ras-commander 0.52.0__tar.gz → 0.53.0__tar.gz

{ras_commander-0.52.0/ras_commander.egg-info → ras_commander-0.53.0}/PKG-INFO

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Metadata-Version: 2.2
 Name: ras-commander
-Version: 0.52.0
+Version: 0.53.0
 Summary: A Python library for automating HEC-RAS operations
 Home-page: https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander
 Author: William M. Katzenmeyer
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Dynamic: summary
 
 # RAS Commander (ras-commander)
 
-RAS Commander is a Python library for automating HEC-RAS operations, providing a set of tools to interact with HEC-RAS project files, execute simulations, and manage project data. This library is an evolution of the RASCommander 1.0 Python Notebook Application previously released under the [HEC-Commander tools repository](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander).
+RAS Commander is a Python library for automating HEC-RAS operations, providing a set of tools to interact with HEC-RAS project files, execute simulations, and manage project data. This library was initially conceptualized in the Australian Water School course "AI Tools for Modelling Innovation", and subsequently expanded to cover the basic functionality of the HECRASController COM32 interface using open-source python libraries.  This library uses a Test Driven Development strategy, leveraging the publicly-available HEC-RAS Example projects to create repeatable demonstration examples.  The "Commmander" moniker is inspired by the "Command Line is All You Need" approach to HEC-RAS automation that was first implemented in the HEC-Commander Tools repository. 
 
 ## Contributors:
 William Katzenmeyer, P.E., C.F.M. 
@@ -29,9 +29,17 @@ Aaron Nichols, P.E., C.F.M.
 
 (Additional Contributors Here)  
 
-## Don't Ask Me, Ask ChatGPT!
+## Don't Ask Me, Ask ChatGPT! 
 
-Before you read any further, you can [chat directly with ChatGPT.](https://chatgpt.com/g/g-TZRPR3oAO-ras-commander-library-assistant) about the library.  Ask it anything, and it will use its tools to answer your questions and help you learn.  You can even upload your own plan, unsteady and HDF files to inspect and help determine how to automate your workflows or visualize your results, although this ability is still limited in comparison to the provided library assistant. 
+This repository has several methods of interaction with Large Language Models and LLM-Assisted Coding built right in: 
+
+1. **[RAS Commander Library Assistant GPT](https://chatgpt.com/g/g-TZRPR3oAO-ras-commander-library-assistant)**: A specialized GPT model with access to the ras-commander codebase and library, available for answering queries and providing code suggestions.   You can even upload your own plan, unsteady and HDF files to inspect and help determine how to automate your workflows or visualize your results, although this ability is still limited by OpenAI's GPT frameworks and may not be useful for long conversations.
+
+2. **[Purpose-Built Knowledge Base Summaries](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/tree/main/ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases)**: Up-to-date compilations of the documentation and codebase for use with large language models like Claude or GPT-4. Look in 'ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases/' in the repo.  The repo's codebase (without documentation and examples) has been curated to stay within the current ~200k context window limitations of frontier models, and for tasks that do not need an understanding of the underlying code, the Comprehensive Library Guide and any relevant examples from the example folder should be adequate context for leveraging the ras-commander API to complete tasks. 
+
+3. **[Cursor IDE Integration](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/.cursorrules)**: Custom rules(.cursorrules) for the Cursor IDE to provide context-aware suggestions and documentation.  Just open the repository folder in Cursor to recognize these instructions.  You can create your own folders "/workspace/, "/projects/", or "my_projects/" as these are already in the .gitignore, and place your custom scripts there for your projects.  This will allow easy referencing of the ras-commander documents and individual repo files, the automatic loading of the .cursorrules file.  Alternatvely, download the github repo into your projects folder to easily load documents and use cursor rules files.
+
+5. **[RAS-Commander Library Assistant](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/library_assistant)**: A full-featured interface for multi-turn conversations, using your own API keys and the ras-commander library for context.  The library assistant allows you to load your own scripts and chat with specific examples and/or function classes in the RAS-Commander library to effectively utilize the library's functions in your workflow.  To reduce hallucinations, a file browser is included which adds full files to the conversation to ensure grounded responses.  A dashboard shows you the total context and estimated cost of each request.  **Now with support for OpenAI's o1 and o3-mini, and Deepseek V3 and R1 models using US-based Together.ai**
 
