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FRAGSTATS Links to other Software |
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This page contains links to
other web sites containing information on related software.
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| Despite the widespread use
of landscape metrics in landscape ecology, there are relatively few packaged
software programs available that offer a broad array of metrics. Most of
the efforts to date have been tailored to meet the needs of specific research
objectives and have employed user-generated computer programs to perform
the analyses. Such user-generated programs allow for the inclusion of customized
analytical methods and easy linkages to other programs such as spatial simulation
models, yet generally lack the advanced graphics capabilities of commercially
available GIS. Moreover, most of these user-generated programs are limited
to a particular hardware environment or are embedded within a larger software
package designed to accomplish a specific research objective (e.g., to model
fire disturbance regimes). Despite limitations in computer platform or GIS
software dependencies, there are a number of software programs like FRAGSTATS
that compute landscape metrics. A brief description of those that I am aware
of and a link to a web site where more information can be obtained follows:
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FRAGSTATS*ARC represents state-of-the-art integration
between the popular FRAGSTATS software and the ARC/INFO GIS. It is a standalone
ARC/INFO application that seamlessly integrates the operation and management
of FRAGSTATS analysis through an intuitive and easy to use interface. The
product is designed for use by natural resource professionals, not ARC/INFO
specialists ! FRAGSTATS*ARC contains most of the popular metrics found
in the public domain FRAGSTATS software. The focus of the software is on
providing an intuitive and friendly interface for natural resource professionals
to operate both FRAGSTATS and ARC/INFO together, while providing access
to the full suite of ARC/INFO's powerful data analysis, management and
display capabilities. Specifically, FRAGSTATS*ARC operates as a standalone
application on ARC/INFO. It provides capabilities for data management and
pre-processing, operating and managing FRAGSTATS runs, and tools for the
query and display of FRAGSTATS output. Linkages between your ARC/INFO coverages
and FRAGSTATS output are completely seamless. FRAGSTATS*ARC is not public
domain and therefore must be purchased from the developers.
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r.le Programs
http://eratos.erin.utoronto.ca/res/vbr/web/rle/rle.htm |
| The r.le programs developed by Baker and Cai (1992) are a series of programs
that provide a broad array of raster-based metrics as well as a variety
of methods for sub-sampling and analyzing the landscape. The r.le programs
are imbedded in the GRASS GIS, which runs under the UNIX (or LINUX) operating
system. The r.le programs are public domain and can obtained by contacting
the authors.
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Patch Analyst
http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~rrempel/patch/ |
| Patch Analyst is an extension to the ArcView GIS system that facilitates
the spatial analysis of landscape patches, and modeling of attributes associated
with patches. There are 2 versions of the program: (1) the full version,
which analyses both polygon and grid data structures. The full edition requires
the Spatial Analyst® extension, which is available from ESRI®; and (2) the
Vector Edition (VE), which analyses only polygon data. This version works
with ArcView shapefiles and grids, and ArcInfo coverages and grids. The
extension was designed for the Win95/NT version of ArcView. Essentially,
Patch Analyst provides an ArcView user interface to the old version 2.0
FRAGSTATS, as well as separate Avenue-based spatial analysis functions.
The extension was designed for the Win95/98/NT version of ArcView 3.2, but
should also work under UNIX. The program was developed by Angus Carr, Rob
Rempel and Rob Kushneriuk, with assistance from Phil Elkie and Julie Elliott
through funding from the Sustainable Forest Mangement Network (NCE), and
with support from the Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research. Patch
Analyst (Grid) © is not public domain, but may be used free of charge under
a license agreement; it can be downloaded from website listed above.
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| LEAP II is a broad-based program that provides a number of functions,
including the quantification of landscape patterns using the old version
2.0 FRAGSTATS software. LEAP II is built for the Windows NT platform
and accepts images in a variety of formats, but is designed primarily to
accept 8-bit and 16-bit binary input formats for the FRAGSTATS analysis.
The program was developed by Frank Schnekenburger through the Forest Landscape
Ecology Program in the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. LEAP II is
public domain software and can be downloaded from the website listed above.
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| LANDISVIEW is a tool for converting ERDAS gis files into ASCII grids for compatibility with Fragstats. This tool (currently LANDISVIEW Beta 1.0 and a User Guide) is now available free of charge at the link above. |
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Kevin McGarigal
Department of Natural Resources Conservation
University of Massachusetts
304 Holdsworth Natural Resources Center
Box 34210
Amherst, MA 01003
Fax: (413) 545-4358
Phone: (413) 577-0655
Email: mcgarigalk@forwild.umass.edu