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Ecosystem Management Decision Support
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<p>The Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system is an <a href="/facts/Application_framework/xSzKMgdn">application framework</a> for <a href="/facts/Knowledge_base/zKXdqQjH">knowledge-based</a> <a href="/facts/Decision_support_system/HPeJMlRM">decision support</a> of ecological analysis and planning at any geographic scale. </p><p>EMDS integrates state-of-the-art <a href="/facts/Geographic_information_system/PoP1kVoa">geographic information system</a> (GIS) as well as <a href="/facts/Logic_programming/Xgh8lj3F">logic programming</a> and <a href="/facts/Decision_support_system/HPeJMlRM">decision modeling technologies</a> on multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X) to provide decision support for a substantial portion of the <a href="/facts/Adaptive_management/ST9hnWMf">adaptive management</a> process of <a href="/facts/Ecosystem_management/JXHEcNDP">ecosystem management</a>. </p><p>EMDS has used <a href="/facts/Criterium_DecisionPlus/8nwUgAKh">Criterium DecisionPlus</a> from <a href="http://InfoHarvest.com">InfoHarvest, Inc.</a> and <a href="/facts/NetWeaver_Developer/utU1lsCr">NetWeaver</a> from <a href="http://rules-of-thumb.com">Rules of Thumb, Inc.</a> as core analytical engines since 2002. The NetWeaver component performs logic-based evaluation of environmental data, and logically synthesizes evaluations to infer the state of landscape features such as watersheds (e.g., watershed condition). The DecisionPlus component prioritizes landscape features with respect to user-defined management objectives (e.g., watershed restoration), using summarized outputs from NetWeaver as well as additional logistical information considered important to the decision maker(s). See the #Applications section below for a current list of published papers by application area. </p><p>Several citations provide extensive background on the EMDS system and its potential applications. </p><p>EMDS 8.7 was released in February 2023. Some major new features were added between v5 and 8.7 (see <a href="https://app.box.com/s/hv7hs2x8lqkdduerww4rvdyu2z47cgvz">Frontiers in Environmental Science</a>): </p> <ol><li>Classic multicriteria decision analysis to rate potential management activities in each landscape feature.</li> <li>Design and evaluation of alternative portfolios of management actions to implement on a landscape.</li> <li>An advanced table and charting utility for summarizing results of the analytical engines.</li> <li>Addition of a workflow editor to automate sequences of activities and data processing.</li> <li>Support for scripting languages (Python, R, JavaScript, and C#script) that can be used standalone or in conjunction with the workflow editor.</li></ol>