SIMPPLLE Version 2.5
Credits:
RWU-4151 Ecology and Management of Northern Rocky Mountain Forests.
Missoula Forestry Sciences Lab.
Current Staff
Kirk Moeller (Information Technology Specialist)
Jimmie Chew (Forester)
Past Staff
Rebecca Schreiner (Biologist)
Chris Stalling (Biologist)
System Requirements:
Java Runtime Environment version 1.6 or later (included in downloads)
128MB Memory (areas with large #’s of polygons will require more memory)
Will probably run on most any processor but faster is always better.
Known to work on: Windows XP/Vista/7 (32 and 64bit editions vista/7)
Windows Note:
My Experience has shown that Java can only use about 1450MB RAM
This is due to limitations of 32bit processors and the fact the Windows
doesn’t allow the use of much more than 2GB RAM for user processes.
The 64bit version on a 64bit version of Windows can use all available
RAM.
My Systems:
HP Elitebook 8740w
Windows XP Professional
8 GB RAM
500 GB Hard Drive
Intel Core i7
ArcGIS 10.0 Software
Dell XP3 8300
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
16 GB RAM
2 500GB Drives (RAID 0)
Intel Core i7
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.46 Build 2 April 2013
 Modified the code so that text data files for import into Access are compressed to
save disk space and speed up the writing.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.45 Build 4 March 2013
 Fixed a bug in the GIS Probability Files that resulted in incorrect values due to a
bug in how the initial time step data was counted.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.44 Build 26 February 2013
 Fixed a bug in the access file output of special area and ownership ID values that
caused duplications to occur and overrun the limits of the ID field resulting in
negative ID’s.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.43 Build 31 August 2012
 Fixed a bug in the treatment logic that generated a runtime exception.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.42 Build 09 May 2012
 Fixed a bug that caused treatment to not be applied when the size class of the
state to be changed was in its last age and the state was to be changed to SS. The
fix was to make sure we sure we search for a new state with an age of 1 rather
than the current age.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.41 Build 04 May 2012
 Treatment Schedule Changes
o Special Area and Ownership are lists allowing multiple selections.
o Added Treatment Clusters: Ability to ensure treatment occur in clusters of
adjacent units via Min/Max values specified in the Treatment Scheduler
Attributes section.
o Added ability to negate lists of attribute values (e.g. if species list has
“LP” and the Not Species box is checked, you will be looking for all
except “LP”)
 Complete rebuild of source using Java 1.6.0.31
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.38 Build 19 September 2011
 Fixed an error in the code that caused fires to be suppressed despite the run time
variable set to false.
 Added some code to prevent the occurrence of a rare runtime exception involved
in the ProcessOccurrenceSpreadingFire class. For an as yet unknown reason a
unit that has had fires suppressed is returned as unsuppressed by the method
determining that fact. Was unable to determine the cause due to the rarity of the
exception occurring and the necessity of investigation with the debugging tool.
This runtime exception cannot occur, however there could be other side effects to
adding code keep things running.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.37 Build 13 September 2011
 A runtime exception was occurring in calculation of Fire suppression Costs. This
was caused by a FMZ file being loaded after the area was loaded which removed
an FMZ that the area had depended upon. The editor screen for FMZ’s failed to
do a check to prevent this situation. Added a warning message about unit FMZ’s
potentially being reassigned if the user proceeds.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.36 Build 1 September 2011
 Added Min and Max Event Acres Columns to the Fire Suppression Production
Rate dialog.
 Modified the error handling display more information on errors that result in the
simulation failed message “null”. A text box will now display with a stack trace
that should help in tracing these difficult to diagnose errors. These errors are very
rare and are very difficult to repeat. This is an effort to track down the cause.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.35 Build 30 August 2011
 Fixed an Error in Class A suppression that caused fewer and fewer fires to be
suppressed following time step 1. This was caused by failure to reset some
variables at the proper time in the Fire Event Suppression code.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.34 Build 26 August 2011
 An error in the Fire Spread code caused fire to not be suppressed for the entire
event if they started the event unsuppressed. This affected the outcome in the
case where the Fire Event Suppression Logic had rules with probabilities less than
100%.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.33 Build 26 August 2011
 Modified event level fire suppression to check for suppression at each iteration of
spread. Previously only the origin was checked. The random number drawn is
still only drawn once.
 Modified line production code to prevent spreading to the lowest elevation
neighbor of the line production unit if at least 50% line is produced.
 Added Fire Season column to the Fire Suppression Event Logic Dialog.
 Made sure installer leaves behind MSI files, in case of problems with uninstall.
We have seen problems with the uninstaller needing the MSI files on one
machine, thus this step.
 Modified the Detail Fire Report to add information on amount of fire line
produced, as well as what stopped the fire event if known. Possible causes are
WEATHER, LINE, OTHER. LINE means enough line was built to stop the fire.
WEATHER means the event was ended due to weather. OTHER means the fire
ran out of units to continue to spread to, this could be because of a variety of
factors including suppression.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.32 Build 25 August 2011
 Determination of the unit in which to produce line was not working correctly due
to elevation values not being correctly retrieved.
 Modified setting of Weather Ending Random number draw to draw a new random
number every time the fire event changes size categories. Previously it a new
number was obtained at every iteration of spread in the event.
 Modified Fire Spread code to not allow spreading into a unit where fire had
previously been suppressed.

