Data Preparation Requirements
To use the Geographic Automata Add-In tools, data must be prepared to the requirements listed below.
☑️ Maintain a square cell size for all raster data layers
Any raster data layers provided must have a square cell size. For example, if your raster layer properties show a cell size X property of 30.1 and a cell size Y of 30.12, the tool verification will fail.
☑️ Align dimensions of multiple input raster data layers
When using multiple raster data layers as input to the Model Execution or Model Evaluation tools, the number of columns and rows must match across each raster data layer. For example, if your initial raster data layer has 350 rows and 409 columns and the inputted suitability map has 351 rows and 410 columns, the tool verification will fail. You must also check that your geospatial data layers have the same Projected Coordinate system.
☑️ Maintain integer values for representing a phenomena
It is recommended to avoid signed data types when preparing raster data layers for use with the Geographic Automata Add-In tools. A good choice for representing categorical phenomena is to use an unsigned 8 bit depth for raster data layers prepared for the modeling tools. This pixel/bit depth allows you to represent up to 256 classes or categories. Currently, geosimulation modeling with continuous values representing the initial conditions of the phenomena is unsupported.
☑️ Maintain values from 0 to 1 for suitability maps
Normalize or export any suitability, susceptibility, or probability maps such that values are limited to 0 to 1 and represented using a floating point data type. “No Data” values must be assigned as 0.
☑️ Create binary maps to represent constraints or areal restrictions
Values preserved in constraint maps must be limited to values of 0 or 1. Make sure to reclassify data values such that 0s indicate restricted locations and 1s represent no restrictions for the proliferation of some phenomena. “No Data” values must be assigned as 0.
☑️ Use positive integers to represent “No Data”
For example, a traditional “No Data” value of -9999 must be reclassified.
🔎 Working Example
The properties of a raster data layer compatible with any Geographic Automata Add-In tool are shown in the screenshot below.
