ALCES Mapper

ALCES Mapper is a companion mapping application for the ALCES model. As an ArcGIS^® desktop extension, ALCES Mapper generates maps illustrating the plausible location and extent of future land-use features and landscape types based on ALCES outputs and user-defined parameters. ALCES Mapper is capable of generating maps of landscape types, footprint types, forest age, disturbed area, and other derived indicators (e.g., caribou finite rate of population increase, oil and gas production, wildlife habitat quality, water demand, etc.).

ALCES Mapper requires two primary data inputs: 1) geographic information system (GIS) data of study area landscape type and footprint type composition and spatial distribution, and 2) output data from the ALCES model. The same GIS data that are summarized for the purpose of populating the ALCES model are used by ALCES Mapper. ALCES output data is provided in the form of a structured input table with multiple worksheets. ALCES Mapper divides the study area into grid cells of user-defined size, and then calculates the landscape and footprint composition within each cell. The rates and proportions of land-use features, landscape types, natural disturbances, commodity production and other variables as reported by ALCES are then applied to each cell, tracked, and displayed spatially by ALCES Mapper.

The frequency and reporting interval of the ALCES Mapper outputs (i.e., time-steps) is user-defined. Additionally, ALCES Mapper allows users to specify the general location (i.e., where specified land-use footprints can or cannot occur) and the pattern of growth and reclamation of land-use features based on the rates and amounts reported by the ALCES model. This feature provides flexibility to build landscapes with different ‘spatial rules’, and is useful for visualizing different zoning or resource utilization strategies. The ability to define logical land-use feature locations ensures that footprints like mine sites or oil and gas wells are located within areas of economic deposits or areas of high resource potential. Similarly, industrial or town site footprints can be excluded from protected areas, culturally significant areas, or other user-defined locations.

Example ALCES Mapper maps for a study area in northwest Saskatchewan, Canada, are shown below. These maps were created to help planners and decision-makers visualize potential levels of landscape disturbance and habitat impacts resulting from low, moderate and high levels of land-use activity. Scenario parameters were developed by domain experts.

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