Advanced Usage (QGis, Script)

Warning

The QGis Connector features described below require the pre-release versions of both AvaFrame and the OpenNHM QGis Connector. They are not available in the current stable release.

To install:

  1. Install the AvaFrame pre-release. On Windows, use the OSGeo4W Shell matching your QGis version. On Linux, use the terminal in the environment you are using. Then run:

    pip install avaframe==2.0rc3

  2. Download the OpenNHM QGis Connector zip from the GitHub Releases page.

  3. In QGis, go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins, choose Install from ZIP and select the downloaded file.

Check PyPI for the latest AvaFrame pre-release version and GitHub Releases for the newest connector zip.

Warning

Modifying default parameters moves you outside the validated and calibrated setup. Results are no longer covered by the standard validation and you use them at your own risk.

AvaFrame allows overriding the default module configuration with custom settings via expert configuration files. There are two ways to use expert configuration files:

  1. Via the QGis Connector — extract a default ini, edit it, and pass it directly to a connector tool

  2. Via the CFGs directory — place the ini file in the project’s Inputs/CFGs/ directory for automatic loading

Both approaches use the same ini file format. The difference is how the file is provided to AvaFrame.

1. Via the QGis Connector

Several connector tools accept an expert configuration file through the Advanced Parameters section in the QGis processing dialog. The workflow is:

  1. Use the Get default module ini tool (see Experimental) to extract the default configuration file for the module you want to customize.

  2. Edit the extracted ini file with your desired parameter values.

  3. Open the connector tool you want to run (e.g. Dense Flow (com1)), expand Advanced Parameters, and select your edited ini file in the Expert configuration file field.

The following connector tools support this:

  • Dense Flow (com1)

  • Alpha Beta (com2)

  • Snow slide (com5)

  • Rock Avalanche (com6)

  • Scarp (com6)

  • MoTVoellmy (com9)

2. Via the CFGs directory

For script-based or repeated use, place expert configuration files directly in the project’s input directory. AvaFrame will automatically pick them up when the avalancheDir is provided.

Place your module configuration files in:

{avalancheDir}/Inputs/CFGs/{moduleName}Cfg.ini

For example, to override com1DFA settings for a specific avalanche project:

myAvalanche/Inputs/CFGs/com1DFACfg.ini

When this file exists and the avalancheDir is passed to in3Utils.cfgUtils.getModuleConfig(), the expert config takes priority over any local_com1DFACfg.ini file. Values not specified in the expert config are filled from the default module configuration, see Configuration.

Note

The local_ file behavior is only active when no expert config exists for the module. If an expert config exists, the local_ file is completely ignored for that module.

Example

To use custom friction parameters for a specific project:

  1. Create the CFGs directory in your avalanche project:

    mkdir -p myAvalanche/Inputs/CFGs

  2. Create the module configuration file (e.g., com1DFACfg.ini):

    [GENERAL]
frictModel = samosATMedium

  3. Run your simulation - the expert config will automatically be used when avalancheDir is provided.

See also Configuration for the complete configuration system documentation.