 
DSK Required Reading
===========================================================================
 
   Last revised on 2017 APR 05 by N. J. Bachman.
 
 
Abstract
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The Digital Shape Kernel (DSK) subsystem is the component of SPICE
   concerned with detailed shape models for extended objects.
 
 
Purpose
 
   This document is a reference guide for the SPICE DSK subsystem. Here
   you'll find
 
       --   A discussion of the DSK subsystem's software. This includes the
            API (application programming interface) functions---these are
            the functions that may be called directly by SPICE-based user
            application code---and the SPICE utility programs that work
            with DSK files.
 
       --   Discussions of DSK concepts
 
       --   A description of the DSK file format
 
       --   Discussion of problems that may arise when using the DSK
            subsystem
 
   The DSK subsystem does not deal with triaxial ellipsoid shape models;
   these models are usually provided by PCK files. See the PCK Required
   Reading, pck.req, for further information.
 
 
Intended Audience
 
   This document addresses the needs of several groups of SPICE users.
   Users looking for a basic discussion of the capabilities of the SPICE
   DSK subsystem should read the introduction below. Users planning to
   write application code using the DSK subsystem may benefit from reading
   the entire document, possibly excepting the description of the details
   of DSK type 2, but in any case should read the ``DSK Concepts'' chapter.
   Users planning to create DSK files are encouraged to read the entire
   document.
 
   This document assumes you already have a strong understanding of SPICE
   concepts and terminology.
 
 
References
 
   The references listed below provide essential background for programmers
   intending to use the DSK subsystem. They also document DSK utility
   programs.
 
       1.   DAS Required Reading (das.req)
 
       2.   DLA Required Reading (dla.req)
 
       3.   NAIF Integer ID Codes (naif_ids.req)
 
       4.   Frames Required Reading (frames.req)
 
       5.   Convert User's Guide (convert.ug)
 
       6.   DSKBRIEF User's Guide
 
       7.   MKDSK User's Guide
 
       8.   DSKEXP User's Guide
 
       9.   DLACAT User's Guide.
 
      10.   BINGO User's Guide.
 
      11.   SPICE Tutorials. Thes are available on the NAIF web site at
 
               https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/tutorials.html
 
   The programs
 
      DLACAT
      BINGO
 
   are utilities that are not part of the SPICE Toolkit, but that operate
   on DSK files. They are available on the NAIF web site at
 
      https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/utilities.html
 
 
Introduction
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The Digital Shape Kernel (DSK) subsystem is the component of SPICE
   concerned with detailed shape models for extended objects. These objects
   typically are solar system bodies such as planets, dwarf planets,
   natural satellites, asteroids, and comet nuclei. DSK data can represent
   the shapes of such objects, as well as local topography, such as that in
   the vicinity of a rover or a tracking station.
 
   DSK data also can represent shapes of artificial objects such as
   spacecraft components, or represent abstractions such as the subset of a
   target body's surface that has a property of interest.
 
   The DSK subsystem comprises software, the DSK file format specification,
   and documentation.
 
   The primary purpose of the DSK subsystem is to enable SPICE-based
   applications to conveniently and efficiently use detailed shape data in
   geometry computations performed by SPICE functions. DSK data enable
   these functions to produce more accurate results than those obtainable
   using triaxial ellipsoid shape models. See the section below titled
   ``High-Level DSK-Enabled Geometry Routines'' for details.
 
   The DSK implementation ensures that shape data used by SPICE are
   accompanied by all of the attribute information necessary for correct,
   programmatic use of the data---including, but not limited to, reference
   frames, central bodies, coordinate systems, spatial coverage bounds, and
   time bounds of applicability. The DSK format enables data to be
   augmented by indexes, or other pre-computed parameters, that greatly
   enhance the speed of common geometric computations, such as those of
   ray-surface intercepts.
 
   DSK data sets can be distributed across multiple DSK files; this is
   normal for large data sets. Such sets of files can be ``loaded'' (made
   available for read access by CSPICE software) concurrently; CSPICE
   software will select data from the appropriate files as needed to
   perform computations.
 
   The DSK file format facilitates storage, transmission, and archival of
   shape data. It allows the data to be annotated with free-form
   descriptive comments, also called ``metadata.''
 
   DSK documentation uses the term ``data type'' to refer to types of
   mathematical shape representations, associated DSK file formats, and
   software. The DSK subsystem is designed to accommodate multiple data
   types, and to enable high-level SPICE geometry software to function
   independently of these types.
 
   Currently there is only one DSK data type, which represents the shape of
   an object by a set of triangular plates. This representation is called a
   ``tessellated plate model'' or ``triangular plate model.'' The DSK
   documentation refers to this type as ``DSK type 2.''
 
   Support for digital elevation models (DEMs) will be added in a later
   version of the SPICE Toolkit; one or more new DSK data types will be
   developed to support such data.
 
   Because many popular file formats for shape data exist, and because it
   is impractical for these formats to be used directly by SPICE for
   geometric computations, the DSK subsystem supports conversion of a
   variety of text-based shape data file formats to DSK format; it also
   supports conversion of DSK files to a variety of text formats.
 
 
DSK Software
===========================================================================
 
   Below we list the CSPICE functions that either work directly with DSK
   files or that support DSK usage. We also briefly describe the CSPICE
   utility programs that work with DSK files.
 
 
High-Level DSK-Enabled Geometry Functions
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   High-level SPICE geometry functions constitute the principal application
   programming interface to the DSK subsystem. The functions described here
   are supported in all language versions of the SPICE Toolkit.
 
   All of these routines perform computations that involve a target body.
   All can model the shape of that body using data provided by DSK files.
   Many of the functions can use triaxial ellipsoid models as well.
 
   These functions have extensive header documentation. Each header
   describes all input and output arguments and includes one or more
   example programs accompanied by example meta-kernels and corresponding
   program outputs.
 
         dskxsi_c   Ray-surface intercept with source information: compute
                    a ray-surface intercept using data provided by multiple
                    loaded DSK segments. Return information about the
                    source of the data defining the surface on which the
                    intercept was found: DSK handle, DLA and DSK
                    descriptors, and DSK data type-dependent parameters.
                    [Compare with sincpt_c.]
 
         dskxv_c    Vectorized ray-surface intercept: compute ray-surface
                    intercepts for a set of rays, using data provided by
                    multiple loaded DSK segments. [Compare with sincpt_c.]
 
         gfoclt_c   Occultation search: determine time intervals when an
                    observer sees one target occulted by, or in transit
                    across, another.
 
         illumf_c   Illumination angles: compute the illumination
                    angles---phase, incidence, and emission---at a
                    specified point on a target body. Return logical flags
                    indicating whether the surface point is visible from
                    the observer's position and whether the surface point
                    is illuminated.
 
         latsrf_c   Compute surface points specified by longitudes and
                    latitudes: map an array of planetocentric
                    longitude/latitude coordinate pairs to surface points
                    on a specified target body.
 
         limbpt_c   Find limb points on a target body: the limb is the set
                    of points of tangency on the target of rays emanating
                    from the observer. The caller specifies half-planes
                    bounded by the observer-target center vector in which
                    to search for limb points.
 
         occult_c   Occultation state: determine the occultation condition
                    (not occulted, partially, etc.) of one target relative
                    to another target as seen by an observer at a given
                    time.
 
         sincpt_c   Ray-surface intercept: for a given observer, target,
                    and ray direction, find the nearest intersection to the
                    observer of the ray and target body's surface,
                    optionally corrected for light time and stellar
                    aberration.
 
         srfnrm_c   Surface normal vectors: map an array of surface points
                    on a specified target body to the corresponding unit
                    length outward surface normal vectors.
 
         subpnt_c   Sub-observer point: compute the rectangular coordinates
                    of the sub-observer point on a target body at a
                    specified epoch, optionally corrected for light time
                    and stellar aberration.
 
         subslr_c   Sub-solar point: compute the rectangular coordinates of
                    the sub-solar point on a target body at a specified
                    epoch, optionally corrected for light time and stellar
                    aberration.
 
         termpt_c   Find terminator points on a target body: the terminator
                    is the set of points of tangency on the target body of
                    planes tangent to both this body and to a light source.
                    The caller specifies half-planes, bounded by the
                    illumination source center-target center vector, in
                    which to search for terminator points.
 
 
DSK File Loading and Unloading
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   DSK files are loaded and unloaded by the same functions used for all
   other SPICE kernels:
 
         furnsh_c   Load a SPICE kernel. DSK files can be loaded directly
                    by furnsh_c; they also can be referenced in a
                    meta-kernel which can be loaded by furnsh_c. The latter
                    method is usually preferable; see the ``Intro to
                    Kernels'' tutorial on the NAIF web site.
 
         unload_c   Unload a SPICE kernel. unload_c can unload both DSK
                    files and meta-kernels.
 
         kclear_c   Unload all SPICE kernels and clear the kernel pool.
 
 
DSK Utility Functions
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   DSK utility functions perform functions other than geometry
   computations.
 
   Functions for DSK file creation:
 
         dskopn_c   Open a new DSK file for subsequent write operations.
 
         dskcls_c   Close a DSK file.
 
   Also see the data type-specific segment writing functions below.
 
   Function for fetching DSK segment attributes:
 
         dskgd_c    Return the DSK descriptor from a DSK segment identified
                    by a DAS handle and DLA descriptor.
 
   Functions for determining objects covered by DSK files:
 
         dskobj_c   Find the set of body ID codes of all objects for which
                    data are provided in a specified DSK file.
 
         dsksrf_c   Find the set of surface ID codes for all surfaces
                    associated with a given body in a specified DSK file.
 
   Functions for fetching and adjusting DSK tolerances:
 
         dskgtl_c   Retrieve the value of a specified DSK tolerance or
                    margin parameter.
 
         dskstl_c   Set the value of a specified DSK tolerance or margin
                    parameter.
 
 
DSK Type 2 Functions
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The DSK functions specific to data type 2 are:
 
         dskb02_c   Return bookkeeping data from a DSK type 2 segment.
 
         dskd02_c   Fetch double precision data from a DSK type 2 segment.
                    To fetch vertex data, see dskv02_c.
 
         dski02_c   Fetch integer data from a DSK type 2 segment. To fetch
                    plate data, see dskp02_c. To fetch vertex and plate
                    counts, see dskz02_c.
 
         dskmi2_c   Make a spatial index for a DSK type 2 segment.
 
         dskn02_c   Compute the outward unit normal vector for a specified
                    plate in a DSK type 2 segment.
 
         dskp02_c   Fetch triangular plates from a DSK type 2 segment.
 
         dskrb2_c   Determine range bounds for a set of triangular plates
                    to be stored in a DSK type 2 segment.
 
         dskv02_c   Fetch vertices from a DSK type 2 segment.
 
         dskw02_c   Write a DSK type 2 segment to a DSK file.
 
         dskz02_c   Return plate count and vertex count of a DSK type 2
                    segment.
 
