Release Notes for Prometheus Version 5.1.8 (May 26, 2008)
The following list itemizes changes from the October 23, 2007 build of 4.5.1.
FBP System
All known differences in FBP outputs have been resolved between the Canadian Forest Service and FuelCOM implementations of the FBP standard. Some specifics regarding these changes are itemized below:
- The default grass fuel load (GFL) value has been changed from 3.0 to 3.5 tons/ha.
- Fuel consumption statistics FI, CB, CFC, SFC, TFC now use RSS or ROSeq (for C-6, depending on whether the value is crowning or not), or just ROSeq (for all other fuel types) instead of ROS.
- This applies for the FBP Tester Suite and the Map View Trace Query FBP calculator outputs
- Statistics calculated during fire propagation still use ROS.
- This results in a difference between the statistics calculated during fire propagation and those calculated during the standard FBP calculations
- Previously, FROSt was simply calculated from ROSt and BROSt. For complete consistency, this rule now only holds true when acceleration is applied. Now, when acceleration is turned off, FROSt is FROSeq,, or for C-6 it is either FRSSeq or FROSeq, depending on whether the flank is crowning or not.
- The Advanced Scenario Parameters dialogue window has been updated.
- Users can specify a specific foliar moisture content (FMC) value for the simulation. The acceptable range is 0 - 300 %.
- A display time interval of "00:00:00" is now supported. This mode displays every event time step for which the output is calculated. Its purpose (at this time) is strictly for testing.
- Users can specify the number of starting vertices in the circle representing a point ignition. This value presently defaults to 16.
- A green-up grid is an optional grid that can be imported into a Prometheus project. The green-up grid overrides the green-up setting in the Advanced Parameter Settings.
Greenup Grid
Greenup grids can be imported into Prometheus
- Greenup grids are implemented as grid filters or layers which can be assigned to scenarios.
- More than one greenup grid can exist in a given FGM. It is saved in the FGM, along with how it is attached to any scenario.
- Greenup grids are listed under the "Grids" section of the component view.
- Users can edit (name and comments) or delete the greenup grids.
- Users do not have to use the edit scenario dialogue to remove the greenup grids. They can be removed interactively by selecting the grid and using the right mouse button to invoke a menu selection that includes the delete option.
Vector Data
- A new methodology for interpreting and converting among different projection definitions has been incorporated throughout the project to further improve consistency of design. This required the addition of another DLL, and a variety of data files, stored in a "nad" subdirectory.
- If projection conversions are required, Prometheus automatically changes the projection for all vector data (fuel breaks, ignitions, etc.).
- Prometheus saves any necessary projection information when exporting any vector data.
Vector Fuel Breaks
- Vector fire breaks must now have a width associated with them. This is necessary for the polygon untangling algorithm, but also is a step towards allowing the fire to properly breach vector fuel breaks.
- Note that large vectors representing, for example, roads or streams can take a significant amount of time to calculate before the simulation can begin. For this reason, fire breaks are saved in the FGM. Users must manually save the FGM after this data is calculated.
- Specifying a width of 0 will force a vector break to be treated as a closed polygon (e.g. town boundary).
- Default vector break widths from files imported from Prometheus V. 4.x are 1 grid unit in width.
- Improvements were made so fires do not skip and grow on the other side of a vector fuel break.
- When generating vector fire breaks from polygon data, Prometheus now only considers data within the bounds of the plot. Some test data sets show that a significant amount of data located outside the plot bounds was sometimes imported, resulting in an extremely slow operation.
Patches
- Weather and fuel patches were converted to filters. This new architecture provides a similar behaviour as GIS layers.
- Patches can be stacked and ordered. Their order or sequence of overlaying the patches is saved.
- Patches can be applied on a per scenario basis in the same manner as
vector, ignition and weather data.
- Polygon patches have a color applied to the patch boundary. No other
colors or display mechanisms are used to show weather patches. Polygon
patch boundaries can be displayed in the map view.
- The procedure for importing and exporting polygon patch data from/to
GIS files has been unified with other object import/export operations.
However, the GIS projection translation functionality is disabled.
- The application of all "old-style" fuel patches has been turned off to
require the user to review the application and order of patches on a per-
scenario basis.
- The patches and grids assigned to a Scenario are listed in the Component
View in their order or sequence.
- Prometheus no longer allows users to delete a fuel type that is used by a fuel patch or grid layer.
