Integration of GIS with User Models

Author: Pinde Fu
Organization: GEMLab/KARS

2291 Irving Hill Rd.
Lawrence, KS 66044
USA

Phone: 785-8647715
Fax: 785-8647789
pfu@ukans.edu

For many applications, there is a fundamental need to integrate GIS software with the users' own models. The integration, however, is difficult because of the differences in data structures, functions, procedure communication, methods for data input and output, and user interface. This difficulty leads to numerous inconveniences and much inefficiency. Herein we demonstrate our approach to these problems using the design of the Solar Analyst and TopoView, models for calculation of incoming solar radiation over landscape scales. The calculation engine was implemented in DLL format using C++. The DLLs were then loaded into ArcView GIS to create the Solar Analyst extension. The ArcView GIS GRIDIO library was used to read DEMs as input and to write insolation grids as output. Issues about extending point-specific models to area, GRIDIO usage, procedure communication (system call/DDE/DLL), design of DLLs, and online help systems for use with ArcView GIS are discussed.