|
| Home > CGIAR Geospatial Toolkit |
CGIAR-CSI GeoSpatial Toolkits
|
Tool Developed by CIAT |
|
Land Systems Analysis Tool for Tropical Lowlands
 This web site makes CIAT's "Land in Tropical America" study available to research and development professionals working in conservation, agroecology and natural resources management of the lowlands of tropical South America.
The study was published in 1985 in 5 book volumes of interpretations, data and geographic information on the tropical South American lowlands. In 2003 we started an effort to recuperate the information from this comprehensive study of land systems in Tropical South America. We added new and better information from our climate database, as well as new tools to make dynamic queries of the data base.
We have structured the information in standardized formats, employing spatial data infrastructure concepts for data dissemination. |
|
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by CIMMYT |
Maize Finder
Access to research information in a user-friendly that leverages the strengths of the Internet and GIS, enabling easier access to the information needed either for breeding or to make decisions
MaizeFinder has been developed using ArcIMS coupled to relational databases. A limited dataset of maize trial information for sub-Saharan Africa is available with it. A limited number of specialized tools for data analysis, such as “head to head” analysis of varieties grown at the same localities. Key environmental data layers are accessible in GIS format.
This geotool will help to vastly expand the amount of information accessible within the system, including expanded geographical coverage.
Also will develop additional user-defined tools for improved analysis.
Maize Finder is a fully functional public domain information portal for maize information that permits the investigation and analysis of maize performance data in combination with environmental information. |
|
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by ICARDA |
|
CLIMAP
Generate derived climatic information in the form of climate charts and summaries for user-selected point climatic data. Graphical interface for converting point climatic data in spatial data and climatic similarity mapping
CLIMAP consists of a module to generate basic climate surfaces and several application modules that generate derived climatic maps
CLIMAP is an Excel-based GIS tool to generate climatic maps. Its main targets are GIS specialists, both at the international and national levels.
. Generation of basic climatic surfaces of monthly or annual variables (e.g. temperature, precipitation, radiation etc.);
. Generation of surfaces of simple derived climatic variables (e.g. heat or cold units);
. Mapping of potential evapotranspiration on basis of temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind surfaces;
. Mapping of temperature and precipitation-based similarity indices;
. Mapping of biomass productivity indices, including growing period characteristics;
. Conversion between ArcView and Surfer (Golden Software) grids;
. A module will be added for agroclimatic zoning (using the UNESCO Drylands and Köppen classification systems);
. A module will be added for crop water requirement calculations;
. A module will be added for topography-corrected sunshine duration mapping;
. A module will be added for mapping the standardized precipitation index (SPI);
. New CLIMEX-based stress indices will be incorporated and the LGP-model improvements in CLIMCHART will be ported to the CLIMAP application;
. Documentation, detailing the software functionality and describing the included climatological concepts, will be prepared and integrated as an Excel Help module;
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
CLIMCHART
Educational interactive tool that allows one to gain insight into the climatic characteristics of different areas.
It is targeted mainly towards NARS scientists and students. It consists of a database of climatic stations, a graph generator and data processing programs. The database contains currently climatic stations from North Africa, West and Central Asia and the Horn of Africa.
The data include monthly values of maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. Graphs currently generated include climate diagram, water balance, heat units, growing period and biomass productivity indices.
Data processing programs allow one to calculate numerous derived climatic variables (such as accumulated heat units, water balance and growing period parameters, climate classifications) and to generate climate summaries. Currently included climate classifications are the UNESCO drylands and the Köppen system. The user-interactive interface includes selection of station, start month for graphing, addition of irrigation amounts, and setting of various thresholds (for soil moisture storage capacity, growing period, heat unit accumulation, defining dry month).
. The database will be extended to cover the whole world.
. New derived variables will be added in the climate summaries (e.g. accumulated cold units, number of frost days).
. The climate classifications will be extended to include the Thornthwaite and Papadakis systems.
