Water Information Tasmania Web Portal

Getting Started Guide

Wate r and Mar i n e Re sou r c e s D i v i s i o n

Dep a r tment o f P r ima ry I n du s t r i e s , P a r k s , Wat e r an d

En v i r o nment

Copyright Notice:

Material contained in the report provided is subject to Australian copyright law. Other than in

accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 of the Commonwealth Parliament, no part of this

report may, in any form or by any means, be reproduced, transmitted or used. This report

cannot be redistributed for any commercial purpose whatsoever, or distributed to a third party

for such purpose, without prior written permission being sought from the Department of

Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, on behalf of the Crown in Right of the

State of Tasmania.

Disclaimer:

Whilst DPIPWE has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the

information and data provided, it is the responsibility of the data user to make their own

decisions about the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of information provided.

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, its employees and

agents, and the Crown in the Right of the State of Tasmania do not accept any liability for any

damage caused by, or economic loss arising from, reliance on this information.

Preferred Citation:

DPIPWE (2017). Water Information Tasmania Web Portal – Getting Started Guide. Water

Management and Assessment, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and

Environment, Hobart, Tasmania.

Contact Details:

Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

Water Management and Assessment Branch

13 St Johns Avenue, New Town.

Web: www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Email: wrt.portal@wrt.tas.gov.au

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment provides leadership in

the sustainable management and development of Tasmania’s resources. The Mission of the

Department is to advance Tasmania’s prosperity through the sustainable development of our

natural resources and the conservation of our natural and cultural heritage for the future.

The Water and Marine Resources Division provides a focus for water management and water

development in Tasmania through a diverse range of functions including the design of policy

and regulatory frameworks to ensure sustainable use of the surface water and groundwater

resources; monitoring, assessment and reporting on the condition of the State’s freshwater

resources; facilitation of infrastructure development projects to ensure the efficient and

sustainable supply of water; and implementation of the Water Management Act 1999, related

legislation and the State Water Development Plan.

Table of Contents 1 Introduction - Water Information Tasmania web portal .................................................................... 4

2 How Do I? - View a map of latest values. ........................................................................................... 5

3 How Do I? - View a chart of data at a Location of interest ................................................................. 6

4 How Do I? - View a table of data at a Location of interest ................................................................. 7

5 How Do I? - Find and view water quality data .................................................................................... 8

6 How Do I? - Export data (csv/xls/pdf) ................................................................................................. 9

7 How Do I? - View details of a location .............................................................................................. 11

8 How Do I? - View and download pre-defined charts ........................................................................ 12

9 How Do I? - Download whole of record for DPIPWE Locations (pre-defined datasets) ................. 13

1 Introduction - Water Information Tasmania web portal

The Water Information Tasmania Web Portal (the portal) uses the AQUARIUS Web Portal product to

deliver real-time information. It is a browser-based information and data presentation system

integrating data collection, data storage, reporting, data computation, data management and real-

time information display.

This getting started guide is intended to assist new users to quickly familiarise themselves with the portal

and become productive with it. Use the interactive Table of Contents to navigate to the section you are

interested in.

Please see the User Manual for more comprehensive information on any section of the portal – found

by selecting the symbol.

When you navigate in your browser to the Water Information Tasmania web portal you will see the Map

view. Over this will appear a Welcome window outlining the terms and conditions under which the data

available through the portal can be used will appear. The user must select the “Accept” button

acknowledging these terms and conditions before they can proceed to the portal (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Welcome Disclaimer

Figure 2: Water Information Tasmania web portal Dashboard

The main view of the portal is the Map tab (Figure 2). The map shows circular indicators of locations where

data is recorded. By default in the Water Information Portal, these represent locations where flow is

recorded and the latest values of flow (in ML/day) are shown in each of the circles.

