flexurba 0.2.3

Process CRAN feedback on invalid relative paths in package URLs.

flexurba 0.2.2

Process CRAN feedback:

• Arguments filenames in flexurba::download_GHSLdata(), and output_filenames and global_filenames in flexurba::crop_GHSLdata() are now required as per CRAN policy.

• Minor changes to unit test such that files created in the temporary directory are cleaned up.

• Changes to examples of download_GHSLdata.

flexurba 0.2.1

• Update spatial boundaries in flexurba::units_belgium based on data from the Algemene Directie Statistiek - Statistics Belgium, as these are available under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 licence. Note that analysis that rely on flexurba::units_belgium might have different results.

• Update parameter list in the function flexurba::DoU_get_grid_parameters(). The values UC_smooth_pop and UC_smooth_pop_window were missing from Level 1.

• Several minor modifications on the developers side of the package to prepare for a CRAN submission.

flexurba 0.2.0

• New apply_threshold() identifies urban areas by applying a threshold on grid cells.

• New convert_regions_to_grid() convert regions from a vector layer to gridded format.

• New R package flexurbaData with global datasets accompanying the Flexurba R package. The package includes processed population and built-up area derived from the Global Human Settlement Layer, and night-time light grid derived from the Earth Observation Group.

• New load_proxies_belgium() loads a sample of the proxy datasets in flexurbaData for the country of Belgium.

• Two new vignettes: (1) vignette("vig8-apply-thresholds") discussing different thresholding approaches and (2) vignette("vig9-different-proxies") on different proxy datasets used to construct urban boundaries.

• The functions that were specifically design to reconstruct the Degree of Urbanisation delineation have been renamed with the prefix DoU_ to make a more consistent API and allowing for a better tab-completion. The old names remain available for backward compatibility.

  New name	Old name
  DoU_preprocess_grid()	preprocess_grid()
  DoU_classify_grid()	classify_grid()
  DoU_classify_grid_urban_centres()	classify_grid_urban_centres()
  DoU_classify_gid_urban_clusters()	classify_gid_urban_clusters()
  DoU_classify_grid_rural()	classify_grid_rural()
  DoU_classify_grid_water()	classify_grid_water()
  DoU_get_grid_parameters()	get_grid_parameters()
  DoU_get_optimal_builtup()	get_optimal_builtup()
  DoU_preprocess_units()	preprocess_units()
  DoU_classify_units()	classify_units()
  DoU_preprocess_units()	preprocess_units()
  DoU_load_grid_data_belgium()	load_grid_data_belgium()
  DoU_plot_grid()	plot_grid()
  DoU_plot_units()	plot_units()

• The grid classification rules for semi-dense urban clusters in Level 2 of DEGURBA have been modified in July 2024. To reflect the most up-to-date rules, the default flexurba grid parameters for semi-dense urban clusters in DoU_get_grid_parameters() have also been updated. Specifically:

  • the minimum density threshold (SDUC_density_threshold) increased from 300 to 900 inhabitants per km²
  • the minimum size threshold (SDUC_size_threshold) decreased from 5000 to 2500 inhabitants
  • the contiguity rule (SDUC_contiguity_rule) is modified from the queen (=8) to rook (=4) contiguity
  • the buffer size for semi-dense urban clusters SDUC_buffer_size is adjusted to 2 km

  
  Note that these changes will affect the results of DoU_classify_grid() and DoU_classify_grid_urban_clusters() if level1is set to FALSE. The previous classification rules for semi-dense urban clusters can still be applied by specifying them explicit in the function argument parameters.
  
  

• The unit classification rules for Level 2 of DEGURBA have been modified in July 2024. To reflect the most up-to-date rules, the flexurba function DoU_classify_units() is also updated (see the documentation page for more information). The previous classification rules can still be applied by setting the function argument rules_from_2021 to TRUE.

• The function reference is restructured and the README, function documentation pages and vignettes are modified to reflect the updates.