CRC NEWS

Music Version 2.0.0 - now available to download from the Catchment Modelling Toolkit web site

What's New in MUSIC 2.0.0 ?
A number of enhancements and new features have been incorporated into MUSIC Version 2. MUSIC 2 is also downloadable directly from the Toolkit web site and has an evaluation period of 4 weeks.

What's New in MUSIC 2.0.0 ?
A number of enhancements and new features have been incorporated into MUSIC Version 2, and these are summarized below. Users are referred to the specified Chapter of the User Guide for more details on each identified enhancement, where appropriate.

• MUSIC's rainfall-runoff algorithm has been significantly enhanced. Firstly, there is now only one pervious store per source node, making calibration easier, and avoiding potential instabilities where two pervious stores were specified. Secondly, the rainfall-runoff algorithm now includes the option to 'lose' water from the pervious store to a deep-groundwater store, which is NOT returned to baseflow. This can be used to simulate any situation where infiltrated water does not return to baseflow within the catchment of interest. For example, this could be used in small catchments, or where a catchment's defined outlet is a pipe (Ch 2 & 3, Appendix I).
  
• There is now the provision to specify a 'warm-up period' for MUSIC's rainfall runoff model. When selected, this option will 'pre-run' the rainfall-runoff model for the first 12 months of the simulation period, in order to equilibrate the initial storage states (pervious area and groundwater) in the model. The warm-up option will only operate when the total period of simulation is greater than 12 months (Ch 2 & 3, Appendix I).
  
• Specification of statistical characteristics (dry weather concentration and storm event mean concentration) simplified (option to specify + or 1 Std. Dev from mean now removed) (Ch 2).
  
• Generic Treatment Node (GTN) graphical equation editor improved to allow equation coordinates to be entered directly (via right-clicking on the point of interest on the equation curve) - this makes exact specification of values easier than by dragging (Ch 2).
  
• MUSIC prompts you to Save your file before running a simulation, to prevent losing the model setup as a result of an aborted simulation (Ch 2).
  
• MUSIC now saves files (.sqz) without simulation results by default (but keeping the attached meteorological template), saving disk space, and time in opening files. Users can still specify to save simulation results (.sqr) if required (Ch 2). This has largely removed the need to use the Export function to create a (.sqn) file with only the model setup (but no meteorological template attached).
  
• The MUSIC Toolbar has been simplified, with Source, Treatment and Other Nodes now included on their own drop-down menus from the main toolbar. This allows the MUSIC window to be reduced to a smaller size, without losing access to toolbar items (Ch 2).
  
• Specification of acceptable parameter ranges has been relaxed (to allow users to experiment with unusual scenarios, if desired), although MUSIC will still warn users of the potential risk of using these 'out of range' values.
  
• The import wizard for Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) climate files has been improved to include a graphical illustration of the data being imported, to allow the user to identify periods for which there are reliable data. A colour-coding is used to identify periods of missing or estimated data (Ch 2).
  
• The Statistics options for viewing simulation results have been extensively revised. MUSIC allows users to view the Mean Annual Load from a node, and view the % change in load through the node (primarily used for treatment nodes). The new "Treatment Train Effectiveness" option can be used to compare the load at a given node (e.g. receiving node), with the sum of all source nodes contributing to it. This removes the need to individually add up the values from all source nodes (required in MUSIC Version 1). All statistics results dialogue boxes can be copied, and then pasted into other applications, such as Microsoft Excel (Ch 4).
  
• Both Statistics and Cumulative Frequency Graphs now have the option to be created for a subset of flow conditions (Flow-based Subsample). For example, they can be calculated for only baseflows (by setting an upper flow threshold), or for only stormflows (by setting a lower flow threshold) (Ch 4).
  
• MUSIC v2 includes a "Generic Source Node", which allows users to specify their own rainfall-runoff and water-quality parameters. This might be used, for example, to specify roof area runoff. Any of the other source nodes (urban, agricultural, forested) could achieve the same result, but users reported their icons (which portrayed their default land use) as a potential for mis-communication (Ch 2).
  
• Specification of water re-use from treatment nodes with a permanent pool is now more flexible, allowing any combination of constant (uniform) and seasonal (scaled by PET) demand, to simulate, for example, a combination of use for toilet-flushing, and garden watering. MUSIC also now allows an annual pattern to be specified by the user, using an adjustable "bar-chart" of monthly demand (Ch 3).

• "Running Models" status bar modified to address occasional incompatibility with Windows XP.
  
• Mis-alignment of column headings in Statistics display fixed.
  
• Instability in calculation of concentrations during timesteps of "near-zero" flow in some treatment measures rectified.
  
• Occasional instances of MUSIC incorrectly stating "This does not appear to be a valid catchment file" fixed.
  
• Persistence of MUSIC temp files after file closure fixed.
  
• Peculiarities (under certain circumstances) of Generic Treatment Node graphical editor rectified.
  

• New User: $330
  
• Existing User 1* (must have purchased MUSIC Version 1 BEFORE 1 JULY 2003): $220
  
• Existing User 2* (must have purchase MUSIC Version 1 AFTER 1 JULY 2003): $132

Centre Office:
CRC for Catchment Hydrology
Dept of Civil Engineering
Building 60
Monash University Vic 3800

Tel: +61 3 9905 2704
Fax: +61 3 9905 5033