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.
Video Reviews
Highly Recommend GeoHECRAS
as a water resources engineer, I used the program for 5 - 6 years.
GeoHECRAS review
269 out of 270 Total Reviews for GeoHECRAS
Overall Review Sentiment for GeoHECRAS
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The visualization of surface and hydraulic parameters is seamless, with effortless integration into CAD, Civil3D, and terrain features. It provides outstanding import and export capabilities as required. I also highly appreciate the technical support team, who are always available whenever I need their guidance.
The floodplain map generated by the Geo HEC-RAS model is easy to convert into CAD and standard drawings, as everything is georeferenced with excellent precision. Additionally, the conveyance capacity of hydraulic structures (such as culverts and bridges) and channel geometry are efficiently managed using Geo HEC-RAS software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I like most of the Geo HEC-RAS features. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The best aspect of GeoHECRAS is its ease of use and intuitive user interface, especially when compared to HEC-RAS. Setting up and editing models is straightforward, with the added benefit of visual representation. Additionally, the customer service is excellent—whenever I had questions, getting assistance was quick and easy. Their team is always supportive, regularly checking in, and actively seeking user feedback to enhance the software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I previously encountered issues when working with a larger model than usual—the software kept closing unexpectedly, causing me to lose progress on my project. Additionally, I haven’t had the opportunity to use the 2D functionality of GeoHECRAS and have instead relied on the standard HEC-RAS for that. I look forward to updating my version of the software and see how it has improved. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
GeoHECRAS is great for modelling drainage areaws and complex floodplains, and the integration of GIS and mapping features make it far more user friendly than HEC-RAS on its own. Being able to import files from Google Earth and CAD also make it super simple to take areas and survey data you already have available and keep them in one place. The program is also super intuitive, with features being located exactly where you'd expect. Our team uses it nearly everyday. When there are crashes or bugs, it is really easy to get help from CivilGeo. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
There is a bit of a learning curve to GeoHECRAS, and it does have a tendency to crash from time to time and can have an extremely long boot up time if you make the file too large. Some features are only available to the USA, with no Canadian option. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Overall I think Civil GEO is a great program that is highly intuitive bringing lots of different civil engineering software together into one easy to use format. Civil GEO is the best program out there to do large scale hydrologic analysis with ease. Its interface allows the user to pull multiple sources of data into to one program allowing a complete picture to be put together in short amount of time. I would recommend it to any company or individual that has to do floodplain modeling on a consistent basis or wants to expand past simple HEC RAS analysis and add detail and complexing to their project from multiple data sources.
P.S. the customer service is second to none. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
My biggest complaint about Civil GEO is it is not fully geared for small site design (less than 100 acres). It seems to be a program leaning towards large scale modeling and can not fit all of the high level accuracy I would need for small site design like designing an intricate storm network. A suggestion would be to add the ability to bring pipe networks from civil 3d into Civil GEO. I would also like to see more tutorial videos on how to model small watershed, roadway culverts, and detention basins. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
It has been useful in quickly determining an area of interest for an existing model and making edits to the model. It also greatly reduces the time it takes to create a new model if one does not currently exist. The technical support team has also been helpful when an issue or question regarding the software has come up. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The only issue I have ever had with the product is that there is with licensing. I use a network license and have had to call techincal support to have them reset the license to allow me to use the program again. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
GeoHECRAS is easier and quicker to use than HEC-RAS. It does use the HEC-RAS engine which makes it very useful when submitting project to clients who use HEC-RAS. GeoHECRAS also has a neat UI that makes it very easy to navigate though. I use GecHECRAS for all my small projects all the time. Moreover, I can use GeoHECRAS to export and import project and other file from different sources. GeoHECRAS has a 24-hour support technical team that will help you with your projects and any technical issues you are facing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The new GeoHECRAS has a few bugs here and there. However, when I spoke to technical support they were able to solve the issue and release an update for the software the very next week. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
GeoHECRAS simplifies the process of the overall workflow associated with using HEC-RAS. I think the software is a good time saver for beginner and intermediate hydraulic engineers. The software is easy to use and does incorporate many features that allows the user to quickly access data from numerous reputable sources. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
GeoHECRAS could potentially offer a more educational experience while using the software. In my opinion this would, over time, enhance the knowledge and skill set of the hydraulic engineer using the software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
