Short communication Multi-dimensional representation of river hydrodynamics using ADCP data processing software Dongsu Kim * , Marian Muste 1 IIHR e Hydroscience & Engineering, 300 South Riverside Dr., Iowa City, IA 52242, USA article info Article history: Received 26 January 2012 Accepted 18 May 2012 Available online 26 June 2012 Keywords: ADCP Hydrodynamics Flow representation Processing software abstract Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) are increasingly popular in the river research and manage- ment communities being primarily used for estimation of stream flows. ADCPs capabilities, however, entail additional features that are not fully explored and encapsulated in the ADCP manufacturers’ companion software. The paper introduces a unifying software that enable users to extract additional information from ADCP measurements. The paper provides the underlying algorithms on which the software is based and illustrates the multidimensional visualization and processing capabilities of the software. Among the software features are: velocity representation in horizontal and vertical planes, 1D/ 2D/3D velocity plotting at reach scale, time and spatial averaging, gridded velocity interpolation, and velocity-derived quantities relevant to river hydrodynamics (bed shear stress, longitudinal dispersion coefficient, and turbulence quantities). Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The advent of the Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) in the 1980’s has drastically improved our ability to document the hydrodynamics of riverine environments. ADCPs measure non- intrusively velocities along verticals and bathymetry with unmatched efficiency, spatial and temporal resolutions in compar- ison with any of the previous instruments. ADCPs have been designed and mostly used for estimation of stream discharge. ADCPs, however, provide three velocity components over flow depths and stream cross sections hence there is a considerable potential for supporting a wide range of scientific and practical analyses related to river investigations. This abundant information can lead to in-situ measurements of river hydrodynamics that previously could only be documented in the laboratory (Dinehart and Burau, 2005). Presented in this paper is a standalone software that assembles in one package visualization and post-processing tools using an advanced computational environment for the benefit of the river monitoring and research communities. The software, labeled ‘AdcpXP’ (ADCP eX tended P rocessing), draws upon the algorithms developed by various research groups and complemented visuali- zation algorithms developed by the authors. AdcpXP is a Windows- based software operated through graphical user interface (GUI). Borland Cþþ Builder (version 6) was used for developing the interface, and the structure of the software made use of the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) techniques. AdcpXP was designed to facilitate characterization of multidimensional hydrodynamic information from a single ADCP or a set of files. The overall development of the software was driven by the idea of creating an integrative tool facilitating the understanding of the riverine environment from multifaceted perspectives. The AdcpXP software tool is freely-downloadable online at: http://www.iihr.uiowa.edu/ research/publications-and-media/. 2. ADCPs There is a vast literature describing ADCP’s underlying prin- ciples, configuration, and operational aspects (e.g., RDI, 1996; SonTek, 2000). Under the assumption that the reader is quite familiar with ADCP principles, configuration and operation only essential features will be presented herein. ADCPs transmit sound pulses pointing in several directions (typically 3 or 4, more recently 5 and 9) in the water column and subsequently listen to the returning echoes produced by small, suspended particles moving in the acoustic beam (see Fig. 1). The return signal contains information (Doppler shift) that is indicative of the velocity along the beam directions. Under the assumption that * Corresponding author. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dankook University, 126 Jukjeon-dong, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Tel.: þ82 31 8005 3611; fax: þ82 31 8005 3496. E-mail addresses: dongsu-kim@dankook.ac.kr (D. Kim), marian-muste@ uiowa.edu (M. Muste). 1 IIHR e Hydroscience & Engineering, The University of Iowa, 302 C. Maxwell Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory, Iowa City, IA 52242-1585, USA. Tel.: þ1 319 384 0624; fax: þ1 319 335 5238. Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Environmental Modelling & Software journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envsoft 1364-8152/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2012.05.011 Environmental Modelling & Software 38 (2012) 158e166