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OVERVIEW
Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration menu item. This dialog defines the following components of the Pathloss
program’s geographic information settings:
• Site coordinates
• Digital elevation models (DEM) for terrain profile generation and elevation backdrops
• Terrain clutter database to add clutter to terrain profiles and for clutter backdrops
• Backdrop imagery - (ortho photos, scanned imagery, maps)
• Vector data
The setup procedure is organized in seven tabs. In the stand alone PL50L application, the Backdrop imagery and
the Vector data tabs are not available.
• The network display file (gr5 file) includes the full path name of the p5g file. When the
network display file is loaded, the associated p5g file will be automatically loaded.
• Once the p5g file has been saved, click the Set as default menu item. When the program
is started again, this p5g file will be automatically loaded as the default. When a network
display file (gr5 file) is loaded, the p5g for that file will replace the default p5g file.
• The same p5g file can be used with the main PL50 application and the stand alone PL50L program.
Datum and Projection Definition
Each of the tabs in the GIS setup include a datum and projection definition. Some of these will be automatically set
by the program. For example, when an SRTM digital elevation model is selected, the datum is set to WGS84 and the
projection to geographic. In other cases, the user must set these parameters; and therefore, an understanding of
these terms is necessary. The following paragraphs provide a brief description of these terms as they are used in the
Pathloss program.
Datum
A datum is a horizontal reference used to specify latitude and longitude coordinates. The same coordinates in differ-
ent datums will point to different locations. Conversely, the same location in different datums will have different co-
ordinates. Basically there are two types of datums: local or geodetic and geocentric. The reference point for
geocentric datums is the mass center of the earth. The reference point for a local datum will be some monument in
the area. For example, the reference point for the North American datum of 1927 (NAD27) is a triangulation station
at Meades Ranch in Kansas.
The errors between coordinates expressed in different geocentric datums (e.g NAD83 and WGS84) are not signifi-
cant; however, serious positional errors can occur if the coordinates belonging to a local datum are used in a geo-
centric datum or vice versa. Several examples of these errors are given in the table below.
• Major and minor axis of the earth. These are used in the great circle arc distance calculations.
• Parameters to transform coordinates between this datum and the WGS 1984 datum. In order to improve the
transformation accuracy, the overall area of the datum may be divided up into smaller regions. Each region has
its own transformation parameters. Therefore, in the case of local datums, the user needs to specify the specific
region for the datum.
Projection
A projection converts coordinates between spherical (geographic latitude and longitude) values and rectangular x, y
values. The rectangular format is required to display geographic information on a flat surface. In the Pathloss pro-
gram, the projection category “Geographic” means latitude and longitude. In other words there are no rectangular x,
y values.
The projections are loosely organized al-
phabetically. Many projections such as
the British National Grid or the Swiss Na-
tional System are unique and when one of
these categories are selected, the corre-
sponding datum will be automatically set.
If the datum contains multiple regions, the
user must set the region. On other projec-
tions, such as the Universal Transverse
Mercator projection, the user must explic-
itly set the datum.
Suppose now that these coordinates were inadvertently used assuming a WGS84 datum. The error would be 113.6
meters in X and 47.7 meters in Y.
If the Reference latitude and longitude coordinates to WGS84 option is checked, then a two step conversion is used
from latitude-longitude (WGS84) to British National Grid X-Y. The intermediate latitudeand longitude in OSGB36 are
not displayed. In effect, this option allows GPS coordinates in WGS84 to be used directly.
Suppose the user has taken the UTM eastings and northings for a series of sites from a topographic map and entered
these into the program. The user then notices that the datum was incorrectly set; and therefore, the latitude and lon-
gitude values are wrong. To salvage the work, the user would set the calculation sequence to Recalculate the latitude
- longitude from the projected XY coordinates and then change the datum.
The easting and northing designations are unambiguous; however, X and Y designations can have opposite mean-
ings on some projections. For example, in the Swiss National Grid system, X corresponds to northing and Y to east-
ing.
Note that it is possible to configure a DEM with different data sources provided that they are both in the same data-
base category and are referenced to the same datum. For example, in the BIL geographic database, one could load
the GTOPO30.ndx index file and then add SRTM files to the index. When two files cover the same area, the program
will use the file with the best resolution.
The Pathloss program does not have a proprietary DEM format. Instead, the program uses the various industry
standard formats directly. Some DEMs are only available in an ASCII format. In these cases, the ASCII files must
first be converted to a binary format.
The following sections provide the setup procedures for the various database formats supported by the program.
On completion of the setup procedure, generate a path profile in the Terrain data design section of the program. The
site coordinates must be within the south-north and west-east edges of the DEM file. In the case of the generic BIL
databases, some of the default DEM parameters may need to be changed based on the results of this test profile. In
the primary or secondary DEM tab, click the File index button and then select the Edit - Parameters menu item or
right click on a data cell.