 
 ## Background
@@ -39,65 +47,90 @@ The ras-commander library emerged from the initial test-bed of AI-driven coding
 
 ## Features
 
-- Automate HEC-RAS project management and simulations
-- Support for both single and multiple project instances
-- Parallel execution of HEC-RAS plans
-- Utilities for managing geometry, plan, and unsteady flow files
-- Example project management for testing and development
-- Two primary operation modes: "Run Missing" and "Build from DSS"
-
-## AI-Driven Coding Experience
+If you've ever read the book "Breaking the HEC-RAS Code" by Chris Goodell, this library is intended to be an AI-coded, pythonic library that provides a modern alternative to the HECRASController API.  By leveraginging modern python features libraries such as pandas, geopandas and H5Py (favoring HDF data sources wherever practicable) this library builds functionality around HEC-RAS 6.2+ while maintaining as much forward compatibilty as possible with HEC-RAS 2025.  
 
-ras-commander provides several AI-powered tools to enhance the coding experience:
+HEC-RAS Project Management & Execution
+- Multi-project handling with parallel and sequential execution
+- Command-line execution integration
+- Project folder management and organization
+- Multi-core processing optimization
+- Progress tracking and logging
+- Execution error handling and recovery
 
-1. **ChatGPT Assistant: [RAS Commander Library Assistant](https://chatgpt.com/g/g-TZRPR3oAO-ras-commander-library-assistant)**: A specialized GPT model trained on the ras-commander codebase, available for answering queries and providing code suggestions.
 
-2. **[Purpose-Built Knowledge Base Summaries](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/tree/main/ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases)**: Up-to-date compilations of the documentation and codebase for use with large language models like Claude or GPT-4. Look in 'ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases/' in the repo.
+  
+HDF Data Access & Analysis
+- 2D mesh results processing (depths, velocities, WSE)
+- Cross-section data extraction
+- Boundary condition analysis
+- Structure data (bridges, culverts, gates)
+- Pipe network and pump station analysis
+- Fluvial-pluvial boundary calculations
+- Infiltration and precipitation data handling
 
-3. **[Cursor IDE Integration](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/.cursorrules)**: Custom rules for the Cursor IDE to provide context-aware suggestions and documentation.  Just open the repository folder in Cursor.  You can create your own folders "/workspace/, "/projects/", or "my_projects/" as these are already in the .gitignore, and place your custom scripts there for your projects.  This will allow easy referencing of the ras-commander documents and individual repo files, the automatic loading of the .cursorrules file.  Alternatvely, download the github repo into your projects folder to easily load documents and use cursor rules files.  
-4. **[RAS-Commander Library Assistant](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/library_assistant)**: A full-featured interface for multi-turn conversations, using your own API keys and the ras-commander library for context.  The library assistant allows you to load your own scripts and chat with specific examples and/or function classes in the RAS-Commander library to effectively utilize the library's functions in your workflow.
+  
+RAS ASCII File Operations
+- Plan file creation and modification
+- Geometry file parsing examples 
+- Unsteady flow file management
+- Project file updates and validation  
 
+Note about support for Pipe Networks:  As a relatively new feature, only read access to Pipe Network geometry and results data has been included.  Users will need to code their own methods to modify/add pipe network data, and pull requests are always welcome to incorporate this capability.  Please note that the library has not been tested with versions prior to HEC-RAS 6.2.
 
 ## Installation
 
-Create a virtual environment with conda or venv (ask ChatGPT if you need help)
+First, create a virtual environment with conda or venv (ask ChatGPT if you need help).  
+
+#### Install via Pip
 
 In your virtual environment, install ras-commander using pip:
 ```
 pip install h5py numpy pandas requests tqdm scipy xarray geopandas matplotlib ras-commander ipython tqdm psutil shapely fiona pathlib rtree rasterstats
 pip install --upgrade ras-commander
 ```
-
-**Tested with Python 3.11**
-
-
 If you have dependency issues with pip (especially if you have errors with numpy), try clearing your local pip packages 'C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Roaming\Python\' and then creating a new virtual environment.  
    
