Practice note: Naming nodes and links

This practice note is one of a set developed to provide consistency and transparency of river system models being used within the Murray-Darling Basin. The notes cover modelling practices, such as naming conventions for folder structures, to model methods, such as for flow routing and residual inflow estimation, and have been developed through a collaboration between the MDBA, Basin States and CSIRO.

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Practice note: Naming nodes and links

This practice note, Naming nodes and links, details the recommended conventions for naming nodes and links in Source river system models that underpin water resource plans; and provides examples of implementing the conventions.

Background

When building an eWater Source model, nodes and links are initially given default names, such as inflow 1, inflow 2, confluence 3, etc. These can be easily renamed and instructions on how to add and rename nodes and links can be found in the Source User Guide (Nodes and Links). Source does not support duplicate names for node and links.

General principles

Nodes and links names should be clear and allow other modellers to easily understand the model layout.
If a model contains multiple sub-systems, names should allow others to differentiate between the different sub-systems.

Conventions for naming model nodes and links

Valley identifiers (ValleyID) should be included in all node and link names. These should be unique for each model within the Murray-Darling Basin.
Where there is a node that represents a site with observed data (e.g. flow data, storage levels), the name should include the gauge name and number.
Names for water user node names should include:
1. Valley Identifier
2. Owner (if applicable)
3. Reach identifier
4. Description of the type of user (e.g. Town water supply, stock and domestic, Irrigation, Environment etc.)
5. Description of location.
Supply Points should have the same name as the water user; a single water user with more than one Supply Point should be numbered in sequence from 1 to x.
1. Where a model has ownership, the Supply Point name should include a description of the owner.
Environmental demands should include the Site Name/Description.
Residual inflows should include the downstream gauge name. Where there is more than one residual inflow between two gauge points, the inflows should be numbered in sequence from 1 to x.
Loss Nodes should be named after the calibration reach.
Splitters, Confluences, Minimum flow nodes, and Maximum order constraints should include a locality description.
Link Names should allow users to easily identify routing and non-routing links. Not all link names need to be altered from the default. The following links should use non- default names.
1. Routing links
2. Links upstream of confluences
3. Links downstream of splitters
4. Links downstream of storages
5. Wetland links.

Examples

Table 1: Examples of implementing Node naming conventions (<> identifies elements that should be included. Italics indicates elements to be included, if applicable. Bold identifies fixed text. / indicates 'or'. The ordering of the components within the convention is not fixed) *ValleyIDs used in these tables are listed in Table 5

Node type	Convention	Examples *
Gauge	<ValleyID> <AWRCStationName> <(AWRCStationNo)>	RM River Murray @ Doctors Point (409017) RM Edward River @ Moulamein (409014) G Goulburn River @ Eildon (405203)
Storage	<ValleyID> <AWRCStationName> <(AWRCStationNo)> or <ValleyID> <Storage Name>	RM Hume Dam (409001) G Lake Eildon
Supply points – consumptive demand	<ValleyID> <Owner> SP <Name/Description>	LD NSW SP Tandou G SP IRRI Shepparton
Supply points – non- consumptive demand	<ValleyID> <Owner> EOrder <Water User> <Name/Description>	G EOrder GE Snowy Use
Environmental demand	<ValleyID> EDM <RiverName @ LocationName>	Co EDM ColibanRiv @ Lyell Rd
Bulk licensing	<ValleyID> <Owner/UserName> Bulk Entitlement	G Melbourne Water Bulk Entitlement
Losses	<ValleyID> <River/Channel Name> <Location Name/Description> Loss	Co CMC Harcourt To PovertyGully Loss
Confluence	<ValleyID> <LocationName/Description> Confluence / Junction	G Rubicon River Confluence Co us EmuValley Junction
Maximum order constraint	<ValleyID> <River/Channel Name> <Location Name/Description> MaxOrder / Constraint / Channel Capacity	G GoulRiv Seymour Constraint Co CMC ds Harcourt Channel Capacity
Minimum flow requirement	<ValleyID> <Location Name/Description> Min Flow	G ds Eildon Min Flow
Controlled splitter - regulators	<ValleyID> <Location Name/Description> Offtake / Split	G SM Rodney Offtake
Off allocation	<ValleyID> OA <Location Name>	G OA us Goulburn Weir
Transfer ownership	<ValleyID> TON <Location Name/Description>	C TON CampRiv ds Eppalock