• Byte order - Change from Motorola-Spark to Intel or vice versa if the elevations are missing or erratic.
• File origin - Change the origin from the SW corner to the NW corner or vice versa if the elevation backdrop
appears to be upside down.
• Treat no data values as sea level - Use this setting if elevations are missing when a portion of the profile is over
water. The missing values will be replaced by 0 elevations.
There are two file formats available from the USGS for this data:
• Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration menu item and verify that the site coordi-
nates projection is set to geographic.
• Select the Configure - Options - Network display options - Axis - Map grid menu item.
Set the Map names to SRTM - Aster grid and then check the Show geographic grid
and Show labels on grid options.
• Right click on a link and select the Map crossings menu item.
• A report will be created which shows the required STRM files for that link.
SRTM data files are downloaded from various locations which are subject to change. See
the terrain data section at http://www.pathloss.com/pwiki for the current download loca-
tion. The files will be received in a zipped format. Create a directory for these files and un-
zip the files into this directory.
• Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration menu item and then select the Primary
DEM tab.
• In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select STRM (world). This DEM is a preconfigured type using the
BIL geographic base type. The projection is automatically set to Geographic and the datum to WGS84. Do not
change these settings.
• The next step is to specify the location of the hgt files. If all file are in the same directory, click the Setup button
and select the directory; however, it is often expedient to assign the directories as part of the file indexing step
described next.
• Click the File index button and then select the Files -
Import index - SRTM hgt files menu item.The SRTM file
selection dialog appears which includes a File directo-
ries selection. The default is always Use individual file
directories. This is a multiselect file selection dialog.
Hold down the shift or ctrl key to multiselect the hgt files
and click the Open. button The file index will be created
using the file name. The resolution 3 seconds or 1 sec-
ond is determined by the file size.
• Close the File index and save the p5g file. This com-
pletes the setup procedure for the SRTM terrain database
Note that there is considerable overlap in the Import index menu above.
The first selection bil, hdr, blw files is intended for SRTM files in the BIL
data format. Other data base types can be used in the same index provid-
ed that they use the same datum and projection. If the index contains sev-
eral different resolutions, the entire index will be read to ensure that the file with smallest cell size is used.
On completion of a SRTM setup or modification, always generate an elevation backdrop and look for missing data.
The default no data color is set under the Backdrops - Elevation color ramp menu item. In the Terrain data design
section, a path profile will show any nodata values encountered in the files and these can be corrected manually. In
any of the automated design operations, any bad or missing data will stop the design operation on that link. In local
and area studies, the profile generation will continue to the end of the profile. If missing data was encountered, then
only the profile up to the first nodata value will be used in the analysis and the final display will show gaps starting at
these points.
In most cases, the missing data is scattered in very small areas sometimes on a single point. In these cases, a rea-
sonable solution would be to use the secondary DEM to fill in the missing data. GTOPO30 represents a fair compro-
mise for these small areas.
USGS terrain elevation data is available for download in the following data formats:
• Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration and then select the Primary DEM tab
• In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select NED (NAD83). This DEM is a preconfigured type using the
BIL geographic base type. The projection is automatically set to Geographic and the datum to the North Ameri-
can Datum of 1983. Set the specific region as required. Do not change these settings.
• The Setup button is used to set the directory when all files are in the same directory. NED files will be in different
directories and this step is not required.
• Click the File index button and then select the Files
- Import index menu item.
• To create an index for a single download directory,
select the bil, hdr, blw files menu item. The BIL file
selection dialog appears which includes a File
directories selection. The default is always Use
individual file directories. Go to the directory and
select the bil file to create the index
• To create an index for multiple directories, select the
bil, hdr, blw folder-sub folders menu item. Select the
top level directory. The index will be created for this
directory and all directories below this one. The direc-
tory structure should contain only NED elevation files.
• Close the File index and save the p5g file. This com-
pletes the setup procedure for the NED BIL_INT16 ter-
rain database.
• Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration menu item and verify that site coordi-
nates projection is set to geographic.
• Select the Configure - Options - Network display options - Axis - Map grid menu item.
Set the Map names to Canada 1:50,000 and the check the Show geographic grid and
Show labels on grid options.
• Right click on a link and select the Map crossings menu item.
• A report will be created which show the required CDED file names for that link.
The files are downloaded in a zipped format. The 1:50,000 data is supplied in two files for
the eastern and western sections.
In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select CDED (Canada). The projection is automatically set to Geograph-
ic and the datum to the North American Datum of 1983. Set the specific region as required. Do not change these
settings.