 
DLA and DAS Functions
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   DSK files are instances of DLA files, which in turn are instances of DAS
   files. See the chapter ``DSK Files'' for further information.
 
   Some lower-level functionality is provided by functions of the DLA and
   DAS subsystems. The routines below support linear traversal of the
   doubly linked list---also called ``searching'' the list---of DSK
   segments within a DSK file:
 
         dasopr_c   Open a DAS file for reading.
 
         dascls_c   Close a DAS file.
 
         dlabfs_c   Begin a forward segment search in a DLA file.
 
         dlafns_c   Find the segment following a specified segment in a DLA
                    file.
 
 
Surface Name and ID Conversion Functions
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The routines below map surface names to surface IDs and vice versa.
 
         srfc2s_c   Translate a surface ID code, together with a body ID
                    code, to the corresponding surface name.
 
         srfcss_c   Translate a surface ID code, together with a body
                    string, to the corresponding surface name.
 
         srfs2c_c   Translate a surface string, together with a body
                    string, to the corresponding surface ID code.
 
         srfscc_c   Translate a surface string, together with a body ID
                    code, to the corresponding surface ID code.
 
 
SPICE Toolkit DSK Utility Programs
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The DSK utility programs included in the SPICE Toolkit are
 
         DSKBRIEF       Display summaries of one or more DSK files. See the
                        DSKBRIEF User's Guide, dskbrief.ug.
 
         MKDSK          Create a DSK file from shape data provided in a
                        text file. See the MKDSK User's Guide, mkdsk.ug.
 
         DSKEXP         ``Export'' (write) DSK data to one or more text
                        files. See the DSKEXP User's Guide, dskexp.ug.
 
         COMMNT         Read, extract, append to, or delete the contents of
                        a DSK file's comment area. See the COMMNT User's
                        Guide, commnt.ug.
 
         TOBIN, TOXFR   Convert a transfer format DSK file to binary
                        format, and vice versa. See the user's guide
                        ``Converting and Porting SPICE Binary Data Files,''
                        convert.ug.
 
 
Non-SPICE Toolkit DSK Utility Programs
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The utility programs below are not part of the SPICE Toolkit, but are
   available, as is their documentation, from the NAIF server.
 
         BINGO      Convert a binary DSK file from IEEE little-endian
                    format to IEEE big-endian format, or vice versa.
 
         DLACAT     Concatenate DLA files (DSK files are instances of DLA
                    files) into a single file.
 
 
DSK Concepts
===========================================================================
 
 
Shapes and Surfaces
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The terms ``shape data,'' ``surface data,'' and ``topography'' are
   generally used as synonyms in DSK documentation. The term ``surface,''
   when applied to DSK data, refers solely to the geometric form of the
   surface---never to associated properties such as albedo or chemical
   composition.
 
   The term ``surfaces'' is also used to refer to DSK data sets themselves,
   particularly when there are multiple data sets, differing in some
   aspects, that provide data for a given body. For example, Mars
   topography data sets based on MGS MOLA data might be referred to as the
   ``64 pixels/degree surface'' or the ``128 pixels/degree surface.''
 
 
Surface IDs
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   To facilitate run-time selection of DSK data, SPICE provides DSK
   segments with a second identifying attribute in addition to the
   ``central body'': the ``surface ID code'' (or ``surface ID''). Different
   DSK data sets for a given body may be assigned distinct surface IDs.
 
   At run time, calls from user applications to CSPICE functions can
   restrict the DSK data used to those from specified surfaces. For
   example, a user application might direct the CSPICE sub-observer point
   function subpnt_c to to use a high-resolution surface for a spacecraft
   altitude computation, versus a low-resolution surface for plotting the
   spacecraft's ground track.
 
   Because surface IDs enable SPICE applications to select data from among
   those available in loaded DSK files, it is not necessary for
   applications to repeatedly load and unload DSK files to control which
   shape data are used for a given body and computation. Applications
   normally can load at start-up all of the DSK data for a given body, then
   select the data to be used on a per-computation basis.
 
   Avoiding repetitive DSK loading tends to improve an application's
   computation speed. This is because after any change to the set of loaded
   DSK files, the DSK subsystem must perform some bookkeeping computations
   before DSK-based computations can be performed. Degradation of overall
   execution speed due to these computations is slight as long as they're
   performed infrequently.
 
   SPICE surface IDs are associated with surface names; these associations
   are made via assignments in SPICE text kernels. Surface name-ID
   associations are made for specific bodies: the combination of a body
   name or body ID and surface name can be mapped to a surface ID code, and
   the combination of a body name or body ID and a surface ID code can be
   mapped to a surface name.
 
   A given surface ID code can be re-used for different bodies without
   ambiguity. For a given body, it's important for users to coordinate
   assignment of surface names and surface IDs.
 
   The CSPICE functions for converting between surface IDs and surface
   names are listed in the section ``Surface Name and ID Conversion
   Functions'' above.
 
 
Defining Surface Name-ID Mappings
 
   Surface name-to-ID mappings may be defined at run time by loading text
   kernels containing kernel variable assignments of the form
 
      NAIF_SURFACE_NAME += ( <surface name 1>, ... )
      NAIF_SURFACE_CODE += ( <surface code 1>, ... )
      NAIF_SURFACE_BODY += ( <body code 1>,    ... )
 
   Above, the Ith elements of the lists on the assignments' right hand
   sides together define the Ith surface name/ID mapping.
 
   The same effect can be achieved using assignments formatted as follows:
 
      NAIF_SURFACE_NAME += <surface name 1>
      NAIF_SURFACE_CODE += <surface code 1>
      NAIF_SURFACE_BODY += <body code 1>
 
      NAIF_SURFACE_NAME += <surface name 2>
      NAIF_SURFACE_CODE += <surface code 2>
      NAIF_SURFACE_BODY += <body code 2>
 
         ...
 
   Note the use of the
 
      +=
 
   operator; this operator appends to rather than overwrites the kernel
   variable named on the left hand side of the assignment.
 
 
Segments
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Data in every DSK file are grouped into one or more subsets called
   ``segments.'' DSK segments are implemented as DLA segments, also called
   ``arrays.'' Each DSK segment has double precision and integer
   components.
 
   Each DSK segment contains data for some or all of the surface of a
   single body object. This object is called the ``body,'' ``central
   body,'' or ``center,'' even though it need not be a natural solar system
   body.
 
   Within a segment, the data have the following attributes in common:
 
       --   Body
 
       --   Surface
 
       --   Reference frame
 
       --   Coordinate system
 
       --   Coordinate system parameters, if applicable (for example,
            planetodetic equatorial radius and flattening coefficient)
 
       --   Spatial coverage bounds
 
       --   Time bounds
 
       --   Data type
 
       --   Data class
 
   These attributes are discussed in the following sections.
 
   When DSK files are loaded via one or more calls to furnsh_c, all
   segments from those files become available to the DSK subsystem for use
   in computations. At run time, when a request for shape data for a
   specified body is made to the DSK subsystem, all segments for that body
   can be considered as possible sources of data to satisfy the request.
 
   For small DSK data sets, such as low-resolution shape models for
   asteroids, a single segment can suffice to store all of the data for the
   model. Large DSK data sets typically consist of tens or hundreds of
   segments distributed over multiple DSK files. Normally all segments for
   a given body can be loaded at one time. The limit on the total number of
   DSK segments for all bodies that can be loaded is given in Appendix B.
 
   DSK utilities typically create or operate on segments:
 
       --   MKDSK creates a single-segment DSK file
 
       --   DSKBRIEF displays summary information for groups of segments
            having common attributes, or for individual segments
 
       --   DSKEXP exports data from DSK segments to separate output files
 
 
DLA and DSK Descriptors
 
   Lower-level CSPICE DSK functions refer to DSK segments by means of data
   structures called DLA and DSK ``descriptors.''
 
   The DLA descriptor of a DSK segment indicates the location of the
   segment's data in the DSK file containing that segment. DLA descriptors
   contain DAS base addresses and sizes of the double precision and integer
   components of the associated segments. DLA descriptors are integer
   arrays.
 
   User applications can locate all segments in a DSK file by calling the
   DLA ``begin forward search'' routine dlabfs_c, then repeatedly calling
   the DLA ``find next segment'' routine dlafns_c. See the API
   documentation of those functions for details and code examples.
 
   The DSK descriptor of a DSK segment contains the segment's attribute
   information; these are the attributes listed above. User applications
   can determine attributes of a DSK segment by obtaining the DLA
   descriptor of the segment, then calling the CSPICE function dskgd_c to
   obtain the segment's DSK descriptor.
 
   See the chapter ``DSK Files'' for details.
 
 
Reference Frames
 
   Each DSK segment has an associated reference frame. That frame is fixed
   to the central body. The center of the frame need not be the central
   body. For example, a segment containing data for Mars could use a
   topocentric reference frame centered at a specified surface point on
   Mars.
 
   Within a DSK segment, all shape data are expressed relative to that
   segment's reference frame.
 
   For example, if a segment containing data for Phobos uses the IAU_PHOBOS
   body-fixed frame, and if the segment contains vertices of triangular
   plates, the coordinates of those vertices are expressed in the
   IAU_PHOBOS reference frame.
 
   The set of DSK segments to be used in a computation for a given body
   need not be associated with a single reference frame, but using data
   from mixed frames should be done cautiously. It is up to the user to
   combine data in ways that make sense.
 
   For example, Mars data expressed in the Mars-centered IAU_MARS frame can
   be used together with Mars data expressed in one or more Mars
   topocentric frames.
 
   On the other hand, it doesn't make sense to combine earth data expressed
   in the ITRF93 frame with data expressed in the IAU_EARTH frame, because
   those frames have some relative rotation. The same is true for data
   expressed in the IAU_MOON and MOON_ME frames: even though these are
   realizations of the same reference frame, the approximation error in the
   IAU_MOON frame is time-dependent, so these frames have relative
   rotation.
 