+#### Work in a Local Copy
+
+If you want to make revisions and work actively in your local version of ras-commander, just skip the pip install rascommander step above and clone a fork of the repo to your local machine using Git (ask ChatGPT if you need help).  Most of the notebooks and examples in this repo have a code segment similar to the one below, that works as long as the script is located in a first-level subfolder of the ras-commander repository:
+```
+# Flexible imports to allow for development without installation
+try:
+    # Try to import from the installed package
+    from ras_commander import init_ras_project, RasExamples, RasCmdr, RasPlan, RasGeo, RasUnsteady, RasUtils, ras
+except ImportError:
+    # If the import fails, add the parent directory to the Python path
+    current_file = Path(__file__).resolve()
+    parent_directory = current_file.parent.parent
+    sys.path.append(str(parent_directory))
+    # Alternately, you can just define a path sys.path.append(r"c:/path/to/rascommander/rascommander)")
+    
+    # Now try to import again
+    from ras_commander import init_ras_project, RasExamples, RasCmdr, RasPlan, RasGeo, RasUnsteady, RasUtils, ras
+```
+It is highly suggested to fork this repository before going this route, and using Git to manage your changes!  This allows any revisions to the ras-commander classes and functions to be actively edited and developed by end users. The folders "/workspace/, "/projects/", or "my_projects/" are included in the .gitignore, so users can place you custom scripts there for any project data they don't want to be tracked by git.
+
 
-## Requirements
 
-- Tested with Python 3.11
-- HEC-RAS 6.2 or later (other versions may work, all testing was done with version 6.2 and above)
-- Detailed project workflows and/or existing libraries and code where ras-commander can be integrated.
+  
 
-For a full list of dependencies, see the `requirements.txt` file.
+## Quick Start Guide
 
-## Quick Start
 ```
 from ras_commander import init_ras_project, RasCmdr, RasPlan
 ```
 
-# Initialize a project
+### Initialize a project
 ```
 init_ras_project(r"/path/to/project", "6.5")
 ```
 
-# Execute a single plan
+### Execute a single plan
 ```
 RasCmdr.compute_plan("01", dest_folder=r"/path/to/results", overwrite_dest=True)
 ```
 
-# Execute plans in parallel
+### Execute plans in parallel
 ```
 results = RasCmdr.compute_parallel(
     plan_numbers=["01", "02"],
@@ -108,14 +141,14 @@ results = RasCmdr.compute_parallel(
 )
 ```
 
-# Modify a plan
+### Modify a plan
 ```
 RasPlan.set_geom("01", "02")
 ```
 
 Certainly! I'll provide you with an updated Key Components section and Project Organization diagram based on the current structure of the ras-commander library.
 
-## Key Components
+#### Key Components
 
 - `RasPrj`: Manages HEC-RAS projects, handling initialization and data loading
 - `RasCmdr`: Handles execution of HEC-RAS simulations
@@ -125,7 +158,7 @@ Certainly! I'll provide you with an updated Key Components section and Project O
 - `RasUtils`: Contains utility functions for file operations and data management
 - `RasExamples`: Manages and loads HEC-RAS example projects
 
-### New Components:
+#### New Components:
 - `HdfBase`: Core functionality for HDF file operations
 - `HdfBndry`: Enhanced boundary condition handling
 - `HdfMesh`: Comprehensive mesh data management
@@ -141,9 +174,9 @@ Certainly! I'll provide you with an updated Key Components section and Project O
 - `RasToGo`: Go-Consequences integration
 - `HdfPlot` & `HdfResultsPlot`: Specialized plotting utilities
 
-## Project Organization Diagram
+### Project Organization Diagram
 
-## Project Organization Diagram
+### Project Organization Diagram
 
 ```
 ras_commander
@@ -206,7 +239,7 @@ ras_commander
 └── requirements.txt
 ```
 
-## Accessing HEC Examples through RasExamples
+### Accessing HEC Examples through RasExamples
 
 The `RasExamples` class provides functionality for quickly loading and managing HEC-RAS example projects. This is particularly useful for testing and development purposes.
 