2 How Do I? - View a map of latest values.

When you enter the portal you will be presented with the Map tab. Each circular indicator on the map

represents a location, with the number displayed inside the indicator showing the latest value. By

default, the map displays Latest Flow in ML/day. (Figure 3)

Figure 3: Map View

You can use the Data Context Selectors at the top of the page to choose from Flow, Groundwater Level

and Reservoir Level. Note that these Latest Value statistics refers to the most recent data point, if no

data has been collected in the previous 96 hours, no value will be displayed on the map for that Location.

Selecting an indicator will display a pop-up window which displays information about the Location as

well as the statistic. (Figure 4)

Figure 4: Map window showing pop-up

Different Legends can be selected from the right hand side panel – for Discharge there is the option to

select a legend which identifies the owner of the Location.

3 How Do I? - View a chart of data at a Location of interest

From the Map view use the Data Context Selectors at the top of the page to select the Parameter

you are interested in. Then, using the Zoom and Pan options find the Location you want. Select the

indicator circle for the Location of interest. This will take you directly to the Data Set Overview section

with the Chart tab selected by default. Alternatively when you are mousing over your Location, click on

the Data Set at the bottom of the pop-up window. (Figure 6)

Figure 5: Zoom in/out Figure 6: Map pop-up

This takes you to the Data Set View (Figure 7) section with the Chart tab automatically selected.

Figure 7: Data Set View

The Chart displays the last 7 days of available data. To export the chart as an image or the data that

forms the chart, use the Options Menu button located to the right hand side of the Data Context

Selectors.

You can also navigate directly to the standard chart (as shown above) by going directly to Data

Set from the tabs on the left hand side of the page. Using the Data Context Selectors allows you to find

your Location and parameter of interest, then clicking on the chart tab will display the same information.

For information on how to use and configure this chart please see the User Manual.

4 How Do I? - View a table of data at a Location of interest

From the Map View select the Parameter you are interested in from the Data Context Selectors at

the top of the page. Then, find the Location of interest using the Zoom and Pan Options and/or mousing

over the Locations to find the one you are after. Clicking on the indicator circle will take you to the Data

Set View, you will need to click on the Grid Tab to see the table of data.

Data for the last 2 weeks is displayed in a grid. If you wish to see data for a specific time period, the

Custom option from the Select Interval menu can be used.

Click on the Select Date field to display the date selection options. You can choose a pre-set time period

such as 1 year – which will display the last year of data up to the current date, or choose a custom range.

Please note that you must click on a start and finish date – the portal does not assume that your finish

date is “today”.

Figure 8: Date selector

Data can be exported (to Excel, PDF and CSV formats) using the Options Menu button located

to the right hand side of the Data Context Selectors.

You can also navigate straight to the Data Set View tab by clicking on the icon in the Data Section

tabs on the left hand side of the page. From here use the Data Context Selectors to select the location

and data set (parameter) you are interested in and then choose the Grid tab.

For more information on how to use the Data Set Overview grid view please see the User Manual.

5 How Do I? - Find and view water quality data Water quality data for a range of parameters (shown in the table below in black) are recorded

continuously at a number of locations. Spot sample water quality information (for the parameters shown

in red in the table) are included in the portal for some locations.

See the Appendix at the end of the User Manual for a list of locations and their associated Parameters.

Dissolved Oxygen (O2) Ammonia

Turbidity Phosphorous

Conductivity Nitrate

Water Temperature Nitrite

pH

Navigate to the Data Set tab by clicking on the icon in the Data Section tabs on the left hand side

of the page. From here use the Data Context Selectors to select the location and parameter you are

interested in and then choose the Grid tab.

Data for the last 2 weeks is displayed as the

default view. If you are looking at water quality

sample data, it is unlikely that the last 2 weeks

will contain data.

The right hand window displays the start and

finish date of the data set as shown in Figure 9.

These dates can then be used in the Custom

option from the Select Interval menu to display

the data.