Fixed a bug in the method that computed spread time. In dividing unit side length
by the spread rate to determine time, it was done as an integer operation rather
than floating point, resulting in a value of 0 if rate was larger than side length.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.31 Build 24 August 2011
 Modified Fire Line Production code as it was not working quite correctly. Also
now stop the fire if line produced exceeds the perimeter of the fire event.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.30 Build 23 August 2011
 Added a new Fire Suppression Dialog for Event Fire Suppression.
 Added a new output option that will write simulation data to comma delimited
text files (fields names first line). These files contain much of the same data that
is output to the database. EVU_SIM_DATA and AREASUMMARY contain ID
values for text data such as species. There are separate text files with the ID for
the text data. After importing into a program such as access, relationships can be
defined linking the tables to facilitate meaningful queries.
 Modified Fire Line Production to only occur in units that Beyond A Suppression
return true.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.29 Build 10 August 2011
 Cleaned up formatting of the Detailed Fire Event Report and added columns for
spread type and fire season.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.28 Build 05 August 2011
 Fire Season was being chosen during each iteration of fire spread to neighbors,
fixed it so that season is chosen at beginning of the Fire Event.
 The Fire Season was not being chosen correctly in the case of a season probability
of Zero.
 Added a Tutorial folder to the Start Menu Programs Folder for SIMPPLLE.
Added a tutorial for the new Fire Spotting Logic screen to the tutorials.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.27 Build 03 August 2011
 Added a tab for Fire Spotting to the Fire Event Logic Screen. This enables
specifying the conditions, distance and probability that a Spot Fire will occur.
 Added a probability option to the Beyond Class A Fire Suppression Screen.
 Only the Westside Zone has default logic in this build. This build is meant for
testing purposes only.
 On Import of Area Row/Col were mixed up, ROW = X, COL = Y, should have
been ROW = Y and COL = X. In a previous update ROW and COL were fixed in
the python script. The combined effect of both of these errors being present was
to have the correct ROW and COL values in the area files.
 Added Row and Col to Unit Analysis Screen.
 Added a Utility under the Utilities menu to swap Row and Column Values.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.26 Build 25 July 2011
 PolyToPolyCells and GridToPolyCells python scripts were calculating ROW and
COL values incorrectly. This resulted in the value for ROW getting the Column
and COL getting the ROW. It is now fixed in both scripts.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.25 Build 22 July 2011
 Fire Season Probabilities screen was disabled for most zones, I changed it so that
it is accessible in all zones.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.24 Build 21 July 2011
 Fixed an error in the Unit Editor, it failed to modified the saved state of an initial
treatment. This led to a NullPointerException when trying to save a newly
created area where invalid states were fixed. Modified the code to make sure the
treatment saved state was modified along with the unit state.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.23 Build 15 July 2011
 Modified the spatial relations python script handle the case where a given polygon
does not have an elevation value after using the dem and Spatial Analyst to assign
values. Previously the script would fail with an error, it will not continue on and
display a warning message setting the elevation value to 0.
 Modified the installer to make installation of the SIMPPLLE GP Tools optional,
so that installation will succeed on a system with ArcGIS 10.0 installed. These
tools are only used if running spatial relations on an irregular polygon feature
class.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.22 Build 24 November 2010
 Modified the installer to leave the installation files in place so as to enable the
installation to be repaired via the add/remove programs screen should the need
arise.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.21 Build 05 November 2010
 Changed the Spatial Relations tool to utilize Extract Values to Points instead of
Zonal Statistics for computation of elevation due to numerous problems with
zonal statistics.
 Modified the Spatial Relations tool to look for the FNODE and TNODE fields for
use in finding neighbors of line feature classes such as roads and trails. This
allows the user to make the feature class a coverage and run a build on Nodes and
Lines for the coverage to generate these values ahead of time. This prevents the
spatial relations tool from failing with an M-Aware message. This appears to be a
common problem with ArcGIS 9.3 and this serves as a work around until a better
option becomes available.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.20 Build 02 July 2010
 Fixed a bug in the Pathways dialog that prevented the Unload option in the file
menu from working correctly.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.19 Build 14 June 2010
 Fixed a problem with adjacent data getting lost and causing a runtime exception
when creating a new area. This was caused by the manner in which units and
their neighbors were processed in reading the spatial relations file. Not entirely
sure why the error didn’t show up previously, except to say it no doubt took just
the right input file to trigger the problem.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.18 Build 11 June 2010
 In version 2.5.17 failed to set the version of the area file correctly which resulted
in saved areas not loading correct. This was a result of trying to add new stuff to
the 2.5 area file after the 3.0 Area file had already changed and trying to insure
that areas created with 2.5 would still load in 3.0.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.17 Build 20 May 2010
 Made Relative Position of Units dynamically determined as needed based on
value set in new utility in the Utility Menu as well as user query at area import.
Old areas with irregular polygons will use the original value of 100, however
uniform polygon areas will use a value of 10%. Percent is determined by dividing
the difference in elevation by the distance from the unit center to the unit center.
Distance in figured by using the row and col values and the distance formula.
Elevation is assumed to be in Meters.
 Added Elevation Information to Unit Analysis Display, old areas without
elevation information will display a large negative number.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.16 Build 10 February 2010
 Added the new ShiftFeatures tool into the SIMPPLLE Toolbox. This tool
requires admin privileges to install and therefore was necessary to make the
SIMPPLLE installer require admin as well. This tool allows the spatial relations
script to once again correctly calculate downwind on irregular polygon data. Also
modified the spatial relations script to calculate neighbors in a way that no longer
requires converting the feature class to a coverage first.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.15 Build 18 November 2009
 Fixed a problem with loading area file that resulted from a bug created in adding
the new columns to the default logic screens.
 It appears I did not note the new columns that have been added in previous notes.
They area Special Area, Road Status, Trail Status and Associated Landtype.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.14 Build 17 Dec 2009
 Added a new tool in the ArcGIS toolbox that will allow checking of the input
feature class for invalid states. The pathway data need for this must be in a
ArcGIS table, this table can be created by loading the text file created via the
Utility menu's Export Pathways command in SIMPPLLE. Fields needed are
LIFEFORM (text), HT_GRP (text), SPECIES (text), SIZE_CLASS (text), AGE
(long), and DENSITY (long). Also note that the option to fix incorrect states in
the script tool is only valid for Eastside Region One pathways.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.13 Build 15 Dec 2009
 Added code in findLastLifeformState to catch the condition where the state is in a
time step no longer available due to discarding simulation data. This was called
by code in Succession Regeneration when looking for in-landscape seed. This
should be reworked to due a database lookup in the future, or perhaps we need to
limit how long after a fire that regeneration can occur.
 Modified Conifer Encroachment logic to correctly work with multiple lifeforms,
specifically added a tree lifeform where none previously existed.
 Changed the default value for yearlyProcess to be TRUE and marked fire as not
being yearly. This will insure that only probabilities for fire events are divided by
10.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.12 Build 16 November 2009
 Fixed code so that Roads and Trail units are no longer required in order to use
Invasive Species Logic.
 Producing Seed Logic in the logic screen was not used in zones other than
Colorado Plateau. It now works with all zones.
 Removed some old legacy logic that prevented Fire Regeneration from occurring
on certain ecological groups. This functionality has been replaced by the delay
logic.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.11 Build 20 October 2009
 Fixed some problems with row heights in tables within various logic dialogs.
 The 32bit installer installs a batch file and vbs script to launch the application due
to the EXE launcher limiting the amount of memory that can be allocated to Java.
The 64bit installer still uses the EXE as this is not a problem on 64bit.
 Added a Utility under the Utility menu that will export pathways to a single
comma delimited file for use in an upcoming utility for checking for invalid states
in the GIS Environment.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.10 Build 27 August 2009
 This update returns to using the EXE launcher. I made changes to the installer
that seem (at least on my system) to solve the database problem.
 The installer sets up the Java Heap size to be 90% of physical memory available.
If the change Java Heap size option is used this will be set to a fixed value of
whatever is specified.
 A new file called properties.xml will be written to the users home directory. This
file in this release simply contains the home folder location of the SIMPPLLE
installation.. In future releases it will contain other info such as the working
directory and the simpplle.properties file will be eliminated.
 Also fixed the “Memory Use Display” option to properly display memory.