Click the File index button and then select the Convert - USGS DEM menu item. A file open dialog will appear. Select
the CDED ASCII files and click the Open button. This is a multi select file operation. A file save dialog will appear for
the sole purpose of identifying the directory to save the converted files in. Do not change the file name. This directory
will be used for all of the selected files. The files will be converted and the index will be created. The basic format of
the binary files is given below:
Data verification
Each column of data includes a check sum of the elevations in that column. This procedure verifies the data integrity
using this check sum. In the File index, select the Verify menu item. A Windows open file dialog appears. Multiselect
the CDED files to be verified and click the Open button.
• The elevations are organized in rows running from west to east starting at the north west corner.
• The elevations are 2 byte integers in the Motorola (big-endian) format.
• The spacial reference is geographic with a resolution of 30 arc seconds.
• The datum is WGS84.
The elevation values range from -407 to 8,752 meters. In the DEM, ocean areas have been masked as "no data" and
have been assigned a value of -9999. Lowland coastal areas have an elevation of at least 1 meter, so in the event
that a user reassigns the ocean value from -9999 to 0 the land boundary portrayal will be maintained. Due to the
nature of the raster structure of the DEM, small islands in the ocean less than approximately 1 square kilometer will
not be represented. The complete GTOPO file set is shown in the following table:
Note that the resolution of this dataset is 30 arc seconds. This means that the cell size is approximately 921 meters
by 921 meters at the equator. The elevations represent the average values in the cell. At higher latitudes the cell
width will decrease; however the overall resolution is inadequate for any detailed design. The GTOPO30 dataset is
useful for backdrops and for diagnosing setup problems with other data sets.
In addition to the standard GTOPO30 files, a version enhanced with SRTM data is available. The elevation back-
drops produced by this version show a significant improvement in the uniformity of the data.
Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration and then select the Primary or Secondary DEM tab
In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select GTOPO30 (World). The projection is automatically set to Geo-
graphic and the datum to WGS84. Do not change these settings. ‘
Click the File index button and note that index is predefined, and therefore; only the DEM files are required
(w100n40.dem).
Click the Setup button and set the main directory for the GTOPO30 files. This completes the setup procedure for the
GTOPO30 data.
Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration and then select the Primary or Secondary DEM tab
In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select DTED. The projection is automatically set to Geographic and the
datum to WGS84. Do not change these settings. ‘
Click the Setup button. DTED files can be configured to use a file naming convention or a file index. If only a small
number of files are available, use the file index method. The two methods are described below.
File Index
If all files are in the same directory, click the Browse button and set the directory; however, it is often more expedient
to assign the directories as part of the file indexing step.
Check the Use file index option and then click the OK button to close the Setup dialog. No further settings are nec-
essary for this method.
Click the File index button and select the Files - File index menu item. Multiselect the DTED files and click the Open
button to create the index.
Note that the index can contain both level 1 and level 2 files (dt1 and dt2). In areas covered by files with both reso-
lutions, the highest resolution file will be used.
• USDMA defined directory names are based on the longitude e.g W072. File names in that directory are based
on the latitude e.g. N34.dt1. In this arrangement the full path file name would be (main directory)\W072\N34.dt1.
• Canadian DTED file naming convention - this is the same as the USDMA convention with four zeros added to
the directory and file names. The full path file name in this case would be (main direc-
tory)\W0720000\N340000.dt1.
• the Pathloss version 4.0 file naming convention uses the latitude and longitude e.g. W072N34.dt1. The file name
is unique and does not depend on the directory name. The files can be all located in a single directory or can be
saved in a user defined data structure based on latitude or longitude. Using the directory format specifier
“%x%03X”, the full path file name would be (main directory)/W072/W072N34.dt1
In the Setup dialog, click the Convert USGS DEM file button. Multiselect the USGS ASCII files and click the Open
button to convert the files.
In the File index. select the Convert - USGS DEM menu item. Multiselect the USGS ASCII files and click the Open
button to convert the files. The conversion will automatically create an index.
Verify
Each column of data in a DTED file includes a check sum of the elevations in that column. To verify the data integrity
using this check sum:
In the Setup dialog, click the Verify DTED file CRC button when using the file naming convention. Multiselect the
DTED files to verify and click the Open button.
In the File index, place the cursor on the line to verify and select the Verify menu item.
In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select South Africa Gauss Conform. The projection will be initially set to
Gauss Conform South Africa (Cape) variable meridian and the datum to Cape. This is the required setting for the
older National exchange standard NES data in the Cape datum.
For ORT data, change the Projection category to Gauss Conform S.Africa (Hartebeesthoek94) variable meridian.
The corresponding datum will be set automatically.
If both data sources are required, then one must be setup in the Primary DEM tab and the other in the Secondary
DEM tab. Both NES and ORT files are ASCII files and must be converted to a binary format.
