Interlinked Database

DynaMind builds on an interlinked data model providing the basis for complex simulations. The data management builds on SpatiaLite accessed through the GDAL library providing a fast and memory efficient backend for spatial and non-spatial data. To access the database, the data read, modified, and written by the module need to be pre defined. This allows to optimise the access to the database but more importantly to validate and guarantee that all data needed by a module are available before it is executed.

Data Model

DynaMind uses a relational data data model organised in Views. A View provides a template for the data stored in the database table. A View is defined by its unique name and type, and its attributes.

For example:

• building (POLYGON)

  • stories (INT)
  • roof_area (DOUBLE)

Following View types are supported:

• COMPONENT for non-spatial data
• NODE or POINT for point data
• EDGE or LINESTRING for lines
• FACE or POLYGON for closed polygons

As attributes following data types are supported

• INT
• DOUBLE
• STRING
• STRINGVECTOR
• DOUBLEVECTOR
• LINK (Links to components in a view)

Relationships between views are described with the commonly used using foreign keys. For example to describe the relation ship between parcels and buildings. The building view contains an attribute parcel_id that refers to the unique id that links to the parcel on which it is built. Commonly these links are indicated using viewname_id in this case parcel_id.

Naming Convention

For view and attribute names lower case and underscores for separation should be used

e.g.

• building

  • residential_units
  • roof_area
  • persons
  • parcel_id #Link to parcel