@@ -227,7 +260,7 @@ projects = ras_examples.list_projects("Steady Flow")
 extracted_paths = ras_examples.extract_project(["Bald Eagle Creek", "Muncie"])
 ```
 
-## RasPrj
+### RasPrj
 
 The `RasPrj` class is central to managing HEC-RAS projects within the ras-commander library. It handles project initialization, data loading, and provides access to project components.
 
@@ -243,18 +276,18 @@ Example usage:
 from ras_commander import RasPrj, init_ras_project
 ```
 
-### Using the global ras object
+#### Using the global ras object
 ```
 init_ras_project("/path/to/project", "6.5")
 ```
 
-### Creating a custom RasPrj instance
+#### Creating a custom RasPrj instance
 ```
 custom_project = RasPrj()
 init_ras_project("/path/to/another_project", "6.5", ras_instance=custom_project)
 ```
 
-## RasHdf
+### RasHdf
 
 The `RasHdf` class provides utilities for working with HDF files in HEC-RAS projects, enabling easy access to simulation results and model data.
 
@@ -275,7 +308,7 @@ print(runtime_data)
 This class simplifies the process of extracting and analyzing data from HEC-RAS HDF output files, supporting tasks such as post-processing and result visualization.
 
 
-### Infrastructure Analysis
+#### Infrastructure Analysis
 ```python
 from ras_commander import HdfPipe, HdfPump
 
@@ -288,7 +321,7 @@ pump_stations = HdfPump.get_pump_stations(hdf_path)
 pump_performance = HdfPump.get_pump_station_summary(hdf_path)
 ```
 
-### Advanced Results Analysis
+#### Advanced Results Analysis
 ```python
 from ras_commander import HdfResultsMesh
 
@@ -301,7 +334,7 @@ from ras_commander import HdfResultsPlot
 HdfResultsPlot.plot_results_max_wsel(max_ws)
 ```
 