If all files are in the same directory, click the Browse button and select the directory; however, it is often more expe-
dient to assign the directories as part of the file indexing step.
Click the File index button. To convert the ASCII files, select the
Convert menu item and then select the NES or ORT format as
required. A file open dialog will appear. Multiselect the ASCII
files and click the Open button. A file save dialog will appear
only for the first file for the sole purpose of specifying the direc-
tory to save the files in. Do not change the file name. All subse-
quent files will be saved in this directory. As part of the file
conversion process, the index will be created.
Note that the standard meridian for the Gauss Conform projec-
tion is available in the NES file header; however it is not avail-
able in the ORT file. The user will be prompted to enter the
value.
If the converted binary files exist, then the index can be creat-
ed directly from these files. Select the Files - File index menu
item. Mutiselect the binary files and click the Open button to
create the index.
• Each elevation must be within the range specified for both the entire file and the specific column.
• The absolute value of all elevations, including the maximum and minimum values must be less than 10000
meters.
A total of 29 files did not pass this criteria and these were edited. The majority of errors involved the maximum ele-
vation in the file. Other errors included extreme elevations (-32467) at the end of columns. These files have all been
edited. None of the changes involved interpolating elevations. Most of the errors occurred at sea level.
All files are contained on a single CD-ROM and are organized in directories based on longitude under a main direc-
tory 3SEC_USA. The directory names are based on the longitude of the southwest corner of file e.g. W095. The file
names are based on the longitude and latitude of the southwest corner. At latitudes less than 50º, the files have been
split into two halves at the central longitude of the file. The letter L (left) or R (right) is appended to the file name. The
file suffix is always cte (compressed terrain elevations). As an example, the file W095N44R.CTE represents the west-
ern half of the one degree block whose southwest corner is located at 44º north and 95º west. The file is located in
the directory 3SEC_USA\W095 on the CD-ROM. The basic setup procedure is given below:
• Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration and then select the Primary or Secondary DEM tab
• In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select USA 3 sec compressed. The projection is automatically set to
Geographic and the datum to the WGS84. Do not change these settings.
• Click the Setup button and set the main directory to the location of the 3SEC_USA directory.
• As this database uses a file naming convention in a fixed directory structure, the file index is not used and the
setup procedure is complete.
The datum for this database is NAD27. All datatbase operations will automatically transform NAD83 site coordinates
to NAD27.
Each file contains elevation data for a 7.5 minute 1:24000 scale map quadrangle. The elevations have been deter-
mined by overlaying a square UTM grid onto the quadrangle. Both 30 meter and 10 meter resolutions were produced.
Since the UTM grid system is not orthogonal to the latitude - longitude system that defines the map quadrangle, a
skewing effect occurs. All columns do not contain the same number of elevation points and the first elevation in each
column does not necessarily correspond to the same northing for all columns. For example, columns of data near
the east or west edges of the quadrangle may be partially outside of the vertical boundaries as defined by lines of
longitude. Therefore, only the points within the quadrangle boundaries are included in the file.
The USGS 7.5 minute files were supplied in ASCII format and are available directly through the USGS. These ASCII
files must be converted to the Micropath 30m binary format as part of the setup procedure. The format and content
of the ASCII files are described in National Mapping Program Technical Instructions, Data Users Guide 5, "Digital
Elevation Models".
The following anomalies in the USGS 7.5 minute digital terrain data are handled:
File Index
If all files are in the same directory,
click the Browse button and select
the directory; however, it is often
more expedient to assign the direc-
tories as part of the file indexing
step.
Click the File index button. The index can be created for existing 30m binary files. In this case, select the Files - File
index menu item. Multiselect the 30m quad files and click the Open button to create the index.
If only the ASCII files exist, these must be converted to the
binary 30m format. Select the Convert - USGS DEM menu
item. Multiselect the ASCII dem files and click the Open
button. A file save dialog will appear only for the first file for
the sole purpose of specifying the directory to save the files
in. Do not change the file name. All subsequent files will be
saved in this directory. As part of the file conversion proc-
ess the index will be created.
The File info menu item displays the header data of a con-
verted 30m file.
Click the Convert USGS DEM file button. Multiselect the ASCII dem files and click the Open button. The files will be
converted and saved in the specified directory structure.
To view the header information of a binary file, click the File Info button and then select the binary file name. The
header shows the extents of the file in UTM coordinates and the horizontal datum.