Modified the Register DLL option in the installer to hopefully work correctly. It
however does not work on my machine with ArcGIS 9.3 nor does the Setup
ArcMap Extension shortcut. This will require further investigation and a fix in a
future build.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.8 Build 25 August 2009
 The EXE file used to launch SIMPPLLE created by the Advanced Installer
software was apparently causing Java to crash while writing a large database. I
now use a combination of a batch file and Visual Basic script to launch
SIMPPLLE, there is no MS-DOS windows that will appear.
 Updated the program Icon.
 Updated the Java Heap size utility to work with new launcher.
 Fixed a problem in the Memory Use Display that caused the number to not be
displayed correctly when the Java Heap Size was a value larger than 10100MB.
 Added a text file with instructions on how to utilize the Open Office Base with
the database written by SIMPPLLE. This file is written out to the simulation
output directory along with the database.
 The ArcMap Extension is now registered by the installer and should be available
on the extension screen in ArcMap after installation.
 The warning messages generated about log4j when writing a database have been
fixed. There should no longer be such messages unless the reading/writing the
database generates an error.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.7 Build 9 July 2009
 Fixed some problems with the Spatial relations script as well as the toolbox not
displaying in ArcGIS 9.2 correctly.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.6 Build 21 Mar 2009
 Somewhere along the line the legend, layer, and arcview project files got left out
of the installation, resulting in an error when attempting to copy gis files. This
has been fixed for all zones.
 Using new Installer software called “Advanced Installer” to install the software.
 The new installer uses an INI file for parameters to the Java runtime, such as the
Heap size, as well as other things. I have modified the Utility to change the Java
Heap size to modify this file so as to be able to change the Java Heap size. As
before a restart of SIMPPLLE is required.
 Modified the Installation directory to default to a directory under the Application
Data Folder, so as to insure the user can successfully modify the INI file without
admin rights. Added a new shortcut to open up this folder as it is hidden by
default and its name is different on XP and Vista.
 Modified the version number to remove the last digit so as to be compatible with
the new installer.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.5.4 Build 04 Mar 2009
 Added information on Fires Spread as Type NONE to the logging file, also made
sure if the Fire Spread Type was NONE that no other rule matching was
attempted.
 Fixed a problem with the Mixed Grass Prairie and Great Plains Steppe zones that
caused Bison Grazing to not occur. This was caused by two factors. One the
Zone definition file which specifies which processes are valid for which lifeforms
was incorrect for these zones. Second there was a piece of code in the
Process.doProbability method which caused some problems. Still not sure what
the purpose of that piece of code was, but It has been removed and Bison Grazing
now functions properly.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.5.3 Build 20 Feb 2009
 Modified the Logging file output to add information on cases where fire spreading
stopped due to no matching rules. Also added information fire suppression.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.5.2 Build 13 Feb 2009
 Modified the Spatial Relations and Attributes Python scripts to check the ArcGIS
version and execute code that is more compatible with each version.
 Added two new Python Scripts to the ArcGIS SIMPPLLE Toolbox.
GridToPolyCells converts an Grid to a uniform sized polygon feature class.
PolyToPolyCells converts a Polygon Feature Class to a uniform sized polygon
feature class. These two scripts require ArcGIS Version 9.3 to run.
 Added an option to output a logging file with information on what rule is
triggered when a fire spreads. This is turned on by editing the simpplle.properties
file in the users home directory and setting the value of
SIMULATION_LOGGING to true. Note this file will not exist until the
application is opened and closed the first time.
 For Vista 64 the installer creates a user environment variable called
SIMPPLLE_JAVAMEM. Change the value of this variable to change the amount
of memory allocated to SIMPPLLE.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.5.1 Build 03 Feb 2009
 Added check for state.getVegType() == null at Evu:937. Not why this is coming
up null, This may not be the best fix, until I can duplicate the error this code
should prevent the runtime error of NullPointerException.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.5.0 Build 09 Dec 2008
 Fixed issues with Unit Editor resulting in runtime errors. A variety of problems
here due to change to multiple lifeforms.
 Fixed problem with export of area creation files generating files that could not be
imported. This was due to a misplaced comma.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.9 Build 01 Dec 2008
 Fixed a problem with lockin processes that caused a runtime exception.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.8 Build 03 Sep 2008
 Added a few knowledge files that were left out of the two new zones in the
previous build.
 Corrected problems with the species file in the two new zones.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.7 Build 14 Aug 2008
 Updated Knowledge Source information for Colorado Plateau.
 Added two new zones based on Eastside Region One: Teton and Northern
Central Rockies.
 Fixed problems with the New Zone dialog have size issues and not display all
content properly at times.
 Changed “DROUGHT” to be a yearly process for the Colorado Plateau zone only,
all other zones with the process remain decade.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.6 Build 08 July 2008
 Fixed some problems with tracking species in the python scripts for processing
attributes in ArcGIS. Specifically if the number of tracking species in each of the
lifeforms was different importing didn’t work correctly. Eliminated the need for
the SP_COUNT field and the maximum number of allowed tracking species per
lifeform is now 20. Note nothing has changed in SIMPPLLE just the python
scripts for use with ArcGIS.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.5 Build 05 May 2008
 Fixed a problem that created an error if there was an area with an Ecological
Group that is unknown to the system. This only occurred if the new pathways
files are loaded after the area file.
 Fixed a problem with DRIER Moisture being specified in Climate for the
Grassland zones. This was due to an error in the Fire Event Type of Fire logic
screen, where LSF was specified instead of SRF.
 Fixed another problem with the grassland zones caused by incorrect specification
of simulation processes in the zone definition file.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.4 Build 14 Apr 2008
 There was a class missing from the build that caused certain dialogs to not
function. This was due to a move to a new computer and development software
that did not automatically include the needed class as before.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.3 Build 3 Apr 2008
 Fixed a problem with the Combine LS files option under the utilities menu. The
utility was only working for files with ownership or special area information.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.2 Build 31 Mar 2008
 Changed the ArcGIS SIMPPLLE toolbox to be in ArcGIS 9.1 format.
 Fixed some problems in the SIMPPLLE Attributes python script so that initial
process and treatment fields are optional.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.1 Build 24 Mar 2008
 Fixed a problem with fire results no showing up in the Summary Report screen or
in the ls file upon a multiple run. This only showed up when using area that is not
multiple lifeforms. The code that computes that information failed to account for
older format area without multiple lifeform info and therefore did not record the
fires.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.4.0 Build 13 Dec 2007
 Fixed additional problems with closing/opening road/trail units.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.8 Build 11 Dec 2007
 Fixed problem that generated a runtime error when attempting to close road/trails
in a unit which didn’t have any.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.7 Build 7 Dec 2007
 Added the ability to change Road and Trail status via new treatments in the
Eastside Region One zone. The Roads/Trails can be either closed or opened. The
units are selected by scheduling the treatment for on a Vegetation Unit that has
the road or trail running thru it.
 Also changed the logic such that distance to road/trails is the distance to only
OPEN status roads/trails.
 The history of the changes to roads and trails is kept and saved in the simulation
data file.
 Added Trail status to the Vegetation Unit Analysis dialog.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.6 Build 10 Oct 2007
 Worked on memory use issues with the profiler. Eliminated several areas where
memory was wasted.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.5 Build 08 Aug 2007
 Fixed a problem with lock-in processes not getting applied in area’s that do not
use multiple lifeforms.
 Added an alternative startup method via a MS-DOS batch file in the installation
directory that allows the user to run SIMPPLLE on a 64bit machine and
manipulate the Java Heap size as high as desired. To run navigate to the
installation directory and run the shortcut “Start SIMPPLLE Alternate”. To
change the memory size, right click the file “SIMPPLLE.BAT” and select edit.
Update the value of MAXMEM to the desired number of Megabytes.
 Modified the Poly2Cells tool in the SIMPPLLE ArcToolbox to change the output
parameter to utilize a string instead of a coverage do to problems in AML
handling pathnames. This results in the output coverage being in the same
workspace as the input coverage.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.4 Build 23 May 2007
 There was a problem with the tracking species report generated from the reports
menu. Although it allowed changing the categories the underlying report
generated failed to re-summarize the results to reflect the changes. This has been
fixed.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.3 Build 24 Apr 2007
 Added a column to the invasive species change screen to allow the user to
designate that the change rate be treated as a percent change. For example if the
change rate was 50 and Change As % was true than the result would be a 50%
increase in the invasive species. To reduce the rate, simply specify a negative
value.
 In the case of invasive species I changed the code so that the species would be
removed as a tracking species upon reaching zero.
 Modified the code that sets the widths of table columns to work better.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.2 Build 09 Apr 2007
 Fixed a problem with the original process and gap process information displayed
in the individual unit display. Simulation data failed to get reset leading to
incorrect results displayed after a second simulation.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.1 Build 02 Apr 2007
 There was a problem with the logic that determined next state in relation to
whether or not yearly time steps are used. While running yearly worked correctly
for zones with yearly pathways for shrubs and grasses; it did not work correct
when running in decade steps in those same areas.
 Added a feature to the pathways dialog that adds a menu called “Group” that has
an option for specifying whether or not pathways in the current Group are yearly.
 Fixed a problem with the Type of Fire Logic dialog not correctly loading the data
for the DRIER column.
 Fixed a problem with loading an individual default pathway file from the File
menu of the Pathways dialog. The problem caused the default file to not be
loaded.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.3.0 Build 26 Feb 2007
 The check box to load historic pathways was not showing up in the load zone
dialog.
 The Utility for loading probability files into the treatment scheduler was not
correctly loading file.
 The update/spread files were not correctly getting the most dominant lifeform for
each time step, instead they chose the state match the most dominant lifeform at
the end of the simulation.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.9 Build 14 Feb 2007
 Fixed some problems with the System Knowledge Load/Save dialog. It showed a
few items as checked that shouldn’t have been by default, also pathway files
would not be saved that hadn’t been changed in some way by the user.
 Fixed some more problems with Special Area and Ownership in using the
combine LS files utility. Although the utility work correctly the order in which
data is placed in the file is not compatible with what the Excel macros are
expecting.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.8 Build 12 Feb 2007
 The landscape summary file combining utility did not correctly process files that
had Ownership and Special Area information in them.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.7 Build 8 Feb 2007
 Copying of GIS files was not working correctly.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.6 Build 2 Feb 2007
 Fixed a problem with the GIS Preprocessor python script that caused the feature
class to not be copied into the generated geodatabase.
 Fixed problems with the export utility to create area creation files from the loaded
area.
 The User Guide will be removed from the installation of the build and will instead
be available as a separately downloadable PDF file.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.5 Build 26 Jan 2007
 Fixed some problems with the export area creation files option. The exporter did
not match what the importer was looking for.
 A reminder, the Utility “Probability of Reburn” may look functional but has not
been implemented and does not do anything.
 Removed the built in help which really was never implemented.
 Modified the species change importer to look for either commas or tabs as field
delimiters. Inclusion Rule files still remains comma delimited only.
 The Landform Unit Analysis dialog did not correctly display the landform
information.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.4 Build 12 Jan 2007
 The file save feature of the new Evu Search Dialog did not save files correctly, so
they cannot be loaded. This has been fixed and the new file format has been
given a new version number (2).
 Added a new logic dialog for Fire Suppression Beyond Class A.
 Added default logic for Fire Suppression at Class A for all zones.
 Added a new logic dialog for both Fire Spread Rate and Fire Production Rate.
 The Class A and Beyond Class A do not have old format file loaders, however the
production and spread rate do via menu item in the file menu.
 All of the newly added Fire Suppression Logic Dialogs have default logic for all
zones.
 Fixed a problem with the code that determines whether an area has uniform
polygons. It mistakenly marked areas in extremely rare case as uniform that were
not.
 Fires Suppressed via Fire Suppression Line Production were mistakenly marked
as Class A.