 
Coordinate Systems and Spatial Coverage
 
   For the purpose of segment selection, the spatial coverage of a DSK
   segment is considered to be three-dimensional: it is a region of space
   within which the segment provides data for the associated body.
 
   The supported coordinate systems are:
 
       --   Latitudinal (planetocentric)
 
       --   Planetodetic
 
       --   Rectangular
 
   Planetocentric coordinates are appropriate for most natural bodies.
 
   Planetodetic coordinates should be used only for large bodies having
   surfaces well approximated by spheroids.
 
   Rectangular coordinates may be appropriate for data sets expressed in
   topocentric reference frames, for artificial structures, and for
   extremely irregular natural bodies.
 
   A segment's coordinate system is used to represent the segment's
   coverage bounds.
 
   For example, a DSK segment that uses the Phobos planetocentric
   coordinate system and IAU_PHOBOS reference frame might contain surface
   data for Phobos within the spatial region
 
      Planetocentric latitude:    -90 to  +90 degrees
      Planetocentric longitude:  -180 to +180 degrees
      Radius:                       0 to   10 km
 
   Here the planetocentric coordinate system's equatorial plane is the X-Y
   plane of the IAU_PHOBOS frame. The prime meridian of the coordinate
   system lies in the frame's X-Z plane and intersects the +X axis of the
   frame.
 
   Another example: a DSK segment that uses a Mars planetodetic coordinate
   system might contain surface data for Mars within the spatial region
 
      Planetodetic latitude:   -30 to +30 degrees
      Planetodetic longitude:  +60 to +90 degrees
      Altitude:                -10 to +20 km
 
   Here the planetodetic coordinate system's equatorial plane is the X-Y
   plane of the segment's reference frame, for example the IAU_MARS frame.
   The prime meridian of the coordinate system lies in the frame's X-Z
   plane and intersects the +X axis of the frame. The altitude is measured
   relative to a reference spheroid, the size and shape parameters of which
   are contained in the segment.
 
   A third example: a DSK segment that contains data for a horizon mask for
   a tracking station might use rectangular coordinates and a topocentric
   frame having axis directions
 
      X: north
      Y: west
      Z: up
 
   The region covered by the segment might be
 
      X:   -0.5 to +0.5 km
      Y:   -0.5 to +0.5 km
      Z:   -0.2 to +0.2 km
 
   In this case the horizon mask need not model the topography surrounding
   the station; it can simply model obscuration due to the topography. So
   the coverage region need not extend to the horizon; it can be contained
   in a small box enclosing the station.
 
 
Spatial coverage: Dimensions
 
   The coverage bounds of a segment enable the DSK subsystem to rapidly
   determine whether the segment may be applicable for a given geometric
   computation such as a ray-surface intercept. For this purpose, it is
   convenient to consider the coverage of a segment to be
   three-dimensional.
 
   For many applications, it is more natural to consider the spatial
   coverage of a segment to be two-dimensional. This is true when the
   surface represented by the segment can be expressed as a function that
   maps a two-dimensional region to radius or height values. For example,
   surface height relative to a reference spheroid can be a function of
   planetodetic longitude and latitude. In a topocentric frame, the Z
   coordinate of a surface can be a function of the X and Y coordinates.
 
   In cases where a surface is viewed as a function of two coordinates,
   those coordinates are called the ``domain coordinates.'' In some DSK
   documentation, the terms ``horizontal'' or ``tangential'' coordinates
   may be used as synonyms.
 
   The DSKBRIEF summary utility displays spatial coverage in three
   dimensions for individual segments. It treats spatial coverage as
   two-dimensional for the purpose of displaying combined coverage of
   multiple segments, and for displaying gaps within that combined
   coverage. For such displays, coverage and gaps will be displayed as
   longitude-latitude rectangles in the planetocentric or planetodetic
   systems, or as X-Y rectangles in the rectangular system.
 
 
Spatial coverage: Gaps and Padding
 
   In general, the spatial bounds of a DSK segment don't imply that there
   is complete coverage of the domain coordinates within those bounds;
   spatial coverage can have gaps. In some cases this is an inevitable
   consequence of the shape of the body: for example, if the coordinate
   system is rectangular and the body is a torus lying on the X-Y plane,
   there will be no data for some (X,Y) coordinates.
 
   Spatial coverage gaps also can occur due to the way data are grouped in
   segments by a DSK file's creator. Normally DSK file creators should
   ensure that segments don't have coverage gaps that users would not
   expect. Coverage gaps can cause geometric computations to fail at run
   time.
 
   The concept of spatial coverage gaps normally applies to a segment's
   domain coordinates, such as longitude and latitude. It is also possible
   for a surface's maximum or minimum height, radius, or Z coordinate to
   be, respectively, strictly less than or strictly greater than the
   corresponding upper or lower bound. The term ``gap'' usually does not
   apply to such differences; these differences usually have no impact on
   computations.
 
   Data for a segment need not be confined to the spatial region delimited
   by the spatial bounds. DSK creators can include in DSK segments
   ``padding'' data that extend slightly beyond the segments' spatial
   bounds. Padding data can ensure that coverage implied by a segment's
   domain coordinate bounds is really present.
 
 
Time Bounds
 
   Segments in a DSK file provide data for a time interval determined by
   the DSK file's creator.
 
   For a surface having a shape that evolves over a time span of interest,
   multiple versions of the surface corresponding to different time
   intervals can be created. When a computation is performed for a
   particular time, only segments providing data for time intervals that
   include that time will be considered.
 
   In many cases the surface represented by a DSK segment is considered to
   be constant with respect to time, so the start and stop time bounds may
   be set, respectively, to values far in the past and future (for example,
   plus or minus one century) relative to the time range for which the
   segment is expected to be used.
 
 
Data Types
 
   The DSK subsystem supports multiple forms of mathematical
   representations of shape data. For each such form, there is a
   corresponding DSK segment type and set of functions that can access
   segments of that type. Collectively the form of representation, the
   segment structure and associated software are called a ``DSK data
   type.''
 
   DSK data type 2 represents body shapes using collections of triangular
   plates. Another DSK data type, not yet implemented, will represent
   surfaces as digital elevation models (DEMs).
 
   The CSPICE system's high-level geometry functions operate without
   reference to the data types of DSK segments providing shape data to
   these routines. These routines require lower-level, type-dependent
   routines to provide functionality that is common across all DSK data
   types, such as ``find the intercept of a ray with the surface defined by
   a segment,'' or ``return the unit length outward normal vector at a
   specified point on the surface defined by a segment.''
 
   Some CSPICE functions perform functions specific to particular data
   types. For example, the functions dskv02_c and dskp02_c return,
   respectively, vertices and plates from a type 2 segment.
 
 
Data Classes
 
   The ``data class'' of a segment indicates aspects of the topology of the
   shape defined by that segment. There are currently two data classes:
 
       --   Class 1: single-valued surface. The surface is a single-valued
            function of the segment's domain coordinates.
 
       --   Class 2: arbitrary surface. Any surface for which there are
            multiple points for a given longitude and latitude, or for a
            given X and Y, belongs to class 2.
 
            Surfaces that have features such as overhanging cliffs, arches,
            or caves belong to class 2.
 
            Any DSK type 2 surface having an ``inward-facing'' plate---one
            for which the outward normal vector has negative dot product
            with any of the plate's vertices---is a class 2 surface.
 
            The nucleus of the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko is an example of
            a class 2 shape.
 
 
Data Competition and Priority
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Two segments containing data for the same body, surface, location, and
   time are said to contain ``competing'' data. Segment priority is a
   scheme for determining which segment's data to use in case of
   competition.
 
   Unlike the other SPICE binary kernel systems, the DSK subsystem does not
   necessarily make use of segment priority for a given computation.
   Instead, a user application can specify that a computation is
   ``unprioritized.'' This means that all loaded data for the given body
   and a specified list of surfaces are to be used together to represent
   the shape to be used in the computation.
 
   When DSK data for different surfaces for one body are loaded
   concurrently, surface lists, which are inputs to CSPICE API functions
   that use DSK data, can be used to ensure that the correct set of DSK
   data are used for a given computation, and that none of the data
   compete. It is not necessary to load or unload DSK files to give the
   desired data top priority.
 
   See the API documentation for any high-level CSPICE geometry function,
   for example sincpt_c, for a discussion of surface lists.
 
   In the N0066 CSPICE Toolkit, all high-level geometry functions that work
   with DSK data support only unprioritized computations.
 
   Although not currently used, the DSK subsystem does have a priority
   scheme: as in the SPICE SPK, CK, and binary PCK subsystems, when two
   segments from the same file compete, the one located later in the file
   (at higher addresses) takes precedence. When two segments from different
   files compete, the one from the file loaded later takes precedence.
 
 
Greedy Algorithms
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   A numerical problem affecting DSK computations is the possibility of
   ``false negatives'': finding no result when one should be expected. An
   example of this is not finding a ray-surface intercept when one clearly
   should exist.
 
   The possibility of false negatives, at a minimum, complicates the design
   of user applications that depend on DSK data.
 
   Aside from errors in DSK files themselves, the main cause of false
   negative results is round-off error.
 
   Round-off error can cause a ray that should hit the common edge between
   two plates to be determined, according to double precision arithmetic,
   to miss both plates. Similarly, round-off error can cause a ray that
   should hit the common longitude boundary or latitude boundary shared by
   two DSK segments to hit neither segment boundary.
 
   The DSK subsystem uses several techniques to avoid false negative
   results for ray-surface intercepts. These fall into the category of
   ``greedy algorithms'': they effectively treat segments and data as
   though they occupy not only the spatial regions implied by their
   boundaries, but the surrounding regions as well. (An examination of the
   default DSK ``greedy'' parameters will reveal that the greediness of DSK
   algorithms is a mild case. See ``Access to DSK Tolerances and Margin
   Values'' below.)
 
   For example, when a ray-surface intercept computation is attempted, an
   intercept is considered to exist if the ray passes sufficiently close to
   the target---not only if it hits.
 
 
Greedy Ray-Segment Boundary Intercepts
 
   In the discussion below, we refer to both ``segment boundaries'' and
   ``tangent surfaces.'' Both terms require definition:
 
         Segment boundary     This is the set of surfaces forming the
                              boundary of the spatial region defined by the
                              coordinate bounds in a segment's DSK
                              descriptor. There are six such surfaces: for
                              each one, one coordinate is at the segment's
                              minimum or maximum value for that coordinate,
                              and the other coordinates vary from their
                              minimum to their maximum.
 
