3 Software structure and functions

Within the software different user profiles, workspaces, projects and filesets containing different files can be created.

Hinweis: Please do not change the filestructure or files within the workspace as this may result in problems when opening the project in the software afterwards.
  • User: Each user can be added by creating a new user account with the user name and a specific workspace.
  • Workspace: Each user has a workspace that can be created anywhere on the harddrive. This workspace contains all projects and project files. All changes that are made within the software will lead to according changes within the working space. Please do not change the filestructure or files within the workspace as this may result in problems when opening the project in the software afterwards.
  • Filesets: Files are organized within filesets that can be created within the user interface. Any created fileset will result in the creation of a folder accordingly within the working space. Within these filesets (and folders within the working space) all files can be organized.
  • Files: Files are GIS data layers that can be imported into or exported from the filesets in different formats.

Hinweis: Each imported file initially only exists as a link to the original file within your workspace. No physical copy of your file is made. A copy of your file or a modified version of it is can be stored in your workspace if you modified this file with an option file changer function or if you create a completely new file using a connection function.

Files that are not existing as hardcopies yet in your workspace are marked by a grey files symbol while hard copies are marked with a colored symbol.

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Figure 3: Grey file symbols display likages to original file sources and colored symbols hardcopies of files in your workspace

Find more information about the handling of the software under The graphical user interface Projectmangement and Filesets and Files.

The software has been designed to support the different GIS data file formats asci, EsriGrid and geotiff. Other formats can be imported if corresponding plugins have been developed. All imported files are links to the original files but hard copies can be created within the programme if desired. All functions are at first added to the file and have to be executed in a second step after all the settings have been made by the user.

Generally all functions within the program are classified within three categories:

  • Information Reader Functions: Information readers are functions that do not change the file but return information about the present file e.g. the mean, standard deviation or median (read-only functions).
  • Option File Changer Functions: Option file changer functions allow to create copies of the GIS layers or to change the present GIS layer through e.g. normalization or categorization of values (read and write functions).
  • Connection Functions: Connection functions integrate more than one GIS layer in a mathematical algorithm and result in the creation of a new file or information about the different layers (read and write functions with more than one file). These functions include for example subtractions, summations or calculating the mean value over different GIS layers. Furthermore this category includes functions that e.g. calculate correlation coefficients over different files.

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Figure 4: Different function categories of INSENSA GIS

Information readers, options and connections have to be added to the filetree before they can be executed. To add a function select one or more files go to Edit→Add in the menu and select information reader, option file changer or connection function. You can also select Add and the specific function category from the context menu.

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Figure 5: Add information readers, options and connections

Hinweis: You will notice that you cannot add connection functions if you have only selected one file. This is because you have to specify which raster data you want to include in the connection function, which is always based on more than one file. Select more than one file to add a connection function.

After adding functions to your files they will be added in the filetree to the specific files. Connections will be in line with the other raster files. Functions have to be executed after being added to your filetree. To execute functions go to Edit→Execute in the menu and select inforreader, options or connections.

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Figure 6: Execute information readers, options and connections

When adding a function to your filetree, the function symbol is first displayed in grey and after being executed they are displayed in color.

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Figure 7: Executed and non executed information readers, options and connections

Find out about the different functions and how to use them at the sections on:

 3.1 Dependencies