Generation of Update/Spread Files from a previously simulated area placed
spread files in a different (incorrect) location than the update files. This is now
fixed.
Added new Logic Dialog for Fire Suppression at Class A due to a Weather Event.
Old data files cannot be loaded.
When running a multiple run simulation “sinfo” files did not get generated for the
individual runs.
In some cases saved runs would not reload.
Added a new Utility located under the Utilities Menu that will combine
Landscape Summary files (-ls.txt) that are output when running multiple run
simulations. Simply select all of the files to be combined in the open file dialog
and they will be combined into one file.
Added a begin/end time step option to the GIS Preprocess Arc Tool that will
allow the user to select which probability files are loaded into the geodatabase.
This is especially useful for runs with a large number of times steps, such runs
may end up exceeding the 2GB limit of the geodatabase if all tables are attempted
to be loaded.
The Compiled Files in this and all future builds will be scrambled and will
not be able to be decompiled.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.3 Build 26 Oct 2006
 Completed the new Fire Suppression at Class A logic screen. Put in place default
rules for Eastside Region One, Westside Region One and Colorado Plateau.
 Added the Poly2Cells AML Script to the SIMPPLLE ArcGIS Toolbox.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.2 Build 23 Oct 2006
 Fixed problem with Process Probability logic screen not working.
 Pathways for Colorado Plateau Shrub and Grasses had been previously written as
yearly; however the code treated them as decade. This has been fixed.
 Added Ownership to the base logic, so it will now be available in all logic
screens. Also note that the list of Ownerships will vary based on what areas have
been loaded. The list will only be reset to the defaults of NF-WILDERNESS and
NF-OTHER if the current zone is reloaded or a new zone is loaded.
 A few of the required script files for the SIMPPLLE ArcGIS Toolbox were
missing from the installer.
 Fixed a problem with the all states report not running when no rules file was
specified.
 Duplicate in Invasive Species Logic MSU was not working correctly.
 Added new a new report for Tracking Species. It is available in the Simulation
Parameters screen as well as under reports. It is similar to the All States report as
far as when in can be used as well as output format. Also note that like the all
states report if all the tracking species report as 0 acres then the line will be
missing from the file.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.2.1 Build 04 Oct 2006
 Fixed problems with MSU Invasive Logic and creation of areas.
 Note this was accomplished successively in builds 2.5.1.10 – 2.5.2.1
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.9 Build 04 Oct 2006
 Added Knowledge Source for MSU Invasive Logic to Eastside Region One.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.8 Build 04 Oct 2006
 Fixed a runtime error that was triggered when a Fire Spread Rate Logic Rule had
no species listed.
 Fixed some problems with the imported not properly handling missing Vegetative
Type information. If the state information was missing it would not always create
a dummy state so that the state could be corrected in the unit editor. The code
will now create a dummy state as well as read the rest of the information in the
input line (e.g. past process/treatment).
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.7 Build 28 Sep 2006
 Fixed problems with MSU Logic Invasive Species not updating percents and
changing lifeform states.
 Fixed problems with path to one of the python scripts in the SIMPPLLE Arc
Toolbox.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.6 Build 26 Sep 2006
 Fixed problem where reading of Logic file were incorrectly causing Species
Attribute information to be overwritten.
 Runtime error was generated due to failure to properly set the dominant lifeform
when running a simulation for a second time.
 Fixed problems with several zones generating a runtime exception due to
problems with setup for running multiple lifeforms.
 Made sure that treatment and process schedules cannot be selected for load in the
system knowledge file open screen unless an area has been loaded.
 The import area log file was not being flushed properly leading to the file not
containing all of the information it should.
 Loading of old area files was not properly setting the lifeform. These problems
surfaced when the code to determine if an area has multiple lifeforms was
modified to allow areas that have only one lifeform but we want to run as
multiple, thus allowing other lifeforms to enter the picture.
 Added a Utility to change older areas that are single lifeform to be multiple
lifeforms.
 Updated System Knowledge files for Eastside Region One. Specifically:
Pathways, Treatment Logic, Do Competition Logic, and MSU Invasive Species
Logic
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.5 Build 22 Sep 2006
 Fixed problems with areas with multiple lifeform.


Fixed problems with running with multiple lifeforms in eastside.
Fixed problems with the output of the attributes script.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.4 Build 20 Sep 2006
 Modified code to allow more than one invasive species to occur in a unit.
 Fixed problem with the Vegetative Unit Analysis dialog generating a runtime
exception when a initial treatment was specified and the unit was viewed
following a simulation.
 Probabilities for MSU Invasive Species needed to be multiplied by 100 to be used
correctly.
 Modified the installer to add the Java runtime variables mentioned in the note for
2.5.1.2 below. The default values are set to false. Change to true if needed.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.3 Build 19 Sep 2006
 Fixed problems with Global Unit Change Utility and Unit Editor not functioning
correctly.
 Fixed a problem with the Vegetative Search Utility that caused Season to now
work correctly.
 Fixed a problem with Aspect now showing up in the Landform Analysis Screen.
 Fixed problems with using the calculation of MSU Invasive Probabilities.
 Fixed a problem with the Treatments listed in the Treatment Coefficient screen
for MSU Invasive Logic didn’t always match the available Treatments.
 Fixed a runtime exception caused when running MSU Invasive with treatments
turned on in the Logic screen.
 Fixed a problem with the Vegetative Condition Summary screen not working
prior to a simulation.
 Fixed a problem that caused treatments to not get applied in areas with no
multiple lifeforms.
 Added additional information to the MSU Invasive probability file.
 Fixed a problem with treatments that occurred when the treatment failed to create
a new state. This resulted in a runtime error because the saved state was null, thus
leading to a NullPointerException.
 Initial treatments were not being saved to the landscape file after initial area
creation leading to them not showing up in the Vegetative Unit Analysis Screen.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.2 Build 15 Sep 2006
 Fixed a problem with saving regeneration files in Westside Region One that was
caused by empty data rows in the default data. Fixed this by removing the empty
rows and creating new default files.
 In order to get the file with Invasive Species Probabilities for MSU please add the
following to the end of the SIMPPLLE.lax file in the SIMPPLLE installation
directory.
o simpplle.comcode.InvasiveSpeciesLogicDataMSU.probFile=true
 Note this output file will have the prefix of the output specified in the simulation
parameters dialog.



We have found that some systems have problems with blank windows when
running SIMPPLLE. This is mostly likely caused by out of date or corrupted
video drivers or possibly and older version of DirectX. We are still researching
this issue. However this can be corrected by adding the following line to the end
of the SIMPPLLE.lax file in the SIMPPLLE installation directory.
o sun.java2d.noddraw=true
Note that this version tends to eat up memory quickly when running an area with
Road and Trails and using the MSU Invasive Logic. I am still investigating this
issue.
Fixed a problem with the python attributes script that output past process and past
treatment information in the incorrect order, thus leading to import errors in
SIMPPLLE.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.1 Build 08 Sep 2006
 Added Trails Feature Class processing to Python script and fixed incorrect
processing of Landform Aquatic spatial relations (script was mistakenly doing
vegetation-aquatic relations instead). Not sure how this was never generated an
error before now. Fortunately Landform-Aquatic relations while present in
SIMPPLLE are not currently used.
 Modified import code to process newly added Trails to spatial relations and
attributes files. Completed full support for saving roads and trails data in saved
areas.
 Fixed a problem that resulted in lack of Mountain Pine Beetle. This was a result
of failing to take into account areas that don’t have multiple lifeforms in
determining hazard.
 Added new tools to the SIMPPLLE Toolbox (Note these are all AML scripts and
require an ArcInfo License).
o AddGridField
-- Add a field to a ArcInfo Grid VAT.
o DeleteGridField
Delete a field from an ArcInfo Grid VAT
o BuildVat
Build a VAT for an ArcInfo Grid
o CalculateGridField Perform a CALCULATE operation on a Grid VAT
 Modified the python script calculation of elevation to first convert the feature
class to a grid and then call the new BuildVat tool. This is necessary due to the
fact that a VAT is not automatically built for larger areas, thus leading to Zonal
Statistics as Table to fail because it requires a VAT. We did find some ArcGIS
tools to Build a VAT for a grid, but in our tests these tools failed to build a VAT,
so it was necessary to use the ArcInfo BUILDVAT command.
 Added option to choose type of invasive species logic to simulation parameters
screen. For now original region one logic will run if The zone is Eastside, Sierra
Nevada or Southern California and anything other then NONE is selected for the
type of invasive logic. This will change as the logic rules are developed for these
zones.
 Did not get a chance to fully test this before I uploaded.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.1.0 Build 18 Aug 2006
 Modified the Attributes python script to make the maximum field length 10
instead of 11. This Changes “TREATMENT_T” to “TREAT_T” and the
Tracking Species changes to change “PER” to “P” (e.g. SPTK_TR10PER
changes to SPTK_TR10P). Also changed the aquatic attributes
“INT_PROCESS” to “INIT_PROC”
 Fixed another problem with the all states report that occurred when using more
than one rule set. The list of states for each rule step got intermixed causing
numerous problems.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.9 Build 09 Aug 2006
 Fixed additional problems with the all states report that report acres incorrectly.
This was due to a combination of incorrect lifeform assignment for single lifeform
areas and code that returned a state when it should have returned nothing when
totally acres thus we get 5 times the acres we should (because there are 5 types of
lifeforms) (e.g. a unit that had a state marked as NA would return a valid state for
TREES because the call to get the state for TREES returned the state for NA
rather than null). Fixing this problem led to another problem being discovered in
that some areas had there initial state marked as the species lifeform rather than
NA for single lifeform areas. This had been corrected by a method which
reassigns the initial state upon loading.
 The All States Report Menu option incorrectly showed up as being available after
a multiple run. For multiple runs the all states report must be specified at run
time. This may come back in the future if the database query code can be
rewritten to compute the information.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.8 Build 08 Aug 2006
 Fixed a problem in the Vegetation Unit Analysis dialog that caused land and
aquatic unit lists to not be refreshed properly, thus causing an aquatic unit to be
displayed incorrectly for vegetation units that had no associated aquatic units.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.7 Build 07 Aug 2006
 Fixed a problem that caused only the first tracking species to be loaded from
saved areas.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.6 Build 04 Aug 2006
 Fixed problem with Zones that use season that caused the discard data option to
not work correctly.
 Changed default minimum time steps to be kept in memory to 10. Please note
however that Eastside Region One requires a minimum of 20.
 The python script for attributes did not correctly handle the case where there was
a single lifeform with either 0 or more tracking species.
 Changed the python script to no longer split streams into individual arcs. Also
added some code to clip the stream to the vegetation Feature class. Please note
that clipping will caused features to be renumbered created new SLINK values.