. The model used for assessing growing period characteristics will be upgraded by including snow as a separate sink with a temperature-controlled melt rate.
. A module for estimating crop water requirements will be added.
. The interface will be redesigned to make it easier for users to insert their own databases.
|
|
|
Back to top |
 |
.
Tools Developed by IFPRI |
| Dream v3.0. Assessing economic benefits of R & D
New GIS-enabled version of DREAM: Software for assessing potential economic benefits of agricultural R&D with the capacity to obtain model inputs and map model outputs.
DREAM is IFPRI’s user-friendly software package for assessing the potential economic benefits of agricultural R&D. To date this package has been applied in a spatial context through a “loosely-coupled” approach requiring several manual intervention steps between performing the economic analysis and preparing maps of the spatial pattern of benefits.
This new version of DREAM embeds the capacity to communicate directly with GIS software to obtain model inputs and to map those models. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
| MPdb - Market and Population Database Manager
Manages access to and download of key agricultural development statistics and builds this into a single integrated database on the user's computer
This tool manages access to and download of key agricultural development statistics from a range of "standard sources" of such data (including FAOSTAT, World Bank and UN databases), as well building and managing all such data in a single integrated database on the user's computer
Core data include national production, consumption and trade of agricultural products, economic indicators, population (total, by activity, gender, urban/rural) from 1961 onwards
MPdb checks whether specific data series have been updated at the host site and, if so, updates the users' files and database documentation. MPdb also performs very flexible analyses on regression, growth rates and derived measures such as a range of partial productivity and human well-being metrics. The output of the database and analyses managed and performed by MPdb can be directly mapped in Arc/Explorer (free) or Arc/View (licensed) GIS software
|
|
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by Bioversity |
|
Habitat Mapper
GIS software for analysis of geo-referenced genebank and other biodiversity data to elucidate genetic, ecological and geographic patterns in the spatial distribution of crops and related wild species.
Habitat Mapper is a software for geographic data analysis and display that uses multiple data layers to produce analytical results through multivariate analysis and simulation modeling approaches.
It carries out multivariate analysis (classification and ordination) of data associated with points and areas, e.g. occurrence of species, characterization and evaluation data, and environmental data. The output will be maps of homogeneous zones, together with information on the relationships (distance) among the different zones. This is an enhancement over current zoning approaches, which are often "expert-driven", qualitative, and do not explore interzone relationships.
Habitat Mapper also links crop models to global GIS databases. We will use physiology-based models of yield response for the main food crops. These models can predict yield levels. We will use a different approach for the other crops building models on top of the ECOCROP crop requirements database, which has variables for 1700 crops. We will also refine existing approaches for the prediction of the distribution of wild species (e.g. BIOCLIM or logistic regression) by making the algorithms used more appropriate for crops (where one only needs to compare the growing season, not the whole year).
Global 1km high-resolution monthly climate data for a number of variables is provided and integrated to allow for these modeling activities. These datasets will be made available for download.
These tools will be built into existing generic viewer software (DIVA-GIS) to assure ease of import and export of data and compatibility with other software (notably ArcGIS/ArcView).
Download the DIVA-GIS program (version 5.4)
Go to the DIVA-GIS website |
|
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by IRRI |
|
LUSET - Land Use Evaluation Tool
Raster-based GIS utility for assessing land suitability for multiple crops
 IRRI developed a raster-based GIS approach to delineate and evaluate land suitability for diverse cropping systems that departs from the vector-based FAO approach of delineating homogeneous polygons as a basis for evaluating suitability for individual crops. Using an “evaluate first, then aggregate” strategy implemented in the raster mode, our approach can retain the spatial and temporal variability of continuous and dynamic variables such as terrain and climate.
The dual representation of the raster data structure as gridded surfaces and as a tabular data matrix facilitates per cell evaluation of suitability for individual crop types as well as for season-specific cropping systems that may comprise multiple crops.
Therefore this strategy provides much greater flexibility in delineating land units for complex cropping systems in highly heterogeneous environments.
