CivilGEO Reviews - Page 10

Enjoy being able to compare cross sections between different scenarios (ex. existing and proposed) in order to see the change in floodplain between different terrain conditions. It is easy to add in terrain and other shp files as well as being able to run multiple scenarios at one time in order to compare results. If you ever have a problem the custermer support is quick at getting back to you with solutions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The classify land use tool works well when using the automated classify landuse but is not always functional when manaully defining land use based on a air photo. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The integration between CAD, GIS, and HecRAS is efficient and intuitive. The technical support team is helpful and always responds in a timely manner. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I think it would be helpful for the software to automatically update. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The support team of engineers and communications is always there for you, especially when the deadlines begin to creep up! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

HECRAS with additional user friendly applications and interfaces....yeah, there is nothing I dislike about GeoHECRAS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ease of use, customer support. Their customer service is top rate. I can always get ahold of them to get help with any issues I have. GeoHECHMS is very efficient at gathering the necessary input data for me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Any limitations are imposed by Corps of Engineer's HECHMS capabilities so there's not a lot that they could do to make the software more useful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I appreciate their customer service; they are helpful with projects and willing to teach you how to use GEOHECRAS Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

While floodplain encroachment could be improved, it remains a valuable tool, especially when receiving assistance from their team. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There are some great time saving features that are extremly useful in saving time. Some of the most useful are the delineate watershed and subbasins, compute slopes, computing flow paths, and extracting the storgae are volume curve. The user interface is extremly easy to navigate and is much more intuitive to use then regular HECHMS. Overall it has been a time saver on the projects I have used it on. There are still bugs being worked on but the CIvilGeo team has been helpful and responsive to sugestions when issues have come up. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There is a few features that still could use improvement or that I have had limited succes getting to work as intended. I wish the model would altert you if junctions or reaches weren't connceted it is easy to move items around and inadvertnly disconnect a feature. I would like there to be a better way to globally adjust Time of concentraition as well as some of the other parameters for subbasins this would save time when working on large models. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The ability for GeoHECRAS to work with AutoCAD design files to layout, model, and modify a river reach, speeds up the deisgn process for grading and road design projects. In addition, with the ability to draw and model multiple scenarios at once aids in the decision making process and reduces the time drafting the intermediate and final design. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

At first, there is a learning curve in relationship to the layout of the tabs when compared to the original location when using HEC-RAS and AutoCAD. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The customer support is very good. They help you with any problems you're having and always call back to verify that things are still working well after a couple of days. It is a good visual interface for HEC-RAS. The downloadable data cuts out a lot of steps in the process. Setting up models is easy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes they come out with a new version that is unstable and that's not very fun. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As a Professional Engineer, I and my firm get into a lot of floodplain studies as part of the land development process. Prior to utilizing GEOHECRAS, our design process to complete these studies was much more cumbersome. Typically, we would set up the model (centerline alignment & cross section lines) within AutoCAD Civil3D, export the model to HECRAS, then run the model within the base program of HECRAS. Inevitably, there were always alignment issues with the export/import process. Many hours had been spent manually updating the geodetic information of the alignment for them to show correctly within the HECRAS project file. Then after analysis results, many hours were spent plotting the floodplain and floodway within our 3D surface within Civil3D. In all honesty, GEOHECRAS has streamlined our entire design process related to floodplain studies. What previously took 4-5 days for a large site floodplain and floodway analysis can be completed within 6 hours.

Also within the program are many timesavers when manipulating the model. Bulk change mannings n values, add\delete sections without having to manually update the centerline alignment, ineffective flow areas, junctions, etc are seamlessly automatically updated in your model with a simple click. While you can use RASmapper in HECRAS, the integrated google aerials and USGS National Map LIDAR terrain are a HUGE time saver. Lastly, the project export function within the program allows us to seamlessly share our files with review agencies, even including the base surfaces and aerials within the zip file.

Additionally from a client and agency perspective, the visuals that GEOHECRAS automatically produces are simple for the laymen to understand. Specifically the “heat map” of the terrain surface, automatic visualization of the floodplain and floodway limits, and the ability to change I ton the fly during a meeting has been a great advantage.

Lastly, GEOHECRAS (I presume their parent company) have the best customer service and technical troubleshooting I have experienced in my 20+ year career. (Not that I recommend it but …) I have been working on the weekend and have sent a tech support email on a Sunday, thinking they would get back to me the following business day. I was shocked that within 30 minutes someone was already calling me to troubleshoot an issue in my model.

I have praised this product to many of my contemporaries at other firms. The efficiency in our design process has more than paid for the cost of the product in a few projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

My biggest critique of the program would be the seemingly frequent updates and patches that are pushed out. Some of these versions have had vetting problems with some of the functions. One inadvertent change that happened was a “fuzzing” of surfaces (less resolution in the terrain model) when merging terrains (pasting proposed on existing). That just appeared in a version unbeknownst to the users or tech support. To GEOHECRAS’ credit, within a few days we had a video call so they could see what we were seeing in our model, internally they went to their programmers, identified the problems, and sent a patch to fix it. The updates aren’t mandatory and we frequently wait until after a project is completed to update our versions to avoid any issues like this when you are in a project rush.

There are also minor export discrepancies between GEOHECRAS and Civil 3D. I have noticed a small shift in the geodetic location of the floodplain between the two options for exporting the limits of the floodplain. This is easily resolved in Civil3D with a quick comparison (most users probably wouldnt even notice). In the grand scheme of things the difference is de minimis. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The software is relatively easy to learn with the help of CivilGeo's expert customer support trainers. The software outputs are documented in an easy to understand format and easily reviewed and approved by city engineers to allow for the fast tracking of projects through all governmental agencies involved with the oversight and general approval of land development projects. Additionally, the software can be calibrated to any site or watershed conditions or physical characteristics such as large areas encompassing hundreds of acres, flat to extreme terrain, and water conveyance channels with any number of obstructions or flow control structures. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

So far........little to nothing. There's just nothing to dislike. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.