What Computational Hydraulics International (CHI) does

Computational Hydraulics International (CHI) develops and supports professional water management modeling software for stormwater, sanitary sewer, and watershed applications. Its flagship product, PCSWMM, is a desktop GIS-integrated modeling platform built on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SWMM5 engine, extended with proprietary capabilities including flood inundation mapping, NEXRAD WSR-88D radar rainfall processing, DEM data extraction, 2D floodplain analysis (PCSWMM Professional 2D), enterprise reporting to Excel/Access/SQL Server, and support for 40+ vector and raster GIS formats. CHI also operates the OPEN SWMM and OPEN EPANET community platforms, the peer-reviewed open-access Journal of Water Management Modeling, and the annual International Conference on Water Management Modeling (ICWMM). The company was founded in 1982 (per company history; firmographic data lists 1999) and is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, with a team of 11–50 employees serving an installed base of over 8,000 clients and 50,000+ completed projects across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time software licensing of PCSWMM Standard and Professional tiers, supplemented by paid in-person and virtual training workshops, engineering consulting services, and a free University Grant Program that targets the academic and researcher segment as a future customer pipeline. CHI is privately held, founder-led, and has no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or strategic investor ownership.

Name

Computational Hydraulics International (CHI)

Legal name

Computational Hydraulics Inc.

Website

https://chiwater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Computational Hydraulics International (CHI) develops and supports PCSWMM, a GIS-integrated desktop software for stormwater, wastewater, and watershed modeling built on the EPA SWMM5 engine. The founder-led, privately held Guelph, Ontario company sells one-time software licenses, training, and consulting to engineering firms and municipal water agencies across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydraulic and hydrologic modeling software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real-Time Monitoring & Smart Stormwater (Sensors, SCADA/IoT, RTC) (EUANAEAK), Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Water management modeling
• Stormwater modeling software
• Watershed modeling software
• Sanitary sewer modeling
• Flood inundation analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Guelph

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: PCSWMM software is sold as a licensed product with Standard and Professional tiers. Professional version includes advanced features like flood inundation tools, DEM processing, radar rainfall processing, and enterprise reporting tools.
2. Training Services: In-person and virtual training workshops on PCSWMM and EPA SWMM5. Workshops range from 1-3 days and are offered globally in multiple locations.
3. Consulting Services: Engineering consulting services for complex water management issues using CHI's expertise and software.
4. University Grant Program: Free software access for full-time academics, creating future customer pipeline.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHI develops, licenses, and supports PCSWMM, a desktop water management modeling software built on the U.S. EPA SWMM5 engine with proprietary extensions for 1D/2D hydraulic analysis, flood inundation mapping, NEXRAD radar rainfall processing, and comprehensive GIS integration. The firm also monetizes its expertise through paid training workshops (in-person and virtual) and engineering consulting services aimed at stormwater, sanitary sewer, and watershed modeling projects.

Product overview

Computational Hydraulics International (CHI) offers a suite of water management modeling solutions centered around PCSWMM software, which is built on the EPA SWMM5 engine. The product portfolio includes PCSWMM (core desktop application), PCSWMM Professional 2D (advanced 2D modeling add-on), OPEN SWMM and OPEN EPANET (open-source community platforms), the Journal of Water Management Modeling (peer-reviewed publication), and ICWMM (annual international conference). CHI also provides professional training workshops and engineering consulting services. With over 40 years of experience and more than 8,000 clients worldwide, CHI serves the global water management modeling community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PCSWMM: Flexible, easy to use water management modeling software based on EPA SWMM5
• OPEN SWMM
• OPEN EPANET
• Journal of Water Management Modeling
• ICWMM