Table 2: Examples of implementing node naming conventions for gauged and ungauged Inflows (<> identifies elements that should be included. Italics indicates elements to be included, if applicable. Bold identifies fixed text. The ordering of the components within the convention is not fixed)

Inflows node type	Convention	Examples
Gauged at a gauge	<ValleyID> <AWRCStationName> <(AWRCStationNo)>	RM Kiewa River @ Bandiana (402205A)
Gauged to a location	<ValleyID> Inflow <Location Name>	C Inflow CampRes
Gauged from a tributary	<ValleyID> <Tributary Name> Inflow	G Rubicon River Inflow
Ungauged residuals	<ValleyID> Residual Inflow <AWRCStationName> <(AWRCStationNo)>	RM Residual Inflow Hume Dam (409001)
Ungauged between two locations	<ValleyID> Ung Inflow <Location A to Location B>	G Ung Inflow Seymour to GoulWeir
Ungauged from a tributary	<ValleyID> <Tributary Name> Ung Inflow	L Bet Bet Ck Ung Inflow
Ungauged groundwater	<ValleyID> Gw Inflow <Location Name(s)>	L Gw Inflow Laan to LodWeir
Ungauged outfall/drain	<ValleyID> <Location Name> Outfall/Drain	G Rondey Outfall; C Campaspe Drain

Table 3: Examples of implementing node naming conventions for Water Users (<> identifies elements that should be included. Italics indicates elements to be included, if applicable. Bold identifies fixed text. / indicates 'or'. The ordering of the components within the convention is not fixed)

Water users node type	Convention	Examples
Irrigation	<ValleyID> <Owner> IRRI <Name/Description>	RM NSW IRRI Curlwaa Pumps C IRRI Campaspe
Private diverter	<ValleyID> <Owner> PD <Diverter Name or Location>	G PD ds McCoys
Town water supply/urban supply	<ValleyID> <Owner> LWU <Name/Description> <ValleyID> <Owner> URB <User Name>	RM NSW LWU Albury Co URB Castlemaine
Rural supply	<ValleyID> <Owner> RUR <User Name>	Co RUR Harcourt
Domestic and stock	<ValleyID> <Owner> DS / SD <User Name>	B DS Tungamah RM NSW SD Murray
Environmental demand	<ValleyID> EDM <River Name @ Location Name>	Co EDM ColibanRiv @ Lyell Rd

Table 4: Examples of implementing naming conventions for Links (<> identifies elements that should be included. Italics indicates elements to be included, if applicable. Bold
identifies fixed text. The ordering of the components within the convention is not fixed)

Link type	Convention	Examples
Routing link – storage routing	<ValleyID> <Location Name/Description> Routing Link	G Trawool To Seymour Routing Link
Routing link – lag link	<ValleyID> <Location Name/Description> Lag Link	C CampRes To Redesdale Lag Link
Upstream of confluences	<ValleyID> <Location Name/Description>	MB Goobarragandra River US Tumut Confluence
Downstream of splitters	<ValleyID> <Locaiton Name/Description>	MB Old Man Creek DS Offtake
Downstream of storages	<ValleyID> <Locaiton Name/Description>	MB DS Burrinjuck Dam
Wetland Link	<ValleyID> <Location Name/Description> Wetland Link	MB Lower Murrumbidgee Wetland Link

Table 5: Valley identifiers (ValleyID) and other abbreviations used in these tables

Abbreviation	Term
B	Broken
C	Campaspe
Co	Coliban
G	Goulburn
L	Loddon
LD	Lower Darling
MB	Murrumbidgee
RM	River Murray

LWU	Local Water Utility
Ds/DS	Downstream
Us/US	upstream

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