Modified the imported aquatic units to get rid of Predecessor/Successor errors that
occur when a given stream segment has two Predecessors.
Please note that when creating an area with aquatic units load the newly saved
landscape before running. Running from the unsaved area may result in
unexpected behavior.
Misc. other changes.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.5 Build 31 Jul 2006
 Fixed a problem that caused the “Make Simulation Ready” Utility to not function
correctly on Zones that run seasonally.
 Have initial work done on the MSU version of Invasive Species. It is not yet
complete however.
 Fixed problem with all states report not writing data to the file correctly. Note the
all states report still needs a bit of work. Also note that if doing a multiple run the
all states report menu item will not be available, the user must specify ahead of
time that they want a report in the simulation parameters dialog.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.4 Build 14 Jul 2006
 Fixed a problem that caused the last time step in each run of the all states report to
be left out.
 Fixed a problem that caused Unit Analysis to not function for loaded simulations
that had discarded data.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.3 Build 14 Jul 2006
 Removed use of AGE from all states report.
 Fixed problem where all simulation data was not saved properly. Specifically the
Fire Event Summary data of Area Summary was not saved. This caused the
summary report to not function when running on a loaded simulation.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.2 Build 13 Jul 2006
 Fixed problems with running Grass Prairie, Western Great Plains Steppe and
Great Plains Steppe
 Fixed issues with the all states report. Removed row from the output which
contained no data. All data now goes in one file, unless there is one more rule file
in which case there is a file per rule set. The file names will contain the name of
the rule set (ie. BEGIN myRules  test-allstates-myRules.txt). Also modified
the Excel Macro to work better with the addition of Ownership and Special Area
columns to the all states file.
 Fixed problems with loading save runs, however there are still problems with
generating reports from saved runs.
 Fixed misc. other issues.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.1 Build 07 Jul 2006
 Updated System Knowledge files for all zones.
 Fixed a bug that prevented some zones from running a simulation.


Mixed Grass Prairie, Western Great Plains Steppe and Great Plains Steppe do not
yet function.
Other misc. changes.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.5.0.0 Build 26 Jun 2006
 Updated Database writing code to write all of the Vegetative Unit data as well as
the area summary data to a database in a more space efficient manner than before.
 Added memory saving feature that discards data from long past time steps.
However a user selectable number of time steps are kept in memory, to make sure
the simulation still runs in a timely manner. It is important to note that the time
steps kept in memory should be such that older time steps do not need to be
accessed, because database access is very slow.
 Additionally the discarding of old time steps can be activated apart from the
database write, the difference being there will be no access to data from time steps
that have been discarded. This feature allows very long term simulations (i.e.
thousands of time steps).
 I also changed the All States Report to specify the rules file in the simulation
parameters screen, once the simulation is complete the All States report will be
generated automatically provide and output file prefix has been specified. Also
note that there is once file generated per simulation to avoid generated excessively
large text files.
 Modified the treatment/succession thinning cycle code to handle some cases
where the new size class chosen didn’t exist in the pathways. In this event the
single story size class is chosen.
 Modified In-Landscape Succession Regeneration to only occur if the unit was
previously in a Regeneration Delay.
 The Detailed Fire Report is now generated automatically if an output file is
specified. Also note that the menu option will be unavailable if the discard data
option is selected, thus it will be necessary to specify to generate an output file to
get this report.
 Please see next page with a graphic of the Simulation Parameters Screen for
further information on changes.
 Also note that if GIS files are written out for extremely long term simulations it
will result in a large amount of disk space being used. I successfully ran a 5 run
1000 time step simulation of Mesa Verde that with GIS files that resulted in 40GB
of disk space being consumed. This also resulted in using 1200MB of memory so
this is close to the limit. However a smaller number of runs will increase the
amount of time steps possible significantly.
 Please note that this version is not yet finished and there are a number of items to
yet to be finished. There have been extensive internal changes that may have
resulted in creation of bugs that have not yet been found.
 Additionally note that simulation data formats have changed and have not been
fully tested so may not work correctly, also simulation data from version 2.4 may
not load correctly or at all.
 Also note in this version that there is a problem with the all states report or more
correctly stated a problem with Excel’s limit of 65536 rows. In my tests Mesa
Verde with a 1000 time step run generated 2 Million rows, so I need to modify the
report to generate multiple files if the row limit is exceeded.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1. This is a new box that contains the original Save Results option as well as giving the user options as to what is output.
2. This determines whether or not the GIS Update/Spread files are generated during the run. Also note that if the option
to discard simulation data is chosen this option must be check if the user wants the GIS files. Otherwise the GIS files can be
generated later from the Export Menu as before.
3. This option writes simulation results to a database. This will save memory while still keeping access to older
simulation results during the simulation (provided of course discard data is not checked).
4. This will cause simulation data that is older that the number of time steps specified, to be discarded from memory.
This will result in significant memory savings allowing thousands of time steps to be run. If this option is checked be sure
to check the GIS Update/Spread option as well as the All States option, otherwise these outputs will not be available once
the simulation has completed. Also keep in mind that data is summarized during the simulation so that the condition
summary reports will still be available.
5. This is used in conjunction with the Discard Data option. This determines how many time steps are kept in memory
before data is discarded. The default is 20 meaning the current time step and the previous 20 are kept in memory all older
time steps are discarded.
6. This will cause data to be collected for the All States Report which will be automatically written out provided an output
file prefix has been provided (see #1). If no output prefix is provided the report can be generated after the simulation is
finished. However the report will not be available following a simulation if discard data is checked and this option is not.
7. This allows the All States Report rules file to be provided up front. With this file provided and the All States Option
checked the rules file will be processed and data collected during the simulation and a report generated at the end of the
simulation.
All States Report special Note:
The All States report can be generated for either multiple or single runs. If Multiple runs there will be one file per run.
This is to prevent generating files that may be too large for excel or possibly even Windows to handle when doing extremely long
term simulations. Also note that I placed Special Area and Ownership as columns in the resulting table. Special Area and
Ownership can now have as many groups as the user desires. Finally multiple rule sets need to be in a single file, just add
another begin/end block following END. Also note that the rule set can be given a description by placing the description directly
after BEGIN (e.g. BEGIN MyRules).
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.71 Build ?? April 2006
 Fixed a problem with Western Great Plains Steppe and Mixed Grass Prairie that
caused Lock-in-Processes to not function properly.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.70 Build 04 April 2006
 Fixed a problem with the XStream library that resulted from a recent upgrade of
that library. Specifically the new version of XStream failed to call readResolve
on Externalized Objects.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.69 Build 27 March 2006
 Fixed a problem that caused a runtime exception because of failure to specify an
output file.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.68 Build 27 March 2006
 Updated the GIS output in this build. The output now generates update file for
each lifeform as well as one named all which combines lifeforms into one string.
This also changes the field names in the files so that there are no dashes (which
are not legal in ArcGIS).
 Added a new python script to the SIMPPLLE Arc Toolbox which will pre-process
the GIS output files before using the ArcMap Extension (which is extremely slow
at doing the same thing). The new script will ask for the directory containing the
simulation files and the Vegetative Feature class (if the area was created with the
spatial relations python script then this will be the feature class in the geodatabase
output by the script). Note: I’m not sure whether or not the new python script
will show up in the SIMPPLLE toolbox, if not simply remove it and add it again).
 The new python script will also work will old GIS files with the dashed field
names. It reads the first line of the input files and checks them before placing
them into geodatabase. If dashed field names are found the file is converted first
before placing in the geodatabase.
 Fixed problems with the python scripts, they were not properly calling the SetTics
tool. I also eliminated the need for environment variables in the script. In
addition I added more useful messages, in particular if a problem surfaces it
should be much clearer what happened.
 Eastside and Westside Region One will now copy the ArcGIS layer and Arcview
legend files. Also added ArcGIS layer file for Colorado Plateau.
 Removed option to write to GIS database as it is now much faster to use the new
python script.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.67 Build 15 March 2006
 Added Serial ID to a few classes that were missing it.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.66 Build 14 March 2006
 Added column to the Species Attribute Editor to show whether or not there is a
pathway present for that species.










