Observation
An Observation node is used to attach time series of observed or reference data to a node in the network. These are not used in the simulation core, but are available for visualization, validation, or post-processing.
Observation nodes can be linked to Basins and connector nodes. This is done with an observation link, whose direction is always from the Observation node to the observed node. An Observation node connects to at most one other node, but may carry multiple variables for that node.
1 Tables
1.1 Time
| column | type | unit | restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
| node_id | Int32 | - | |
| variable | String | - | Name of the Ribasim variable being observed (e.g. “level”, “flow_rate”), see Results |
| time | DateTime | - | Timestamp of the observation |
| value | Float64 | - | Value of the observation, unit equal to Ribasim variable |
2 Examples
This example shows two Observation nodes (#1 and #2) observing a Basin and a TabulatedRatingCurve. The table below shows the time series for both nodes:
| node_id | variable | time | value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | level | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 | 0.5 |
| 1 | level | 2020-02-01 00:00:00 | 0.3 |
| 1 | level | 2020-03-01 00:00:00 | 0.4 |
| 2 | flow_rate | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 | 0.0 |
| 2 | flow_rate | 2020-02-01 00:00:00 | 0.05 |
| 2 | flow_rate | 2020-03-01 00:00:00 | 0.1 |
3 Notes
- Observation nodes are not included in the simulation graph and do not affect results.
- They are intended for reference, validation, or visualization purposes only.
- Flow links cannot be observed directly; link to the connector node with variable
flow_rateinstead. - Non-conservative nodes don’t have
flow_rate; specify eitherinflow_rateoroutflow_ratefor e.g. Basin or UserDemand.