
Allows display of mapped
‘areas’ rather than linear
features or locations
Turns on grid lines
and scale bar
Turns on selected linear
features and displays buildings
and associated labels
Turns on Help files
for on-screen help
Clears all settings and return
you to the blank map (as
shown here)
Cycles through
years to allow
review of past
events
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User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
Section 4 – Finding Out about the Coast
4.1 Using the Map
The ability to display information on the map is the cornerstone to success in this project. The map is an
interactive Geographical Information System (GIS) in many ways. Information can be displayed
selectively about places, areas, zones and changes over time using the GIS. Areas of the map can be
enlarged so things can be viewed in greater detail. This section will look at these mapping facilities and
other data display functions to do with the coast to be managed.
4.2 The Map
The map shows an area of coast some 7 kilometres long.
The default display on start-up shows just the sea and
the land. To add features to this map you need to use
the ‘Display Settings’ panel to the right of the map.
This allows attributes to be turned on and off, thus
displaying any number of combinations depending upon
what you wish to investigate.
For ease of use these attributes have been divided into
logical groups…
•
•
•
•
•
Linear features – Roads, contours, beaches etc.
Specific locations – buildings, places
OS Grid Lines
Areas – geology, altitude, flood risk, land value
Defence Structures
It is easiest to think of each attribute as if it was a transparent piece of tracing paper, or overhead
projector transparency. These can be laid on top of one another to give a simple, one layer map, or
stacked so that several layers can be seen at once. This is the beauty of GIS maps. We will refer to
each attribute as a ‘layer’.
To select a layer for display simply click the ‘box’ to the left of the label (or the label itself). For most of
the attributes the map will update automatically as soon as that layer is selected.
4.3 Linear Features
Some examples…
Main roads, Minor
Roads and Woodland
have been selected and
are automatically added
to the map
Here Contours, Drainage
(streams and rivers) and
Beaches have been
displayed.
If you wish ALL linear features can be displayed at the same time. The simplest way to do this is to click
on the All button
Clear will turn all the layers in that ‘group’ off.
For information on displaying ‘keys’ see page
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User’s Guide
4.4 Buildings
To display the layer showing buildings select the ‘Buildings’
button.
In the example here both buildings and place name labels are
displayed.
Note: ‘Hot Spots’ allows you to access detailed information about each building,
such as address, distance from the sea, size, type, value for planning purposes.
This is covered fully on pages 6 -7 in the section on Planning Your Project
4.5 Area maps
So far linear features and those with specific locations have been mapped. There are attributes which
cover the whole area. The maps for these are referred to as ‘Area maps’.
Area maps cover layers such as…
Geology
Drift
Altitude
Strength
Geology – displays the three main rock types underlying the area. More often than not these are buried
beneath Glacial Drift from the last ice age.
Drift – displays the glacial deposits which cover the solid geology and are exposed all along this section
of coast. There are three main deposits, all of which vary in their resistance to erosion. Older till (25,000
years old), newer till (14,000 years old) and outwash sands and gravels
Altitude – the higher the land the more there is for the sea to remove therefore the more slowly the
coastline will retreat. Here it is shown as ‘layer shading’ between the contours. The same information
can also be seen in a more simple form by just displaying the contours.
Strength – this is a ‘calculated variable’. The harder the rocks, the more resistant the drift and the higher
the land the stronger the area will be to resist attack by the sea. Quite a useful map for planning
purposes.
If maps do not display on selection simply click the
button at the foot of the display panel.
4.6 Cellular Maps
For modelling purposes it is convenient to divide the map up into ‘cells’. This aids calculation and allows
each cell to be given values for planning and simulation. It is possible to display some of these ‘cellular
values.
Flood Risk
Land Classes
Land Classes
The map on the left shows areas which have been calculated to be susceptible to flooding (low lying and
coastal). The map on the right displays the quality (therefore value) of farmland.
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4.7 Grid Lines
The
options allow you to display OS style grid lines and a scale bar.
These automatically re-scale if you change the scale of the map (see next section). Grid References are
referred to in the planning and positioning of features, and the location of ‘erosion events’ during the
running of the simulation.
The current grid reference of the cursor is displayed in the panel at the
base of the Display Options if the Grid is turned on.
4.8 Scale Bar and Compass
The scale bar and compass rose appear to the south of the map
and are set to the currently selected map scale. De-selecting in
the display options panel can turn them off. (see above)
They can be moved to another place on the map by dragging and dropping the bar or compass.
4.9 Defences and Labels
If you have defences in place then selecting these options allows you to display or hide these structures
and their associated labels.
4.10 Information (Info.)
This option displays sensitive locations which need to be considered in your planning. They
appear as ‘icons’ on the map and fall into five categories…
Geological
Ornithological
Environmental
Aesthetic
Cultural/Historic
4.11 ‘Hot’ Locations
As well as being able to see where places are the power of GIS is that it allows you to access layers of
information which cannot normally be ‘mapped’. The same is true with this map. Specific locations have
other layers of data, both text and visual, associated with them. For the purposes of this application these
are referred to as ‘hot spots’.
