S1E5 – No Dev, No Problem: How a Civil Engineer Coded His Own Automation Tool for Stormwater Modelling using AI (w/ Sebastian Masset)

What happens when a civil engineer decides to stop waiting for better tools and builds one himself? In this episode, Owen Keenan talks with Sebastian Masset, the creator of HECFlow, a Python-based automation tool for stormwater modelling in HEC-HMS.

They explore how Sebastian transitioned from spreadsheets to scripting, what role AI played in the process, and how any engineer can start bridging the gap between domain expertise and software.

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Engineering Tools

00:11 Meet Sebastian Masset: Civil Engineer and Innovator

02:21 Sebastian's Journey into Engineering

05:01 Challenges in Stormwater Management

07:27 The Rational Method and Modern Solutions

09:30 Sebastian's Software Journey

14:49 Building the Automation Tool

17:24 Technical Deep Dive into HECFlow

21:42 Experimenting with File Structures

22:13 Using AI as a Co-Pilot

23:32 Building and Automating HECFlow

25:50 Challenges and Learnings in Coding

32:16 The Future of AI in Engineering

39:13 Advice for Engineers on Building Tools

42:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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