- Introduced the ability to create a fuel polygon or landscape patch that will only change combustible FBP fuel types rather than all of the FBP fuel types.
Statistics View
- Several enhancements were made to the Statistics View.
- The Statistics View has a new pop-up menu, which allows the user to
select and reorder the statistics in the view and save the revised order as an application default. An additional menu is available when the user clicks the right mouse button in the Statistics View. The menu options include Properties, Change Font, Print, Print Preview and Export.
- The default Statistics View configuration is saved in the application
defaults. A particular Statistics View configuration can be set as the
application default.
- New statistics are available:
- Duration of time step
- Simulated time to completion of simulation
- sFFMC, sISI, sFWI (simulated values of FFMC, ISI and FWI for interrupts that are not exactly on the hour)
- Maximum ROS, FI, CFB, CFC, SFC, TFC
- Number of points
- Number of active points
- Number of fronts
- Number of active fronts
- Cumulative number of points
- Dew point temperature
Map View
- The map view display query chooses the vertex of the time step (whether displayable or not) that is closest to the point of interest.
- Simulation outputs in the Map Views are cleared when a scenario edit operation is performed.
- Fires now have a specified line width and color. The assigned color is displayed in the Component View.
- All Prometheus map views now use a common map trace view query display. This avoids user confusion about which trace view query is associated with which view, etc.
- Introduced a variety of options for the user when printing/exporting the current map view to a BMP file. Different contents in the header can be selected. Two lines of optional comments can be entered by the user. The text font can also be edited.
Interrupt Driven Time Step
- Users no longer provide an internal FireEngine calculation time step. Instead, Prometheus calculates the ideal time step based on the fastest vertex and a user specified "distance threshold".
- Interrupt-driven time steps may be tested by setting the display interval to 0.
- Currently, the set of interrupts include:
- Temporal threshold (2 are provided, one during acceleration, one during
equilibrium)
- Ignitions
- Weather data/event
- Burning period start/end
- Weather patch start/end time
- Weather grid filter start/end time
- End of simulation
- Previously, a hidden "next" time step always had to be calculated to determine rates of spread for the current time step. Now, Richards' equations are used to calculate spread rates instead of distances traveled. This change negates the need for this hidden time step.
- In all prior versions of Prometheus, a "hidden" entry (mentioned immediately above) was required. This caused the statistics view to always display something after a simulation re-start. Now, a simulation re-start simply re-initializes the simulation but does not calculate any data. The simulation must be "stepped" at least once for any data to be calculated.
New De-looper (Untangler) Algorithm
- "Tangles" on the fire perimeters are now properly resolved and removed, resulting in a clean fire perimeter. Different fires are kept separate for purposes of accounting. Enclaves are identified and retained.
- This represents a significant change which separates the 1:1 ratio between
an ignition and a fire front as found in V. 4.x. Now, an ignition can represent many different fire fronts (as enclaves are formed, etc., or even if the ignition is imported in this manner). All operations are now managed by the scenario, where before the simulation was co-managed by fires and scenarios.
- Because of the huge reduction in the number of vertices to represent a
time step, all internal/interim time steps are stored for the purpose of
exporting raster data. This should result in more meaningful output
statistics.
- Fire perimeter and area calculations are now more accurate.
Weather
- Users can now specify more control over how a weather patch works. For example, rather than just changing the wind speed, a modifier (multiplier or additive) can be specified.
- FGM files saved with V. 4.x of Prometheus will assume that weather
patches simply replace provided weather values, rather than modify them.
- Introduced linear interpolation between hourly weather readings. This interpolation is a "per-scenario" setting which is available in the Advanced Scenario Parameters dialog. Interpolation can be performed on daily or hourly weather data.
- Linear interpolation applies to temperature, relative humidity and wind
speed.
- The following rules are used for Wind Direction:
- Assume that angular changes in the wind direction are always less than or equal to 180° (the rotation is always the shortest angular change - clockwise versus counter-clockwise).
- Linear interpolate the shortest angular change in wind direction between Time1 and Time2 (e.g. if Time1 = 340°, Time2 = 360°, interpolate using 20° the direction change and not the 340° direction change). The midpoint between Time1 and Time2 = Time 1.5 = 350°.
