Testbed tutorial

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites should be met before starting this tutorial:

• This tutorial relies on base knowledge about the editor interface. If you have not yet followed the tutorials related to those subjects please do so first.
• This tutorial can be followed in an empty project area. 

Preparations

Take the following steps as preparation for following this tutorial:

• Create a new, empty project, sized to 500m by 500m. Ensure the unit system is set to "International". Also ensure it's an empty project area, not based on a real world location.

Introduction to testbeds

A testbed is a controlled setup, in which there are as few variables as possible which could influence a given situation.

In the Tygron Platform, whenever you create a project based on real-world data, the project is populated with a wide range of data. Virtually every project area contains numerous constructions, height differentials, and terrain types. If any calculation takes place, especially spatial calculations, all that data can serve as input. That makes it a lot more difficult to see exactly how a specific element factors into a specific result, or where the difference between an expected and actual result comes from.

For this reason, what characterizes a testbed most is the absence of data. Anything that is not requires for a specific case is left out, or at least left in a uniform, invariable state.

Starting point

For each testbed, the starting point is the empty project.

An empty project contains no constructions or terrain features.

An empty project contains the following data:

• There is a uniform height map, with the height of the terrain set to 1m relative to datum.
• The surface of the terrain is of the "Open Land" type. The underground terrain is of the "Unknown" type.
• There is only a single municipal stakeholder, as a stakeholder to select for an editing user. The entirety of the 3D world is owned by that stakeholder.
• There are 4 neighborhoods (north-west, north-east, south-west, south-east), or if the project area is small, 1 single neighborhood.
• There is no zoning plan.
• There are no construction.
• The upper-left spatial coordinates of the project area are set to 0 degrees latitude and longitude.

Testing a simple functionality

Testbeds can be used to test specific implementation questions. For this tutorial, a few simple questions and the steps to answer them are described.

Testing how the average overlay deals with edges

The question you're going to investigate is how the average overlay calculation functions in cases where the calculation takes place near the edge of the project area.

The average overlay functions by, for any given grid cell, looking at the surrounding grid cells, calculating the average value of the cells found. In most locations in a project area this calculation is very straightforward. However, if any of the cells looked at would fall outside the project area, any number of behaviors could be reasonable. For example: the cells outside the project area could be assumed to have a certain default value, or the cells could be disregarded for the calculations. You will configure the testbed to reveal how the average overlay deals with cells outside the project area.

Start by adding the overlay we're going to test. Add an average overlay to the project.

Add an average overlay.

Prepare the overlay in such a way that it will calculate the spatial average of a user-defined attribute. As Filter Attribute, enter "AVGTEST". Also set the Cell averaging distance to 50m. This will ensure that multiple entities can be drawn in the map and be spatially calculated, without necessarily affecting each other's outcomes.

Configure the average overlay to calculate using a user-defined attribute, and a relatively small radius.

With this configuration, the calculation will result in a value of 0 in every location.

In the first setup situation, the result of the average calculation is 0, everywhere.

Now add a construction to the project, and place it more or less in the center of the project. Make sure you use the block-based brush, and draw in exactly 1 block (10m by 10m, for a total of 100m²).

Draw a construction, with the size of a single 10m by 10m block.

Add an AVGTEST attribute to the construction, with a value of 1000.

Assign an AVGTEST attribute with value 1000 to the construction.

Switch back to the average overlay in the editor, and select "Update Now" to recalculate the content

Now, if you open the average overlay, you will see the construction is the center of a large area where the average value of AVGTEST is higher than in all other locations in the project area.

The average value at the location of the construction is around 130.

This setup creates a first look into how the average overlay functions. In the exact location of the construction, and its direct surroundings, the average value of AVGTEST is around 130. It tapers of at a distance of about 50 meters.

We can now add another construction to the project, again with an AVGTEST attribute set to a value of 1000, and place that construction in the corner of the project area. Again, making sure that the construction is exactly 1 block of 10m by 10m, for a total of 100m².

Recalculating the overlay and looking at the average value at the location of the new construction gives an average value of 180.

The average value at the location of the construction is around 180.