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Data Types

Firestarter requires a myriad of GIS data, readily available via web sources for the areas where simulations are being run. The subject content of data can generally be divided into two classes: environmental data, and human-oriented data. Here are a few examples of each:

Environmental Data Types

  • Topography (elevation, slope, aspect)
  • Ground Cover
  • Weather (wind, temperature, humidity)

Human Oriented Data

  • Real estate data
  • Fire supression capabiity
  • Census bureau data

How data is retrieved depends on the type of data and available sources. Data must be available for any given point on the map in a given map extent. For a given point, different data types will be available in different formats, generally falling into one of the two following types:

  • Scalar: A singular numerical value. For example, elevation is numerical value in meters

  • Vector: A value with magnitude and direction. For example, wind has both speed and direction, or topography has both slope (magnitude) and aspect (direction). Often times, vector data types will need to be separated into two separate data sets so that magnitude and direction can be accessed individually for a certain \(x y\) coordinate.