                              For example, a segment using planetocentric
                              latitudinal coordinates might have the
                              longitude range 0:30 degrees, latitude range
                              0:45 degrees, and radius range 6300:6400 km.
                              Then the segment's boundary on the sphere of
                              radius 6400 km has longitude ranging from 0
                              to 30 degrees, and latitude ranging from 0 to
                              45 degrees.
 
         Tangent surface      This a ``level surface'' in geometric terms:
                              a surface defined by setting one coordinate
                              to a segment's minimum or maximum bound for
                              that coordinate. For the segment above, the
                              sphere of radius 6400 km is one such tangent
                              surface. As in this example, the tangent
                              surfaces may include areas that are not part
                              of the segment's boundary.
 
   One step in the ray-surface intercept computation is determination of
   the set of applicable segments that are hit by the ray. The segments
   that have the appropriate attributes are tested to see whether the ray
   hits the tangent surfaces defined by the coordinate ranges in the
   segments' DSK descriptors.
 
   By default, when the ray's intersection with a segment's tangent surface
   is computed, if that intersection is close to the spatial region
   indicated by the segment's boundaries, an intersection with the segment
   is considered to exist. In the example we're using, a ray's intersection
   with the sphere of radius 6400 km that has longitude slightly greater
   than 30 degrees and latitude slightly greater than 45 degrees could be
   considered an intersection with the segment's boundary, if the longitude
   and latitude excursions are within margins.
 
   The goal is to ensure that any segment that the ray might hit is
   considered for a more detailed intercept computation.
 
 
DSK Type 2 Plate Expansion
 
   By default, to eliminate the problem of false negatives from ray-surface
   intercept computations, where the surface is defined by the data in a
   selected type 2 segment, the DSK type 2 ray-surface intercept
   computation expands plates slightly before attempting to compute the
   ray's intersection with them. The expansion is done by scaling up, by a
   factor slightly greater than 1, each of a plate's centroid-vertex
   vectors. The expanded plate lies in the plane of the original plate, its
   edges are parallel to those of the original plate, and its centroid
   coincides with that of the original plate.
 
   The default plate expansion fraction is 1e-10. The expansion factor is
 
      1 + expansion_fraction
 
 
Additional Greedy Algorithms
 
   Greedy algorithms are also used for
 
       --   Determining whether a ray-plate intercept, once found, is close
            enough to a segment's boundary to be considered inside the
            segment
 
       --   Determining whether a point is close enough to a plate to be
            considered to belong to that plate
 
 
DSK Tolerances
 
   Some DSK tolerance parameters do not strictly support ``greedy''
   behavior, but rather enhances the DSK software's usability. For example,
   there is a DSK parameter that is used to decide whether a longitude
   value is close enough to a segment's longitude range to be considered to
   lie within that range. Another tolerance parameter is used to decide
   whether angular values are valid. For example, a latitude that exceeds
   pi/2 radians by a positive number less than this tolerance is treated as
   though it were exactly pi/2.
 
 
Drawbacks
 
   A possible negative consequence of greedy algorithms is that some
   results derived using them may be quite different from those derived
   without them.
 
   For example, if a ray hits the edge of an expanded plate, and that plate
   has a maximum edge length of 1 km, then the ray might have missed the
   original plate by as much as 0.1 millimeters. After missing the original
   plate, the ray might hit the surface far from that plate, or it might
   miss the target altogether.
 
   This issue, while it may appear serious, is a normal consequence of
   using finite precision arithmetic. A comparable difference in results
   might be observed were the computation without plate expansion performed
   on two different computer systems.
 
 
Access to DSK Tolerances and Margin Values
 
   The greedy algorithms described above rely on tolerance parameters.
   These and other DSK tolerance and margin parameters are assigned default
   values in the header file SpiceDtl.h.
 
   The parameters used for greedy algorithms are user-adjustable.
   Applications can call the functions dskgtl_c or dskstl_c to fetch or
   reset these parameters at run time.
 
   It is recommended that the parameters be reset only by expert users.
 
 
DSK Files
===========================================================================
 
   The SPICE DSK file format is designed to support rapid access to large
   data sets. It is designed to be portable, and to support inclusion of
   documentation within DSK files.
 
   The DSK file format is based on two lower-level SPICE file formats: the
   DSK format is a special case of the SPICE DLA format, which in turn is a
   special case of SPICE DAS format.
 
 
DAS Files
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Most DSK properties are inherited from the ``Direct Access Segregated''
   (DAS) specification. The properties visible to SPICE users are:
 
       --   Binary file format: integers and double precision numbers are
            stored in binary format for compactness and speed of read
            access.
 
       --   Direct access: data from any part of the file can be read in
            constant time, aside from latency of the storage medium.
 
       --   Array abstraction: the data portion of a DAS file appears to
            user application code as three arrays of contiguous data: one
            each of characters, integers, and double precision numbers.
            User applications can, for example, directly read the Nth
            double precision number from a DAS file. Fortran I/O features
            such as record numbers, record lengths, and logical units (or C
            emulations of these features) are hidden from the user
            application's view.
 
       --   Portability: DAS files can be transferred from IEEE big-endian
            to IEEE little-endian platforms, and vice-versa, requiring no
            modification to be readable on the target platform.
 
            DAS files can be transferred to ANY platform on which CSPICE is
            supported; this is done by first converting the files to an
            ASCII ``transfer'' format on the source platform, moving the
            files, then converting the transfer format files to binary
            files on the target platform.
 
       --   Platform-independent buffering: DAS software buffers data read
            from DAS files using a built-in mechanism that's independent of
            any buffering mechanism provided by the host platform.
 
       --   Comment area: DAS files contain a data structure called the
            ``comment area''; this area can contain an arbitrary quantity
            of free-form, ASCII text. The comment area enables DAS file
            creators to include explanatory documentation in the files.
 
            The SPICE Toolkit contains API functions to access the comment
            area. Also, the Toolkit contains a utility program, COMMNT,
            that can read, delete, or append to comments in the comment
            area.
 
   See the DAS Required Reading das.req for details concerning the DAS
   subsystem and DAS file format.
 
 
DLA Files
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The DLA file format organizes data into a doubly linked list of virtual
   segments. DLA functions enable application software to traverse such
   segment lists. Since the DSK file format is an instance of the DLA
   format, this traversal capability is inherited by the DSK subsystem.
 
   DLA files indicate the DAS addresses and sizes of their segments'
   character, double precision, and integer components using data
   structures called ``DLA descriptors.'' The DLA segment descriptor
   members are:
 
 
      +---------------+
      | BACKWARD PTR  | Linked list backward pointer
      +---------------+
      | FORWARD PTR   | Linked list forward pointer
      +---------------+
      | BASE INT ADDR | Base DAS integer address
      +---------------+
      | INT COMP SIZE | Size of integer segment component
      +---------------+
      | BASE DP ADDR  | Base DAS d.p. address
      +---------------+
      | DP COMP SIZE  | Size of d.p. segment component
      +---------------+
      | BASE CHR ADDR | Base DAS character address
      +---------------+
      | CHR COMP SIZE | Size of character segment component
      +---------------+
 
 
   The ``base address'' of a segment component of a given data type is the
   address, in the DAS address space of that type, preceding the first
   element of that component. All DAS addresses are 1-based.
 
   DLA descriptors are used in the DSK subsystem to identify locations of
   the components of DSK segments within DSK files.
 
   See the DLA Required Reading, dla.req, for details concerning the DLA
   subsystem and file format.
 
 
DSK File Format
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   For the majority of practical DSK applications, the DSK file format can
   be adequately understood using the following simplified model:
 
      +----------------------------------+
      |            File Record           |
      +----------------------------------+
      |            Comment Area          |
      +----------------------------------+
      |            Segment 1             |
      +----------------------------------+  -+
      |            ...                   |   |
      +----------------------------------+   | Optional
      |            Segment N             |   |
      +----------------------------------+  -+
 
   That is, a DSK file contains some identification and bookkeeping
   information called a ``file record,'' it has a comment area, and it has
   one or more DSK segments containing shape data.
 
   The segments are connected to each other as a doubly linked list, and
   the list can be traversed in forward or backward order. (In the N0066
   Mice and Icy Toolkits, only forward traversal is supported.)
 
   Each DSK segment has integer and double precision components. These
   components occupy, respectively, contiguous ranges of DAS integer and
   double precision addresses:
 
      +----------------------------------+
      |            Segment I             |  =
      +----------------------------------+
 
      +--------------+     +------------------+
      |              |     |                  |
      |  Segment I:  |     |    Segment I:    |
      |              |     |                  |
      |   Integer    |  +  |     Double       |
      |   Component  |     |     Precision    |
      |   (optional) |     |     Component    |
      |              |     |                  |
      +--------------+     |                  |
                           |                  |
                           +------------------+
 
   The double precision component of a segment can be further expanded as:
 
      +------------------+
      |                  |
      |    Segment I:    |
      |                  |
      |     Double       |
      |     Precision    |   =
      |     Component    |
      |                  |
      |                  |
      +------------------+
 
      +--------------+     +------------------+
      |  Segment I:  |     |    Segment I:    |
      |              |     |                  |
      |  DSK Segment |  +  |     Double       |
      |  Descriptor  |     |     Precision    |
      +--------------+     |     Data         |
                           |     (optional)   |
                           |                  |
                           |  +  Bookkeeping  |
                           |     Information  |
                           |     (optional)   |
                           |                  |
                           +------------------+
 
   The base addresses and sizes of a DSK segment's integer and double
   precision components are given by the segment's DLA descriptor. The DAS
   integer address range of a DSK segment is
 
      integer base address+1 : integer base address+
                               integer component size
 
   Similarly, the DAS double precision address range of a DSK segment is
 
      d.p. base address+1 : d.p. base address+
                            d.p. component size
 
   Low-level details of the general DSK file format, if not discussed in
   this document, can be obtained from the DAS Required Reading, das.req,
   and from the DLA Required Reading, dla.req.
 
   An abstract view of a DSK segment---a view that ignores physical file
   layout and numeric data types---is
 
 
                  DSK segment =
 
      +-------------------------------------+
      |            DSK Descriptor           |
      +-------------------------------------+
      |      Type-specific shape data       |
      +-------------------------------------+
      | Type-specific ancillary information |
      +-------------------------------------+
 
 
   DSK segments of all data types contain DSK descriptors.
 
