Hydrologic Engineering Center

Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) Version 4.4

Non-Disclosure Agreement For Interim Software And Draft Documentation

The Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) software is distributed publicly through the
Hydrologic Engineering Center website (www.hec.usace.army.mil) when it is determined to be
ready for general use. Each new release is assigned a version number. The production of a new
release begins with the specification of new features and proceeds through the development
cycle stages of design, implementation, testing, documentation, release engineering, and
certification. A new release that has not completed all of these stages is considered interim
software and is indicated as such by appending a suffix like "alpha" or "beta" to the version
number. Documentation that has not completed the technical review process is marked as
"draft."

The Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) works with software users during the software
development cycle. Though every effort is made to release software with no errors, users may
from time to time discover issues in the software that were not detected during the
development cycle. HEC will engage with users to reproduce reported errors. Solutions will be
designed, implemented, and tested. Interim software may be provided to the user as part of
the testing process so that the user may verify that the solution is effective in resolving the
error. Appropriate test cases based on the user's data set may be added to the standard
validation test cases used to certify a new software release. It is important that interim
software and draft documentation be kept confidential.

HEC will provide interim software and draft documentation for a user with the following
restrictions kept in place until the general release occurs:

1. HEC and the software user will work collaboratively to achieve the shared goal of
improving the next general release by eliminating errors from the software.
2. The interim software and draft documentation are for the sole use of the user. The
interim software and draft documentation should not be shared with others.
3. The user will return comments to HEC on validation and verification testing of the
interim software so that the software may be improved before general release.
4. The user will return comments to HEC on the review of the draft documentation so that
the documentation may be improved before general release.

1
Interim software has not been subjected to the same level of testing as the general release.
Therefore, the following activities are never permitted with interim software even after the
general release occurs:

1. Results produced with the interim software cannot ever be used in final engineering
design studies or project reports.
2. Results produced with the interim software cannot ever be used in final permit
applications.
3. Results produced with the interim software cannot ever be submitted to an academic or
professional journal.
4. Results produced with the interim software cannot ever be presented at a conference or
workshop.
5. Results produced with the interim software cannot ever be submitted as part of a final
thesis or dissertation.

Any work product developed with the interim software must be updated using the final
released software, in this case, HEC-HMS Version 4.4.

Each user receiving interim software or draft documentation will agree to the above terms by
signing and returning to HEC a copy of the non-disclosure agreement.

_____________________________________ _____________________________________
Name Signature
_____________________________________