Iteration 13

• Phase: Transition
• Dates: June 15 - August 5, 2005

Release Candidate 2 (RC2)

Extensions

• Reclass
  • Add validation to ensure that reclass coefficients are between 0 and 1.
• Base Wind
  • Add the wind direction enhancement that Rob developed to the spread algorithm.
• Base Fire
  • Add the wind direction enhancement that Rob developed to the spread algorithm.
  • Fix the bug that Rob identified in the neighbors foreach loop of the spread algorithm.

Raster Drivers

• Erdas 7.4
  • Optimize driver to significantly increase performance. Currently, maps with > 1,000,000 cells take ~10 minutes to write. Needs to be < 0.5 minutes.

Official Release

Core Framework

• Species
  • Allow -1 for the effective-seeding-distance parameter. This special value will designate for the Ward seed-dispersal algorithm that the species is universally present on the landscape.

Web Site

• Users Page
  • Create templates for each extension. Arrange templates into a table such that Users can quickly identify and download extensions.
• Web Site Migration
  • Migrate the LANDIS-II web site from Jimm's workstation to a new machine. Relocating the site will avoid Jimm's development activities from impacting the web site's performance.

Extensions

• Administration
  • Design and implement the process for installing a plug-in. This process must update the local "database" file of installed plug-ins on a user's machine, and must update the local web page of user documentation to include the new plug-in's user guide.
  • Design and implement the means by which a user can view a list of plug-ins installed on her machine. This list must include the names for the plug-ins that are used in scenario files.

Deployment

• Continue researching the security issues with not signing our assemblies.

Other Tasks

Extensions

• Biomass Succession
  • Write the Users Guide.
  • Begin designing and coding the extension.

Assessment

Iteration Summary and Lessons Learned

The model is now available to all registered Users on the web site. Perhaps our greatest lessons will now come from any User feedback that we receive. Otherwise, the final iteration was relatively smooth. The next challenge will be in prioritizing additional features and formulating a careful plan for upgrading the core.

Hits and Misses

• Hit Added validation to ensure that reclass coefficients are between 0 and 1.
• Hit Added the wind direction enhancement that Rob developed to the wind shape algorithm.
• Hit Added the wind direction enhancement that Rob developed to the fire spread algorithm.
• Hit Fixed the bug that Rob identified in the neighbors foreach loop of the fire spread algorithm.
• Hit Corrected reclassification error identified by Arnie Rudy.
• Hit Optimized Erdas driver to significantly increase performance (15x previous driver performance).
• Hit Modified species module to allow -1 or "uni" for the effective-seeding-distance parameter. This special value designates that the species is universally present on the landscape.
• Hit Created templates on the web site for each extension. The templates are arranged into a table such that Users can quickly identify and download extensions.
• Miss Did not migrate the LANDIS-II web site from Jimm's workstation to a new machine.
• Miss An administrative tool was designed and partially coded (install extension and list extensions finished, uninstall extensions and modify doc unfinished). However, due to time constraints, the tool was not included in the final release.
• Huge Hit Researched the security issues with not signing our assemblies. Testing code was modified such that signing is no longer necessary. These changes will provide significant additional flexibility for creating and deploying new extensions.
• Hit/Modification A User's Guide was written for Biomass Succession. However, in keeping with the design and philosophy of LANDIS-II, this and other future extensions will now be developed as separate projects. Progress on the Biomass Succession can be followed on the Team Page, under Extensions.