In order to implement this approach IRRI developed LUSET - a Land Use Evaluation Tool - as a utility for assessing land suitability for multiple crops. For simplicity of use, the tool is developed within the Microsoft Excel environment. Designed primarily to work in the raster mode, LUSET outputs can be coupled with either in-house developed Raster GIS Tools, or can be exported to various commercial raster-based GIS software.
However LUSET can also be used for carrying out land evaluation for pre-defined land units formed from polygon overlay of determinant biophysical factors in the conventional "aggregate first, then evaluate" approach.
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
RaGIS - Raster GIS Tools
Raster-based map manipulation utilities (not available in commercial software) packaged into a user-friendly public domain GIS software
 In the process of developing spatial analysis methodology for various problem-solving situations, IRRI staff have had to develop a number of raster-based map manipulation utilities that are not available in commercial software, including (i) matching edge pixels across raster layers (solving the raster equivalent of sliver polygons), (ii) raster coarsening with options of selecting average, minimum, maximum or median pixel values, and (iii) interpolation of neighborhood pixels for gap filling of missing data.
With a little more effort, this collection of specialized spatial analysis tools, together with some basic map display and query, and data conversion algorithms, can be packaged into user-friendly public domain GIS software, with user documentation.
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
RSDA - Rice Supply and Demand System
GIS Based Tool for analyzing rice supply and demand at sub-national level, including both biophysical and socioeconomic factors
IRRI developed a GIS-based tool for analyzing the balance of rice supply and demand at the sub-national level, taking into consideration both biophysical and socioeconomic factors affecting supply and demand. The RSDA system can be used for exploring scenarios of rice supply and demand within the country based on user-defined policy objectives and assumptions about changes in production levels brought about by technological advancements.
Developed within an Excel environment, the outputs of the RSDA model can be coupled with either in-house developed GIS software (the Raster GIS Tools) or exported to various commercial raster-based GIS software. The principles underlying RSDA can be applied to analyze supply and demand for other agricultural crops as well.
|
|
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by IWMI |
|
THE GLOBAL PODIUM, Interactive water & food security planning scenario tool
Scenario analysis and prediction of water, food supply, and demand with respect to various policy options at national and sub-national level.
 PODIUM is an interactive scenario development modeling tool. This model can be used for developing alternative scenarios of food and water demand and supply analysis and conducting sensitivity analyses of key drivers of future supply and demand.
This version has details for 100 countries which comprises 86 percent of the world’s population. Depending on the data availability, the improved version can be used for generating scenarios at the administrative level, at the river basin level, or at the agro-ecological regions level, etc.
Scenario analysis and prediction of water, food supply, and demand with respect to various policy options at national and sub-national level.
|
|
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by IWMI and World Agroforestry Center |
|
Encofor Forest Definition Analysis Tool
Online tool that investigates the choice implications of crown cover threshold on total land area available for Afforestation / Reforestation activities within the CDM.
The Kyoto Protocol gives countries the option to define what constitutes a "forest", within certain parameters. The most important parameter affecting area designated as forest is the minimum crown cover threshold, which can be set between 10 and 30 percent.
The ENCOFOR Forest Definition On-Line Analysis Tool investigates the implications of the choice of crown cover threshold on total land area available for Afforestation / Reforestation activities within the CDM.
The Spatial Analysis of the choice of crown cover threshold on the total land area available for afforestation and reforestation activities is mapped and tabulated for all Non-Annex I Countries.
This choice has a large impact on the amount of land available in a country for CDM afforestation and reforestation activities
The ENCOFOR interactive On-Line Analysis Tool is based on a global geospatial analysis which models the suitability of land for CDM Afforestation/Reforestation, based on bioclimatic, biophysical, and legal criteria.
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
Other CGIAR-CSI Toolkits |
 |
Tool Developed by ICIMOD |
| |
Mapping Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh Census Indicators 2001 and Trends
Atlas presenting latest socio-economic information on Chittagong Hill Tracts district.
