Settings Guide
This guide explains the available settings in the pypopRF plugin and how to configure them for optimal results.
Settings Overview
The settings tab contains four main sections:
- Census Settings
- Processing Options
- Logging Settings
- Output Options
Census Settings
Basic Census Fields
-
Population Column: Name of the column containing population counts
- Default: "pop"
- Must match your CSV header exactly
- Case-sensitive
-
ID Column: Name of the column containing zone IDs
- Default: "id"
- Must match zone IDs in mastergrid
- Case-sensitive
Age-Sex Structure Settings
When using age-sex data:
- Column names should start with 'm' or 'f'
- Example: m0_4, f0_4, m5_9, f5_9
- Must match zone IDs with main census
Processing Options
Parallel Processing
-
Enable Parallel Processing: Use multiple CPU cores
- Recommended for faster processing
- Requires more memory
- Default: Enabled
-
CPU Cores: Number of cores to use
- Recommended: Leave 2 cores free
- Example: On 8-core system, use 6 cores
- Adjust based on available memory
Block Processing
-
Enable Block Processing: Process data in chunks
- Recommended for large datasets
- Helps manage memory usage
- Default: Enabled
-
Block Size: Size of processing chunks
- Default: 512x512
- Options: 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024
- Smaller blocks use less memory
Logging Settings
Log Level
- INFO: Standard processing information
- DEBUG: Detailed technical information
- Use for troubleshooting
- Provides more detailed output
Log File
- File Name: Name for log file
- Default: "logs_pypoprf.log"
- Saved in output directory
- Previous log cleared on new run
Output Options
QGIS Integration
- Add Layers to QGIS: Automatically load results
- Default: Enabled
- Creates layer group
- Applies basic styling
Output Files
Results saved in project output directory:
- Population prediction
- Normalized census
- Population distribution (unconstrained)
- Population distribution (constrained)
- Age-sex distribution maps (if enabled)
Next: Running Analysis