   Further details of the DSK segment's structure are data type-dependent.
   Currently there is just one DSK data type: type 2. It is discussed
   below.
 
 
DSK Type 2: Triangular Plate Model
===========================================================================
 
   The following discussion of shape data may be of interest to any DSK
   users. The discussion of type 2 ancillary information is quite detailed
   and likely is not of interest to most DSK users. It may be useful for
   DSK creators, especially those interested in optimizing performance.
 
 
Type 2 Shape Data
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   DSK type 2 represents shapes of objects as collections of triangular
   plates. This data type can model nearly any shape: the shape need not be
   smooth, connected, or continuously deformable to sphere.
 
   Each triangular plate has three vertices: type 2 data consist of a set
   of vertices and a set of ``plates'' to which the vertices belong.
 
 
Vertices
 
   Vertices are vectors in three-dimensional space: each vertex is
   represented by a double precision array consisting of the vertex's X, Y,
   and Z components, in that order.
 
   The components of a vertex are expressed in the body-fixed reference
   frame of the DSK segment to which the vertex belongs. Each vertex
   represents an offset from the center of that reference frame.
 
   The center of a type 2 segment's reference frame need not coincide with
   the body for which the segment provides data. For example, vertices for
   a DSK segment representing Mars topography might be expressed in a Mars
   topocentric frame; the vertices would then represent offsets from the
   Mars surface point at the center of that frame.
 
   Within a type 2 segment, vertex components are always expressed in units
   of km, regardless of the units associated with the input data from which
   the segment was constructed.
 
   Each vertex has an associated integer ID; vertex IDs range from 1 to NV,
   where NV is the number of vertices in the segment. This 1-based
   numbering scheme is used for all language versions of SPICE, so the
   vertex IDs in a DSK file match those used in SPICE DSK code on all
   platforms.
 
 
Plates
 
   The term ``plate'' refers to both a planar surface with a triangular
   boundary in 3-dimensional space, and to a data structure.
 
   As a data structure, a plate is a 3-tuple of integer vertex IDs that
   indicate which vertices belong to that plate.
 
   Each plate has an associated ``outward normal'' direction: this
   direction is perpendicular to the plate. For surfaces that constitute
   boundaries of solid objects---for example, a sphere---the outward normal
   direction has the usual meaning: it points toward the exterior of the
   object. For other surfaces, for example a single plate, the outward
   normal direction may be an arbitrary choice.
 
   The order of a plate's vertices implies the outward normal direction: if
   the vertices are
 
      V(1), V(2), V(3)
 
   then the outward normal direction is
 
      ( V(2) - V(1) )  x  ( V(3) - V(2) )
 
   where ``x'' denotes the vector cross product operator.
 
   DSK creators must take vertex order into account when they define the
   plates of a DSK type 2 segment.
 
   As the formula above shows, the outward normal direction is undefined if
   two or three vertices of a plate coincide; in this case the ``plate'' is
   actually a line segment or a point. Plates having these characteristics
   are termed ``degenerate.'' Even if all of a plate's vertices are
   distinct, the normal direction vector suffers great loss of precision if
   the angle between two plate edges is very close to zero.
 
   Degenerate and nearly degenerate plates are allowed in type 2 segments,
   but it is strongly recommended that DSK creators exclude them from input
   data sets. Such plates can cause run-time failures of user applications
   performing functions that require outward normal directions to exist,
   for example computing emission and solar incidence angles.
 
   Each plate has an associated integer ID; plate IDs range from 1 to NP,
   where NP is the number of plates in the segment. This 1-based numbering
   scheme is used for all language versions of SPICE, so the plate IDs in a
   DSK file match those used in SPICE DSK code on all platforms.
 
 
Type 2 Ancillary Information
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Much of the ``added value'' provided by DSK type 2 segments derives from
   their spatial indexes: these enable rapid association between spatial
   regions and plates, and between vertices and plates.
 
   A DSK type 2 spatial index consists of a ``voxel-plate mapping'' and
   optionally, a ``vertex-plate mapping,'' as well as various associated
   parameters.
 
   All DSK type 2 segments contain a voxel-plate mapping. This mapping
   enables DSK type 2 software to rapidly determine which plates are near a
   specified ray or point.
 
 
Pointers and Offsets
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   In a DSK type 2 segment, integers that refer to locations of data or
   ancillary information are called ``pointers'' or ``offsets.'' In this
   context ``pointer'' is not a Fortran data type (Fortran 77 does not have
   a pointer type) but an indication of the role of the integer.
 
   In a DSK type 2 segment, pointers and offsets are expressed relative to
   the DAS base addresses of that segment, or relative to the DAS addresses
   of other members of the segment. This ensures that the segment is
   ``relocatable'': it has no dependence on its absolute DAS addresses and
   can be moved or copied without corrupting its contents.
 
 
DSK Type 2 Segment Parameters
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The DSK type 2 parameters are constant values stored in both the integer
   and double precision components of a DSK type 2 segment. These are
   distinct from parameters belonging to the segment's DSK descriptor.
 
   A subset of these parameters refer to the segment's voxel grids. They
   are listed here; they are explained later in context.
 
   The integer parameters are:
 
       --   Vertex count
 
       --   Plate count
 
       --   Fine voxel count (redundant, used for convenience)
 
       --   Fine voxel grid extents in the X, Y, and Z directions
 
       --   Coarse voxel scale
 
       --   Size of voxel-plate pointer array
 
       --   Size of voxel-plate association array
 
       --   Size of vertex-plate association array
 
   The double precision parameters are:
 
       --   Fine voxel size (km)
 
       --   Vertex bounds in the X, Y, and Z directions (km)
 
       --   Voxel grid origin (3-vector, km)
 
 
Spatial Index: Voxel-Plate Mapping
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The voxel-plate mapping associates regions of space with plates that
   intersect those regions.
 
   The voxel-plate mapping plays a critical role in DSK geometry
   computations, because it enables plates relevant to computation to be
   located quickly:
 
       --   For ray-surface intercept computations, the voxel-plate mapping
            is used to quickly find the plates that are close enough to the
            ray to be tested for intersection.
 
       --   For association of an individual point with a plate, the
            voxel-plate mapping is used to quickly find plates that are
            close enough to the point so that inclusion of the point by
            those plates should be tested.
 
   The voxel-plate mapping is implemented as a data structure comprising
   four sub-structures and several associated parameters. The
   sub-structures are
 
       --   The fine voxel grid (aka the ``fine grid'')
 
       --   The coarse voxel grid (aka the ``coarse grid'')
 
       --   The voxel-plate pointer array
 
       --   The voxel-plate association array
 
   The structures refer to each other as shown in the following diagram:
 
 
      +---------------+
      |               |
      |               |
      |               |
      |               |                                  +-------------+
      |               |                                  |             |
      |               |                                  |             |
      |               |                                  |             |
      |               |                +-------------+   |             |
      |               |                |             |   |             |
      |               |   +--------+   |             |   |             |
      |               |   |        |   |             |   |             |
      |     Fine      |   | Coarse |   | Voxel-plate |   | Voxel-plate |
      |     voxel     |-->|  voxel |-->|   pointer   |-->| association |
      |     grid      |   |  grid  |   |    array    |   |    array    |
      |               |   |        |   |             |   |             |
      |               |   +--------+   |             |   |             |
      |               |                |             |   |             |
      |               |                +-------------+   |             |
      |               |                                  |             |
      |               |                                  |             |
      |               |                                  |             |
      |               |                                  +-------------+
      |               |
      |               |
      |               |
      +---------------+
 
 
   The structures shown above enable DSK software to map a point in
   3-dimensional space to a set of nearby plates as follows:
 
       1.   The fine voxel containing the point is identified. This is done
            by a constant-time arithmetic calculation.
 
       2.   The coarse voxel containing the fine voxel is identified. This
            is done by a constant-time address calculation.
 
       3.   The voxel-plate pointer corresponding to the fine voxel is
            identified. This is done by a constant-time address
            calculation.
 
       4.   The list of plates associated with the voxel is fetched. The
            time used by this process is linear with respect to the count
            of the voxel's associated plates.
 
   These structures are described in detail in the following sections.
 
 
Fine Voxel Grid
 
   The fine voxel grid is an array, also called a ``grid,'' of cubical
   regions in 3-dimensional space. The cubical regions are called ``fine
   voxels'' or simply ``voxels'' when the term is unambiguous. The overall
   shape of the grid is that of a box (a 3-dimensional solid having six
   rectangular sides).
 
   The sides of the grid are aligned with the coordinate axes of the DSK
   segment's reference frame.
 
   A segment's fine voxel grid contains all vertices in the segment (and
   therefore all plates); a small margin is used so that no plate contacts
   the grid's boundary. Thus no point on or outside of the grid's boundary
   can touch a plate.
 
   The fine voxel grid is fully characterized by
 
       --   An origin. This is a 3-vector representing an offset from the
            reference frame's center. The origin is always placed at the
            minimum X, Y, and Z coordinates of the grid.
 
       --   A voxel size. This is the common edge length of the cubes
            making up the grid. Units are km. See the discussion of the
            ``fine voxel scale'' below.
 
       --   X, Y, and Z grid extents. These are the counts of the grid's
            fine voxels in the directions of the reference frame's
            coordinate axes.
 
   The fine voxel grid is not implemented by a physical array; there is no
   storage cost associated with a large count of fine voxels. (There are
   consequences other than storage cost if the fine voxel size is too
   small: see the section below titled ``Size of the Voxel-Plate
   Association Array.'')
 
   The diagram below shows the position of the fine voxel grid relative to
   its origin, the orientation of the grid relative to the reference
   frame's axes, and the relationship between the grid extents and the
   dimensions of the fine voxel grid.
 
   In this diagram
 
       --   VGREXT is a 3-dimensional integer array containing the X, Y,
            and Z grid extents
 
       --   VOXSIZ is the fine voxel edge length, in km
 
       --   O represents the grid's origin
 
 
 
 
                           .------------.       ^ fine voxel count =
                          /            /|       | VGREXT(3)
                         /            / |       |
                        /            /  |       | length =
                       /            /   |       | VGREXT(3) * VOXSIZ (km)
       ^ +Z           /            /    .    .  v
       |    .        .------------.    /    /
       |   /         |            |   /    /
       |  /+Y        |            |  /    /  fine voxel count = VRGEXT(2)
       | /           |            | /    /
       |/            |            |/    /  length =
       *------->     O------------*    *   VGREXT(2) * VOXSIZ (km)
          +X
                     <------------>
 
      fine voxel count = VGREXT(1)
      length           = VGREXT(1) * VOXSIZ (km)
 
 
 
 
 
Fine Voxel Scale
 
   The fine voxel scale is a parameter that relates the fine voxel size
   (referred to above as VOXSIZ) to the average extent of the plates in a
   DSK type 2 segment.
 
