Inferring hydraulic data

Once your network is cleaned, organized, and connected, there’s one final step before it’s ready for simulation: inferring hydraulic data. This means we fill in any missing information needed to simulate how water behaves in your system.

Sometimes, datasets don’t include all the details—like pipe diameters, elevation levels, or demand values—and that’s okay. We've built a complete guide for you to add as many asset information as possible but, if it's not possible, Qatium fills in those gaps.

Here’s what happens during this step.

We complete missing elevations

If some of your assets don’t include elevation values, we automatically find and assign them. Elevation is essential for calculating pressures and flow directions, so this step ensures accurate results.

 
 

We identify or create supply sources

If your dataset doesn’t include a defined source, we identify where it should be—or create one—so the network has a clear starting point for flow.

We also calculate head elevations for those sources to ensure the system can simulate pressure and flow properly.

 
 

We fill in missing pipe diameters

If some pipes don’t have a diameter defined, we estimate it. Qatium can use a default value or infer the diameter based on neighboring pipes to keep things realistic.

See how we infer pipe's properties

 
 

We calculate how flow should behave

To simulate water movement, we need to know how assets relate to each other in terms of flow direction and importance. We assign asset levels—for example, identifying which pipes are arterial—to help define flow paths.

See more about network levels

 
 

We complete and infer demand data

If you’ve defined zones with demand information (like daily consumption for a district), we assign those values to the matching junctions.

If some demand values are missing altogether, we estimate them based on your network structure and best practices—so your simulations include realistic water usage.

 
 

With all hydraulic values inferred, your network is now fully simulation-ready. From elevations and demands to supply and flow paths, every detail is in place—so you can start exploring your system, running scenarios, and making data-driven decisions in Qatium.