The remaining records in the file contain the elevation data - one record for each column. The columns run from west
to east. The elevations in each column run from south to north. The first entry in each column is the easting (4 byte
integer) of all elevations in the column. The next entry is the northing (4 byte integer) of the first elevation in the col-
umn. The remaining entries are the elevations in a 2 byte integer format. The northing of each successive column
entry is obtained by adding 30 meters to the northing of the previous point. Since the binary file uses a fixed record
length, some elevation points will be outside the boundaries of the map quadrangle. These elevations are set to the
value -32000.
BIL geographic DEM setup procedure
The BIL geographic DEM is the generic base type for latitude - longitude spacial DEMs. Preconfigured versions of
this base type are used for the following DEMs:
• SRTM (World)
• NED(NAD83)
• GTOPO30 (World)
• GridFloat (NAD83)
Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration menu item and then select the Primary or Secondary DEM tab
In the Digital elevation model dropdown list, select the BIL geographic DEM. Note that the projection and datum do
not change. This is the users responsibility.
Click the File index button and then select the Files - Import
Index menu item. The sub menu shown on the right, shows all
available options for a BIL geographic DEM model. For each
of these menu items, an open file dialog will appear. Select (or
multiselect) the files and click the Open button.
The Convert menu item on the BIL geographic main menu bar accesses the utility to convert the GRIDASCII ASCII
file format to the Pathloss binary format. This step will also create the file index. Mutiselect the GRIDASCII files. A
file save dialog will then open for the first file only in order to specify the directory for the binary files. All subsequent
files will be saved in this directory.
Click the File index button and then select the Files - Import
Index menu item. The sub menu shown on the right, contains
all available options for a BIL projected DEM model.
• Projection file - defines the datum and projection for the data. (In this example a zone 31 UTM projection using
the WGS84 datum). Be sure to set the projection before clicking the File index button.
WGS-1984
31
UTM
0.000000 3.000000 500000 0
Click the text index file menu and load the index file. The procedure
uses the standard text import operation to define the file name, east,
west, north and south edges and the cell size. Refer to the General
program operation section for additional details on the use of this text
import utility.
Note that the text import utility includes a Projection parameters but-
ton. This selection contains advanced DEM settings which are dis-
cussed at the end of this section and the required units for the edges
and cell size. If the units in the data being imported are not the same
as the required units, then set the edge and cell units in the two drop
down lists. The data will be converted to the correct units.
Odyssey / Planet - UTM BIL projected UTM user specified zone and datum
Odyssey / Planet - WGS84-MGI Austria BIL projected MGI Austria - coords in WGS84
Table 5: Pathloss 4 to 5 DEM Cross reference
USGS 7.5 Minute USGS 7.5 minute quad UTM variable zone NAD27
South Africa NES South Africa Gauss Conform NES ASCII Cape datum
An example of two DEMs which could be used in this context are NED and SRTM. NED by definition is bare earth.
The SRTM elevations include buildings and tree cover to a certain extent by the nature of the data acquisition tech-
nique and this can be considered as a quasi composite elevation - clutter data base. The difference between these
two databases represent the clutter heights.
This technique can be used to calibrate the clutter heights in a description only clutter database. In the Terrain data
design section, profiles can be generated using the description only data base and the differential one. The results
can be compared and the elevations in the clutter definition table edited accordingly.
This database does not use a clutter definition table.
The use of clutter in terrain profiles is set under the Configure - Options - Pro-
gram Options - Terrain data - Profile generation menu item. This setting is
common for all path profiles - point to point, point to multipoint, local and area
study profiles.
Clutter Models
The following clutter models are available in the program:
The clutter definition table is solely used for description only type clutter databases. The NLCD 2001 clutter definition
table is shown here as an example. Note that this clutter database contains the ID, description and colors only. The
height, ground type, and category columns are not part of this data base. Details of these fields are given below.
Height
This is the height of the clutter above ground level in the current units setting (meters or feet). Note that in the pre-
configured clutter databases, default heights have been entered. It is the users responsibility to set these heights to
representative values for the specific area of the design. When a path profile is generated, a copy of the clutter def-
inition table is saved in the pl5 file. This can be edited for the specific path independently of the main definition.
Ground Type
The ground types (poor, average, good, water) set the surface conductivity and the relative dielectric constant which
are used to calculate the theoretical reflection coefficient. Differentiation between fresh water and salt water is based
on the terrain elevation. If the elevation is zero and the ground type is specified as water, then the values for salt
water are used: otherwise, the fresh water is assumed. In preconfigured clutter databases, the ground types have
have been preset.
Clutter Category
In any link design, the clutter heights will determine the path clearance and these heights are sufficient. In local and
area studies, additional data is assigned to clutter as follows:
• Location variability uses a log normal probability. The standard deviation is specified for each clutter category.
• Loss at the remote terminal / mobile due to local clutter. This loss will be a function of frequency.
