Log of Questions & Answers¶
Background¶
The tool has a range of functionalities and features that can be complicated to understand at first. We have also received a number of common questions. This document will be a running ‘live’ document where we add more questions & answers as we continue to get inquiries. Please use the search bar on the left-hand side to find answers related to your inquiry. If you have an urgent question, please reach us at admin@crcwsc.org.au
Questions & Answers¶
Q: How do I get full access to upload files?
A: A newly registered user is defaulted to having a demo version. If you are a CRCWSC partner, check back in 48 hours and refresh your browser, and you will have access to the full version. If you still see the demo access limitations, you can fill out the form ‘Request Full Access’ located in the top right corner of the teal header. Our team will get back to you and grant you access or respond to you with the steps required to get full access.
Q: If the baseline doesn’t pick up roofs can these be added manually?
A: This should not happen, unless the date of the imagery and the Geoscape data is different, and there are more roofs in the imagery than in the Geoscape data. In this case, you can create a scenario to the missing roofs. More information on how to create sub-boundaries and assigning adaption nodes can be found in the Help section under the Tutorial heading.
Q: What is the size of each square (unit) in land cover?
A: 20 x 20 m
Q: Is tree cover based on the actual canopy area, or where a pixel is characterised as predominantly belonging to a tree?
A: It is based on total tree canopy fraction in each of the modelling grid cells.
Q: How is climate considered in the model? Are results different for different climate zones? (e.g. Melbourne vs. Brisbane)
A: The land surface temperature (LST) model in the tool does not account for different climate zones.
Q: Can we change tree canopy size in the advanced version?
A: The default value of the tree canopy diameter is 11 m in the Residential node, this value will be editable in a future release. Tree canopy diameter can be set by the user in the following nodes: Subdivison, Roadway and Street Trees.
Q: Does the baseline data shown in the results refine/contract to the data associated with a subcatchment scenario?
A: The baseline and scenario data shown in the results correspond to the total case study area. The functionality of interrogating the results in sub-areas will be implemented in a release in the nrear future.
Q: Are climate projections going to be considered in them model?
A: Not at this stage.
Q: What if the initial land cover classification doesn’t match with the local site conditions
A: If you use the default Geoscape data the land cover data might not be 100% accurate in some special cases. In this case you can use the assign fraction node to override the land classification
Q: Are temperatures averages or do they represent extreme heat conditions?
A: Extreme heat conditions.
Q: Are there any plans to connect to existing modelling platforms (e.g. Grasshopper) to enable parametric modelling?
A: Yes, and depending on the modelling platform it will be either follow the same theory as the model, or actually integrate the requiste datasets in order to enable the sourced modelling platform to be run. This information, and the theory behind the modelling platforms, will be document for each module.
Q: Is nitrogen computation based on MUSIC or on other basis?
A: Yes, it based on treatment performance curves derived from MUSIC.
Q: Do you undertake CSIRO land surface temperature runs using Landsat?
A: No.
Q: Is there an address search to find the location you are viewing?
A: No, and currently our Mapbox plugin does not allow for this (it is a good idea but not one that we are not able to implement).
Q: Why is there a 4ha limit on the demo? How long will this be in place for?
A: This is based on our Geoscape license with Omnilink, going beyond the current limit could put us in danger of breaching our contract of data use, as users could ‘take’ the data. If you are a CRC participant or click on ‘Request Full Access’, your approved access will remove this limitation.
Q: If my polygon is too small am I able to reset it?
A: Yes, click on Cancel and you can reset the polygon. Then simply draw again.
Q: How do I become a trainer?
A: We currently have not seen enough demand for us to setup a trainer or certified provider program. As this product is different from the Water Sensitive Cities Index, we may or may not pursue such a program. If you are interested in becoming a ‘power user’, please contact us with a proposal.
Q: What data can we upload?
A: The list of data will grow based on industry input. Currently we support uploading of:
GeoJSON: A simple polygon GIS file to position the extent of the case study area.
GeoTIFF: A land cover raster of the area to replace the Geoscape data in the tool.
INI: A SWMM initialisation file detailing the drainage network for a particular region.
In the future: building footprints, meteorological data.
Q: How is the number of dwellings obtained? Is it a count of the roofs from the Geoscape landcover data, or an actual number of dwellings within all of the buildings in the assessed area (if so, is this from census)?
A: We utilise building footprints from Geoscape data in 2018. We have demographic data from the 2011 ABS Cencus (at the SA1 level). We apply the SA1 level data to the closest building footprint, in order to randomly assign the household count for each building footprint.
Q: Why does the aerial imagery not show some existing roads and/or buildings? Why do the LST results not match the surface in the imagery?
A: The aerial imagery is not always up to date, when compared to the other DELWP/ABS/Geoscape data. For example, the Geoscape data could reflect the presence of new building footprints in 2018 when the aerial image may depict a greenfield from 2012.
Q: How much preprocessing of any input data is typically required?
A: For the land surface temperature module, there are two basic data requirements to generate the heat map and model outputs:
GeoJSON boundary file (a polygon of where you are generating the scenario)
GeoTIFF land cover file (this is made available through our Geoscape product partnership)
With the support of someone familiar with GIS systems on your team, the processing of this data can be done very quickly.
Q: If we have datasets for land cover (tree canopy cover), how can we import this data and use it in the application?
A: Currently you can only load a map with all the land cover types present in your study area. Please see Land Cover Classification in the Help section for more information on how to generate the required file. The directions will teach you how to use a GIS tool to generate a land cover map that considers your tree canopy layer.
Q: If I change the base layer for a particular scenario, what will this do?
A: Changing the base layer will mean that the modelling carried out for the new scenario will build off of that done for an existing scenario (i.e. the previous scenario selected will be used as the base for the new scenario).
Q: Does the model differentiate between dark and light roofs?
A: The model currently des not differentiate between roofs of different colour.
Q: Does the number of buildings the model generates on parcel depend on any input parameters or dimensions?
A: The model always only generates one building for each parcel.