- When both wind speed and wind direction equal 0 (i.e. no wind) at Time2, apply a piece-wise constant using the Time1 wind direction (e.g. if Time1 = 45° and 10 km/h, Time2 = 0° and 0 km/h, interpolate wind speed from 10 to o km/h. Wind direction is kept constant at 45°). The midpoint between Time1 and Time2 = Time 1.5 = 45° and 5 km/h.
- When both wind speed and direction equal 0 (i.e. no wind) at Time1 apply a piece-wise constant using the Time2 wind direction (e.g. Time1 = 0o and 0 km/h, Time2 = 60° and 20 km/h, interpolate wind speed from 0 to 20 km/h. Wind direction is kept constant at 60°). The midpoint between Time1 and Time2 = Time 1.5 = 60° and 10 km/h.
- Apply the piece-wise constant method to predict sub-hourly weather before the first, and after the last weather stream values.
- There is a variation on this rule. If there is a complete change in wind direction (180o) and there are wind speeds in both directions, a piece-wise constant rule is applied to both wind speed and direction.
- Temporal weather interpolation can be turned on/off in the Advanced Scenario Parameters dialogue.
- The weather station dialogue has been modified as follows:
- Up to three digits of accuracy can be specified for the station location in
latitude/longitude.
- When the user provides a location within the plot bounds and DEM data
are available, the weather station elevation is obtained from the DEM data.
The user may further modify this value if so desired.
- Elevation data is range checked for -1000 m to +7000 m which is a
superset of all of North America.
- If the weather station is more than 100 km from the center of the plot, the
user is warned to verify the location.
- If the weather station is more than 300 km from the center of the plot,
Prometheus will not accept the location as valid.
- Introduced a methodology for linearly approximating latitude, longitude for any point in the landscape. This approach which appears to be accurate to at least 0.01 degrees latitude/longitude is used for foliar moisture content calculations. This methodology has significant performance gains.
- Added daily FFMC values to the weather stream display for weather stream dialogs.
Ignitions
- Prior to version 5.x.x, line ignitions were represented by rectangles (possibly joined together and thus overlapping). Line ignitions are now formed in a manner similar to vector breaks, with rounded ends (forming a figure similar to a rod) and no self-intersections.
- Ignitions can contain single point, multi-point, single line, single line-string (sequence of points constructing a long line), multi-line, multi-line string, single polygon, or any combination of these ignitions.
- The component view and scenario edit dialogue have been updated to identify multi-ignition ignitions.
- The valid number of starting ignitions was changed from 6 to 64, to 8 to 64.
Export Last Perimeter
- A new dialogue was introduced to provide users with options for the "Export Last Fire Perimeter". Users can choose to:
- "Meld" all fires together into one perimeter, or retain the separate
perimeters.
- Export the entire perimeter, or just the active portions.
- Exclude enclaves (active or not) from the export operation.
Export Raster Output
- Exported grids of fire statistics are now calculated from the middle of a grid cell, rather the origin. This affects the inverse distance weighting (IDW) operation but not the area weighting operation.
- The ability to export raster burn maps is provided in two locations:
- Landscape > Export Burned Grid
- Simulation > Export raster Output (the same dialog which allows the user
to choose between exporting raster FI, ROS, etc. grids using IDW or
VAW techniques). The raster burn grid reports whether the center of the
grid cell has been burned or not.
- The functionality of the raster export operation was expanded.
- More statistics can be output.
- Some weather statistics can be output.
- A valid time for exporting can now be entered - it no longer assumes that
the user wants to export at the current simulation time.
- A 3rd method of determining appropriate values to export has been
introduced. This method simply chooses the closest vertex to the point of
interest in a manner consistent with the map view trace query.
Run and End Simulation
- The short-cut keys for time steps are changed so they are consistent with the number of time steps advanced (e.g. Ctrl + B = back 1 step, Ctrl + 1 = 1 step, Ctrl + 3 = 3 steps, Ctrl + 8 = 8 steps).
- Prometheus now prevents a vector which is attached to a running scenario, from being deleted.
- Users can no longer delete a weather station or stream that is attached to an active (currently running) scenario.
- A new simulation item in the main menu allows users to clear the simulation outputs and unlock the scenario (with all objects that the scenario was using), for editing.
- Scenarios cannot be modified or created when any simulation is executing. This rule is now enforced.
- Prometheus now prevents the user from closing the current FGM, either via the "File > Close", "File > New", or "File > Open" menu options when any simulation is executing in the background.
- Fire perimeters can now be exported for any time/date between the simulation start time and the time of the last perimeter (i.e. current scenario time).
