Input data file structure

The input data files described in this section determine the demographics, migration, climate, and other relatively fixed information about the population within each geographic node. These files are in contrast to the population, geographic, and migration parameters in the configuration file that control simulation-wide qualities, such as enabling air migration across all nodes in the simulation.

Generally, you will download and use input data files without modification. For instructions, see Use input data files. However, demographics files can include many user-defined parameter values and will likely require modification. Only the demographics file is required for a simulation.

Each type of input data generally requires both a metadata file that contains provenance information and a binary file that contains the actual data for each node. Some input files included with EMOD were prepared using CIESIN Gridded Population of the World (GPW) population distribution and a corresponding spatial resolution grid (for example, 2.5 arc minutes) to define the initial population and extent of the nodes for country-wide input files. Therefore, the naming convention for this files usually leads with the geographic location, followed by the spatial resolution, and input file type.

All input files include the parameter IdReference in the metadata, which is used to generate the NodeID associated with each node in a simulation. The values for IdReference and NodeID must be the same across all input data files used in a simulation. See Demographics parameters for more information about NodeID generation.

• Demographics parameters
• Climate file structure
• Migration file structure
• Load-balancing file structure