Changed the producing seed column in the producing seed logic table to be a
probability instead of a Boolean. Existing values will be assigned 100 for true
and 0 for false.
Updated System Knowledge Load/Save screen with recently added logic files.
Added a new screen that will allow the user to determine how the individual
lifeform fires are taken together to determine the unit type of fire used in reports.
Enhanced all of the logic screens so that rows in the table alternate in color so as
to make individual rows easier to see.
Added option to Simulation Parameters screen to allow user to turn off invasive
species logic.
Fixed a problem with view unit display prior to simulation.
Made sure all zones load correctly.
Fixed problem with Westside Region 1—Sweathouse Creek. Vegetation units
didn’t display the associated Aquatic Units.
Updated System Knowledge files for Colorado Plateau.
Fixed bug that caused a runtime exception when using the Evu Search dialog
before a simulation has run.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.65 Build 28 February 2006
 Added a column to the Individual unit screen to show the process that resulted in
a GAP or D probability.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.64 Build 14 February 2006
 Implemented load/save for the Evu Search Logic Dialog.
 Added Make Treatment/Lock-in Process Schedule features to the Evu Search
Logic Dialog under a new menu called ‘Options’.
 Fixed problems with Size Class description in Size Class dialog that appears when
editing size class in logic dialogs.
 Added Logic Screen for Producing Seed for Vegetative Units.
 Added default Producing Seed Logic Rules for Colorado Plateau. All other zones
are disabled until default rules can be built.
 Added an option to the Export GIS Update and Spread files feature to ask for
lifeform type. The files written after a simulation use the dominant lifeform for
each unit. This new option gives the flexibility to see results for other lifeforms.
 Fixed Multiple Run Summary data to be multiple lifeform aware when collecting
summary data with respect to ownership and special area.
 Added new Python scripts to InstallAnywhere installer. Also added a screen in
the installer with instructions on how to add the SIMPPLLE ArcToolbox.
 Please note the Start Menu item will run the old aml based Spatial Relations Tool.
 Fixed problem with extreme fire spread. The determination of whether an event
was extreme was determined at each loop thru neighbors rather than just once.
Thus an event could change from average to extreme and back during the spread.
 Updated code related to reports by ownership and/or special area so that the code
took into account the presence of multiple lifeforms.

Added keywords to the “ls” files so that they can be used with the Excel Macros
without editing.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.63 Build 03 February 2006
 Fixed problem with fire suppression. Scenario: fire is suppressed in time step 1,
fire event occurs in time step 2, this fire is not suppressed in trees, we then do the
fire event on the shrubs, this time the code incorrectly determines that the unit had
fire suppressed due to suppression in time step 1, so therefore shrubs don’t get fire
when they should have. I didn’t actually see a runtime case but it was
theoretically possible.
 Fixed problem with new Evu Search dialog not functioning properly on loaded
simulations. This was due to not specifying the lifeform when determining
species resistance. Note this error may have also led to inaccurate rule matching
of logic rules during simulations. (e.g. Fire Spread, Fire Type, etc)
 Various other improvements.
 Fixed a runtime error that occurred when the using the Evu Analysis screen. This
was due to not setting the dominant lifeform correctly upon loading a previously
simulated area. Note this was also what caused the Evu Search Problem.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.62 Build 02 February 2006
 Fixed problem with column visibility in the Fire Event Dialog.
 Fixed problem of lack of scrolling in knowledge source editor.
 Added the color Yellow to a few columns in a variety of logic dialogs.
 Fixed problem of Lifeform choice not being saved in the Competition Logic
Dialog.
 Fixed problem of loading treatment logic file with new treatments not initially
showing up in the treatment list. This was due to the list not being refreshed
properly.
 Created a new Evu Search dialog base on the logic rules design of other logic
dialogs. This allows great flexibility in searching. Please note that the open/save
is not yet functional, as well as other misc. features.
 Fixed problem with tracking species logic column not search for tracking species
among all lifeforms. This cause fire spread to not function correctly.
 Various other improvements.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.61 Build 25 January 2006
 A note on regeneration behavior: If there is more than one rule for a given
species that is a match then the system will use the first rule that it finds. Thus it
is important to order the rules properly..
 Fixed problem with tracking species column used in logic dialogs. This
specifically caused incorrect Fire Spread.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.60 Build 23 January 2006
 Fixed problems with Competition Logic.



Modified Individual Unit Display to insure that Lifeforms are always displayed in
the same order.
Fixed label in Size Class chooser dialog to say Size Class /Structure.
Fixed problem with adding rows to Regeneration Logic Dialogs.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.57 Build 14 January 2006
 There were some typos in the Producing seed logic that caused a few species (e.g.
“PIED-JUOS”) to not be seed producing in the Colorado Plateau.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.56 Build 13 January 2006
 Modified process selection logic to make fire-event occur on a unit basis. Also
modified type of fire to have an option of NONE. If a NONE type of fire occurs
the process will be changed to SUCCESSION and probability of L will be
assigned.
 Modified the probability for Fire Event to work at the 1/10000 of a percent level.
However very low probabilities may be reported as 0.
 Fixed problem where locked in processes were carried forward to future time
steps.
 Fixed problem where tracking species in logic dialog was not functioning.
 Fixed problems in between last release and this one.
 Fixed problems with Regeneration Delay.
 Fixed problems with Fire Spread. Will try to spread to each lifeform until a fire
starts or we go thru all lifeforms. Then the type of fire logic will be used to
determine fire type on lower lifeforms. A fire of less intensity is prevented.
 Added In-landscape functionality to Succession Regeneration.
 Fire Event acres to not match other reports. I have not yet found the cause.
 Need to investigate to see if Competition is functioning properly.
 Need to investigate to see if In-Landscape seed is working correctly.
 Updated producing seed logic for Colorado Plateau.
 Updated Knowledge data files and pathways for Colorado Plateau.
 The output format for the Vegetation Portion of the Attributes Python script was
incorrect, this has been fixed.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.52 Build 09 January 2006
 Disabled Class A Fire Suppression due to weather in Colorado Plateau.
 Added a missing process field to the GAP Process Dialog.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.51 Build 06 January 2006
 Made Regeneration Logic part of the BaseLogic class which gives it access to
several additional columns such as Size Class and Density.
 Added a new dialog for Regeneration Delay Logic. This can be found under the
options menu in the Regeneration Dialog.
 Added producing seed check to the in-landscape and in-place seed logic.
 Added depth to landform unit display screen.
 Updated pathways auto positioning code.