There are three main types of ‘hot spots’…
1. Information Hot Spots
To reveal these extra layers simply
move your mouse over the
Information Icon (see above).
It will then display a circle around it to show that it is active and summary
information. Now click on the hot spot to reveal the full
information.
In some cases extra information is provided in the form of photographs.
If a photo is attached to the ‘hot spot’ then this appears at the top of the
Information Window.
To copy either the text or the photo simply place the mouse over the item
to be copied. A ‘copy button’ will appear – click it to copy.
Copy displayed text
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2. Defence Hot Spots
The defence labels are ‘hot’ and interactive when turned on. Clicking on the numbered circle accesses
information about the associated defence or structure.
3. Building Hot Spots
To access this facility the buildings must be turned on and the ‘hot
spots’ must be activated on the Display Panel ( see page 2)
As you move your cursor over the
houses a red circle appears to
indicate that they are ‘hot’. If you
then click on the house an
information panel appears telling
you about the selected building.
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4.12 Displaying Keys
When displaying maps a number of keys are available. These will appear automatically when new layers
are displayed. They appear in the bottom
right hand corner of the map screen by
default, but they are movable, and can be
dragged to other places on the map panel if
required.
You can turn the key
display off easily by
clicking on the ‘Hide’
button on the key display.
You can also control whether a key appears
or not by using the ‘menu bar’ at the top of
the window.
In this example the Map Symbols, Altitude and Defences are all displayed.
To turn any of them off simply deselect it by clicking on it.
It will still be shown on the menu (meaning that it is available for display) but
it will not have a tick alongside it.
Keys which are currently unavailable, as that layer is not displayed, are
shown ‘greyed-out’.
You can display ALL active keys on or off by selecting the
“All active keys On” (or Off) option.
Where multiple keys are displayed Coastal Manager ‘stacks’ them. In some cases keys have been
deliberately designed to show information about more than one layer, for example, Geology and Drift are
combined onto one key if both layers are requested.
If a key fails to display properly simply go to the menu bar and turn it on from there.
4.13 Extra Information from keys
At the bottom of some keys is an ‘information icon.” On clicking the icon an Information Panel appears
which elaborates on factors associated with the topic covered by the active layer.
Another level of information can be accessed from this panel also. The Coastal management handbook
can be automatically accessed by clicking the Open handbook button (see page 12 for information about
using the handbook).
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4.14 Changing the Scale of the map
It is possible to view parts of the map in more detail by ‘zooming in’. To do this you click on the ‘zoom’
button on the Display Panel.
Zoom In
Zoom Out
Full Map
Zoom in enlarges the scale of the map
Zoom Out reduces the scale
Full Map shows the whole map in the map panel
a. Zooming In
When the Zoom In button is selected an ‘enlargement frame’ appears in the top left corner of the currently
displayed map. To zoom in on an area of the map drag this frame over the area you wish to enlarge and
‘drop’ it into place.
The map will then display your selected area at the new scale.
Dragged and
dropped here…
Position of
enlargement
frame
…to give this map
It is possible to enlarge sections of the map up to a scale of 32 times the original size. To do this just
repeat the drag and drop routine of the enlargement frame.
*1
*4
b. To Zoom Out click the ‘Reduce Enlargement’
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4.15 The ‘Locator’ map
It is always useful to know just whereabouts on the map you are if you are viewing an enlarged area.
The ‘Locator’ map resides in the North West (top left) corner of the map.
When the map is first displayed it is ‘full size’ and there is no real need for
a locational map to be visible. However, as you zoom in it is hard to keep
track of just where you are in the bigger picture.
To turn on the Locator Map just click on the map icon.
This will now display the area you are viewing as a square on the Locator Map.
To turn off the Locator Map click the
a. Moving around the Map
If the map is enlarged then all of it is not visible therefore you may want to view a part of the map which is
just off the screen or simply ‘scan’ along a section of coast. This can be done using the ‘arrow buttons’
which are situated …
in the
corners and at the mid point of each side
of the map.
If the Locator Map (see above) is active then you can ‘drag’ the square showing the currently selected
enlargement area to a new location. The map will then re-draw to show the newly selected area.
Note: The map re-draws all enabled layers so, if you are displaying a ‘complex’ layer which takes a while
to refresh (e.g. cellular strength) then it may be best to turn this off, navigate to the new location, then turn
it back on again. Saying this, if the map is enlarged then only the displayed cells are re-drawn and it can
be very quick. Try it and then make a decision.
b. Re-centring the Map
There is a facility to re-centre the map. This can be done using the Re-Centre button.
This button only appears if you have the map enlarged.
On clicking this button your cursor changes from an arrow
to ‘cross-hairs’
+
When you next click on the map it will be centred over the location you have clicked.
4.16 - Overlay lost coast
When modelling or looking back on previous years you can choose to either see features which have
been lost to the sea (overlay) or not.
