VisNet: VISualization of water distribution Networks

Many researchers and engineers working with water distribution systems have the need to model, simulate, analyze, and visualize these systems. Several open-source tools, such as EPANET and the Python package WNTR, allow users to perform extended period simulations and analysis of water distribution system models under a range of different conditions. However, while these tools do provide basic visualization functionality, they are limited in their flexibility and capabilities. Here, we present VisNet, a Python package that enables clear and customizable visualization options specifically catered towards water distribution network models. VisNet provides users with straightforward functions to plot simulation results and intrinsic characteristics of system nodes (e.g., pressure and demand) and links (e.g., flow rate and pipe diameter) by customizing the size and color of network elements. The package allows for the visualization of single time step simulation data as well as data summarized over extended periods. Users may specify if data should be represented in continuous fashion with a color bar or as discrete points with an accompanying legend, and can also plot categorical data that may be generated or imported independently. Furthermore, this package includes a function to produce animations that display changes of network properties, such as nodal demand or link head loss, over time. VisNet includes scripts that highlight its functionalities, as well as applications that demonstrate how functions can be applied in conjunction to create illuminating plots. For example, the package can be used to display possible sensor placement locations, highlight the concentration of a chemical species throughout the network, or present statistical summaries of model simulation outputs. The result of our work is a streamlined, user-friendly package that facilitates the creation of neat, comprehensible plots to aid researchers and practitioners in communicating results of applications of design and analysis.