Hydrological Modeling: Hec-Hms For Beginners

Learn HEC-HMS Step by Step

What you'll learn

How to prepare elevation and land cover data using QGIS for hydrological modeling.

How to delineate a watershed and extract key parameters from Digital Elevation Models (DEM).

How to calculate Curve Number (CN) and Lag Time using GIS tools.

How to build a complete basin model in HEC-HMS using terrain data.

How to assign loss, transform, and routing methods in HEC-HMS.

How to apply the SCS Curve Number and SCS Unit Hydrograph methods.

How to simulate rainfall-runoff processes using both observed and hypothetical storms.

Requirements

The course is designed for beginners, but learners should have basic knowledge of hydrology and GIS concepts.

Description

Are you looking to develop your skills in hydrological modeling and rainfall-runoff simulation?This beginner-friendly course will guide you step by step through building a complete hydrological model using HEC-HMS—a powerful, free tool developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. You’ll also use QGIS, a free and open-source GIS software, to prepare the terrain and land use data required for your model. Real-world Application:Learn how to download and process spatial data, calculate important parameters like Curve Number (CN) and Lag Time, and simulate rainfall-runoff events to assess flood risks and infrastructure sizing (e.g., bridge discharge estimation). Two Practical Exercises Included:Exercise 1: Full workflow from DEM processing, land cover classification, CN & Lag Time calculation in QGIS, and hydrologic simulation in HEC-HMS.Exercise 2: Simulation of a 100-year design storm using the SCS Type II method to estimate peak discharge for a projected bridge without calculating CN and Lag Time (values are provided). You Will Learn:How to prepare elevation (DEM) and land cover data in QGIS.How to calculate Curve Number (CN) and Lag Time using terrain and land use.How to build a basin model in HEC-HMS using preprocessed GIS data.How to apply rainfall-runoff methods (SCS CN, SCS Unit Hydrograph).How to simulate both observed and hypothetical rainfall events.How to interpret hydrographs and estimate peak flows for engineering design.Tools Used:HEC-HMSQGISEarthData NASA for DEMESRI Land Cover

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 Course Outline

Section 2: Exercise 1

Lecture 3 Data Preparation

Lecture 4 Create HEC-HMS Project

Lecture 5 Land Cover and Curve Number

Lecture 6 Assign CN Value in HEC-HMS

Lecture 7 Lag Time

Lecture 8 Assigning Lag Time and Muskingum Parameters

Lecture 9 Creating a Meteorologic Model

Lecture 10 Running Simulation

Lecture 11 Visualizing Results

Section 3: Exercise 2

Lecture 12 Exercise 2

Civil and environmental engineering students,Water resources professionals and consultants.,Hydrologists and urban drainage planners.