Changelog

Added master cloud function for operation on both cloud and local machines with remote start capabilities.

Added basic input sanitization to help address common data formatting issues.

Updated NPS/Spans processing function with improved error handling for file names and special characters.

Layout Analysis Constants Builder: An online interface to define Layout Analysis constants, with improved parameter organization, comprehensive tooltips, and automatic calculation based manufacturer-specific presets. The updated tool offers a streamlined workflow for configuration management with support for importing/exporting JSON configuration files, or using partner-specific presets.

Updated grading polygons output to be in the proper coordinate format with slight padding.

A new grading and row alignment system was introduced: rbestfit_adv. Row alignment avoids outliers in determination of pile placement. Grading areas are generally increased in area, but produce smoother contours and an overall ‘more constructable’ site.

Updated flip to exterior algorithms can be used to force maximum east-west slope. The system now incorporates balanced calculations to ensure proper structural integration and maintains manufacturer-specific spatial relationships between adjacent rows.

Freeboard values can now be set on a row by row basis by inclusion of a column in NPS input titled ‘freeboard’. These values will override freeboard values in the constants file. Use the constants calculator to determine freeboards.

Span tables can now be inserted in motor-zero format. Spans should still include an ‘m’ ONLY in the motor pile location. Span values prior to the 0 value need to be positive (north positive convention).

Major improvements to pile placement algorithms now allow any input values for motor deflection (mtd) and torque-tube-deflection (ttd) values (in degrees). This enhancement removes previous constraints and significantly increases the ability to test different scenarios for conservative approaches.

Flip-to-exterior grading is now capped at five rows in each direction to avoid unnecessary propagation of grading caused by row flips.

For terrain following trackers, row slope plots can now be shown on a bay-basis instead of a row-average basis. Can be requested in the analysis constants as ‘B’ under [addtlplots].

Interactive web-based 3D plots are now available to any requesting partner. Changes to metadata can be made on request. Can be requested in the website input forms or through the analysis constants file as ‘I’ under [addtlplots].

KMLs are now a valid input file type for all web-map tools. KMZ and KML files are both supported. When either KMZ or KML are uploaded, only visible layers are used for mapping. As before, only polygon layers are parsed.

Final δY and δZ position calculations have been updated per Array Document 93002-000, Rev A-2.

Note to users: Array Document 93002-000, Rev A-2 lists different values of Li (bearing housing length) for aluminum and steel bearing housings. The default value is set to aluminum housings. Steel housing lengths can be used if requested.

During detailed analysis, if requested, DNV Solar Farmer bay location input files are now created. The user will be required to provide accurate and valid EPSG.io identifiers for the project’s current state plane coordinate system as well as the target UTM (meters) coordinate system required for DNV Solar Farmer use.

In NPS files with a header row ‘numpile’ the [numpile] specified number of pile for each row will be used. If the number of pile is not even, the motor pile will be placed at ceil(numpile/2).

In projects with no spans given, the logic for creating piles has been updated to place a pile approximately every 24′ (imperial) or every 7 meters (metric). Each row has a minimum of 5 pile, and all rows have an odd number of pile with the motor located in the middle pile position. The first and last piles are now located 5′ (imperial) or 1.5m (metric) from the row ends.

Fixed rare issue where post-graded surfaces could develop holes.

Updated initial pile layout to provide accurate preliminary figures for requested grading ratio.

Revised grading methodology to target single-pass rather than iterative methodology. If the initial best-guess provided by the updated initial pile layout is close enough, the surface is shifted in a manner to provide a near-exact grading ratio (limited only by the curvature of the final surface fit). If the initial guess is not within the required margin, a new surface is fitted before the final surface shifting.

This improvement opens the door for rapid deployment of different approaches to grading, which should satisfy the needs of clients in all jurisdictions. Users are encouraged to submit their desired grading methodology for review and inclusion into the code.