Environmental Flow Node
Source has many standard recorders for flow nodes, which can also be reported for the Environmental Flow Node. Additional recorders specific to the Environmental Flow Node are found under ‘Environmental Flow – Name of Node – Actions – Name of Action’.
The environmental flow node has a standard set of node recorders that are common across all Source nodes. Specialist recorders are then present in each node type in addition to these common recorders. Environmental Flow Nodes's specialist recorders are all present at an action level.
Actions
Spell Based Action
Antecedent Condition: Condition score for the action. This is a value between 0 (poor) and 1 (good). If the Override Condition checkbox is enabled, this recorder will return the result of the Override Condition.
Average Recurrence Interval: Based on Desired Frequency. For example, Desired Frequency is 2 in 3 years, the Average Return Interval is 3/2 = 1.5.
Cumulative Spell Shortfall: Records the difference between the Cumulative Spell Target Volume and the Cumulative Spell Volume (actual). This is used to track success based on volume.
Cumulative Spell Target Volume: Cumulative volume of the full requirement during a spell, not including the rise and fall.
Cumulative Spell Volume: Cumulative volume delivered during a spell.
Current Season Cost Estimate: This is the default cost estimate for the action. The cost is based on the full requirement, not taking into account any estimate of expected flow.
Full Requirement: The required flow for an action, i.e. the targeted flow, including rise and fall. The following applies to the Full Requirement:
- It is calculated based on the information available at the node
- It is calculated even when node does not “allow orders”
- Where a spell is not successful, the full requirement will stop when the Time in Current Spell stops and there will be no fall calculated.
- When the node is connected to the manager:
- It calculates the water required based on the trigger and the seasonality and includes rate of rising and fall for every season, independent of return interval
- When the node is not connected to the manager:
- It calculates (same as above) but takes into account the return interval and will not generate a Full Requirement before the return interval is up.
Number of Spells Completed in Season: The number of spells that were completed in a season. This includes completed spells, as well as spells that started but were stopped, when they were not able to be successfully completed within the season anymore. The counter is reset once the season is finished. A spell is considered complete once it completes the rise-target-fall pattern or the spell has failed to meet it's success criteria and stopping failed actions is enabled. The counter is reset at the end of the action's season.
Number of Spells Started in Season: Number of times the start spell threshold flow value is exceeded within the required season, and therefore a spell is considered started. This includes ordered spells and natural spells as well as successful and unsuccessful spells. The counter is reset at the end of the action'Spell Threshold season.
Required Target Volume: This is the flow target level specified by the user (used to calculate success based on target level). This will reduce according to the proportion specified in the target success criteria.
Residual Requirement: This is the order the environmental flow node would have to place on top of the downstream order to reach the full requirement. The full requirement is reduced based on downstream orders, minimum upstream constraints and other actions of higher priority. When the upstream minimum constraint is larger than the full requirement, no order will be placed by the flow node (i.e. the residual requirement would be zero). The requirement is calculated at the order phase. The Residual Requirement is not restricted by account balances. When not managed by an EFM, the Residual Requirement will always be zero. [IT3] The Residual Requirement is not limited by available water in accounts.
Number of Successful Spells Completed in Season: Number of spells this season that are successful in a season. A season is deemed successful if the delivered volume meets the requirements specified by the action's success criteria. This includes both ordered and natural spells. The counter is reset at the end of the action's season.
Required Target Volume: This is the flow target level specified by the user (used to calculate success based on target level).
Residual Requirement: This recorder is only non-zero when the environmental flow node is used with a flow manager. The residual requirement is the amount this action will have to try to order. The full requirement is reduced based on downstream orders, minimum upstream constraints and other actions at this node that are a higher priority. This value is not restricted by account balances.
Spell Extension: Recorder flags days when spell was extended
Successful time steps in current spell: During a spell, this records the number of time steps that had a flow rate within the specified proportion of target flow required to mark success.
For example, if the target flow is 10,000 ML/d and an 80% proportion was specified as required for success (see Success Criteria), then all days with flow >= 8,000ML/d are recorded as successful days.
Time in current spell: Time step recorder, counting number of time steps the spell has been underway. This is used in combination with the Successful time steps in current spell to determine success against the duration criterion.
Time since Last Successful Season: Time step counter that starts after the last successful spell in a successful season. The recorder is not reset until the end of the season, but will reset to the number of days since the last successful spell in the season (and hence may not reset to zero). If spell extension is enabled, the counter will be set to zero when the spells minimum duration has been reached and remains zero until the extended spell is finished.
Time since Last Successful Spell: Time step counter that starts after any successful spell in the season. If spell extension is enabled, the counter will be set to zero when the spells minimum duration has been reached and remains zero until the spell extension is finished.
Volume Ordered: This is the volume ordered by the environmental flow node on top of the downstream order. When the upstream minimum constraint is larger than the full requirement, no order will be placed. This is the default volume that will be debited from the account(s).