The toolkit presented here on "Mapping Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh Census Indicators 2001 and Trends" is the outcome of collaboration between the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and GIS Unit, Local Government Engineering Department of Bangladesh (LGED).
The primary objective of this initiative was to present the latest socio-economic information on Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) district of Bangladesh in a form of an atlas showing the District/ Upazila (sub-district) wise distribution of selected indicators, together with trends over time, to aid policy makers, development practitioners, researchers and the public at large. The interactive mapping of CHT region was development using SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) and JavaScript to provide access to different indicators with dynamic mapping capability.
|
|
Back to top |
| |
|
Tool Developed by CIAT |
|
FloraMapTM
Predicts the geographic distribution of natural organisms cutting much of the guesswork, field work, and costs involved
 This geotool predicts the geographic distribution, or areas
of possible adaptation, of natural organisms when little or nothing
is known of their detailed physiology.
FloraMap thus cuts much of the guesswork, legwork, and costs typically involved in tracking
down species of plants and other organisms in the wild.
The Windows application is especially useful to plant breeders, who increasingly look to wild species as a source of new genetic material. It is based on the assumption that the climatic characteristics of sites where the species has already been collected are a good indicator of its environmental range.
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
MarkSimR
Model ready to run a crop simulation using climate surface data from over 20,000 climate stations, calibrated with daily weather data from 11,000 stations.
 One
of the most important considerations in dry land agriculture is
risk. Is the rain going to arrive, and how much, and when?
Process
modeling is one of the best tools for evaluating this risk; but
in order to do this, process modelers need accurate daily weather
data. For the tropics, these hardly exist; if they do, they are
very difficult to collect and the stations that collect them are
very sparse.
MarkSim fills in this gap by using a third-order
Markov model that runs off interpolated climate surfaces. MarkSim
users are crop modelers and agronomists evaluating the potential
risks of crops and cropping sequences. They go to MarkSim where,
onscreen, they can point at the map or enter coordinates for anywhere
in the world and get simulated weather data (rainfall, maximum
and minimum temperature, and solar radiation), all in the form
ready to run a crop simulation model. They can simulate as many
years of data as they like, run their models or the water balance,
or use the data however they like to evaluate the risk of growing
a rainfed crop.
MarkSim is the result of 25 years of research in CIAT. The climate surfaces use data from over 20,000 climate
stations; the MarkSim model is calibrated with daily weather data from 11,000 weather stations.
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Atlas
of Honduras (with Data on Hurricane Mitch) - in Spanish
Electronic Atlas with ample biophysical information together with census information for facilitating decision making
 This electronic Atlas is a valuable analytical
tool for facilitating decision making. It contains ample biophysical
information on Honduras, generated by satellite imaging, and,
together with census information, allows relating social and environmental
variables in a simple and interactive manner through maps.
To
help support reconstruction and planning, the Atlas includes information
on the impact of Hurricane Mitch, which brought destruction to
the country in late 1998. The Atlas presents more than 100 themes
related to administrative divisions (departments, municipalities,
village districts, and hamlets); land use since 1986; soils, geology,
rivers, watersheds, and biodiversity (rain forests, mangroves,
wetlands, and protected areas); routes and social data (population,
education, and poverty); and climate (minimum and maximum temperatures
and annual rainfall) and altitudes.
The CD is available to download for free from the website. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Accessibility
Analyst
Simple and flexible GIS tool to automate the creation of accessibility surfaces.
 CIAT programmed this simple and flexible GIS
tool to automate the creation of accessibility surfaces. Previously,
these surfaces were laboriously created, step-by-step, using ArcINFO
software from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).
