Aquifer^win32 Summary

Aquifer^win32 Summary
Aquifer^win32 Detailed Description
Aquifer^win32 Modeling

Aquifer^win32 Analyses
Aquifer^win32 WinFlow
Aquifer^win32 Graphic

Aquifer^win32 is the most advanced and comprehensive pump tests and slug tests software package available. Aquifer^win32 combines powerful data management capabilities with everything you would expect in a Windows program. The analysis of the pump test, slug test or step test data incorporates a wide variety of solution types with comprehensive plotting features. Aquifer^win32 was developed such that traditional curve matching techniques were the focus. Data sets from multiple monitoring wells can be analyzed concurrently; however, this advanced feature is optional and does not complicate single well analyses. Automatic curve matching is achieved through Marquardt (modified Gauss-Newton) nonlinear least-squares method in which full control is given as to which parameters are optimized. The manual curve match techniques automatically update the initial estimates for parameters used by the automatic solution although you can skip the manual match and specify your own initial estimates. Each parameter can be assigned a minimum and maximum value, and multiple monitoring wells can be optimized as a group. You will not find a greater level of flexibility when it comes to the analysis of pumping test, slug test and step test data. 

Every effort has been made to make the application easy to use. The primary data entry control is a spreadsheet that supports cut/copy/paste to and from other applications, import/export to and from comma delimited data files and an import wizard. If you have used other pumping test analysis software, you know that other non-spreadsheet approaches are cumbersome. Notice that units are conveniently displayed in the title of the spreadsheet columns. Data can be entered using any set of units, and Aquifer^win32 provides the most flexible unit conversion calculations of any aquifer test program. You may define any set of units for any parameter and change these units at any time!

Aquifer^win32 calculates and displays suites of type curves upon which to match observed data. The user specifies exactly which parameter is held constant and which type values to calculate. Although you may think this would be a standard feature in aquifer test analysis software, we believe Aquifer^win32 is the only product that has this feature. Type curve suites are an invaluable tool when visually characterizing the im- pact of variations of particular parameters on monitoring well response. In addition, the type curve values are accessible via a tab spread- sheet and cab be exported should the need arise. Again, flexibility and access to data is the key.  

If you prefer another approach such as the one employed by AQTESOLV, another graphical representation contains a graph of the observed drawdown versus time data with the predicted drawdown represented as a curve through the data. In this case, the graph axes represent time and drawdown instead of the dimensionless parameters typical of type curve graphs. Since custom controls are used to organize the visual representation of information, Aquifer^win32 employs tab views to make it easy to switch among the various graphs and data sets. In this case the transition between the two representations is a simple click of the mouse; furthermore, these graphical displays are What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) and printable to any Windows printer driver. Additionally, the user has almost total control of the characteristics of the graphs and these custom configurations can be saved to the Windows registry to be used as the defaults. Extensive annotation capabilities have been included to customize graphs and maps to make them look the way you want them to. Advanced Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) features allow these graphs to be copied to the Windows clipboard as pictures and metafiles and added directly to report documents produced in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. In those rare cases where it is necessary to export the graphics to other applications for modification, Aquifer^win32 has extensive export capabilities including Windows metafiles, AutoCAD DXF files, Surfer files, etc.   

Units are an important feature of any environmental application. In the simple case, you can set the units on four summary parameter groups (time, length, pumping rate, transmissivity), save them to the system registry as the defaults, and never touch them again. For those who want to make use of the flexibility, you can enter data in whatever units you would like. At any time, you can do specific or global data in whatever units you would like without affecting the calculated results; all that changes are the units.   

This is a great feature to assist in the peer review process where the reviewer prefers a different set of units. Additionally, you can perform on-the-fly unit conversions from the reported units to the units currently active within the analysis using the Data Conversion context menu item. In addition, the prevailing units of a particular parameter are available as ToolTips that are displayed when the mouse cursor points to the data field. The same is true for the status bar which displays parameter values. Again, the recurring theme is that Aquifer^win32 represents a full featured aquifer test analysis tool with attention to detail and adherence to many of the Windows standards you are accustomed to in commercial software packages. This section has only touched on the highlights of the aquifer testing approach and user-interface. Aquifer^win32 has simulation and modeling capabilities that are not found in the competition.