   A plate's ``extent'' in the direction of coordinate axis i is the
   maximum value of coordinate i, taken over the plate's three vertices,
   minus the minimum value of coordinate i, also taken over the plate's
   three vertices. The average extent of a segment's plate set is the
   average of all the the plates' extents in the X, Y, and Z directions.
 
   The fine voxel scale maps the plate set's extents to a voxel size by:
 
      VOXSIZ  = file_voxel_scale * average_plate_extent
 
 
Coarse Voxel Grid
 
   The coarse voxel grid is a data structure that represents the same
   spatial region as the fine voxel grid. Unlike the fine grid, the coarse
   grid is implemented by an array in the DSK segment. The term ``coarse
   voxel grid'' may refer to either the spatial region or the data
   structure, depending on context.
 
   The voxels of the coarse grid are cubes of identical size. The edge
   length of the coarse voxels is an integer multiple of the fine voxels'
   edge length. Let CGRSCL represent this multiple; then each coarse voxel
   contains
 
            3
      CGRSCL
 
   fine voxels.
 
   We use the term ``parent'' to refer to the unique coarse voxel that
   contains a specified fine voxel.
 
   Each extent of the fine voxel grid is
 
      CGRSCL
 
   times the corresponding extent of the coarse grid.
 
   The diagram below shows the relationship between the coarse voxel grid's
   extents and edge lengths. The integer array VGREXT, as above, contains
   the extents of the fine voxel grid. The parameter VOXSIZ contains the
   fine voxels' edge length.
 
 
 
 
            .------------.       ^  coarse voxel count =
           /            /|       |  VGREXT(3) / CGRSCL
          /            / |       |
         /            /  |       |  length =
        /            /   |       |  VGREXT(3) * VOXSIZ (km)
       /            /    .    .  v
      .------------.    /    /
      |            |   /    /  coarse voxel count = VRGEXT(2)/CGRSCL
      |            |  /    /
      |            | /    / length =
      |            |/    /  VGREXT(2) * VOXSIZ (km)
      *------------*    *
 
      <------------>
 
      coarse voxel count = VGREXT(1) / CGRSCL
      length             = VGREXT(1) * VOXSIZ (km)
 
 
 
 
 
   In the description below, the term ``integer'' refers to an element of
   the DAS integer address space.
 
   The DSK integer array representing the coarse voxel grid has one element
   for each coarse voxel. If any plates intersect the spatial region
   corresponding to a coarse voxel, the corresponding coarse voxel grid
   array element contains a pointer into the voxel-plate pointer array. If
   no plates intersect that spatial region, the voxel contains the value
   zero, which represents a null pointer. (Caution: for reasons of backward
   compatibility, the values zero and -1 are used in different parts of DSK
   type 2 segments indicate null pointers.)
 
   Note that during the construction of a spatial index, plate-voxel
   ``intersection'' may be determined using a margin so that plates very
   near a voxel are considered to intersect it. This is the case for DSK
   type 2 segments created by dskw02_c and by MKDSK.
 
   A non-null pointer in a given coarse voxel is a 1-based index of a
   pointer set within the voxel-plate pointer array. The pointer set
   indicates the locations of plate lists associated with the fine voxels
   having the coarse voxel as a parent.
 
   The maximum coarse voxel count within a segment, SPICE_DSK02_MAXCGR, is
   set to
 
      100000
 
   This value cannot be changed in any future version of SPICE.
 
   The value is small enough to make it practical for DSK type 2 software
   to buffer the entire coarse voxel grid in memory.
 
   In all DSK type 2 segments, SPICE_DSK02_MAXCGR integers are allocated
   for the coarse voxel grid, even if the grid is smaller.
 
 
Purpose of the Coarse Voxel Grid
 
   Below, the term ``empty'' means ``not intersected by any plates.''
 
   The coarse voxel grid allows type 2 segments to avoid storing pointers
   for all fine voxels, since only fine voxels belonging to non-empty
   coarse voxels require pointers. Since in many practical cases, the
   majority of coarse voxels are empty, this often greatly reduces the
   required number of pointers.
 
   The coarse voxel grid also tends to reduce the number of physical file
   reads necessary to determine the plate set relevant to a given
   computation, since DSK type 2 software often can use it to quickly
   determine that a given fine voxel is empty, without looking up a
   voxel-plate pointer and then a plate list for that voxel. Any fine voxel
   that belongs to an empty coarse voxel is empty as well, and typically
   the majority of empty fine voxels do belong to empty coarse voxels.
 
 
Voxel-Plate Pointer Array
 
   The voxel-plate pointer array contains a contiguous set of pointers for
   each non-empty coarse voxel. There is one pointer for each fine voxel
   having the associated coarse voxel as a parent. Each such ``pointer'' is
   a 1-based index in the voxel-plate association array of the start of the
   plate list corresponding to a fine voxel. Null pointers in this
   structure are indicated by the value -1.
 
   The pointer set for a given coarse voxel contains one pointer for each
   fine voxel having that coarse voxel as a parent, so there are
 
            3
      CGRSCL
 
   pointers in each set.
 
   Let NNECVX indicate the number of non-empty coarse voxels. Then the
   voxel-plate pointer array has the form:
 
 
      +---------------------+
      |  pointer set 1      |
      +---------------------+
                ...
      +---------------------+
      |  pointer set NNECVX | (number of non-empty coarse voxels)
      +---------------------+
 
 
   The mapping from the coarse voxel grid to pointer sets in the
   voxel-plate pointer array is determined by the segment's data, the voxel
   grid parameters, and the order in which the data are processed. As
   indicated in the following diagram, no particular relationship should be
   assumed to exist between a non-empty coarse voxel's coordinates in the
   coarse grid and the position of its pointer set in the voxel-plate
   pointer array:
 
 
      Coarse voxel grid            Voxel-plate pointer array
 
                                    +--------------------------------+
                                 .->| pointer set for coarse voxel v |
                                /   +--------------------------------+
                               /
      +----------------+      /
      |   NULL         |     /
      +----------------+    /
      | coarse voxel u |--./                       ...
      +----------------+  /\
      | coarse voxel v |-*  \
      +----------------+     \
           ...                \     +--------------------------------+
      +----------------+       *--> | pointer set for coarse voxel u |
      |   NULL         |            +--------------------------------+
      +----------------+                           ...
      | coarse voxel w |--.
      +----------------+   \        +--------------------------------+
      |   NULL         |    *-----> | pointer set for coarse voxel w |
      +----------------+            +--------------------------------+
 
 
   Above, the letters
 
      u, v, w
 
   indicate arbitrary voxel indices. The positions of the null values were
   selected for this example. They're not representative of an actual DSK
   segment.
 
   Within the voxel-plate pointer array, each pointer set has the form:
 
 
      +-----------+
      |  pointer  | voxel 1
      +-----------+
           ...
      +-----------+
      |  pointer  | voxel CGRSCL**3
      +-----------+
 
 
   Each pointer corresponds to a fine voxel in the coarse voxel associated
   with the pointer set. Treating the fine voxels in this coarse voxel as a
   1-dimensional array, the first fine voxel maps to the first pointer, and
   so on. The ordering of the fine voxels is Fortran-style, so a fine voxel
   with 1-based indices (I, J, K) relative to its parent coarse voxel has
   the one-dimensional index
 
 
                                          2
      I   +  (J-1)*CGRSCL  +  (K-1)*CGRSCL
 
 
   The fine voxel with coordinates (1, 1, 1) relative to the parent coarse
   voxel is located in parent voxel's corner having minimum X, Y, and Z
   values in the Cartesian coordinate system associated with the segment's
   reference frame.
 
 
Voxel-Plate Association Array
 
   The voxel-plate association array contains, for each non-empty fine
   voxel, a list of plate IDs identifying the plates that intersect that
   voxel, and a plate count.
 
   Let NNEFVX be the total number of non-empty fine voxels in the fine
   grid. Let
 
      v_1, v_2, ..., v_NNEFVX
 
   indicate NNEFVX indices of non-empty fine voxels in arbitrary order. The
   voxel-plate association array has the form:
 
 
      +-------------------------+
      | List for voxel v_1      |
      +-------------------------+
      | List for voxel v_2      |
      +-------------------------+
                  ...
      +-------------------------+
      | List for voxel v_NNEFVX | (number of non-empty fine voxels)
      +-------------------------+
 
 
   Let N be the number of plates in the plate list for voxel v_i. Let
 
      p_1, p_2, ..., p_N
 
   be the plate IDs of these plates. The plate list for the fine voxel at
   index v_i has the form
 
 
      +--------------------+
      | List count = N     |
      +--------------------+
      | Plate ID p_1       |
      +--------------------+
               ...
      +--------------------+
      | Plate ID p_N       |
      +--------------------+
 
 
   The mapping from a pointer in the voxel-plate pointer array to a plate
   list in the voxel-plate association array is determined by the segment's
   data, the voxel grid parameters, and the order in which the data are
   processed. As indicated in the following diagram, no particular
   relationship should be assumed to exist between the position of a
   pointer in the voxel-plate pointer array and the position of the
   corresponding plate list in the voxel-plate association array:
 
 
 
      Voxel-plate                     Voxel-plate association array
      pointer array
                                    +-------------------------------+
                                 .->| plate list for voxel u_2      |
                                /   +-------------------------------+
                               /
                              /
        pointer set u        /
      +----------------+    /
      | voxel u_1      |--./                       ...
      +----------------+  /\
      | voxel u_2      |-*  \
      +----------------+     \
            ...               \     +-------------------------------+
      +----------------+       *--->| plate list for voxel u_1      |
      |   NULL         |            +-------------------------------+
      +----------------+                           ...
      | voxel u_n      |--.
      +----------------+   \        +-------------------------------+
      |   NULL         |    *------>| plate list for voxel u_n      |
      +----------------+            +-------------------------------+
 
              3
        CGRSCL  elements
 
 
 
   Above, the letter ``u'' indicates an arbitrary pointer set in the
   voxel-plate pointer array, which contains NNECVX such sets. The
   positions of the null values were selected for this example. They're not
   representative of an actual DSK segment.
 