To turn the overlay on use the ‘Overlay Map’ button to the right of the Re-Centre button
(see above also)
Original Coast
Overlay Off
When the overlay is turned ON the button displays an ‘overlaid coast’
and the ‘prompt text’ (which appears when the mouse is placed over the
button for a second or so) confirms this.
Similarly, when turned OFF the image on the button and the ‘prompt text’
indicates this.
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Overlay On
Overlay ON
Overlay OFF
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User’s Guide
4.17 3D Views
It is possible at any time during the project to see what the coast looks like from a 3D perspective.
To see the 3D version of the map click on 3D Map on the menu bar at the top of the main map window.
This will display the screen below. The 3D map detects the current settings for the main map and applies
those. They can be changed in the same way as on the main map window (see pages 2 – 5).
It is possible to turn ‘blocks’ of options on or off using the
does what it says, turns off all options in that block.
button.
If your selection does not display on demand click the
button.
Controlling the appearance of the 3D map
The perspective of the map can be controlled to some extent. This is done using the slider bars below
the map.
Widens or narrows the
map while retaining all
other settings
Stretches the map
vertically from its
existing baseline.
Raises or lowers the
point from which the
map is viewed.
Resets all three options to their default (central) settings.
Allows you to view through the years you have planned so far. You cannot
view years which have not yet ‘run’. (see running years)
Displays the original coastline and all features (assuming they are turned on) so you can see
what has been lost.
Close the 3D map…
Copy the map… Print the map.
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Section 5 – The Coastal Management Handbook
5.1 – The Management Handbook
The Coastal Management Handbook is a source of a wide range of information which will help you to
make decisions about managing the coast.
It is divided up into four main sections covering…
1. Coastal Processes
2. A section on features created by erosion and deposition
3. A unit on a range of management strategies
4. Tables of information on land/property values and costs of defences
To access the Handbook select
from the menu bar
On doing this the Coastal Management Handbook will appear. To open the Handbook simply click on it
as instructed at the foot of the front cover. This accesses the ‘Contents Page’.
It is possible to either ‘read’ the book, starting at the introduction and working your way through, or to
‘turn’ straight to selected pages from the Contents Page.
Whichever you choose, the page can be viewed by clicking on the green heading at the left hand side of
the page. Clicking on ‘Waves’ will give…
To return to the Contents click the
Button.
To turn over to display pages 4 and 5
click on the
To turn back use the
button.
Copying Information from the
Handbook
It is perfectly possible to copy either the
images (maps, photos etc.) or text from
any of the pages in the Handbook
To do this simply RIGHT CLICK on the
element you wish to copy and it will be
placed on the clipboard.
To Close the Handbook click on
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Section 6 - Opening a slide show for viewing
6.1 Running a Slide Show
There are two slide shows which accompany the Coastal Management application.
They cover Coastal Processes and Features and Coastal
Management. To open either of these select Slide Shows from the
menu bar then choose which of the two shows you would like to run.
On opening a show the main slide show viewing screen will be
displayed. A range of functions can be accessed from this screen. These are outlined below and will be
explained in detail on the following pages.
Main slide display
screen
Slide title panel
Loads a new slide show
Move to new slide
Help
Copy current text
Copy current photo
Save all or part of
commentary
Print current photo
View all photos in the
set to select a slide
Print all or part of
commentary
Displays enlarged
image
Open the main
glossary screen
Main commentary display
panel
Highlighted text denotes keyword in the
glossary – double click to see definition
Alternative route to glossary – select
word then click this button
6.2 Moving through the slide sequence
To move from one slide to another simply click the
‘slider bar’. The associated commentary will be
displayed beneath the slide.
6.3 Slide-based functions
Copy: This button will copy the currently displayed image to the clipboard for
transfer into another application, for example a ‘Word’ based report.
Print: This button will send the currently displayed image to the printer. A standard
‘Windows’ printer dialog allows formatting etc.
Browse: This useful function displays ALL the slides on one screen. Individual
slides can then be accessed in whatever order they are needed and viewed at a
larger scale, copied, saved or printed.
Full Screen: Displays a full-screen enlargement of the current image
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6.4 Using the Slide Browser
Clicking the Slide Browser button accesses the Browser Window. This displays all the slides
which are associated with the current slide show. Each slide is numbered in the display order.
As the mouse is moved over each image its title is
displayed above the images.
To view any one of these slides simply click on the
slide you wish to see.
The selection is displayed as a ‘full size’ image.
Copy
Save As
Enlarge
To return to the Browser click on the picture. To return to the Slide Show click
Copy and Save As functions do as they suggest.
6.5 Commentary Functions
When slides are displayed using the Slide Viewer (see p.3) the commentary for that slide is displayed
in the panel below the image.
In the same way as it is possible to Copy, Save or Print images the same can be done for the text.
If Copy is selected it is possible to copy either just
the commentary associated with the currently
displayed slide or the whole commentary. You will
be prompted to select one of these options (see
opposite)
Selecting the Print button offers the same options.