Figure 9: Data Set Details including start and finish dates

Figure 10: Date selector

Data can be exported (to Excel, PDF and CSV formats) using the Options Menu button located

to the right hand side of the Data Context Selectors.

For more information on how to use the Data Set Overview grid view please see the User Manual.

6 How Do I? - Export data (csv/xls/pdf)

Navigate to the Data Set section by either selecting a location indicator on the Map or by selecting

Data Set from the Data Section tabs on the left hand side of the page and then selecting the

Location and Data Set you are interested in.

Click on the Grid tab

Data for the last 7 days is displayed in a grid. (Figure 11)

Figure 11: Grid View

If you wish to see data for a specific time period, the Custom option from the Select Interval menu can

be used.

Click on the Select Date field to display the date selection options. You can choose a pre-set time period

such as 1 year – which will display the last year of data up to the current date, or choose a custom range.

Note that you must click on a start and finish date – the portal does not assume that your finish date is

“today”. (Figure 12)

Figure 12: Date selector

Data can be exported (to Excel, PDF and CSV formats) using the Options Menu button located

to the right hand side of the Data Context Selectors.

Figure 11: Options menu

For more information on other ways to export data and on how to use the Data Set view please see the

User Manual.

7 How Do I? - View details of a location

From the Map, find the Location of interest, mouse over the Location to see the pop-up window

(Figure 13: Map pop-up

). At the bottom of the pop-up, click on the Location link.

Figure 13: Map pop-up

Alternately, choose the Location section using the Data Section tabs on the left hand side of the

page and then select the Location you are interested in from the Data Context Selectors at the top of the

page.

The Location View is split into two sections, with the top section containing the metadata about the

location, and the bottom section a grid of data sets for that location available through the portal.

Figure 14: Location overview

The link on the top right (in the metadata section) takes you to the Map, zoomed in to

the location.

The Go To buttons to the right of each Data Set allows easy navigation to the Data Set view.

For more information on the Location overview section please see the User Manual.

8 How Do I? - View and download pre-defined charts Pre-defined charts are available for catchments where more than one flow Location is active. These

catchments include:

Great Forester

Liffey

Upper Macquarie

Lower Macquarie

Meander

Mersey

North Esk

Ringarooma

South Esk

Swan/Apsley

These charts show the last available 7 days of data.

Charts are accessible by navigating to the Charts section using the Data Section tabs on the left

hand side of the page.

Figure 15: Chart Section Default View

Using the Select Chart box at the top of the page simply select which chart you wish to display.

Figure 16: Charts view

These charts can be exported using the options menu on the top right or configured to your

requirements, please the User Manual for details.

9 How Do I? - Download whole of record for DPIPWE Locations

(pre-defined datasets) Whole of record reports for Flow in ML/day (.csv format) are available for all DPIPWE Locations including

historical ones.

These reports are updated on a monthly basis for open Locations.

To download these reports, navigate to the Reports section using the Data Section tabs on the

left hand side of the page.

Figure 17: Reports view

The right-side panel in the Reports section contains the links to the pre-defined whole of record reports.

Click on the folder icon of the Active or Closed Locations, reports are arranged in catchments in

alphabetical order. Under each catchment folder (click on icon to expand), there may be more than one

gauging station, hence more than one csv available for download. To download the file, click on the name

of the file. You will be asked if you wish to open or save the file.

Figure 18: Hierarchical list of available reports

Figure 19: CSV file format

Downloadable

Reports live here

The file format is shown above – please note that the Interpolation Code column shows a code of 2 which

indicates that the values are the average for the preceding interval. What this means is that the value

shown against a date is actually the average for the day before i.e. the first value of 2.599 is the average

for the 12/02/1965.

A simple fix for this is to highlight the last empty cell in the value column, right click and choose delete,

then in the pop-up window that appears choose “Shift cells up”, and “OK”. Now each average value is

aligned with the date on which the average applies.

For more information on how to export data from the portal please see the User Manual.