Essential simulation terminology

The following is a list of common terms you'll encounter when working with simulation.

Term	Description
Simulation layer	The resultant layer added to the Contents pane after defining the area of interest.
Area of interest	The defined area in which the simulation will run.
Cell size	An area of interest is evenly divided into cells prior to calculating the simulation result. The size of the cell is directly proportional to the size of the area of interest and, by default, is automatically calculated. For example, an 8 kilometer by 8 kilometer extent uses a 2.0 meter cell size. You can choose to override this value for a layer by disabling the Maximum Fit button and then typing a new value. Tip: To use a cell size that matches the elevation DEM resolution, you must provide a cell size that is larger than the automatically calculated cell size.
Water sources	A point location in the scene where water is introduced into the simulation.
Water areas	A polygon in the scene where water is introduced into the simulation at a specified flow rate.
Drainage	A collection of channels that have been defined for a simulation.
Channel	A two-point linear feature that permits water to flow under the elevation surface, such as out of a dam or through a stream blockage caused by an overpass captured in the surface.
Barriers	A linear feature that blocks the normal flow through ridges in the elevation surface.
Rainfall rate	The amount of rain that would fall over a given interval of time if the rainfall intensity were constant over that time period.
Transition time	The time to be used changing between two rainfall rates.
Infiltration rate	The rate soil can absorb water.
Maximum infiltration	The maximum allowable infiltration rate. Once reached, water is no longer able to be absorbed and instead continues to move downhill.
Maximum resolution	The maximum processing resolution for capturing the elevation values and calculating the movement of water for a simulation layer. Three processing resolutions are available: 2048—Sets a maximum resolution of 2048x2048. 4096—Sets a maximum resolution of 4096x4096. This is the default. 8192—Sets a maximum resolution of 8192x8192. The default value for a new simulation layer is defined in the Simulation Cache section of the Map and Scene tab of the project Options dialog box. You can override it for a simulation layer by disabling the Maximum Fit button in the Active group of the Simulation tab, and choose a new maximum resolution from the drop-down menu or type a new cell size value.