-### Fluvial-Pluvial Analysis
+#### Fluvial-Pluvial Analysis
 ```python
 from ras_commander import HdfFluvialPluvial
 
@@ -309,7 +342,7 @@ boundary = HdfFluvialPluvial.calculate_fluvial_pluvial_boundary(
     hdf_path,
     delta_t=12  # Time threshold in hours
 )
-
+```
 
 ## Documentation
 
@@ -324,7 +357,6 @@ Check out the `examples/` directory for sample scripts demonstrating various fea
 The ras-commander library is an ongoing project. Future plans include:
 - Integration of more advanced AI-driven features
 - Expansion of HMS and DSS functionalities
-- Enhanced GPU support for computational tasks
 - Community-driven development of new modules and features
 
 ## Related Resources
@@ -363,11 +395,13 @@ Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the following notable contributions a
    Xiaofeng Liu, Ph.D., P.E.,    Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    Institute of Computational and Data Sciences, Penn State University
 
+3. Attribution: The[ffrd\rashdf'](https://github.com/fema-ffrd/rashdf) project by FEMA-FFRD (FEMA Future of Flood Risk Data) was incorporated, revised, adapted and extended in rascommander's RasHDF libaries (where noted). 
+
 These acknowledgments recognize the contributions and inspirations that have helped shape RAS Commander, ensuring proper attribution for the ideas and code that have influenced its development.
 
-3. Chris Goodell, "Breaking the HEC-RAS Code" - Studied and used as a reference for understanding the inner workings of HEC-RAS, providing valuable insights into the software's functionality and structure.
+4. Chris Goodell, "Breaking the HEC-RAS Code" - Studied and used as a reference for understanding the inner workings of HEC-RAS, providing valuable insights into the software's functionality and structure.
 
-4. [HEC-Commander Tools](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander) - Inspiration and initial code base for the development of RAS Commander.
+5. [HEC-Commander Tools](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander) - Inspiration and initial code base for the development of RAS Commander.
 
 
 ## Official RAS Commander AI-Generated Songs:
@@ -376,8 +410,17 @@ These acknowledgments recognize the contributions and inspirations that have hel
 
 [No More Wait and See (Cajun Zydeco)](https://suno.com/song/4441c45d-f6cd-47b9-8fbc-1f7b277ee8ed)  
 
+## Other Resources
+
+Notebook version of RAS-Commander: [RAS-Commander Notebook in the HEC-Commander Tools Repository](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander/tree/main/RAS-Commander)
+Youtube Tutorials for HEC-Commander Tools and RAS-Commander: [GPT-Commander on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@GPT_Commander/videos)
+
+## LICENSE
+
+This software is released under the MIT license.
+
 
 ## Contact
 
 For questions, suggestions, or support, please contact:
-William Katzenmeyer, P.E., C.F.M. - billk@fenstermaker.com
+William Katzenmeyer, P.E., C.F.M. - heccommander@gmail.com

{ras_commander-0.52.0 → ras_commander-0.53.0}/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # RAS Commander (ras-commander)
 
-RAS Commander is a Python library for automating HEC-RAS operations, providing a set of tools to interact with HEC-RAS project files, execute simulations, and manage project data. This library is an evolution of the RASCommander 1.0 Python Notebook Application previously released under the [HEC-Commander tools repository](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander).
+RAS Commander is a Python library for automating HEC-RAS operations, providing a set of tools to interact with HEC-RAS project files, execute simulations, and manage project data. This library was initially conceptualized in the Australian Water School course "AI Tools for Modelling Innovation", and subsequently expanded to cover the basic functionality of the HECRASController COM32 interface using open-source python libraries.  This library uses a Test Driven Development strategy, leveraging the publicly-available HEC-RAS Example projects to create repeatable demonstration examples.  The "Commmander" moniker is inspired by the "Command Line is All You Need" approach to HEC-RAS automation that was first implemented in the HEC-Commander Tools repository. 
 
 ## Contributors:
 William Katzenmeyer, P.E., C.F.M. 
@@ -11,9 +11,17 @@ Aaron Nichols, P.E., C.F.M.
 
 (Additional Contributors Here)  
 
-## Don't Ask Me, Ask ChatGPT!
+## Don't Ask Me, Ask ChatGPT! 
 
-Before you read any further, you can [chat directly with ChatGPT.](https://chatgpt.com/g/g-TZRPR3oAO-ras-commander-library-assistant) about the library.  Ask it anything, and it will use its tools to answer your questions and help you learn.  You can even upload your own plan, unsteady and HDF files to inspect and help determine how to automate your workflows or visualize your results, although this ability is still limited in comparison to the provided library assistant. 
+This repository has several methods of interaction with Large Language Models and LLM-Assisted Coding built right in: 
+
+1. **[RAS Commander Library Assistant GPT](https://chatgpt.com/g/g-TZRPR3oAO-ras-commander-library-assistant)**: A specialized GPT model with access to the ras-commander codebase and library, available for answering queries and providing code suggestions.   You can even upload your own plan, unsteady and HDF files to inspect and help determine how to automate your workflows or visualize your results, although this ability is still limited by OpenAI's GPT frameworks and may not be useful for long conversations.
