NoiseMap stores its models in a database. There are two systems for this - the remote system that uses a MySQL database engine, and the standalone system that uses SQLite. SQLite is an 'embedded' database engine that communicates with an .nmdb file that contains the data. Because the database engine is integrated into NoiseMap and the nmdb file looks like any other Windows file, it does not require any special installation or management. However, there are some limitations, in particular it is not intended for access by more than one instance of NoiseMap at any one time. This means that it is not suitable for multiple calculation computers undertaking the queued calculations used for massive processing tasks. This is much less of a consideration now that NoiseMap can do multi-core processing.
You can convert a backup (nmbackup) of a MySQL database to an SQLite database, using the NoiseMap backup and restore utility. A 'batch' file is available to automate the process. Please contact NoiseMap if you would like a copy of this.
Please note that you cannot convert an nmdb file to an nmbackup file, so you cannot convert a standalone system to the remote system. You should bear this in mind when deciding which format to use.
