1. General Model Information
Name: RAMAS GIS - Linking Landscape Data with Population Viability Analysis
Acronym: RAMAS
Main medium: all
Main subject: population dynamics
Organization level: population
Type of model: not specified
Main application: education, research
Keywords: population growth, metapopulation dynamics, habitat suitability, geographic information systems (GIS), extinction risk, reserve design, teaching tool, age structure, stage structure
Contact:
Resit Akcakaya
Applied Biomathematics
100 North Country Road
Setauket, NY 11733, USA
Phone: 1-631-751-4350
Fax: 1-631-751-3435
email: info@ramas.com
Homepage: http://www.ramas.com/software.htm
Author(s):
Abstract:
RAMAS GIS integrates landscape data on habitat requirements with
demographic data to analyze risks of extinction, evaluate management
options, and assess human impact on wildlife populations. Other
applications of the model involve design of nature reserves, wildlife
management, and population viability analysis. The model analyzes
habitat data exported from a geographic information system (GIS), and
identifies the patches of habitat that can support a population. The
structure of these patches, including their locations, sizes and
distances from each other, define the spatial structure of the
metapopulation. The spatial structure is combined with demographic data
and other information on the ecology of the species to complete a
metapopulation model, which incorporates age or stage structure and
density dependence for each population, spatial correlation and
dispersal among populations, environmental and demographic stochasticity
and catastrophes. The model performs a risk analysis, and runs multiple
simulations, automatically changing parameters to analyze the
sensitivity of risks to input data.
II. Technical Information
II.1 Executables:
Operating System(s): IBM-compatible personal computer, running Microsoft Windows 95 (or Windows NT 4.0) or later, with at least 16 megabytes of memory and 4 megabytes of free hard disk space. (If you don't have Windows 95/NT, you can use RAMAS Metapop 2.0 for DOS).
II.2 Source-code:
Programming Language(s): Not available.
II.3 Manuals:
The program is accompanied by a 230-page manual which includesdiscussions on basics of population and metapopulation dynamics, anddescriptions of various menus and screens. One chapter contains atutorial that illustrates the concepts of metapopulation dynamics withthe use of several examples, and demonstrates the use of the software byguiding the user through step-by-step instructions.
II.4 Data:
RAMAS GIS comes with sample files for spotted owl, helmeted honeyeater,blue whale, jack-in-the-pulpit, speckled alder, teasel, loggerhead seaturtle,pool frog and other species. RAMAS GIS can import raster map layers in ASCII format from GRASS,IDRISI,ARC/INFO and in binary format from IDRISI.
III. Mathematical Information
III.1 Mathematics
III.2 Quantities
III.2.1 Input
III.2.2 Output
IV. References
Akcakaya, H.R., M.A. McCarthy and J. Pearce. 1995. Linkinglandscape datawith population viability analysis: management options for the helmetedhoneyeater. Biological Conservation 73:169-176.
Boyce, M. 1996. Review of RAMAS GIS. Quarterly Review ofBiology 71 (in press).
Kingston, T. 1995. Valuable modeling tool: RAMAS GIS.Conservation Biology 9:966-968.
V. Further information in the World-Wide-Web
VI. Additional remarks
RAMAS GIS is the latest addition to the RAMAS Ecological Softwarelibrary. Other programs in the library include:
RAMAS metapop (which is identical to the metapopulation modelingcomponentof RAMAS GIS; in other words, RAMAS GIS includes RAMAS metapop)
RAMAS stage (for stage-structured models)
RAMAS age (for age-structured models).l.
Last review of this document by: Tue Apr 22 1997 -
Status of the document:
last modified by
Tobias Gabele Wed Aug 21 21:44:48 CEST 2002