Added Drought to Colorado Plateau.
Added <count> of <Time Steps> to Climate. (e.g. Warmer for the last 3 of 5
time steps.
Added lifeform combination option to the summary reports and vegetation
summary screen. The values are concatenated together with a dash.
Added Ownership to the treatment schedule.
Enabled import of depth in landscape unit import.
Added error message to save landscape if a unit has no state data (can happen if
unit has no data upon import)
Reworked the Landform Competition dialog to allow user more control over
logic.
Added Gap Process Logic dialog.
Updated Open/Save System Knowledge dialog to reflect new knowledge screens.
Fixed problems with multiple lifeform selection of processes with respect to Fire.
Fixed misc. other problems.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.50 Build 13 October 2005
 Fixed additional problems with loading zones and running simulations.
 Fixed problems with new process probability logic dialog.
 All zones will load but not all zones will run simulations. Those zones that do not
have new process probability logic rules will not run. Westside, Eastside,
Colorado Plateau, Western Great Plains Steppe, Great Plains Steppe, Mixed Grass
Prairie will all load and run. The other zone need process logic rules written first.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.49 Build 06 October 2005
 Fixed problems with loading/saving area files that didn’t have landscape units.
 Bison Grazing Logic screen is now functional again.
 Western Great Plains Steppe, Great Plains Steppe, and Mixed Grass Prairie or
now functional.
 Load sample area button is now disabled if the zone has no sample areas (e.g.
Michigan)
 Areas created with 2.4.0.48 that has landscape units will not load correctly.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.48 Build 30 September 2005
 Created default process probability logic for Eastside and Westside zones.
 Updated zone data files so that ALL zones will now load correctly.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.47 Build 27 September 2005
 Modified default Fire-Break Treatment to go to a full state instead of just species,
which resulted in no change because size class and density changes were not
specified.
 Fixed bugs that resulted in treatments not working.
 This build committed and tagged in cvs.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.46 Build 26 September 2005
 Fixed a bug in the landscape summary text file output after multiple runs that put
zeros for the initial value of species, size class, densities. This is fixed, but the
value now is still not correct. This will be fixed in the next build.
 This build committed and tagged in cvs.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.44 Build 23 September 2005
 Added new Mesa Verde to sample areas for Colorado Plateau.
 Fixed bug in unit display related to seasons in Wyoming & South Dakota zones.
 This build is only useable for Colorado Plateau.
 Added default logic to the new dialogs added in 2.4.0.41.
 Fixed numerous bugs and Mesa Verde is not up and running, still need to update
process summary code so that it display acres for the unit not all lifeforms
summed.
 Next build will fixed the process summary problem and make the other zones use
the old process probability code by default.
 Added to probability code “COMP” to indicate change in state was due to
Competition.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.41 Build 16 September 2005
 This is a developmental release not intended for use other than to add new logic to
the new logic dialogs (see below).
 Do not overwrite previous installations as this build will not run simulations and
is unfinished.
 I added a set of super classes to support the new logic dialogs that have been
added.
 Added a dialog to build logic for determining process probabilities.
 Added a dialog for invasive species logic.
 Added a new base logic column for tracking species, choose a species and a
percent. This will have the effect of making it necessary for the Evu to have a
tracking species with at least that percent for the rule to be matched.
 The soil type editor (click on soil type cell) in the invasive species logic dialog
has menus for adding a single soil type or a set of soil types from a file. The file
should be a simple text file with one soil type per line. Upon saving the invasive
species logic soil types used within rules will be saved, others will be discarded.
Also soil types present in a loaded area will be in the list of available soil types.
 The invasive species dialog will not function without there first being at least one
invasive species, (added in the species attribute editor).
 In the invasive species cell editor, the representative species is the species that is
used for the tracking species and the species used to find the state to change the
Evu to when the threshold value is reached or there is no Lifeform in the unit
matching the lifeform type of the invasive species. The other invasive species
checked in this dialog serve only as documentation purposes. Currently the best
solution for having a custom name for a group of invasive species would be to



add a new set of pathway states with the group name as the species and then using
this species as the representative species.
Fixed a bug in saving Regeneration Fire Files.
As with the fire spread and fire type files the data for this logic is in XML format
inside a jar file. Technically it is editable but I would not recommend it. The file
can be seen by opening it in WinZip then opening the XML file inside, just
double-click it should open in Internet Explorer.
I did a lot of testing on these new logic dialogs, but due to there complexity it is
impossible to test every possible scenario. If something doesn’t work right try to
remember the steps that led to it, every little step no matter how simple is
important. Also try closing the dialog and reopening, if the problem is some
strange interface bug, this might correct it.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.40 Build 19 August 2005
 Added Land Unit and Roads classes.
 Added invasive attribute to species.
 Change name of menu item for species editor, to ‘Species Attribute Editor’.
 Added column to species attribute editor to modify invasive attribute.
 Added Ecological Stratification Combo Box to Regeneration Logic Table. This
contains a list of the loaded groups as wells as ‘ANY’ which means that groups
doesn’t matter. Changing the selected will show a table of species entries that are
only in the selected Ecological Stratification. When looking of a species the
simulation logic first checks the table for the units current Ecological
Stratification, if no entry is found it will check the ‘ANY’ table.
 Started work on new Process Probability Logic editor, currently not user
accessible.
 Removed code specifying that “clayey overflow” in normal or wet years was a
water source.
 Modified the water source logic to say intermittent aquatic units are not water
sources.
 Modified the treatment scheduler to allow changing of follow up treatments.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.38 Build 02 August 2005
 Fixed some problems with the new type of fire and fire spread logic. I did some
comparisons with old code and found a bug in the old type of fire code. With that
bug fixed the results of runs with old code and new code are identical.
 Fixed a problem with Fire Suppression Weather Ending Events beyond Class A.
The old format data was converted incorrectly and placed in the wrong cells of the
table. This only affected zones that previously showed just season and not acres
categories. Also changed the dialog to display the acres in float rather than
rationalized.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.37 Build 29 July 2005
 Built new interfaces to Type of Fire and Fire Spread Logic. The new interface
uses a table format and gives more options to control behavior. Click in the cells
to edit the values. There is also popup hints for each cell which will show the full






value. Columns are AND cell values are OR (for example if there are values for
both species and size classes, then the unit must have one of the species AND one
of the size classes).
Updated the pathway files for Western Great Plains Steppe.
Created a new interface for Weather Events beyond Class-A for Fire Suppression
to use a table format which has columns for season, and the event acres for rows.
Fixed runtime error that occurred when trying to run Vegetation Condition
Summary before running a simulation.
Fixed a bug that caused an area to not load in properly when switching from one
zone to another.
Currently the following zones do not load: Westside Region One, Sierra Nevada,
Southern California, Gila, South Central Alaska, Southwest Utah, Michigan, Zone
Builder. This is due to system knowledge files needing to be updated and will be
fixed in a future build.
Changed the file format for Fire Suppression Weather beyond class a, Fire Spread
and Type of Fire data files. The file written is a jar file (similar to zip) and can be
opened by WinZip. The file in the archive contains the data and is in XML
format. The file could be edited but I would not recommend trying, the Java
developer kit is required to repacking inside a jar file. The path and filenames
have to remain identical to the original file (ex. DATA/FIRE-SPREADDATA.XML).
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.35 Build 24 June 2005
 The data structure that holds water units was not getting reset at the beginning of
each simulation resulting in inaccurate results on subsequent simulations,
especially if changing zones.
 The utility to change java heap size was not functioning, it has been fixed.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.34 Build 23 June 2005
 Modified fire spread logic to look at last season instead of last time step.
 Enabled Fire Season dialog and Seasonal version of Fire suppression due to
weather events beyond class A for the Wyoming and South Dakota Zones.
 Updated fire spread tables for Wyoming and South Dakota Zones.
 Made season of fire vary by each Vegetative Unit.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.33 Build 22 June 2005
 Fixed a problem with the code that generates the data for the –ls-sa.txt file that is
generated when multiple runs are done. The code was calculated acres incorrectly
due to the addition of seasons. It now uses that state as it exists at the end of the
final season.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.32 Build 22 June 2005
 Updated Great Plains Steppe pathways.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.31 Build 22 June 2005
 Updated Mixed Grass Prairie and Great Plains Steppe pathways.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.30 Build 21 June 2005
 Fixed a problem in the Mixed Grass Prairie, Western Great Plains Steppe, and
Great Plains Steppe that caused light-severity-fire to occur. This was due to an
error in the data file for fire spread.
 Corrected problems with distance to water.
 Changed the season display of succession and others to say the actual season
instead of YEAR. This was necessary to correct the distance to water problem.
 Fixed acre problems with the –ls output file. Acres are based on last season of a
time step.
 Mixed Grass Prairie had an incomplete species file, which led to problem with
areas created. Any areas previously created will need to be rebuilt.
 After creating an area, please load the save file before running as the simulation
doesn’t work quite right otherwise.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.29 Build 10 June 2005
 Added two new zones Great Plains Steppe and Mixed Grass Prairie. Mixed Grass
Prairie has no sample areas please do not try to choose this option as it triggers a
runtime exception.
 Units that do not have all tracking species that are listed in the vegetative pathway
they are in will have those tracking species added with an initial percent of zero.
 New screens for type of fire and fire spread logic are partial finished and do not
appear in this build.
 In case it got missed I added the ability to import multiple pathway text files,
simply hold down ctrl or shift in the file dialog to select more than one.
 Modified the import code for aquatic units to handle lines that contain only one
arc. Also on a similar note if there is attributes in the attributesall file for a
aquatic unit not defined in the spatial relate file that aquatic unit will not be
created.
 The “–ls” files generated when doing multiple runs may have total acres that
exceed that of the area due to there being multiple processes occurring in any
given times step. This issue will need to be addressed in a future build.
 A variety of other miscellaneous changes.
 This build has had very limited testing and may contains bugs due to the new
multiple life form code and the extensive modifications associated with the new
code.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.26 Build 18 May 2005
 Made extensive modifications to classes an importing to allow multiple life forms
to function. Note there are still several bugs to be worked out.
 Added Colorado Plateau zone with Mesa Verde sample area. This zone is
unfinished and still need lots of logic to be put in place yet.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.26 Build 13Apr 2005
 Fixed a problem where Fire Spread and Type of Fire did not save season
information.
 Updated Fire Spread and Type of Fire files for Western Great Plains Steppe.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.24 Build 12Apr 2005
 The change in Tracking Species from Integer to Float makes this build unable to
access databases generated from previous builds. The only way to is to use a
previous build for this purpose (would be only useful to create the all states report
from a saved run).
 Updated Fire Spread, Type of Fire and Species resistance logic for Western Great
Plains Steppe.
 Changed the default acres for extreme fire spread to 1000000 acres for Western
Great Plains Steppe.
 Still having problems with generating GIS Files, can only set max memory
around 1000MB and write data to the Access Database for the ArcGIS Extension
to read. I am exploring other options for ArcGIS; although the extension will
read the GIS text files it is extremely slow.
 Modified some of the code associated with Distance to Water calculations to be
more time and memory efficient.
 Updated the Distance to Water logic.
 Misc. bug fixes and other updates.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.21 Build 7Apr 2005
 Modified the Bison Grazing Dialog to have boxes with weight for each of the
tables. In addition a message in red will appear if the table rows do not add to the
weight or the three weights do not total 100.
 Fixed some problems with the Vegetation unit analysis dialog. It will display
correctly on screen resolutions of 800x600 and larger.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.20 Build 6Apr 2005
 Change Species Change percent values to single precision floating point.
 Added Species Change and Inclusion Rule information to the pathway
import/export files.
 Added Distance to water to unit analysis screen.
 Fixed problem in distance to water that didn't find aquatic units.
 Updated Overflow and Clayey-Overflow pathways for Western Great Plains
Steppe
 Added Percent Landscape Burned to Fire Event History
 Added Associated Aquatic Units to unit analysis output report.
 Begun rebuild of EvuAnalysis dialog in form of panel in Netbeans.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.19 Build 31Mar 2005
 Redesigned the frequency calculation code to be use memory rather than trying to
query the database for the information. This has the effect of increasing memory






