Zonae Cogito is a decision support system to run Marxan and C-Plan analyses and view their results. It is freely available and incorporates open source GIS software components to eliminate the need for commercial GIS software. Some examples of these useful functions in Zonae Cogito include a Marxan dashboard that allows users to dissect the simulated annealing process and understand the concepts involved as it relates to their study region; assisted calibration routines for the calibration of key Marxan parameters; streamlining and simplifying the development and evaluation of alternative options; and a graphic user interface for visualizing, evaluating, and setting parameters.
Ardron, J. and C.J. Klein (Eds.), 2008. Marxan good practices handbook. University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia, and Pacific Marine Analysis and Research Association, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. pdf (3.69 MB) also available at http://www.pacmara.org/.
Game, E. T. and H. S. Grantham. (2008). Marxan User Manual: For Marxan version 1.8.10. University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia, and Pacific Marine Analysis and Research Association, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Hugh Possingham et al. 2000. Mathematical methods for identifying representative reserve networks. [http://www.ecology.uq.edu.au/links/CH17Reprint.pdf]
http://www.uq.edu.au/marxan/ (No Longer Available)
All (User Specified Application Domain)
Biodiversity Conservation
Estuarine, Coastal And Marine Management
Alternative Evaluation
Reserve System
Site Search Or Selection
All (User Specified Domain Knowledge Modeling Area)
Estuarine And Marine Ecosystem Modeling
Landscape Analysis And Modeling
Management Process Modeling
Socioeconomic System Modeling
Alternative Generation
Rank Alternatives
Visualization
Simulated Annealing
Trade-Off Analysis
Visualization
Biophysical Process
Economic Process
Management Process
Social Process
User Defined Process
Text File (.TXT)
Text File (.TXT)
All (User Defined Analysis Extent)
Regional Extent
Subregional Extent
Subregion
Forest Fragmentation
Forest Management Classes
Species Diversity
true
Windows 2000
Windows 95/98
Windows NT
Windows XP
MARXAN / SPEXAN
C-Plan
MARXAN / SPEXAN
MARXAN With Zones
Optimization: The engine, MARXAN.exe, primarily uses simulated annealing to find near-optimal solutions, but it also includes a variety of less sophisticated, but often faster, heuristic algorithms, such as "summed irreplaceability" (Leslie et al. in press; McDonnell et al. 2002).Other: A separate graphic user interface is provided for setting up input data and run options for the engine. MARXAN does not provide graphic display of design solutions, but its output data are easily imported into GIS applications such as ArcView 3.2 or ArcGIS 8.x
Some Scientific Background
Some Computer/GIS Programming Skills
true
false
Free
Regularly Distributed
The Ecology Centre, The University Of Queensland
Ecosystem-Based Management Tools Network
Hugh Possingham
h.possingham@uq.edu.au
Martin Wong
Software Tools And Models - All
Spatial Decision Support Systems
10/6/2009
11/12/2009
Alternative Ranking, Decision Making
Decision Alternatives Generation, Scenario Simulation
Visualization
Decision Model
Evaluative Models
Spatial Decision Support Systems