|
The Aquatic and Terrestrial Resources Inventory
(a source of ecological data for Wisconsin).
This program was developed by the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources "to develop an
information system to acquire, integrate, and
disseminate information concerning inventories
and data on aquatic and terrestrial natural
resources." The ATRI system enables
Department staff and partners to access,
integrate, and apply environmental information
to landscape scale decision-making. Resources
include a "metadata
explorer" that is a computerized "card
catalog" designed to help locate ecological data
affecting Wisconsin's landscape, and
interactive maps that enable spatial data to
be viewed along with their associated
attributes. With the interactive maps,
users can zoom in and out, identify features,
and perform simple queries.
The
Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA).
The L-THIA model was developed as a
straightforward analysis tool to provide
estimates of changes in runoff, recharge, and
non-point source pollution resulting from past
or proposed land use changes. It gives
long-term average annual runoff for a land use
configuration, based on actual long-term climate
data for that area.
PlaceIT. PlaceIT is an ArcView 3.2
extension that allows users to accomplish two
tasks. In the first, they can select
parcels and "develop" them for residential use
at a selected density level, after which they
are provided with immediate information about
the amount and type of land that has been
"converted." The second allows for
allocation of land in multiple categories, as a
tool for developing a land-use plan over time,
and to allow comparison of alternatives.
Windows
to my Environment. Sponsored by the
Environmental Protection Agency in partnership
with federal, state, and local partner
organizations, Window to My Environment (WME) is
a new website designed to improve access to
useful community-based environmental
information, providing a wide range of shared
data among EPA, States, Tribes, localities, and
other partners. The site features
interactive mapping tools, data on "ambient"
environmental conditions, access to analytical
and reporting tools, and local governmental
services and contacts.
CommunityViz. CommunityViz provides a
complete set of integrated GIS software tools to
allow planners and resource managers the
information to make informed planning decisions.
CommunityViz includes: 1) Scenario
Constructor, a scenario analysis tool that
provides the underlying framework for the
powerful alternative-comparison capabilities of
CommunityViz. It also provides a rich set
of quantitative impact analysis capabilities.
2) Policy Simulator, which uses agent-based
modeling techniques to simulate likely future
impacts of community planning proposals,
providing planners with a view of likely
economic and demographic outcomes years into the
future. 3) SiteBuilder 3D, which enables
users to build photo-realistic three-dimensional
interactive models of their land-use proposals.
Once built, the models allow 3D simulation "fly
-through" and exploration, giving users the
ability to visualize land-use proposals and even
change them in real time.
Dane INDEX.
This model is a custom adaptation of the INDEX
model to Dane County, Wisconsin. INDEX can
compare indicators for two or more alternative
land use scenarios. Specific to Dane
County are two components of interest to local
planners: fiscal impacts and stormwater runoff.
The fiscal impact model, a spreadsheet model
linked to the GIS land use data in Dane INDEX,
was developed by a local firm and utilized
locally collected data. L-THIA (above) was
also integrated into Dane INDEX. For
information, contact
Curt Kodl,
Dane County Planning and Development:
608-266-9002.
The Thermal Urban Runoff Model (TURM).
Dane County Land Conservation and the University
of Wisconsin have developed the TURM model to
simulate runoff temperatures from paved areas.
The model also simulates the temperature
reduction after the runoff passes through
rock-filled channels, open vegetated swales,
infiltrating surfaces, and other surfaces that
can be used to cool the first flush of headed
stormwater runoff. For information,
contact
Aicardo Roa-Espinosa, Department of
Biological Systems Engineering UW-Madison,
608-224-3743.
CITYgreen. CITYgreen is a powerful GIS
application for land-use planning and
policy-making. The software conducts
complex statistical analyses of ecosystem
services and creates easy-to-understand maps and
reports. CITYgreen calculates dollar
benefits based on your specific site conditions.
CITYgreen analyzes stormwater runoff, air
quality, summer energy savings, carbon storage
and avoidance, and tree growth. It creates
broad regional studies or detailed small site
assessments, ecological maps revealing the true
value of resources, models for future growth,
colorful, easy-to-understand presentations, and
automatic reports that summarize key findings.
If you know of other
land-use decision-making tools that should be
listed here, send an
email
with information and contact information.
|