 
Size of the Voxel-Plate Association Array
 
   This section likely is of interest only to DSK creators.
 
   Other than the optional vertex-plate association array, the voxel-plate
   association array is the largest ancillary data structure in a DSK type
   2 segment. The size, in units of integers, of this array is affected by
   the fine voxel scale, which is a user-selectable parameter. For a given
   plate and vertex set, the size of fine voxels varies in proportion to
   the fine voxel scale.
 
   Let NVOXPL be the size, in units of integers, of the voxel-plate
   association array; as above, let NNEFVX be the total count of non-empty
   fine voxels; let NP be the segment's plate count. A lower bound on
   NVOXPL is
 
 
      NNEFVX + NP
 
 
   This number reflects the plate counts for the plate lists of each
   non-empty fine voxel, plus the presence of each plate ID on at least one
   list.
 
   Normally, a large number of plates cross voxel boundaries and so have
   their IDs on multiple lists. Hence NVOXPL is normally larger than the
   lower bound shown above.
 
   Reducing the fine voxel size improves the discrimination of the fine
   grid, which can improve the efficiency of algorithms that must operate
   on plates associated with a specified spatial region. For example, in
   the ray-surface intercept computation, the count of plates associated
   with voxels intersected by the ray will usually decrease as the voxel
   size is reduced.
 
   However, as the fine voxel size is reduced, more plates cross voxel
   boundaries---such plates are on the plate list of each voxel they
   touch---and NVOXPL increases. The memory required to hold the spatial
   index increases as well; it may become too large to allow a program
   calling dskw02_c (the utility MKDSK is one such program) to run
   successfully. If a DSK segment with a very large value of NVOXPL is
   successfully created, its large size may have a detrimental effect on
   disk access time.
 
 
Spatial Index: Vertex-Plate Mapping
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Recall that a ``plate'' is a 3-tuple of integer vertex IDs. Given a
   vertex ID, the vertex-plate mapping enables DSK software to quickly find
   the plates that include that vertex ID as one of their own. This enables
   geometric algorithms to quickly find the plates that lie close to a
   given plate.
 
   Currently (as of the time of release of the N0066 SPICE Toolkit) there
   are no CSPICE routines that rely on the vertex-plate mapping. Creation
   of this mapping is therefore optional. Both the DSK type 2 writer
   function dskw02_c and the utility program MKDSK enable users to indicate
   whether to create a vertex-plate mapping in an output DSK segment.
 
 
Structure of the Vertex-Plate Mapping
 
   The vertex-plate mapping consists of two arrays in DAS integer address
   space: the vertex-plate pointer array and the vertex-plate association
   array. Elements of the former array refer to positions in the latter:
 
 
 
                          +--------------+
                          |              |
                          |              |
      +---------------+   |              |
      |               |   |              |
      |               |   |              |
      |               |   |              |
      | Vertex-plate  |-->| Vertex-plate |
      | pointer array |   | association  |
      |               |   |   array      |
      |               |   |              |
      +---------------+   |              |
                          |              |
                          |              |
                          +--------------+
 
 
 
   Let NV be the number of vertices in the segment. Then the vertex-plate
   pointer array contains NV elements, and the ith element indicates the
   plate list associated with vertex i.
 
   The vertex-plate association array contains a plate list for each
   vertex:
 
 
      +----------------------+
      | List for vertex v_1  |
      +----------------------+
      | List for vertex v_2  |
      +----------------------+
                ...
      +----------------------+
      | List for vertex v_NV |
      +----------------------+
 
 
   Let N be the number of plates in the plate list for vertex i. Let
 
      p_1, p_2, ..., p_N
 
   be the plate IDs of these plates. The plate list for vertex i has the
   form
 
 
 
      +--------------------+
      | List count = N     |
      +--------------------+
      | Plate ID p_1       |
      +--------------------+
               ...
      +--------------------+
      | Plate ID p_N       |
      +--------------------+
 
 
   The mapping from a vertex to a plate list in the vertex-plate
   association array is determined by the segment's data, the voxel grid
   parameters, and the order in which the data are processed. No particular
   relationship should be assumed to exist between a vertex ID and the
   position of the corresponding plate list in the vertex-plate association
   array.
 
 
Size of the Vertex-Plate Mapping Array
 
   This section likely is of interest only to DSK creators.
 
   Let NV be a DSK type 2 segment's vertex count, and let NP be the
   segment's plate count. Then the size, in units of integers, of the
   vertex-plate pointer array is
 
      NV
 
   and the size of the vertex-plate association array is
 
      NV  +  3*NP
 
   The latter value is due to the facts that
 
       --   Each plate ID is on exactly three lists
 
       --   There is a list for each of the NV vertices
 
       --   Each list contains a plate count
 
   The potentially large size of the vertex-plate association array makes
   the optional vertex-plate mapping a good candidate for omission when a
   DSK type 2 segment is created.
 
 
Layout of DSK Type 2 Segments
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Below we describe the organization of integer and double precision data
   and ancillary information in DSK type 2 segments.
 
 
DSK Type 2 Integer Segment Component
 
   The layout in DAS integer address space of the integer items in a DSK
   type 2 segment is:
 
 
         +-----------------+
         | NV              |   number of vertices
         +-----------------+
         | NP              |   number of plates
         +-----------------+
         | NVXTOT          |   total number of voxels
         +-----------------+
         | VGREXT          |   voxel grid extents, 3 integers
         +-----------------+
         | CGRSCL          |   coarse voxel grid scale
         +-----------------+
         | VOXNPT          |   size of voxel-plate pointer list
         +-----------------+
         | VOXNPL          |   size of voxel-plate association list
         +-----------------+
         | VTXNPL          |   size of vertex-plate association list
         +-----------------+
         | PLATES          |   NP 3-tuples of vertex IDs
         +-----------------+
         | VOXPTR          |   voxel-plate pointer array, variable size
         +-----------------+
         | VOXPLT          |   voxel-plate association list, variable size
         +-----------------+
         | VTXPTR          |   vertex-plate pointer array, 0 or
         |                 |   NV integers
         +-----------------+
         | VTXPLT          |   vertex-plate association list,
         |                 |   0 or NV + 3*NP integers
         +-----------------+
         | CGRPTR          |   coarse grid pointers,
         |                 |   SPICE_DSK02_MAXCGR integers
         +-----------------+
 
 
   The sizes of all variable-size items are stored at known locations, so
   the starting position of any item can be calculated. Parameters
   specifying offsets of the items from the segment's base integer address
   are declared in SpiceDSK.h. The segment's base integer address is
   available from the segment's DLA descriptor.
 
   CSPICE provides the low-level utility function dski02_c to fetch any of
   the items shown above. Plates and the plate count may be fetched more
   conveniently using the routines dskp02_c and dskz02_c.
 
 
DSK Type 2 Double Precision Segment Component
 
   The layout in DAS double precision address space of the double precision
   items in a DSK type 2 segment is:
 
 
         +-------------------+
         | DSK descriptor    |  SPICE_DSK_DSCSIZ d.p. values
         +-------------------+
         | Vertex bounds     |  6 d.p. values (min/max for each component)
         +-------------------+
         | Voxel grid origin |  3 d.p. values
         +-------------------+
         | Fine voxel size   |  1 d.p. value
         +-------------------+
         | Vertices          |  3*NV d.p. values
         +-------------------+
 
 
   The parameter SPICE_DSK_DSCSIZ is declared in SpiceDSK.h.
 
   CSPICE provides the low-level utility function dskd02_c to fetch any of
   the items shown above. Vertices and the vertex count may be fetched more
   conveniently using the routines dskv02_c and dskz02_c.
 
   The DSK segment descriptor layout is:
 
 
         +---------------------+
         | Surface ID code     |
         +---------------------+
         | Center ID code      |
         +---------------------+
         | Data class code     |
         +---------------------+
         | Data type           |
         +---------------------+
         | Ref frame code      |
         +---------------------+
         | Coord sys code      |
         +---------------------+
         | Coord sys parameters|  10 d.p. values
         +---------------------+
         | Min coord 1         |
         +---------------------+
         | Max coord 1         |
         +---------------------+
         | Min coord 2         |
         +---------------------+
         | Max coord 2         |
         +---------------------+
         | Min coord 3         |
         +---------------------+
         | Max coord 3         |
         +---------------------+
         | Start time          |
         +---------------------+
         | Stop time           |
         +---------------------+
 
 
   The DSK descriptor of a DSK segment may be fetched using the function
   dskgd_c.
 
 
Coordinate System Parameters
 
   The coordinate system parameter section of a DSK descriptor always
   contains 10 elements.
 
   The contents of this section are dependent on the coordinate system. For
   planetodetic coordinates, the contents are:
 
 
         +------------------------+
         | Equatorial radius (km) |
         +------------------------+
         | Flattening coefficient |
         +------------------------+
         | <undefined>            | 8 d.p. values
         +------------------------+
 
 
   These parameters define the axes of a reference ellipsoid. The length of
   the polar axis is
 
 
        polar_axis = (1 - flattening_coefficient) * equatorial_axis
 
 
   For planetocentric latitudinal and rectangular coordinates, all elements
   are undefined.
 
   DSK subsystem computations involving a DSK segment always use the
   coordinate parameters stored in that segment. These parameters may
   differ from those specified in a text PCK used by the same application
   program, or from those specified in a different segment for the same
   body.
 
   It is not necessarily an error for different sets of coordinate
   parameters to be used in a computation, but DSK users should be aware of
   which parameters are used for which purpose.
 
 
Common Problems
===========================================================================
 
 
Slow DSK Computations
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Depending on the computation and the DSK data used, DSK-based geometry
   computations can range from imperceptibly slower to orders of magnitude
   slower than those using triaxial ellipsoid shape models.
 
   SPICE users can speed up DSK computations by several means:
 
       1.   Store DSK files on a fast medium, such as a solid-state drive.
 
            Most DSK applications perform a large number of physical file
            reads, so speeding up these operations has a large effect on
            overall speed.
 
            For applications using large data sets, the speed of the
            storage medium can be the dominant factor affecting overall
            program execution speed.
 
       2.   Use the lowest-resolution shape model that's suitable for the
            computation.
 
            For example, for a small target body, generation of graphics
            overlays for limbs, terminators, and subspacecraft points may
            require a type 2 shape model with only a few thousand plates.
 