Volume ordered is constrained by the account balance (if the EFN is managed by the EFM), whereas Residual Requirement is not. The volume is calculated at the order phase. Volume ordered will be deducted during ordering phase for order debit or during flow phase for use debit. For order debit it will debit the order at min travel time.[WL1]
Spell Extension: Recorder flags days when spell was extended
Successful time steps in current spell: During a spell, this counter keeps track of the number of time steps that had a flow rate within the specified proportion of target flow required to mark success. This recorder is reset at the end of the spell For example if the target flow is 10,000 ML/d and an 80% proportion was specified as required for success (see success criteria), then all days with flow >= 8,000ML/d are counted as successful days.
Time in current spell: This is a time step recorder, counting the number of time steps the spell has been underway. This is used in combination with the ‘Successful time steps in current spell’ to determine success against the duration criterion.
Time since Last Successful Season: Time step counter that starts after the last successful spell in a successful season. It counts from the end of the spell not including fall phase
Time since Last Successful Spell: Time step counter that starts after any successful spell in the season. It counts from the end of the spell not including fall phase
Timesteps Spell is Actively Ordering: The number of timesteps a spell will attempt to place orders. This gets reset after the spells fall phase. This is used in environmental flow manager functions to determine if an action is currently ordering.
Volume Ordered : This is the volume of the order that was actually put into the system. The difference between Volume Ordered and Residual Requirement is that Volume Ordered is constrained by account balance, while Residual Requirement is not. The sum of all action's Volume Ordered recorders is the amount that node has ordered that time step.
Translucency Action
Recorders available for translucency actions are listed below. If they are defined as above no further explanation is given.
Antecedent Condition: Not used for this action. This recorder will always return 0.
Full Requirement: The required flow for an action. (i.e. Translucency percentage x Translucency reference flow when in an event)
Residual Requirement: This recorder is only non-zero when the environmental flow node is used with a flow manager. The residual requirement is the amount this action will have to try to order. The full requirement is reduced based on downstream orders, minimum upstream constraints and other actions at this node that are a higher priority. This value is not restricted by account balances.
Time since Last Succesful Event: Time step counter that starts after a successful event. An event is considered successful if once triggered, at least Translucency percentage x Translucency reference flow is received every time step until the end threshold is met.
Volume Ordered: This is the volume of the order that was actually put into the system. The difference between Volume Ordered and Residual Requirement is that Volume Ordered is constrained by account balance, while Residual Requirement is not. The sum of all action's Volume Ordered recorders is the amount that node has ordered that time step.
Environmental Flow Manager
Manager Priority: A recorder that contains a snapshot of the priorisation process every timestep. It contains the groups priority, estimate cost, total portfolio balance as it was when that group was prioritised. This means that a groups priority in this recorder and the estimate cost recorder may give different values since the estimate cost recorder contains the value at the end of the priorisation process. The table also includes portfolio balances before and after prioritisation.
Flow Manager – Portfolios - Portfolio Name:
Account Balance After Prioritisation: The balance of the portfolio after each group has been prioritised. This will have the account balance at the end of the resource assessment phase minus the estimated cost of each enabled group (these costs are distributed as specified in the group's portfolio priority/share properties). This value includes any adjustment values.
Account Balance including adjustment: The portfolio account balance after resource assessment phase including any adjustment values.
Total Balance Adjustment: The sum of all account balance adjustments.
Flow Manager – Groups – Group Name:
Estimated Cost: The sum of each actions estimated cost. This is the value at the end of prioritisation phase (since this can point at functions that can evaluate multiple times in the priorisation process).
Priority: The priority of the group with the minimum value. If there are no enabled groups - it will return zero.
Flow Manager – Groups – Group Name – Actions:
Enabled: Recorder indicates when the Environmental Flow Manager has flagged/enabled the event (to be delivered the current/upcoming season).
Priority: Recorder showing the priority of the action.
Cost: Cost of the action as calculated by the cost function
Priority: Priority of the group of actions
Importance: Value returned by user configured importance function. If not configured the value will be zero
Resource Assessment
Resource Assessment was already existing in Source and is not specific to the Environmental Flow Functionality. The only difference in reporting is that Portfolios are listed under account hosts. Resource assessment recorders are reported per account, aggregated per account type, and aggregated per account host and aggregated for the whole system.
Other relevant recorders (part of already existing Source software)
Minimum constraint: This is reported for every node at: ‘Node Type – Rules Based Orders – Constraints – Minimum’. The minimum constraint for the node upstream of the Environmental Flow Node is used as the (conservative) flow forecast, used for triggering (and ordering) environmental flow actions.
Orders: The total order at the node is reported at: ‘Node Type – Rules Based Orders – Orders. (note: this includes downstream orders as well as the nodes orders)
Account Balance Pre Exit - Resource Assessment- X Accounting Recorder- Account Types - Account Type X- Account Balance Pre Exit This is useful because it gives you the account balance after the resource assessment phase, but before the environmental flow manager evaluation phase and the ordering phase. The account balance recorder is the account balance at the end of the entire timestep.