Raster Data
Raster data is a digital image consisting of rows and columns of cells storing color data. Different types of data are given to build a map.
Topography
Topographical databases are the most important databases used for propagation analysis because the topography has a significant influence on the propagation of electromagnetic waves. The topographical databases are often also called terrain databases and are based on pixel matrices. Each pixel defines the topographical height for a given location (for example, the center of the pixel). The finer the grid, the more accurate the database. Currently, ProMan supports only height values (elevations) in meter.
Clutter / Land Usage
Clutter databases are sometimes called morpho databases or land usage databases. They contain information about the land usage at a given location. In the following, they are called clutter databases. Clutter databases are based on pixel matrices.
Each pixel defines the class of land usage for a given location (for example, the center of the pixel). The finer the grid, the more accurate the database. Depending on the vendor of the database, the classes of the land usage are defined individually, for example, class 1 can mean water if the database comes from vendor A and class 1 can mean forest if the database comes from vendor B.
To handle this data in ProMan an additional table must be defined. In the table, the assignment of the class ID (for example, 1) and the properties of this class (for example, name or electromagnetic properties) are made.
Vegetation
Vegetation databases are also supported in ProMan. Each pixel defines the height of the vegetation for a given location (for example, the center of the pixel). The finer the grid, the more accurate the database. Currently, ProMan supports only height values (elevations) in meter.
Results
Planar result databases created in ProMan during simulation are also raster database. Their content depends on the type of the result.