You can install the Accessibility Analyst if you have the ESRI
ArcView 3 software and its ArcView Spatial Analyst. From this
page, you can download the extension and documentation, see case
studies of the extension at work, and follow up links with other
people working in the same field. CIAT donors generously funded
the development of Accessibility Analyst, in particular, the Ecoregional
Fund to Support Methodological Initiatives (managed by the International
Service for National Agricultural Research); Environmental Economics
and Indicators Unit of the World Bank; and the Regional Office
for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment
Programme. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Indicators of Rural Sustainability
Enabling users to convert data into information, helping to improve decision making in the region of Central America
 Users of this CD-ROM, a geographical information tool, can select, visualize, and analyze the sustainability indices and indicators developed for Central America. CIAT designed this unique product, using ArcView Data Publisher, a program that was adapted to enable users intuitively find the 11 indices, 68 major indicators, and 114 complementary indicators that the CD details.
The tool's functional nature enables users to convert data into information, thus helping to improve decision making in the region. This tool also offers decision makers the opportunity of delineating the region's probable future in terms of different scenarios based on the results of simulation models of land use developed by the team who prepared the CD.
All indices and indicators come with technical notes.
The CD, available in Spanish, forms part of a packet of bilingual (English/Spanish) products that includes case study reports and the document Lessons Learned. Both are required reading for those who wish to develop and use the indicators. This CD is available to download for free from the website. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
Tool Developed by IWMI |
|
WORLD WATER & CLIMATE ATLAS
Online tool that investigates the choice implications of crown cover threshold on total land area available for Afforestation / Reforestation activities within the CDM.
 The IWMI World Water and Climate Atlas gives irrigation and agricultural planners rapid access to accurate data on climate and moisture availability for agriculture.
The Atlas includes monthly and annual summaries for precipitation, temperature, humidity, hours of sunshine, evaporation estimates, wind speed, total number of days with and without rainfall, days without frost and Penman-Montieth reference evapotranspiration rates.
The core of the Atlas is data assembled from weather stations around the world for the period 1961-1990. Data can be extracted in summary, manipulated using the Atlas software, or exported in a standardized format for use in other applications. Users can also include their own local data for a more detailed picture of a particular area.
Applications include:
identifying areas suitable for rainfed agriculture
determining how much irrigation is needed in relation to what the climate provides
providing inputs for hydrological modeling of river basins
extracting climate inputs for crop modeling. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
IWMI On-Line Climate Summary Service
On-line climate summaries for user-specified locations
The new IWMI Climate Atlas Web Query (CAWQuer) service creates
on-line climate summaries for user-specified locations. All you
have to do is enter the latitude and longitude coordinates for
the location(s) you're interested in and specify which climate
variables are needed. CAWQuer then searches over 8 gigabytes of
data in the IWMI Atlas to deliver climate summaries almost instantly.
The data is displayed in an easy-to-read table, by month.
|
|
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by CIPotato |
|
DIVA-GIS
Free geographic information system for the analysis of biodiversity data.
 DIVA-GIS was originally
developed by Mariana de la Cruz (CIP). Further development
continued with Edwin Rojas, Robert J. Hijmans (formerly
at CIP), and Luigi
Guarino (formerly at IPGRI)
with additional input from Felipe de Mendiburu and
Israel Barrantes (both at CIP). Financial support has come
from CIP, IPGRI, SGRP/SINGER and FAO/WIEWS, with
additional support from USDA-ARS, SENASA, BMZ, ESRI, and the Challenge
Program Generation.
You can use it to make maps
of species distribution data, and analyze these data using
grids. DIVA-GIS was specifically developed for use
with genebank data such as available through national or
international genebank documentation systems and SINGER.
A major new version is under
way based on Java technology.
With DIVA you can:
Make
maps of the sites where a plant or animal species
was observed (and perhaps collected), or of characters
of these observations.
Make
grid maps of the distribution of biological diversity
(e.g., species richness; Shannon index); and identify
areas that have complementary levels of diversity.
Extract
climate data for accession points, and predict the
presence of species, for the current climate or the
climate of the future.
For further information please contact CIP-DivaGis
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
Tool Developed by IRRI |
|
Atlas of Rice
Tool facilitates users to integrate information, visualize scenarios, and develop effective solutions to address production challenges.