use when running. However writing to the database is now optional, be aware
however that the All States report can never be run for the simulation without the
database. Writing to the database is the default; simply uncheck the box to not
write to the database.
Writing to the GIS database seems to require about 150MB. On my system I
cannot set the java max heap size any large than 1300MB. If I do an error occurs
trying to connect to the access database.
The GIS files that are output reflect the last event in a given time step.
I spent considerable time with the memory and CPU profiler in an effort to
decrease memory usage and speed the simulation. At this point I do not see
making much more gains in these areas without destroying the class design.
Doing so would make the code unreadable and highly prone to bugs.
Add Run number indicator to the message display when simulation is running.
The multiple run summary data is now saved out, which means the multiple run
summary report and other things can be run from a re-loaded simulation. The
simulation to load will show up in the list as <prefix>-#end.
Other Misc. Changes/Improvements.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.12 Build 17Mar 2005
 Fixed problem where MAX_TIME_STEPS was not consistent throughout the
code.
 Improvement use of memory.
 Changed definition of wet/dry succession to not include temperature, just
moisture.
 Lock-in Processes is currently not functional for fire or bison grazing in Western
Great Plains Steppe.
 Fire was not being prevented in non-burnable units. This has been fixed.
 Added an option to write simulation data to a database if an output file is given.
Simply check the box and the database will be written to. Note if doing multiple
runs this is not optional, database writing is necessary.
 Changed RIPARIAN to low fire resistance.
 Misc. updates in 2.4.0.9-2.4.0.11
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.8 Build 14Mar 2005
 Fixed a runtime error that was triggered by states with no tracking species.
 Improved run time.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.7 Build 14Mar 2005
 Increased possible number of time steps to 1000. However it is unknown whether
it is possible to run this many and not run out of memory.
 Modified the area creation code to eliminate tracking species that are not present
in the associated vegetative type and also have a percent of zero.
 Fixed a problem in the Bison Grazing logic that prevented species specific
probabilities from being used.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.6 Build 11Mar 2005
 In fire suppression beyond class A, I made the default to not suppress if the area
currently loaded has regular sized polygons and fire suppression production rate
rules are present. This check/change is made after an area is loaded.
 Fixed the default type of fire for Western Great Plains Steppe to be SRF and not
LSF.
 Removed LSF and MSF from the fire screens for Western Great Plains Steppe if
size/structure is Non-Forest.
 Modified the Bison Grazing Logic Screen.
 If a pathway had no inclusion rules, adding one resulted in a runtime exception.
This has been fixed.
 Made the Veg. Summary Screen larger.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.5 Build 09Mar 2005
 Modified the bison grazing logic to add probabilities for the type of bison grazing.
 Update the pathways, track species, and inclusion rules for Western Great Plains
Steppe.
 The unit analysis screen has display problems with not showing the horizontal
scroll bar when needed. This will be addressed in the next build.
 Updated the fire spread and type of fire screens to include season information.
 Made yearly times steps permanent and unchangeable for Western Great Plains
Steppe.
 Added a new menu item to make it possible to add a new species to the editors for
tracking species and inclusion rules.
 Spreading fires now show the correct season.
 Fixed various logic and logic problems associated with Western Great Plains
Steppe.
 Misc. Other changes.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.4 Build 04Mar 2005
 The method to determine the correct inclusion rule to match changing species
conditions was not working quite correctly, it has been fixed.
 Distance to water now considers intermittent aquatic units to be water source in
wet time steps.
 Added an editor for Bison Grazing Logic for Western Great Plains Steppe. The
menu item is located under System KnowledgeVegetative ProcessBison
Grazing Logic.
 Improved the Regional Climate dialog.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.3 Build 1 Mar 2005
 Made it so that if there are species listed for succession regeneration that we do
not continue to look at adjacent seed source after looking at the preferred species.
Previously this was only enabled for eastside/Westside, it has been expanded to
all zones.






Added editing screens for Tracking Species and Inclusion rules in pathways. To
access a screen, right-click on any pathway state and choose the appropriate menu
item.
Currently Tracking Species and Inclusion rule information is not contained in the
pathway text files that can imported/exported. This will be fixed in a future
release.
There is a new set of pathways for western great plains steppe as well as a new
version of the sample landscape.
The distance to water function is now working. (used in calculating bison grazing
probabilities).
I have changed the default install location to
c:\fsapps\fsother\SIMPPLLE\version2_4 due to problems running fslandscape
from the old location.
Other misc. changes.
Release Notes for SIMPPLLE Version 2.4.0.2 Build 11 Jan 2005
 Fixed a bug found in 2.3 that caused line production in fire suppression to be
calculated incorrectly.
 Multiple run simulations are now functional, although far from finished.
Accumulated simulation results are no longer kept in memory but are saved to a
database. The database is written used Hibernate 3.0 beta 3 and Hypersonic SQL
1.8 Release Candidate 8. I am using the beta releases as they allow a database
larger than 2GB (max is now 8GB). (In a test 7 runs, 10 time steps of an area
with 250k polygons resulted in a 2GB database). Currently there is a noticeable
delay between simulations even with poorman (about 20seconds). This is the
time spent writing the database. However using a database allows one to run
multiple simulations on large areas (formerly not possible). I could make the
database optional and keep the info in memory, but this will require adding
additional code to handle computing probabilities from the memory data as well
as submitting queries to the database. I would submit that waiting for the
database is worth the time given the power of a few well written database queries.
 I added an item on the Utilities menu called database manager. This starts up a
utility that comes with hibernate for doing stuff with the database. It allows
running queries and writing the results out to a delimited text file (which can be
imported into access). The catch here is the result set of the query has to fit into
memory. So if you have a 3GB table the whole thing cannot be loaded at once,
unless of course you are using a 64-bit processor and OS in which case I don’t
know.
 Currently as before the multiple run summary information is not saved so it is not
possible to reload and run stuff (such as the all states report). A future build will
save this info so the end of simulation state can be restored.
 Finally this build only intended for demonstration purposes. No output from this
build is guaranteed to be compatible with future builds.