The SW2D software for porosity-based shallow water simulations

Abstract

This paper presents the SW2D software, a multi-platform open source modelling chain devoted to the numerical solution of two-dimensional shallow free surface flows with porosity. Several hydrodynamic and hydrologic processes are accounted for: the propagation of long waves in shallow water, momentum diffusion, bottom friction, distributed head losses, rainfall/evaporation, infiltration, and wind-induced surface stress. These processes can be activated on demand via specific keywords. The models incorporated in the code are the classical Shallow Water Equations, their Local Inertial variation, the Single Porosity, Dual Integral Porosity and Depth-Dependent Porosity models. The governing equations are solved in conservation form over unstructured grids using finite volume techniques. The computational cells may have an arbitrary number of interfaces. The software chain comprises several executables: preprocessors sw2dConverter , sw2dZone and sw2dPorosityMapper , the sw2dSolver simulation engine, the sw2dPostProcessor for post-simulation result analysis. The software management process uses the GitLab platform. Contributions can be accepted only after all the executables in the chain have passed a series of reference tests. For any new model/functionality, one or several such tests must be designed and included in the reference base. The documentation includes a user guide, a short validation document, an extended validation document and a developer manual. Three types of licensing are available: research, education and industrial.

Highlights• SW2D is a multi-platform open source software chain for two-dimensional free surface flow modelling.

• 5 hyperbolic models are available.

• Rainfall, infiltration and wind stress are modelled.

• The equations are solved using finite volumes over unstructured grids with arbitrarily shaped cells.

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Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{finaudguyot2026sw2d,
  title = {{The SW2D software for porosity-based shallow water simulations}},
  author = {Pascal Finaud-Guyot and Vincent Guinot and Antoine Rousseau and Lilas Bugeau and João Guilherme Caldas Steinstraesser and Carole Delenne},
  journal = {Environmental Modelling and Software},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.107190},
  url = {https://inria.hal.science/hal-05777710v2},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - The SW2D software for porosity-based shallow water simulations
AU  - Pascal Finaud-Guyot
AU  - Vincent Guinot
AU  - Antoine Rousseau
AU  - Lilas Bugeau
AU  - João Guilherme Caldas Steinstraesser
AU  - Carole Delenne
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
JO  - Environmental Modelling and Software
DO  - 10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.107190
UR  - https://inria.hal.science/hal-05777710v2
AB  - This paper presents the SW2D software, a multi-platform open source modelling chain devoted to the numerical solution of two-dimensional shallow free surface flows with porosity. Several hydrodynamic and hydrologic processes are accounted for: the propagation of long waves in shallow water, momentum diffusion, bottom friction, distributed head losses, rainfall/evaporation, infiltration, and wind-induced surface stress. These processes can be activated on demand via specific keywords. The models incorporated in the code are the classical Shallow Water Equations, their Local Inertial variation, the Single Porosity, Dual Integral Porosity and Depth-Dependent Porosity models. The governing equations are solved in conservation form over unstructured grids using finite volume techniques. The computational cells may have an arbitrary number of interfaces. The software chain comprises several executables: preprocessors sw2dConverter , sw2dZone and sw2dPorosityMapper , the sw2dSolver simulation engine, the sw2dPostProcessor for post-simulation result analysis. The software management process uses the GitLab platform. Contributions can be accepted only after all the executables in the chain have passed a series of reference tests. For any new model/functionality, one or several such tests must be designed and included in the reference base. The documentation includes a user guide, a short validation document, an extended validation document and a developer manual. Three types of licensing are available: research, education and industrial.  Highlights• SW2D is a multi-platform open source software chain for two-dimensional free surface flow modelling.  • 5 hyperbolic models are available.  • Rainfall, infiltration and wind stress are modelled.  • The equations are solved using finite volumes over unstructured grids with arbitrarily shaped cells.
SN  - 1364-8152
ER  -

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