Data Sources
Engenerate can work from several kinds of project and external data sources. This page summarizes what users commonly encounter in current chat, planning, and report workflows.
Project Knowledge Sources
| Source | Where You Use It | What It Provides |
|---|---|---|
| Project resources | Chat Context → Resources | Grounded retrieval from processed project files |
| Notebooks | Chat Context → Notebooks | Workspace notes and draft content reused as context |
| Libraries | Chat Context → Libraries | Standards, regulations, and reference documents |
| Attachments | Chat prompt + menu | One-turn file or image context that is not automatically indexed |
National Databases
| Source | Where You Encounter It | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| National Bridge Inventory (NBI) | Chat results table | Bridge inventory and bridge-record lookups |
| National Inventory of Dams (NID) | Chat results table | Dam inventory and dam-record lookups |
| National Low Head Dam Inventory (NLHDI) | Chat results table | Low-head dam inventory and low-head-dam record lookups |
Environmental and Engineering Lookups
| Source | Typical Use | Where It Appears |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA Atlas 14 | Precipitation frequency and IDF-style analysis | Chat viewers, planning, and downstream outputs |
| NOAA daily climate records | Temperature, precipitation, snow, wind, and related climate history | Chat viewers and related outputs |
| USGS NWIS streamflow | Streamgage time series and streamflow analysis | Chat viewers and related outputs |
| NRCS SSURGO soils | Soil groups, map units, site soils analysis, and soils reports | Chat viewers and related outputs |
| Map context | Site, area, or watershed location context | Chat, planning, and execution workflows |
Additional geospatial or engineering lookups may appear in plan-driven or build-oriented workflows when the task calls for them.
How Sources Show Up in Outputs
| Output Surface | How Sources Appear |
|---|---|
| Chat | Citations, result tables, charts, maps, and tool viewers |
| Notebooks | Saved narrative, references, and supported tool-generated content |
| Word exports | Notebook content carried into DOCX or report-style Word output |
Choosing the Right Source
- Use project resources when the answer should come from your own files.
- Use libraries when you need standards or reference material in the same workflow.
- Use national databases when you need structured public infrastructure records.
- Use environmental and engineering lookups when the task depends on site conditions, hydrology, climate, or soils.