There is no standard for clutter descriptions. In order to
provide the additional definitions for local and area stud-
ies, the method proposed in the TIA document TSB-
88.2-C is used here. Ten clutter categories are defined
with the following descriptions:
rangeland water
• Select the Configure - Set GIS configuration menu item and click the Clutter 1 tab. A description only clutter
database must be setup in this tab to be available as a clutter backdrop.
• In the Clutter model dropdown list, select NLCD 2001 (CONUS). This clutter model is a preconfigured type using
the BIL projected base type. The projection is automatically set to the Albers equal area conic for the USGS con-
tiguous United States. The datum is set to the North American datum of 1983 with the CONUS region. Do not
change these settings.
• The Setup button is used to set the bil file directory when all files will be in the same directory. The clutter files will
be in different directories and this step is not required.
• Click the File index button and then select the
Files - Import index menu item. The bil, hdr, blw
files sub menu item will create an index for a sin-
gle download directory using a file open dialog.
Note the File Directories selection in this dialog.
The default is always Use individual file directo-
ries. Go the directory and select the bil file to cre-
ate the index
Clutter heights determined as the difference between two DEMs setup procedure
In this setup procedure, clutter heights will be determined as the difference between SRTM and NED data. This
choice determines certain aspects of the setup procedure; however the same concept will apply to any two DEMS,
one of which is bare earth and the other a composite ground elevation and clutter.
Note that either the NED or SRTM could be configured as the primary DEM
and the other as clutter. The choice is largely determined by the elevation
backdrop. If one database contained embedded building data, then this
would be set in the primary DEM to produce the elevation backdrop shown
on the right. The bare earth data base would be configured in the clutter tab.
For this example, assume that the primary DEM has been configured for the
NED data. SRTM will be used in the clutter tab. See the SRTM setup proce-
dure above for details on SRTM file names and the download procedure.
only. The clutter data base has composite terrain and clutter elevations...”
• If all SRTM files will be located in the same directory click the Browse button and set this directory; otherwise,
click the Clear button to erase directory edit box. The directory for each SRTM files will be set when the file index
is created. Click OK to close the Setup.
• Click the File index button and then select the Files -
Import index menu item. Select the SRTM hgt files
menu item. Multiselect the SRTM files to create the
index.
• Close the File index and save the GIS (p5g) file. This
completes the setup procedure for the two DEM differ-
ential clutter.
Select Operations - Generate profile and set the options as shown above. The BIL geographic clutter has been setup
for the SRTM data. Click the green check to generate the profile. The resulting profile below shows the clutter as
vertical lines. The heights are shown in the table using the description “Clutter”.
Now repeat the profile generation using the NLCD 2001 clutter model. The resulting profile below shows the clutter
as colored lines on the profile with the full description in the table. Remember that the clutter heights in this case are
the users values and these will be edited based on the SRTM profile. For buildings, the SRTM clutter heights are
realistic, For tree cover, there will be some correction as the radar signal would penetrate to some degree depending
on the density. For point to point link feasibility studies, a conservative estimate would be assume that the SRTM tree
heights are 50% of the actual values.
The corrections can be made for the specific profile by double clicking on any line in the Structure column or globally
set in the GIS configuration.
• NLCD (CONUS) - BIL projected NAD83 datum, Albers equal area conic - USGS contiguous United States
• NLCD (Alaska) - BIL projected NAD83 datum, Albers equal area conic - USGS Alaska
• GLCC (World) - BIL geographic WGS84 datum.
A definition table has been created for each of these predefined models.
These models can be configured for other clutter data sources. The user must set the datum and projection for the
specific data. The following are general guidelines when configuring a clutter model with the BIL projected or geo-
graphic base types.
Click the Setup button and select the clutter database format. This selection is only available in the BIL geographic
and projected clutter models.
BIL geographic clutter setup procedure.
Select the BIL geographic clutter model from the Clutter mod-
el dropdown list and then click the File index button. Select the
Files - Import index menu item. The sub menu shown on the
right, contains all available options for a BIL geographic clutter
model.
Read the details carefully. If this is not a geographic projection then the wrong
BIL model was selected. Exit the File index and try the BIL projected model.
The units will always be DD (decimal degrees). If the Z units are NO (no units),
then this clutter model is a “description only” type and a definition table must
be created. The user must set the datum as shown The projection will always
be geographic (latitude - longitude).
The actual interpretation of the data (an index to a descriptor table, the actual
clutter elevations, composite ground and clutter elevations or ground eleva-
tions only) is left to the user. Note that this selection would be used to config-
ure a NED DEM for clutter derived from two DEMs with SRTM in the primary
DEM tab and NED in the Clutter 2 tab.