            Large data sets generally result in slower data access
            performance. This is due to both slower access to the storage
            medium, and to the fact that, for some DSK data types, DSK
            software must perform more operations to find data of interest
            in a large data set than in a small one. This latter point
            applies to DSK data type 2.
 
       3.   Choose the proper computation method for the problem.
 
            For example, for a ray-surface intercept computation where
            there are multiple rays for a given observer, target, and
            observation time, if it's valid to use the same aberration
            corrections for all of the rays, then the lower-level routine
            dskxv_c will perform the computation far faster than sincpt_c.
 
            Another example: for large target bodies having shapes that are
            well approximated by ellipsoids, limb and terminator points
            might be sufficiently accurate if computed using the ``GUIDED''
            rather than the ``TANGENT'' method. See the API documentation
            of limbpt_c and termpt_c for further information.
 
            Another example: for an illumination angle computation, a
            low-resolution surface may, in some cases, yield smoother and
            more meaningful results than a high-resolution surface.
 
 
Non-Portable and Unstable Results
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Round-off errors can cause valid yet unexpected results due to the fact
   that round-off errors can differ from one computer platform (this term
   refers not only to hardware but to math libraries and even compilation
   options) to the next. For example:
 
       --   A ray-surface intercept computation, given identical inputs,
            may result in an intercept on one platform and a miss on
            another.
 
       --   The ID of the plate on which a given ray hits a target body may
            change from one platform to the next.
 
            This situation is not hard to contrive in test software: a
            program designed to aim rays at a type 2 segment's plate edges
            and vertices can demonstrate it.
 
       --   The altitude of an observer above the surface, given identical
            inputs to the computation, might change drastically from one
            platform to the next.
 
   ``Unstable'' results are those that vary greatly in response to small
   changes in input values. A small difference in input times, with all
   other inputs equal, can make the difference between a ray-surface
   intersection and non-intersection, or between spacecraft altitude
   measured relative to a plateau vs terrain at the base of a cliff.
 
   These problems are best avoided at the time application software is
   designed: software developers must account for the effects of round-off
   error.
 
 
Non-Convex and Multi-Valued Surfaces
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   Non-convex surfaces can thwart logic that is valid for triaxial
   ellipsoid models. For example, at a given point on a non-convex surface,
   for a specified observer, an emission angle of less than 90 degrees
   doesn't necessarily imply that the point is visible from the observer.
   Similarly, a solar incidence angle of less than 90 degrees doesn't
   necessarily imply the point is illuminated by the sun.
 
   Even a slight deviation from convexity can change numerical results
   considerably from those obtained using a triaxial ellipsoid model. For
   example, depending on whether there is a mountain in the foreground or
   whether the intercept lies in a valley (oriented in the general
   direction of the ray's projection on the surface), the range from an
   observer to a ray-surface intercept point can be much shorter or longer
   than the distance to the ray's intercept on the target body's reference
   ellipsoid.
 
   Non-convex surfaces can, in some cases, render some geometric quantities
   undefined or unusable. For example, the nearest surface point to a given
   point, not on the surface, can have multiple solutions, all in
   substantially different directions from the given point. Another
   example: the origin of a body-fixed reference frame for an object may be
   outside of the object--- a surface modeling a planetary ring would have
   this property.
 
   Multi-valued surfaces are those for which, for a given latitude and
   longitude, or for a given (X,Y) value, there are multiple radius or
   height values. These surfaces can occur due to presence of topographic
   features such as cliffs, caves, and arches. They can also occur due to
   the large-scale shape of an object, as is the case for the nucleus of
   the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
 
   Multi-valued surfaces invite new categories of errors not possible with
   single-valued, non-convex surfaces. For example, for a given observer
   position, the sub-observer point can vary depending on the observer's
   altitude. Software meant for use with single-valued surfaces, for
   example the function latsrf_c, may yield incorrect results for such
   cases.
 
   Multi-valued surfaces can yield discontinuities in derived quantities
   that are well-behaved when an ellipsoid is used to model the target's
   shape. For example, when an observing spacecraft overflies a cliff, the
   observer's altitude can change discontinuously. If the sub-spacecraft
   point is corrected for light time, the light time algorithm may converge
   slowly or not at all.
 
   Again, these problems are best solved by designing application software
   to avoid assumptions appropriate only for ellipsoids.
 
 
DSK File Creation Errors
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   The variety of possible DSK file creation errors is limited only by the
   fact that inputs to the process contain a finite number of bytes. We'll
   mention only some of the common ones.
 
 
MKDSK Setup File Errors
 
   While MKDSK can check for obviously invalid values, there are some
   values that it either cannot or does not check:
 
       --   Central body ID code
 
       --   Surface ID code
 
       --   Central body reference frame---is it the one to which the data
            are actually referenced?
 
       --   Segment coordinate bounds---are they compatible with the data?
 
       --   Angular and distance units
 
   MKDSK does place a copy of the setup file in the comment area of the
   output DSK file, so users can check it.
 
 
Data Errors
 
   Some data properties are allowed by MKDSK and dskw02_c, but result in
   DSK segments that may be unsuitable for some computations. These
   include:
 
       --   Degenerate plates. Some plate generation algorithms can create
            plates that have zero-length edges (in fact, MKDSK can be
            induced to do this). Such plates can be written to a DSK
            segment, but they will cause failure of algorithms that need to
            compute the outward normal vectors of plates.
 
       --   Missing data. Missing data can cause failure of some algorithms
            such as the sub-observer point computation.
 
 
Segment Coverage Errors
 
   It is possible for DSK creators to create segments that don't have the
   coverage claimed in the segments' DSK descriptors and intended by the
   creator to be present.
 
   This is an easy error to make when a large data set is distributed
   across multiple DSK files. The DSK creator may assume that the original
   plate set, partitioned among various files, will yield the same coverage
   as if all plates were stored in a single segment. Not so---each segment
   can only provide the coverage its DSK descriptor claims it has, so if a
   plate needed by a segment to provide coverage near, but within, that
   segment's boundary is allocated to a different segment, the first
   segment's coverage will have a gap.
 
   An artificial, but simple, example of this is a tessellation of a
   sphere, using triangular plates. Suppose that the surface is partitioned
   into a 6 x 12 grid of segments, each covering a 30 degree by 30 degree
   region of planetocentric longitude and latitude. Suppose each segment
   contains 225 pairs of plates such that each pair covers a
   longitude-latitude rectangle having angular extent 2 degrees by 2
   degrees, so each segment is ``covered'' by 450 plates.
 
   Consider the segment covering the coordinate rectangle
 
      Planetocentric longitude (deg):    0 to +30
      Planetocentric latitude  (deg):  +30 to +60
 
   For each plate having two vertices on the segment's southern boundary,
   the edge of that plate connecting those vertices has latitude greater
   than 30 degrees everywhere but at the vertices themselves. At the
   midpoint of that edge, the latitude is actually about 30.00378 degrees.
 
   A ray aimed from an exterior vertex to the center of the sphere will
   miss the surface if the longitude of the vertex is 15 degrees and
   latitude of the vertex is above 30 degrees but less than the latitude of
   the edge's midpoint.
 
   The solution is to create each segment using ``padding''---additional
   plates extending slightly beyond the segment's southern boundary, so no
   ray emanating from the origin and hitting the sphere within the
   segment's longitude-latitude coverage can miss all of the segment's
   plates.
 
   The same problem exists for all southern segment latitude boundaries
   having positive latitude, and for all northern segment latitude
   boundaries having negative latitude. All of these boundaries require
   padding in order to achieve the intended coverage.
 
 
Poor Data Distribution Across Segments
 
   It's possible to create DSK segments that are technically valid but that
   give rise to very slow run-time performance.
 
   A seemingly attractive choice that can lead to this problem is
   partitioning a large data set into a small number of files, each of
   which contains a large number of plates.
 
   Type 2 segments can contain 10000000 or more plates (see Appendix B),
   but as a segment's plate count increases, the speed of DSK ray-surface
   intercept computations decreases.
 
   Experience indicates that DSK ray-surface intercepts exhibit an
   ``economy of small scale'' phenomenon, whereby spreading data across
   multiple, small segments tends to improve performance. This is true only
   up to a point: as the number of segments grows, the amount of time spent
   reading new data when switching from one segment to another grows. At
   some point this overhead becomes a significant drag on performance.
 
 
Appendix A --- Revision History
===========================================================================
 
 
2017 APR 05 by N. J. Bachman.
 
   Initial release.
 
 
Appendix B --- DSK Subsystem Limits
===========================================================================
 
   The limits shown here apply to the N0066 CSPICE Toolkit.
 
   See the file
 
      SpiceDSK.h
 
   for declarations of public parameters defining DSK limits.
 
 
General Limits
--------------------------------------------------------
 
       --   Maximum number of loaded DSK files: 5000
 
            The practical limit is lower, since the total number of kernels
            of all types that can be loaded is 5000.
 
       --   Maximum number of loaded DSK segments: 10000
 
            Note that the DSK subsystem, unlike the SPK, CK, and binary PCK
            subsystems, does not search kernels for segments in ``search
            without buffering'' mode. Thus instead of suffering greatly
            degraded performance, a user's application will receive a
            CSPICE error signal if an attempt is made to load too many
            segments.
 
       --   Maximum number of surfaces in a surface list: 100
 
            This applies to surface lists in calls to the CSPICE APIs that
            use them.
 
       --   Maximum number of surface name-ID pairs that can be defined at
            run time: 2003
 
 
DSK Type 2 Segment Limits
--------------------------------------------------------
 
   For all platforms:
 
         Maximum number of coarse voxels:   100000
 
         Maximum number of fine voxels:     100000000
 
   For the platforms
 
      PC-64BIT-MS_C
      PC-CYGWIN-64BIT-GCC_C
      PC-CYGWIN-64BIT-GFORTRAN
      PC-CYGWIN-GFORTRAN
      PC-CYGWIN_C
      PC-MS_C
      PC-WINDOWS-64BIT-IFORT
      PC-WINDOWS-IFORT
      SUN-SOLARIS
      SUN-SOLARIS-64BIT-GCC_C
      SUN-SOLARIS-64BIT-NATIVE_C
      SUN-SOLARIS-GCC_C
      SUN-SOLARIS-NATIVE_C
 
   the following limits apply:
 
         Maximum number of plates:          10000000
 
         Maximum number of vertices:        5000002
 
   For all others, the limits are:
 
         Maximum number of plates:          32000000
 
         Maximum number of vertices:        16000002
 
