A big data urban growth simulation at a national scale: Configuring the GIS and neural network based Land Transformation Model to run in a High Performance Computing (HPC) environment

The Land Transformation Model (LTM) is a Land Use Land Cover Change (LUCC) model which was originally developed to simulate local scale LUCC patterns. The model uses a commercial windows-based GIS program to process and manage spatial data and an artificial neural network (ANN) program within a series of batch routines to learn about spatial patterns in data. In this paper, we provide an overview of a redesigned LTM capable of running at continental scales and at a fine (30m) resolution using a new architecture that employs a windows-based High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster. This paper provides an overview of the new architecture which we discuss within the context of modeling LUCC that requires: (1) using an HPC to run a modified version of our LTM; (2) managing large datasets in terms of size and quantity of files; (3) integration of tools that are executed using different scripting languages; and (4) a large number of steps necessitating several aspects of job management. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.