+
+2. **[Purpose-Built Knowledge Base Summaries](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/tree/main/ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases)**: Up-to-date compilations of the documentation and codebase for use with large language models like Claude or GPT-4. Look in 'ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases/' in the repo.  The repo's codebase (without documentation and examples) has been curated to stay within the current ~200k context window limitations of frontier models, and for tasks that do not need an understanding of the underlying code, the Comprehensive Library Guide and any relevant examples from the example folder should be adequate context for leveraging the ras-commander API to complete tasks. 
+
+3. **[Cursor IDE Integration](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/.cursorrules)**: Custom rules(.cursorrules) for the Cursor IDE to provide context-aware suggestions and documentation.  Just open the repository folder in Cursor to recognize these instructions.  You can create your own folders "/workspace/, "/projects/", or "my_projects/" as these are already in the .gitignore, and place your custom scripts there for your projects.  This will allow easy referencing of the ras-commander documents and individual repo files, the automatic loading of the .cursorrules file.  Alternatvely, download the github repo into your projects folder to easily load documents and use cursor rules files.
+
+5. **[RAS-Commander Library Assistant](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/library_assistant)**: A full-featured interface for multi-turn conversations, using your own API keys and the ras-commander library for context.  The library assistant allows you to load your own scripts and chat with specific examples and/or function classes in the RAS-Commander library to effectively utilize the library's functions in your workflow.  To reduce hallucinations, a file browser is included which adds full files to the conversation to ensure grounded responses.  A dashboard shows you the total context and estimated cost of each request.  **Now with support for OpenAI's o1 and o3-mini, and Deepseek V3 and R1 models using US-based Together.ai**
 
 
 ## Background
@@ -21,65 +29,90 @@ The ras-commander library emerged from the initial test-bed of AI-driven coding
 
 ## Features
 
-- Automate HEC-RAS project management and simulations
-- Support for both single and multiple project instances
-- Parallel execution of HEC-RAS plans
-- Utilities for managing geometry, plan, and unsteady flow files
-- Example project management for testing and development
-- Two primary operation modes: "Run Missing" and "Build from DSS"
-
-## AI-Driven Coding Experience
+If you've ever read the book "Breaking the HEC-RAS Code" by Chris Goodell, this library is intended to be an AI-coded, pythonic library that provides a modern alternative to the HECRASController API.  By leveraginging modern python features libraries such as pandas, geopandas and H5Py (favoring HDF data sources wherever practicable) this library builds functionality around HEC-RAS 6.2+ while maintaining as much forward compatibilty as possible with HEC-RAS 2025.  
 
-ras-commander provides several AI-powered tools to enhance the coding experience:
+HEC-RAS Project Management & Execution
+- Multi-project handling with parallel and sequential execution
+- Command-line execution integration
+- Project folder management and organization
+- Multi-core processing optimization
+- Progress tracking and logging
+- Execution error handling and recovery
 
-1. **ChatGPT Assistant: [RAS Commander Library Assistant](https://chatgpt.com/g/g-TZRPR3oAO-ras-commander-library-assistant)**: A specialized GPT model trained on the ras-commander codebase, available for answering queries and providing code suggestions.
 
-2. **[Purpose-Built Knowledge Base Summaries](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/tree/main/ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases)**: Up-to-date compilations of the documentation and codebase for use with large language models like Claude or GPT-4. Look in 'ai_tools/assistant_knowledge_bases/' in the repo.
+  
+HDF Data Access & Analysis
+- 2D mesh results processing (depths, velocities, WSE)
+- Cross-section data extraction
+- Boundary condition analysis
+- Structure data (bridges, culverts, gates)
+- Pipe network and pump station analysis
+- Fluvial-pluvial boundary calculations
+- Infiltration and precipitation data handling
 
-3. **[Cursor IDE Integration](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/.cursorrules)**: Custom rules for the Cursor IDE to provide context-aware suggestions and documentation.  Just open the repository folder in Cursor.  You can create your own folders "/workspace/, "/projects/", or "my_projects/" as these are already in the .gitignore, and place your custom scripts there for your projects.  This will allow easy referencing of the ras-commander documents and individual repo files, the automatic loading of the .cursorrules file.  Alternatvely, download the github repo into your projects folder to easily load documents and use cursor rules files.  