Save As allows you so save the whole commentary as a Rich Text File under a
different filename or to a different
location. Because the file already
exists it is easy to access the original,
but it may be that you wish to make
changes to enable it to be used for
another purpose, so a copy is quite
useful. Once again, you will be
prompted to this effect.
6.6 Accessing the Glossary - from within the commentary
You will notice that some words in the commentary are shown in Bold and Red. These words are
highlighted because definitions or explanatory notes about them are included in a Glossary.
There are two ways to access these definitions.
1. By double-clicking on the word or
2. Selecting the word or words with the mouse or keys and clicking on the
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User’s Guide
Two options are offered because when you double click on a word only the one word is selected and it is
this word which will be searched for in the glossary database. For example, in the sample show on
Processes, “Differential Erosion” is covered. Double clicking on this would highlight ‘Differential’ (if you
clicked on the first part) or ‘Erosion’ if you clicked on the second.
So, to access the whole term you need to select ‘Differential Erosion’ either with the mouse or shift and
arrow keys, then click on the
button. This allows the use of groups of words rather than just single
words in the glossary.
Whichever option you choose displays the definition for the word(s) you have selected.
This is the definition panel displayed when the
word ‘Erosion’ is double-clicked in the
commentary for slide 3 in the Coastal
Processes show.
‘Double’ words, such as this can also be
accessed in the same way. If this doesn’t
work then try using the ‘select and click
button’ technique.
If a term cannot be found in the Glossary, or you double
click on a word which is not highlighted in red then an error
message will be presented. This can also occur if you
select leading or trailing spaces when dragging the mouse
or using the shift/arrow keys.
When the Definitions Panel appears then words which are in the Glossary appear in red here too. Simply
double-click on these to access their definitions.
6.7 Accessing the Glossary - directly
It is also possible to access the Glossary and associated definitions directly.
Simply click on the (View Glossary) button Æ
and a list of all defined terms will be displayed.
To view a definition just click on the word or term you
wish to see. On selecting the word you wish to view,
the ‘Definition Panel’ will appear below the Glossary
List.
The
button on each panel will do just
that, however, there are slight differences…
•
•
Close on the Glossary List panel closes both
the glossary and Definition panel
Close on the Definition panel closes just that
panel.
6.8 Getting Help
To access the Help files which accompany this application click on the
6.9 Leaving the current Slide Show
To leave the current show and load a new show click on
To leave the Slide Show completely select
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Coastline Manager
Section 7 – Modelling and Risk Assessment
7.1 Setting Up and Running a Model
Before you spend any money on defences you need to know just how
vulnerable your coast is. It is possible to model (simulate) the effects of
erosion on the coast at any time in the running of Coastline Manager. It
is best done BEFORE any commitment is made to defences, just to get
an impression of where your priorities might lie.
To activate the simulation, and model the retreat of the coast, select
Model then Set Up Simulation from the menu bar
This will open the Simulation Settings Panel (see below)
You can determine
the starting year for
the simulation
Set the year in
which your
simulation run
finishes
Allows you to pre-set a
pause during the
simulation sequence
If set to ‘On’ a line is left marking the
position of the earlier coast at intervals you
determine
If set to ‘On’ then all roads
and buildings are left
displayed even if now in the
sea.
By setting the Sea Level Rise you
can model best-case or worst-case
scenarios
You can determine
the speed at which
the simulation runs
Resets to the settings you
see above
Starts the run
Examples of the results of a simulation are shown below.
Cancels the option
It is possible to run the model when an area of the map has been enlarged. However, it is better to run it
at ‘full size’ then zoom in to the area you wish to look at in detail.
Before Modelling
After Modelling (Overlay ON)
16
Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
After having run the simulation you can manually view
selected year’s situations. Select View Simulation
Year from the menu bar then select the year you wish
to view from the panel. Click OK to display the new
coast. Current ‘transparency’ settings apply.
Cancel will return control to the main program in the currently active year.
When the Model has run this panel appears.
Selecting Return to Project will return control to the main program in
the currently active year.
Reset makes all setting as default (see previous page)
Pause pauses the simulation while running (Continue re-starts)
Run re-starts the paused simulation
7.2 Assessing Losses
‘Assess Losses’ automatically calculates the land and properties which would be lost given the simulation
setting selected. These calculations are based on the map information displayed.
On selecting Assess Losses this window appears.
The currently selected map area is displayed together with a
statement of the average width of coastline lost in the time scale of
the simulation. In this case it is 404 metres over 50 years.
Further detailed reports can be accessed by clicking on the ‘Tabs’
above the map. These are shown below.
Summary
Houses
Other Properties
Land
Roads
Cost-Benefit
Utilising these screens accesses a range of other modelling facilities, particularly the ability to carry out a
detailed cost-benefit analysis on the currently selected coastline.
17
User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
7.3 Risk Assessment
The simulation described on the previous page tends to work best to
get an overview of the whole area. It is often better to focus in on
one specific location and find out its strengths and weaknesses.
This can be done using the “Area Investigation”.
To set this up select Planning then Area Investigation from the
main menu bar.
