Modeling Topographic Influences on Solar Radiation: A Manual for the SOLARFLUX Model

摘要

SOLARFLUX is a geographical information system (GIS) based computer program (running under ARC/INFO and GRID) that models incoming solar radiation based on surface orientation (slope and aspect), solar angle (azimuth and zenith) as it shifts over time, shadows caused by topographic features, and atmospheric conditions. A convenient user interface allows specification of program parameters, including latitude, time interval for simulation, file name of topographic surface, atmospheric conditions (transmissivity), and file names for output. The user specifies a topographic surface as an array of elevation values (GRID), SOLARFLUX generates five basic types of output: 1 ) total direct radiation, 2) duration of direct sunlight, 3) total diffuse radiation, 4) skyview factor, and 5) hemispherical viewsheds of sky obstruction for specific surface locations. This manual serves as the comprehensive guide to SOLARFLUX. Included are discussions on modeling insolation on complex surfaces, our theoretical approach, program setup and operation, and a set of applications illustrating characteristics of topographic insolation modeling.