-4. **[RAS-Commander Library Assistant](https://github.com/billk-FM/ras-commander/blob/main/library_assistant)**: A full-featured interface for multi-turn conversations, using your own API keys and the ras-commander library for context.  The library assistant allows you to load your own scripts and chat with specific examples and/or function classes in the RAS-Commander library to effectively utilize the library's functions in your workflow.
+  
+RAS ASCII File Operations
+- Plan file creation and modification
+- Geometry file parsing examples 
+- Unsteady flow file management
+- Project file updates and validation  
 
+Note about support for Pipe Networks:  As a relatively new feature, only read access to Pipe Network geometry and results data has been included.  Users will need to code their own methods to modify/add pipe network data, and pull requests are always welcome to incorporate this capability.  Please note that the library has not been tested with versions prior to HEC-RAS 6.2.
 
 ## Installation
 
-Create a virtual environment with conda or venv (ask ChatGPT if you need help)
+First, create a virtual environment with conda or venv (ask ChatGPT if you need help).  
+
+#### Install via Pip
 
 In your virtual environment, install ras-commander using pip:
 ```
 pip install h5py numpy pandas requests tqdm scipy xarray geopandas matplotlib ras-commander ipython tqdm psutil shapely fiona pathlib rtree rasterstats
 pip install --upgrade ras-commander
 ```
-
-**Tested with Python 3.11**
-
-
 If you have dependency issues with pip (especially if you have errors with numpy), try clearing your local pip packages 'C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Roaming\Python\' and then creating a new virtual environment.  
    
+#### Work in a Local Copy
+
+If you want to make revisions and work actively in your local version of ras-commander, just skip the pip install rascommander step above and clone a fork of the repo to your local machine using Git (ask ChatGPT if you need help).  Most of the notebooks and examples in this repo have a code segment similar to the one below, that works as long as the script is located in a first-level subfolder of the ras-commander repository:
+```
+# Flexible imports to allow for development without installation
+try:
+    # Try to import from the installed package
+    from ras_commander import init_ras_project, RasExamples, RasCmdr, RasPlan, RasGeo, RasUnsteady, RasUtils, ras
+except ImportError:
+    # If the import fails, add the parent directory to the Python path
+    current_file = Path(__file__).resolve()
+    parent_directory = current_file.parent.parent
+    sys.path.append(str(parent_directory))
+    # Alternately, you can just define a path sys.path.append(r"c:/path/to/rascommander/rascommander)")
+    
+    # Now try to import again
+    from ras_commander import init_ras_project, RasExamples, RasCmdr, RasPlan, RasGeo, RasUnsteady, RasUtils, ras
+```
+It is highly suggested to fork this repository before going this route, and using Git to manage your changes!  This allows any revisions to the ras-commander classes and functions to be actively edited and developed by end users. The folders "/workspace/, "/projects/", or "my_projects/" are included in the .gitignore, so users can place you custom scripts there for any project data they don't want to be tracked by git.
+
 
-## Requirements
 
-- Tested with Python 3.11
-- HEC-RAS 6.2 or later (other versions may work, all testing was done with version 6.2 and above)
-- Detailed project workflows and/or existing libraries and code where ras-commander can be integrated.
+  
 
-For a full list of dependencies, see the `requirements.txt` file.
+## Quick Start Guide
 
-## Quick Start
 ```
 from ras_commander import init_ras_project, RasCmdr, RasPlan
 ```
 
-# Initialize a project
+### Initialize a project
 ```
 init_ras_project(r"/path/to/project", "6.5")
 ```
 
-# Execute a single plan
+### Execute a single plan
 ```
 RasCmdr.compute_plan("01", dest_folder=r"/path/to/results", overwrite_dest=True)
 ```
 
-# Execute plans in parallel
+### Execute plans in parallel
 ```
 results = RasCmdr.compute_parallel(
     plan_numbers=["01", "02"],
@@ -90,14 +123,14 @@ results = RasCmdr.compute_parallel(
 )
 ```
 
-# Modify a plan
+### Modify a plan
 ```
 RasPlan.set_geom("01", "02")
 ```
 
 Certainly! I'll provide you with an updated Key Components section and Project Organization diagram based on the current structure of the ras-commander library.
 
-## Key Components
+#### Key Components
 
 - `RasPrj`: Manages HEC-RAS projects, handling initialization and data loading
 - `RasCmdr`: Handles execution of HEC-RAS simulations
@@ -107,7 +140,7 @@ Certainly! I'll provide you with an updated Key Components section and Project O
 - `RasUtils`: Contains utility functions for file operations and data management
 - `RasExamples`: Manages and loads HEC-RAS example projects
 
-### New Components:
+#### New Components:
 - `HdfBase`: Core functionality for HDF file operations
 - `HdfBndry`: Enhanced boundary condition handling
 - `HdfMesh`: Comprehensive mesh data management
@@ -123,9 +156,9 @@ Certainly! I'll provide you with an updated Key Components section and Project O
 - `RasToGo`: Go-Consequences integration
 - `HdfPlot` & `HdfResultsPlot`: Specialized plotting utilities
 
-## Project Organization Diagram
+### Project Organization Diagram
 
-## Project Organization Diagram
+### Project Organization Diagram
 