On selecting this the following options present themselves…
Include all within selected area assesses all losses within the
selection frame regardless of how far away from the sea it is. It may
well include land which would not normally be lost. However, it is easy
to apply and a useful option.
Set Selection Zone allows you to state the ‘fringe’ of coast (say, 100
metres) which you wish to include in your assessment of losses. A dropdown panel and scroll-bar allows this distance to be set.
Use 50 Year loss line uses the calculated average distance of the
coastline in 50 years time (as determined by your simulation
parameters) as the landward boundary of loss.
Click Activate to apply your chosen settings.
Once the settings are applied simply click the left mouse button, hold
down the button and drag the selection rectangle to delimit the chosen
study area.
When the mouse button is released the “Assessed Losses” window
appears (see previous page) but this time it only displays and assesses
losses within the selected area. This is really useful for small area
assessments when money is at a premium. This style of assessment
can be carried out on quite small areas if the map is enlarged first ( see
‘Zooming In’ on page 9)
Click here
Drag to here
If a Selection Zone is specified or the 50 Year loss line (see above)
the resulting map display shows the inner fringe of the selected area
as a purple line on the map.
This time the figures displayed in the tabbed tables include only those
losses of land and property between the present coast and the purple
loss-line.
Inner limit of
assessment
7.4 Cost Benefit Assessments
This is the cornerstone of coastal management. It is crucial to know if the cost of proposed defences
exceeds the value of losses. If it costs you more to build the defences than the land and buildings are
worth then it would be silly to proceed. This facility allows you to model a range of possible scenarios to
aid decision-making before the money is committed.
18
Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
Having selected our area of study and selected
Cost/Benefit from the tabbed menus we can see that
the land and property within 100 metres of the coast
(our own setting) is worth £1,796,900.
Obviously, if we did nothing then this is what we would
lose.
Clicking the
bottom of the table
button confirms this at the
To see what would happen under a range of circumstances simply select one, or more of the defence
options and click the
button.
The example opposite shows the financial implications of a
sea wall used to protect the coast which is in a similar
selection area.
It would cost £2,021,250 to defend land and property worth
only £1,798,900. Costs outweigh the benefits and it gives a
Benefit/Cost Ratio of less than one (the threshold/breakeven point)
Having determined that the sea wall is too expensive maybe
we could try something else?
This time we spending less, as groynes are
cheaper. Now the whole thing becomes far
more cost effective, and the Benefit/Cost
Ratio swings in our favour at 1.46:1
On selected high-value areas it is perfectly possible to use combined defences such as groynes and
beach-feeding. There are certain combinations that are not allowed such as gabions and sea walls(which
basically do the same job) You cannot sensibly use sea walls, rock armour, revetments or breakwaters
with one another so these combinations will be de-selected.
7.5 Non Monetary Considerations
Not everything has a monetary value. There are things of
aesthetic, cultural or environmental value. These are shown
on the map as icons (see page 6)
These will be detected in your ‘sweep’ of the area. Here the ancient village of
Walton has been included in our potential loss area. Clicking on the cell which
says “Click here for details” displays further information about this resource.
Clicking on the
button generates an illustrated report
in Rich Text Format (.rtf) which can be saved, copied to a project write-up or
printed.
19
User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
Section 8 - Building Defences
8.1 Building Defences
Having interrogated the map and modelled possible outcomes the time will come when you wish to put
some defences in place.
Step 1 - As defences are costly this is best done accurately. It is
recommended that you enlarge the section of coast you wish to
work on to at least 4 times normal size (see page 9).
This ensures more accurate placements and no wastage.
Step 2 – Change from the Display Setting panel (see page 3) to the
Construction Projects panel by clicking on the
button
at the foot of the Display Settings panel.
This will display a panel which offers a range of Structures from
which to choose. There are two main types… Defences and
Roads. It is sometimes more cost-effective to move a road back
away from the coast (retreat the line) than it is to build costly hard
engineering structures to ‘hold the line’.
Step 3 - The cost of both building and maintaining the defence is
displayed alongside the picture of the defences or roads.
Clicking on the images provides extra information taken from the
handbook, but displayed in a separate window.
The information from both the text and the
images in these panels can be copied easily.
As the mouse is placed over the image a
‘copy icon’ will appear in the image or text
panel. Simply click on this.
Step 4 – Select the defence you wish to use by clicking the button to the left of the image and its heading.
A panel will display showing you how much money you have left to spend
this year. (see left)
On closing this the following window (see right) will
appear on the map. It states …
a. the defence you have selected
b. how much you have built in this section
c. costs of building this section
d. how much money you have left to spend
Step 5 - Place your mouse on the section of coast where you wish to START your building. Hold down
the left mouse key and run the mouse down the coast to build your defence. The defence will be
drawn in as a coloured line. As you build the Cost and Balance panels update to show the
current status of your finances.
You can cancel the build if you change your mind by clicking on the
20
button.
Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
Step 6 – If you have not exceeded your budget (see below) Confirm your build by clicking on the
button.
When you do this the defences will be put in place and will show as
either a coloured line (if working in normal size mode, or as a set of
coloured symbols along the coast if using an enlargement of *4 or
more.