The Convert menu item on the BIL geographic main menu bar accesses the utility to convert the GRIDASCII ASCII
files to the Pathloss binary format. This step will also create the file index. Mutiselect the GRIDASCII files. A file save
dialog will then open for the user to specify the directory to save the binary files in.
If the file is a “description only” clutter model, then a clutter definition file will be automatically created. In general,
there is no clutter height information and the user must add these heights and edit the ground types and the clutter
category cross reference.
• Menu file - This file lists the id numbers in the binary clutter data file and the corresponding description.
148 foret
222 foret_degradee_plantation
130 zone_urbanisee
105 zone_industrielle
84 village
248 sol_nu
70 eau
191 marecage
• Projection file - Defines the datum and projection for the data - in this example, a zone 32 UTM projection using
the WGS84 datum. Be sure to set the projection before clicking the File index button.
WGS-84
32
UTM
0 9 500000 0
Click the Text index file menu and load the index file. The procedure
uses the standard text import operation to define the file name, east,
west, north and south edges and the cell size. Refer to the General
program operation section for additional details on the use of this text
import utility.
Note that the text import utility includes a Projection parameters but-
ton. This selection contains advanced DEM settings which are dis-
cussed at the end of this section and the required units for the edges
and cell size. If the units in the data being imported are not the same
as the required units, then set the edge and cell units in the two drop
down lists. The data will be converted to the correct units.
The Convert menu item on the BIL projection main menu bar accesses the utility to convert the GRIDASCII ASCII
file format to the Pathloss binary format. This step will also create the file index. Mutiselect the GRIDASCII files in
the file open dialog. A file save dialog will then open for the user to specify the directory to save the binary files in.
If the file is a “description only” clutter model, then a clutter definition file will be automatically created. In general,
there is no clutter height information and the user must edit the heights, ground types and clutter category cross ref-
erence.
Data parameters in BIL projected and geographic files.
In the preconfigured clutter models, NLCD and GLCC,
the data parameters are correctly set. In the case of the
base BIL geographic and projected clutter models,
some parameters may require changes.
Data type
Most description only clutter data bases typically use
an 8 bit integer.
Byte order
The byte order is only a consideration when the data
type is larger than an 8 bit integer. An incorrect setting
will result in no data or very erratic data.
Location
This must be set to the “center of cell” for BIL data files.
Units
Units are not applicable to “description only” clutter
models.
No data value
This is not used in “description only” clutter databases. In this case the no data value is specified in the clutter defi-
nition table.
BACKDROP IMAGERY
Raster images in the usual graphic formats (TIFF, geoTIFF, BMP, JPEG and PNG) can be used as a backdrop in
the network display.The only requirement is that the image must have a geographic reference so that the sites can
be correctly show on this backdrop. This can be accomplished by the following two methods:
• The image has been produced with a rectangular projection (e.g. UTM zone 32 - ED50 datum). The projection
grid is aligned horizontally and vertically with the image edges. In this case there can be multiple images on the
network display as long as they all use the same rectangular projection. This method is referred to as edge refer-
enced. The projected coordinates of the west, east, south and north edges of the image serve as the geo-refer-
encing information.
• All other images must be manually geo-referenced. The user must provide the coordinates (either latitude and
longitude or projected coordinates) for a number of points on the image. Only a single image can be displayed in
this case. An affine transformation is used to position the sites and vector data on the image.
Note that when backdrop imagery is present, the projection used by the network display must be the same as the
image. If a manually geo-referenced image is used in a small area of the overall network, then severe distortion can
occur outside this area.
Index file
lagos.tif 535590.0 545590.0 721330.0 731330.0 10.0
Projection file
WGS-1984
31
UTM
0.000000 3.000000 500000 0
The index is imported into the File index using the standard text file import utility described in the General program
operation. Select the Text file index menu item, load the index file and carry out the import procedure.
Set the backdrop datum and projection as defined in the projection file.
GeoTIFF file
GeoTIFF files contain both the image
and the geo-referencing information.
Select the geoTIFF file menu item and
load the file. The geoTIFF parameters
will be displayed. The exclamation icon
indicates that sufficient information is
available to geo-reference the image.
Click the Create index button to com-
plete the index. The datum and projec-
tion will be automatically set.
In some cases the file may fail to load due to memory limitations. An external utility cnvt24_8.exe is provided to create
the 8 bit palette bit map outside the Pathloss program. Note that the resultant file is a bitmap. If the source file was
a geoTIFF file, then the geo-referencing information in that file cannot be transferred to the bitmap. A good way to
start is to create the index with the geoTIFF file. Attempt to convert the file to an 8 bit palette bit map using the function
in the File index. If this succeeds, the index will be modified for the new bitmap file name and the file type will be set
to bmp. If this fails, then use the external cnvt24-8 program. Then manually change the file name and file type in the
File index.