 ```
 ras_commander
@@ -188,7 +221,7 @@ ras_commander
 └── requirements.txt
 ```
 
-## Accessing HEC Examples through RasExamples
+### Accessing HEC Examples through RasExamples
 
 The `RasExamples` class provides functionality for quickly loading and managing HEC-RAS example projects. This is particularly useful for testing and development purposes.
 
@@ -209,7 +242,7 @@ projects = ras_examples.list_projects("Steady Flow")
 extracted_paths = ras_examples.extract_project(["Bald Eagle Creek", "Muncie"])
 ```
 
-## RasPrj
+### RasPrj
 
 The `RasPrj` class is central to managing HEC-RAS projects within the ras-commander library. It handles project initialization, data loading, and provides access to project components.
 
@@ -225,18 +258,18 @@ Example usage:
 from ras_commander import RasPrj, init_ras_project
 ```
 
-### Using the global ras object
+#### Using the global ras object
 ```
 init_ras_project("/path/to/project", "6.5")
 ```
 
-### Creating a custom RasPrj instance
+#### Creating a custom RasPrj instance
 ```
 custom_project = RasPrj()
 init_ras_project("/path/to/another_project", "6.5", ras_instance=custom_project)
 ```
 
-## RasHdf
+### RasHdf
 
 The `RasHdf` class provides utilities for working with HDF files in HEC-RAS projects, enabling easy access to simulation results and model data.
 
@@ -257,7 +290,7 @@ print(runtime_data)
 This class simplifies the process of extracting and analyzing data from HEC-RAS HDF output files, supporting tasks such as post-processing and result visualization.
 
 
-### Infrastructure Analysis
+#### Infrastructure Analysis
 ```python
 from ras_commander import HdfPipe, HdfPump
 
@@ -270,7 +303,7 @@ pump_stations = HdfPump.get_pump_stations(hdf_path)
 pump_performance = HdfPump.get_pump_station_summary(hdf_path)
 ```
 
-### Advanced Results Analysis
+#### Advanced Results Analysis
 ```python
 from ras_commander import HdfResultsMesh
 
@@ -283,7 +316,7 @@ from ras_commander import HdfResultsPlot
 HdfResultsPlot.plot_results_max_wsel(max_ws)
 ```
 
-### Fluvial-Pluvial Analysis
+#### Fluvial-Pluvial Analysis
 ```python
 from ras_commander import HdfFluvialPluvial
 
@@ -291,7 +324,7 @@ boundary = HdfFluvialPluvial.calculate_fluvial_pluvial_boundary(
     hdf_path,
     delta_t=12  # Time threshold in hours
 )
-
+```
 
 ## Documentation
 
@@ -306,7 +339,6 @@ Check out the `examples/` directory for sample scripts demonstrating various fea
 The ras-commander library is an ongoing project. Future plans include:
 - Integration of more advanced AI-driven features
 - Expansion of HMS and DSS functionalities
-- Enhanced GPU support for computational tasks
 - Community-driven development of new modules and features
 
 ## Related Resources
@@ -345,11 +377,13 @@ Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the following notable contributions a
    Xiaofeng Liu, Ph.D., P.E.,    Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    Institute of Computational and Data Sciences, Penn State University
 
+3. Attribution: The[ffrd\rashdf'](https://github.com/fema-ffrd/rashdf) project by FEMA-FFRD (FEMA Future of Flood Risk Data) was incorporated, revised, adapted and extended in rascommander's RasHDF libaries (where noted). 
+
 These acknowledgments recognize the contributions and inspirations that have helped shape RAS Commander, ensuring proper attribution for the ideas and code that have influenced its development.
 
-3. Chris Goodell, "Breaking the HEC-RAS Code" - Studied and used as a reference for understanding the inner workings of HEC-RAS, providing valuable insights into the software's functionality and structure.
+4. Chris Goodell, "Breaking the HEC-RAS Code" - Studied and used as a reference for understanding the inner workings of HEC-RAS, providing valuable insights into the software's functionality and structure.
 
-4. [HEC-Commander Tools](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander) - Inspiration and initial code base for the development of RAS Commander.
+5. [HEC-Commander Tools](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander) - Inspiration and initial code base for the development of RAS Commander.
 
 
 ## Official RAS Commander AI-Generated Songs:
@@ -358,8 +392,17 @@ These acknowledgments recognize the contributions and inspirations that have hel
 
 [No More Wait and See (Cajun Zydeco)](https://suno.com/song/4441c45d-f6cd-47b9-8fbc-1f7b277ee8ed)  
 
+## Other Resources
+
+Notebook version of RAS-Commander: [RAS-Commander Notebook in the HEC-Commander Tools Repository](https://github.com/billk-FM/HEC-Commander/tree/main/RAS-Commander)
+Youtube Tutorials for HEC-Commander Tools and RAS-Commander: [GPT-Commander on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@GPT_Commander/videos)
+
+## LICENSE
+
+This software is released under the MIT license.
+
 
 ## Contact
 
 For questions, suggestions, or support, please contact:
-William Katzenmeyer, P.E., C.F.M. - billk@fenstermaker.com
+William Katzenmeyer, P.E., C.F.M. - heccommander@gmail.com