A key panel showing these colours and symbols will be automatically
displayed. If you have the ‘Defence Labels’ turned on then a label
indicating the project number will be displayed alongside the structure.
You can always check the status of existing on newly built defences by
clicking on the numbered circle. (see page 7)
8.2 Incompatible Combinations
It is possible to have more than one defence along a section of coast. However, you cannot put two
defences which basically do the same job along the same bit of coastline, so Coastal Manager blocks
these options.
A message box will appear letting you know what you have in place
already and that the proposed defences are incompatible.
Incompatible combinations are shown as ‘X’
Armour
Blocks
Armour
Blocks
Gabions
Revetments
Groynes
X
X
9
9
9
Sea Wall
X
9
X
X
X
X
9
9
9
X
9
X
X
9
Gabions
X
Revetments
X
X
Groynes
9
9
9
Offshore
Breakwater
9
9
9
9
Sea Wall
9
9
X
X
9
X
9
9
X
X
Beach
Feeding
X
Offshore
Breakwater
Beach
Feeding
9
9
8.3 Building Roads
Sometimes it is more cost-effective to MOVE something that is threatened by flooding or erosion than it is
to defend it. This is certainly often the case with roads.
Replacement roads can be built in the same way as defences.
At the bottom of the defences window are the two option
buttons which allow roads to be selected. There are two styles
of road which can be built… main roads and minor roads.
Main roads are more expensive, at around £1000 per linear
metre. Minor roads cost less, around £700 per linear metre.
To build a road simply select the road style by clicking on the
option button. To make best use of your money accurate
road building is essential. This is best done when the map is
enlarged. If the map is smaller than 4 times normal size you
will be prompted to consider enlarging the area.
If the map is at ‘normal’ full screen size, with no enlargement,
then all you need to do is to close the Information Box by clicking on YES then click on the map where
you would like to zoom in. The new map, enlarged to four times normal size, will be centred on the point
where you clicked.
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User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
Note: You CANNOT build roads unless you are zoomed in to at least four times enlargement. This is for
two reasons… firstly, it is far more accurate and saved money, secondly, there is no way that a road
longer than even half a screen a four times enlargement could be built with the money available.
If you wish to zoom in manually then that is not a problem, simply close the Information Box by selecting
NO and use the Zoom buttons to enlarge the map and select the area you wish to work on.
Once the map is enlarged then ‘nodes’ will appear on all existing roads (see
left). These mark the points at which each segment of road starts or finishes.
You use these nodes as start and finish points for your new roads. Roads
MUST start and finish at an existing node.
To Start a New Road
1. Make sure the correct road type is selected in the ‘Defences and Roads’ panel.
2. Move your mouse over the road nodes. They
will change colour to green when ‘active’
3. Click to select your starting node, it will turn blue
On doing this the ‘Construction Costs’ window will appear.
This updates as you continue to build.
4. Move the mouse to the end point of your first new segment (you can have as many
new segments as your finances will allow). A dashed line will show the position of
your proposed segment.
5. Click on the map to create a new node. This will appear in blue.
6. Repeat stages 4 and 5 until your road nears completion.
7. To finish the road click on an existing node on one of the original roads then select
‘Confirm Build’ on the construction panel.
8. The road will now be drawn onto your map
Once you have built the road it will be identified in the
same way as the defences, with a numbered circle
representing the ‘Road Project’ number. As with defence projects, clicking on this circle will allow you to
review information about that project.
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Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
8.4 Overspending!
You have a limited budget to work to each year. This is shown in the ‘Building Window’ (see p. 20) and is
updated as you create your defence. If you overspend then your attention is drawn to this in two ways…
1) If you overspend by less than £100,000 then you are warned in the
‘Financial Problems Ahead’ Window. There are three options open
to you…
a) Build as planned and carry your overdraft on to the next year
b) Apply for an extra grant from DEFRA (see next page)
c) Cancel this project and try something different.
2) If you overspend by more
than £100,000 then the
project will be cancelled
and you can reconsider
your options.
8.5 Applying for a Grant
If you decide to apply for a grant just click on the
button.
Coastline Manager anticipates how much you may need to
cover this project and where you intend to build the defences.
You will then be offered an ‘on-line’ application form already
formatted for you.
The sum of money needed is rounded up (in this case from
the £44,329 shown above to £50,000).
It is also noted whether you have already applied for a grant
this year.
If you wish to proceed with the application as it stands click
on submit. You can change the options before you submit
the form by clicking on the ‘drop-down’ panel arrows.
Your application will be checked and you are informed ‘by
post’ of the outcome.
Clicking the letter opens it.
The letter either confirms the allocation of a grant or its refusal
and why.
Any money given in the form of an extra grant does not have to
be paid back, unlike the overdraft outlined above.
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User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
Section 9 – Running the Simulation
9.1 Running a Year
Once all modelling, interrogating, cost-benefit analysis and building is done it is time to run the simulation
and see how well you have done.
To run the year click on
in the main menu bar at the top of the screen.