 A significant number of requests for geo-referenced rice statistical
data had spurred IRRI to create and host a web-enabled GIS atlas
of rice. The aim of this project is to make available a geographically
referenced dataset of rice statistics for public use. The atlas
features spatial and temporal information at sub-national level
of rice acreage, yield, production, and type of culture.
Presenting the statistics in an interactive
map form allows the user to identify trends, patterns and/or relationships
spatially. The atlas enables users to interact with the database
and allows them to make maps and perform simple query analysis.
The user, for instance, can assess trends in rice area or yield
over a given number of years at the sub-national level or at the
national level.
This tool allows users to integrate information,
visualize scenarios, and develop effective solutions in deciding
how to prioritize and allocate limited research resources to address
production challenges.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Interactive CD-ROM for
the Bangladesh Poverty Mapping Database
Dataset that provides the geographical dimension of where the rural poor in Bangladesh
 This
dataset is the result of applying the small area estimation (SAE)
method to estimate incomes for almost 1 million Census households
using an income predictor model based on survey data from a nationally
representative sample of 1888 households. The estimated household
income data permitted computation of poverty indices for 415 upazilas
(rural sub-districts), which were then mapped.
The poverty measures
included the Foster, Greer and Thorbeck (FGT) indices, i.e. Head
Count Index, Poverty Gap Index and Squared Poverty Index, which
are respectively measures of incidence, intensity and severity.
Also computed is the Gini index of income inequality for the rural
upazilas. The upazila boundary map provided as the spatial data
layer, to which the poverty indices are linked as attributes,
is in ArcView shapefile format.
The purpose of this dataset is to provide the geographical dimension
for determining where the rural poor in Bangladesh are concentrated.
This information would be useful for geographical targeting of
poverty alleviation programs.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Myanmar Atlas
Demographic and Socio-economic electronic Atlas of Myanmar
 This electronic atlas of Myanmar provides basic information such as demography and socio-economic characteristics at township level, for the delta region.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Interactive CD-ROM for the Lao PDR Temperature Surfaces
Temperature data to help scientists and managers to develop cropping strategies
 Temperature is an important determinant of crop growth, yield, and quality.
Temperature data will help scientists and managers develop cropping strategies such as choice of crops and time of planting. The temperature record in Laos is limited in the number of locations and number of years.
This work aims to develop temperature maps for the country from
the limited set of data, and to use the maps to identify low-temperature limitations for rice production.
|
Back to top |
|
|
LUPAS
Methodology developed to explore options for land and resources use
The Land Use
Planning and Analysis System is a methodology developed for
exploring options for land and resource use allocation using multiple goal linear programming approach.
|
Back to top |
 |
Tool Developed by Bioversity International |
|
DIVA-GIS
Free GIS for biodiversity research
DIVA-GIS is particularly useful for mapping the distribution of species, or other 'point-distributions' and for analyzing these data in various ways. DIVA-GIS was developed for use with species occurrence data such as available from natural history museums (e.g., through REMIB, MaNIS, GBIF) and genebanks (e.g., SINGER). But you can use the program for many other purposes.
With DIVA-GIS you can:
Map the locations of sites where populations of plant or animal species were observed, and of different characters that may have been recorded for these populations.
Make grid maps of the distribution of biological diversity, and identify "hotspots" and areas that have complementary levels of diversity.
Predict species distributions using the BIOCLIM or DOMAIN models.
Create and visualize ESRI shapefiles, grid data, climate data and much, much more!
Version 4 of DIVA-GIS is being developed by Robert Hijmans, Luigi Guarino, Prem Mathur, and Andy Jarvis. You can contact us at info@diva-gis.org with questions, suggestions, or other issues related to DIVA-GIS. Previous versions were co-developed with Edwin Rojas, Mariana Cruz and Israel Barrantes.
Current development of DIVA-GIS is partly supported by International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. More Acknowledgements.
1) Download the DIVA-GIS program (version 5.4)
2) Get materials:
manual, tutorial, exercises, papers, ...
3) Download free data
Go to the website |
Back to top |
|