- Scenarios can now be viewed when the scenario is executing.
- The scenario edit dialogue now verifies that any selected weather grid and weather patch times are valid for the specified simulation time range and warns the user (but allows the user to continue) if the patch time range does not coincide with the simulation time range.
- Prometheus now prevents the user from deleting a weather station that is attached to a simulating scenario.
- The Simulation Menu options were modified.
Start Simulation
One Step Forward
One Step Backward
Three Steps Forward
Eight Steps Forward
Simulate Complete
Pause Simulation
End Simulation
Clear Map
Export Statistics View
Export Last Fire Perimeter
Export Raster Output
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Ctrl+R
Ctrl+1
Ctrl+B
Ctrl+3
Ctrl+8
Ctrl+0
F5
Ctrl+F5 |
- "Stop Simulation" on the Main menu and the Scenario menu in the Component View was changed to "End Simulation". End simulation will terminate the simulation and clear the Map View.
Breaching
- Breaching has been implemented for gridded fuel breaks (fuel breaks created interactively in the Map View).
- Breaching has been implemented for vector fuel breaks using the same rules to breach gridded fuel breaks:
- The path that a moving vertex takes through the vector break determines
the distance that it must travel for breaching to occur. It does not take the
"shortest path" through the vector break (which would be the path normal
to the entry point).
- A vertex is allowed to breach many short/narrow vector breaks in one time
step - as long as the math states that the breaches are valid.
- If a vertex breaches a vector break, but stops inside the vector break
because of the time step, the vertex is re-positioned just beyond that break
so it can continue on during the next time step.
- Fires are not allowed to breach other fires.
Programming Enhancements
- Updates: many of these changes were performed to reduce the number of compilation warning messages to better identify problems arising strictly from version 5.x development.
- Prometheus version 4.x is built on a variety of low-level libraries which have not seen significant revision since they were first written when Windows 3.1 and the first 32-bit processors were available/prevalent. Prometheus version 5.x.x updates these libraries suitably to better match the current 32-bit and 64-bit processors.
- Other relatively new features of the C++ language have also been incorporated to improve type checking, etc.
- Language typing has been further improved to match the current revision of MFC, and will aid in any possible direction towards .NET.
- Traditional C functions have been upgraded to Microsoft "secure" functions and/or those which provide better access to operating system services, and for support for multithreading.
- New support functions have resulted in faster and more accurate calculations, for example, for converting between degrees and radians.
- More revisions to clean up the COM object interfaces have been performed. These have been performed to match changes in the Prometheus object model, and to improve consistency and overall performance.
- Various enhancements were applied to improve the caching of values that are reused.
- Migrated the code base to Visual Studio 2008 and migrated the COM objects to .NET class libraries.
- The "finish" tone at the end of a simulation (or simulation step) can conditionally be disabled in the CWFGM Configuration Options dialogue in Application Settings/Options.
- Pop-up menu item separators and rearrangements were implemented to increase consistency among the various menus.
- Incorporated a new installation script which provides more power and flexibility than the Installshield. The new installation script behaves in the same manner as previous versions of Prometheus. For a successful installation of Prometheus, .NET Framework version 3.5 must be installed.
Prometheus COMs
- Fixed a variety of PrometheusCOM bugs to improve the operation of the Burn-P3 application.
- Various changes were implemented in the FuelCOM to match the updated CFS FBP code. Application defaults are automatically updated with these changes. FGM files are also updated when loaded.
- Fixed calculations for FROS, area and perimeter.
- Fixed an issue regarding crown fuel consumption (CFC) for D-2.
- Implemented Equation 66C for the M-3 and M-4 fuel types.
- Implemented fixes in the PrometheusCOM so that the BurnP3 application can use version 5.x.x of the COM.
- The PrometheusCOM now uses the same code base as Prometheus for easier revision control, feature enhancement and addition.
Prometheus Tester Suite
The Prometheus Tester Suite was updated.
- More categories are now output: area, perimeter, RSO, CSI, ROSeq have been added.
- More comparisons are now output: CFS, FuelCOM (equivalent to CFS), FuelCOM as used in the propagation engine, are now all displayed.
- The output of the categories have been changed to match the order in the FBP Update Note.
- The display of the output has been modified to more easily view the differences.
- Changed the ranges for mixed fuel types and degree of curing for grass from 5 - 95% to 0 - 100%.
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