Coastline Manager will then …
•
select a random weather scenario for the year which determines the rates of erosion along the coast
•
apply this to the coast and remove vulnerable undefended sections according to a pre-determined
‘strength’ ratio (This can be viewed as a map – see section1)
•
assess the effectiveness of defences you have put in place
If features other than farmland are threatened during this run
then a warning is issued. This informs you what is happening
and where.
You are offered the option of
putting Emergency Repairs in
place. These are charged to your
account at £1000 per metre If you
opt to do this then your choice is
confirmed.
The simulation then continues to cycle through the months of the year.
At the end of the year a “Situation Report” summarises the outcome of the year.
Summary of the
weather conditions
this past year
Effects of any storms on
the coastal roads or
property
Outline of defence or
road-building projects
Click to access a
breakdown of saved
land, roads and
buildings
Calculation of the
proportion of defendable
property which you have
managed to save so far.
Print
Copy
Gives a detailed breakdown of
how this success rate is
calculated (1)
Gives a detailed
breakdown of losses
so far (2)
24
Click to see graphs of
success rates and
financial affairs (3)
Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
9.2 Details of success rates to date (1 above)
Details of Damage (2 above)
The
button opens a window which
allows you to view information about success rates for
Buildings, Main Roads, Minor Roads and Land.
A summary of the Cost/Benefit situation for the current
year is also available (see below)
9.3 Graphs of success rates
The
button accesses a set of four graphs which display the following data sets…
The content of the graph can be
selected by clicking on the
‘Options’ button at the bottom of
the graph window.
‘Copy’ and ‘Print’ do what they
say.
25
User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
9.4 Looking Back at Previous Years
It is possible to review any of the displays relating to
previous years which have been run.
To do this click on Review in the menu bar then select the
review option you require.
•
•
•
Review Year allows you to select any year
Review Last Year does just that
Saved Land and Buildings takes you to the Details
displays shown on the previous page
9.5 The Final Year!
When you run Year 10, the final year in your contract, the usual
summary of the year’s events will be displayed (see Situation
Report on page 23)
When that window is closed the Final
Summary Window appears
This accesses summary tables of all key areas of your project.
Examples of these displays are shown below.
Overview
Projects
Success
Finance
Managing a coastline is a delicate balancing act which involves understanding natural processes,
assessment of risk, an awareness of aesthetics, a sensitivity to the natural world and being able to make
balanced judgements when it comes to decision making.
Cost/Benefit Analysis is at the heart of this process but there is more to costs than money.
Coastline Manager allows you to model and test outcomes, make these decisions then review the
consequences of your actions. Next time you visit the coast maybe you will view it with fresh eyes.
26
Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
Section 10 – Saving and Opening Projects
10.1 Saving a Project
Active projects can be saved at any time during the simulation. All current settings, values, defence
projects and finance information is saved. Other data is re-calculated on loading to re-construct the coast
exactly as you left it.
To save an active project select File then
Save Project from the menu bar
This will present the standard “Windows” Save As
screen. Coastline Projects are saved as Shoreline
Management Projects with a file extension of .smp
It is best not to change this as Coastline Manager
automatically searches for these files by their
‘extension’. If you do save them without the .smp don’t
panic, simply change the ‘type’ to “*.* (All Files)” when
loading (see next section).
10.2 Loading a Project
If you are loading a project from a ‘cold start’ – the
Title Page, then click on Load an Existing Project
button (see below)
This will re-instate the map to its default values then give you this window…
Select the file you wish to load. If you have saved them with
the default extension of .smp then they should be displayed
automatically.
If they do not appear check that you are in the correct folder.
If that does not work then change the ‘Files of Type’ option
to…*.* (All Files) and see if they appear then.
27
User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
Section 11 – Getting Help
Help can be obtained in one of three ways…
1. Selecting Help from the menu bar at the top of the main mapping screen
2. Clicking on the
button if it appears anywhere on a window
3. Pressing the F1 key This accesses what is known as ‘context sensitive help’ and takes you straight
to what are considered to be the most appropriate page(s) in the help files based on the ‘windows’
which are currently active. It is still possible to navigate around Help using the ‘Contents’ menu or to
Search using Help search facilities. See Windows Help for further details of these facilities.
28
Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
Appendix 1
Installing Geopacks Software on a Network
Geopacks Software is written in Visual Basic and in order for it to run it is necessary to install files into
specific locations on any computer that is running the software.
•
•
There are the program (or application) files, which are installed into the folder chosen to hold the
programs themselves. This is selected by the user when setting up the install sequence and prompts
to this effect will be displayed.
Other files (the ‘system’ files which actually run the code) are installed automatically into the Windows
System folder on the host machine. On a standalone machine the files are installed into their correct
locations automatically and after installing the programs should run with no extra ‘tweaking’
However, installing on to a network is different to installing onto a standalone PC. Due to the way in
which Windows locates the required files it is necessary to undertake a few extra steps during the
installation process. If you have bought a network version of the software and do not have a network,
but wish to install it on to more than one computer, please contact Geopacks.