Products and services

• PCSWMM Flexible, GUI-driven desktop water management modeling software built on the EPA SWMM5 engine for watershed, stormwater, and wastewater modeling, sold in Standard and Professional tiers. It supports 1D/2D hydraulic analysis, flood inundation mapping, NEXRAD radar rainfall processing, comprehensive GIS integration, and real-time flood forecasting for engineering consultants, municipal water agencies, and academic users.
• PCSWMM Training Paid training workshops covering EPA SWMM5 and PCSWMM, delivered in-person at global locations (Toronto, Guelph, Calgary, Vancouver, U.S. cities, South Africa, and others) and virtually, ranging from 1-3 days for beginners and experienced users.
• CHI Consulting Services Engineering consulting engagements in which CHI applies its experience, knowledge, and PCSWMM-based innovations to help clients solve complex stormwater, wastewater, watershed, and flood management problems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8000 clients and 50000+ projects completed in 40+ years of operation

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreTechnology or IntegrationCHI's PCSWMM is built on the EPA SWMM5 engine. The company maintains close integration with EPA software, supporting all recent SWMM5 versions and contributing to the open-source water modeling ecosystem.
• Engineering Firms (AECON, AMEC, ARCADIS, CH2M Hill, EGIS, SNC Lavalin, Stantec, SWECO, Tetra Tech, URS Corporation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor engineering firms worldwide use PCSWMM for client projects, representing significant channel partner relationships for water modeling software deployment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk (InfoWorks / InfoSWMM / XPSWMM): Autodesk acquired Innovyze (InfoWorks, InfoSWMM) and XP Solutions (XPSWMM) — the most direct commercial competitors to PCSWMM in urban drainage and stormwater modeling — making Autodesk the dominant incumbent in the same modeling category CHI serves.
• Bentley Systems (OpenFlows): Bentley's OpenFlows suite (including SewerGEMS, StormCAD, CivilStorm) directly competes with PCSWMM for hydraulic and stormwater modeling projects at engineering firms and utilities, bundled into Bentley's broader infrastructure software platform.
• Trimble (hydrology / civil engineering suite): Trimble's civil engineering and water utilities software portfolio (including drainage design tools) competes at the engineering-firm buyer level with CHI's PCSWMM as part of broader project delivery platforms.

Direct peers

• DHI (MIKE URBAN / MIKE+): DHI's MIKE URBAN and MIKE+ platforms are direct alternatives to PCSWMM for urban water, stormwater, and wastewater modeling, targeting the same engineering consulting and municipal customers globally.
• Aquaveo (WMS / SMS): Aquaveo develops watershed (WMS) and surface-water (SMS) modeling software that overlaps with PCSWMM in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling use cases for engineering firms and academics.
• Hydronia (ICPR): Hydronia's ICPR (Interconnected Channel and Pond Routing) software competes with PCSWMM for stormwater drainage and flood modeling projects at engineering consulting firms and municipal clients, particularly in the U.S. market.
• FLO-2D Software: FLO-2D provides 2D flood and stormwater modeling software used by the same engineering firms and municipalities that use PCSWMM for urban flooding and watershed analyses, making it a direct competitor in 2D flood modeling projects.

Others

• Esri (ArcGIS Pro with Spatial / 3D Analyst): Esri's ArcGIS platform is the dominant GIS environment PCSWMM integrates with (supporting 40+ GIS formats). It is an adjacent ecosystem dependency rather than a direct competitor in hydraulic modeling, but increasingly bundles spatial analytics relevant to watershed work.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers HEC (HEC-RAS / HEC-HMS): HEC-RAS (river hydraulics) and HEC-HMS (watershed hydrology) are the federally maintained open-source modeling tools PCSWMM explicitly integrates with (HEC-RAS import). They are not commercial competitors but define the interoperable ecosystem CHI plays in.

Emerging players

• Kisters (WaterNetSuite): Kisters' hydrology and water resources software suite targets overlapping municipal and engineering customers with modeling and forecasting capabilities that intersect with PCSWMM's use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PCSWMM
• Facebookfacebook.com/pcswmm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/pcswmm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Computational Hydraulics International (CHI)