I am new to HEC-RAS, and I have a simple question:
What is the benefit of geo-referencing the model in general situation? Does it gives better accuracy, or is it purely for the ease of setting the model with data from different coordinates?
I have a HEC-RAS 1d model for a single river reach, and the channel is pretty straight. Would you recommend I geo-reference the cross section locations?
It’s very useful (essential) if you want to easily display your results spatially, i.e. using terrain data (DEMs) to develop inundation maps. The georeferencing doesn’t affect computations, but if you’ve constructed your model using GIS tools, your channel centerline and overbank distances are calculated automatically. You can georeference an existing model, but it just contorts the display of your model schematic to the georeferenced location, and doesn’t do anything to the underlying model data. If you have terrain data you can then compare your georeferenced cross section geometry to the terrain data, which can be useful.