To install on a network…
1)
2)
3)
Install the software onto the server in the usual way.
If you use install software like Install Wizard or Winstall you will need to replicate the files installed
in the \Windows\System folder into the equivalent folder of the client machines.
If you need to manually install the \Windows\System folder files, you need to copy the files listed
in Table 1 on the next page from your \Windows\System folder on the server to the windows
system directory on the client machine.
Table 1 on the next page identifies the ‘System’ files for each application in the current
Geopacks Suite of software which need to reside in the \Windows\System folder of client
machines which will run the software.
4)
5)
You will need to map a network drive from the client machine to the server. Make sure that
applications are installed in a folder on the mapped drive but that the application folder is NOT
the root folder of the mapped drive.
Create a shortcut from the client machine to the ‘start-up’ program for each application in the
mapped drive and folder on the server where you installed the application software.
The start-up programs for the Geopacks Software are as follows…
Slope Analysis
Channel Analysis
Sediment Analysis
Roundness Analysis
Bedload Analysis
Orientation Analysis
Sediment Analysis
Full Fieldwork Suite
Channel Analysis
Slope Analysis
Mastering Mapwork
Down on the Farm (Main Program)
Down on the Farm (File Manager)
Slide Show Maker
Slide Show Viewer
Coastal Manager
The software should now work from a client machine.
29
Slopes.exe
Chan32.exe
Cailleux.exe
Bedload.exe
Orient.exe
Fines.exe
channel.exe
slopes.exe
startup.exe
farm32.exe
FileEdit.exe
Make32.exe
View32.exe
Coasts.exe
User’s Guide
Coastline Manager
Table 1 – Files to reside in \Windows\System folder (or Microsoft Shared\DAO folder in the case of two
files used by “Down on the Farm – shown at bottom of the list)
COASTAL
MANAGER
SLIDE SHOW
DOWN ON THE
FARM
MASTERING
MAPWORK
FIELDWORK
FULL SET
SEDIMENT
ANALYSIS
CHANNEL
AALYSIS
SLOPE
ANALYSIS
INSTALLED FILES
‘RUN-TIME’ FILES COMMON TO ALL APPLICATIONS
Msvcrt40.dll
3
3
3
3
3
3
Msvbvm60.dll
3
3
3
3
3
3
Stdole2.tlb
3
3
3
3
3
3
Oleaut32.dll
3
3
3
3
3
3
Olepro32.dll
3
3
3
3
3
3
Comcat.dll
3
3
3
3
3
3
Asyncfilt.dll
3
3
3
3
3
3
Ctl3d32.dll
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
EXTENSION FILES USED BY INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS
COMCTL32.OCX
3
COMDLG32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
EXPSRV.DLL
3
GAUGE32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
3
GRAPH32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
GRID32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
GSW32.EXE
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
GSWDLL32.DLL
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
MFC40.DLL
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
MSCOMCTL.OCX
MSFLXGRD.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
MSJET35.DLL
3
MSJINT35.DLL
3
MSJTER35.DLL
3
MSMASK32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
MSRD2X35.DLL
3
MSREPL35.DLL
3
MSSTDFMT.DLL
3
PICCLP32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
RICHED32.DLL
3
RICHTX32.OCX
3
SPIN32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
TABCTL32.OCX
3
3
THREED32.OCX
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
VB5DB.DLL
3
VBAJET32.DLL
3
FILES TO GO INTO ‘PROGRAM FILES \ MICROSOFT SHARED \ DAO’ FOLDER
DAO350.DLL
3
DAO2535.TLB
3
This information can also be found on the CD in a Word file called “Network Installation.doc”
30
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Coastline Manager
User’s Guide
Batch copying of system files
There are two supplementary folders on the CD which are not used during the setup process. The files in
these folders are extra copies of the System Files which are installed into the Windows System folder or,
in two cases, the Program Files/Common Files/Microsoft Shared/DAO. As covered above, they need to
reside on the hard drive of each workstation that will be used to run these Geopacks applications.
They are installed automatically onto the hard drive of the computer which is used for installing the
applications. However, several network managers have suggested that it would be easier to have them
all in one folder on the CD as well. This enables ‘batch’ copying onto the C:\ drive of workstations which
will run the Geopacks applications.
So, there are two folders on this CD which contain these files. They can be found in the ‘Files’ folder.
The SysFiles folder contains all files which reside in the System Folder. The ShareDOA folder holds the
two files which go into the Program Files/Common Files/Microsoft Shared/DAO folder.
WARNING: Normal installation automatically checks to see if a file you are trying to install is already
present or not. If the file to be installed is more up to date than the existing version it will update it with
the later version. If it is older it will either leave it or gives you a warning and recommends that you retain
the existing, newer, version.
BE CAREFUL if block copying not to overwrite newer versions of these system files as it may cause
problems with other software on the machine. Geopacks software deliberately uses slightly older
versions of some system files to ensure compatibility with as wide a range of Windows versions as
possible. This does not affect the functionality of the software.
31