In the File index, select the Files - Create bitmap array menu
item. Set the number of rows and columns as required and
click OK. The bitmaps and the associated new index items will
be created. The existing image index will not be erased, but its
“show” status will be turned off.
Manual Geo-referencing
Procedure
Select the File - Image file and load the required image file. Note that the zoom and
pan features (including the mouse wheel zoom) are the same as used in the network
display.
Note that if the image is a geoTiff file, then the geo-referencing information in the files is transferred to the display.
Click the Finish button to complete the operation.
The basic procedure is to identify a pixel on the display and enter the coordinates for that pixel. These coordinates
must correspond to the backdrop imagery projection. In order to select a pixel, the cursor must be in the selection
mode. Click the selection cursor on the tool bar.
Pixel Selection
Move the cursor to a point with known coordinates and click the left mouse button. The location is identified with a
red square. Typically, this would be the intersection of grid lines or some landmark with known coordinates. The val-
ues for the X and Y pixel location will be entered. Enter the coordinates of this point in the edit boxes labelled Pro-
jected X and Y. An optional label for the point can also be entered. Click the Add point button to add this geo-
referenced point. The point will now be marked with a blue square.
Editing a Geo-referenced point
Select a point by clicking on its Label name in the first column of the geo-point list. This fills in the edit boxes with that
point’s information. To edit the data, make the required changes in the edit boxes and click the Modify point button
to update the data. To delete the point, click the Delete point button.
Usage Hints
At least 3 points are required to fully geo-reference an image. Adding more points can greatly improve the accuracy
for certain projections. For UTM and similar projections, three points are sufficient, whereas geographic (latitude -
longitude) coordinates may require more points for the desired accuracy. For best results, the points should be
spaced out around the entire image with a good sampling of the variations in both the x and y axis. Points in a line
are not suitable for geo-referencing and a warning may be generated. Once 3 points have been entered, the dialog
bar will report the calculated coordinates to the right of the geo-point list. You can use this to check the accuracy of
the calculation.
Problem geo-referenced points may be recognized by checking the error columns in the geo-point list. If any points
have an error that is abnormally large compared to the other points, there may be a problem with its coordinates.
VECTORS
Click the Vector data tab in the Configure geographic system dialog. ESRI shapefiles, MapInfo mapfiles and the leg-
acy Planet vector data text files are supported. The procedure for each of these is given below:
Index file - This gives the individual vector file name, the extents and a description of the specific vector.
highway 540421.0 544619.0 721331.0 731331.0 highway
main_road 535595.0 545595.0 721331.0 731331.0 main_road
secondary_road 535595.0 544911.0 721331.0 731331.0 secondary_road
water 535595.0 545595.0 721331.0 731331.0 water
railway 536188.0 540331.0 721331.0 731331.0 railway
airport 535595.0 537475.0 725453.0 729981.0 airport
Projection file - This file is used to set the projection and datum in the Vector data tab
GRS-1980
31
UTM
0.000000 3.000000 500000 0
Menu file - This file contains the index and description of each vector type. This is used to create a vector definition
to set the colors and line styles for each vector.
1 highway
2 main_road
3 secondary_road
4 water
5 railway
6 airport
Click the Setup button. Click the Browse button and set the vector files directory.
Click the File index button. Then select the Files - Import text file in-
dex menu item and load the index file. The standard text import utility
is used to import the index. Refer to the General program operation
section for details.
Click the Edge - cell units button. This shows the required units for the
currently defined projection. If the units in the import data are not the
same as the required units, then set the edge and cell units in the two
drop down lists. The data will be converted to the correct units.
Click the Definition button to set the vector colors, line style and line widths. Select the Files - Import text file index
menu item and import the menu file for the vectors. The standard text import utility is used to import the menu. Only
the ID and description is available in the menu file. The line colors, width and style are set by the user.
ESRI Shapefiles
It is the users responsibility to determine and set the associated projection and datum.
Click the File index button and then select the Files - ESRI shapefiles menu item. Load the shapefile and the index
will be created.
This completes the setup procedure for the ESRI shapefile. Only the vector outlines will be drawn, There is no pro-
vision to set the vector line attributes.
MapInfo Mapfile
MapInfo Mapfiles include the datum and projection.
Click the File index button and then select the Files - MapInfo Mapfile menu item. Load the corresponding MapInfo
tab file and the index will be created. The datum and projection will be automatically set.
This completes the setup procedure for the MapInfo Map files. Only the vector outlines will be drawn, There is no
provision to set the vector line attributes.
• Only one vector file can be used for building heights. If more
than one vector file has been assigned building heights, only
the first file will be used.
• Building heights are used in all automated link design fea-
tures; however, at this time this feature is not used in local or
area studies.