QGIS-Tim

QGIS-Tim is an open source project for multi-layer groundwater flow simulations. QGIS-Tim provides a link between QGIS and the open source analytic element method software: TimML (steady-state) and TTim (transient).

The benefit of the analytic element method (AEM) is that no grid or time-stepping is required. Geohydrological features are represented by points, lines, and polygons. QGIS-Tim stores these features in a GeoPackage.

QGIS-Tim consists of a "front-end" and a "back-end". The front-end is a QGIS plugin that provides a limited graphical interface to setup model input, visualize, and analyze model input. The back-end is a Python package. It reads the contents of the GeoPackage and transforms it into a TimML or TTim model, computes a result, and writes it to a file that the QGIS plugin loads.

Documentation

Find the documentation here.

Installation

Download and install a recent version of QGIS (>3.22): https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html

Download and install a miniforge Python installation: https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge

Install the gistim Python package:

1. Open the miniforge prompt (search in Windows Start for "Miniforge Prompt").
2. Create a new conda environment, run: conda create --name tim python=3.9
3. Activate the environment: conda activate tim
4. Run: conda install -c conda-forge gistim
5. Configure the gistim installation, so that the QGIS plugin is able to find it. Run: python -m gistim configure

Install the QGIS plugin now. The qgistim.zip should not be unzipped manually, QGIS will do so.

1. Open QGIS.
2. At the top, find the Plugins menu (~sixth object in the menubar).
3. Find "Manage and Install plugins" (first object in drop-down).
4. Find "Install from ZIP" (Sixth in list).
5. Enter the path to the qgistim.zip file.
6. Click "Install Plugin".

This will add an icon to the toolbar(s). By clicking the icon, the plugin is started. The QGIS plugin will automatically start and external interpreter when it is required.