Description:

Environmental management practices are trending away from simple, local-scale assessments toward complex, multiple-stressor regional assessments. Landscape ecology provides the theory behind these assessments while geographic information systems (GIS) supply the tools to implement them. A common application of GIS is the generation of landscape metrics, which are quantitative measurements of the environmental condition or vulnerability of an area (e.g., ecological region or watershed). The generation of these metrics can be a complex, lengthy undertaking, requiringsubstantial GIS expertise. The U.S. EPA Landscape Ecology Branch has developed a user-friendly interface to facilitate this process. It is an easy to use ArcView extension that calculates many commonly used landscape metrics. By providing an intuitive interface, the extension provides the ability to generate landscape metrics to a wide audience, regardless of their GIS knowledge level. ATtILA is a robust, flexible program. It accepts data from a broad range of sources and is equally suitable across all landscapes, from deserts to rain forests to urban areas. Four families of metrics are included in the extension: landscape characteristics, riparian characteristics, human stressors, and physical characteristics. Each group has a dialog to accept user input on which metrics to calculate and what input data to use. ATtILA is available as a beta test version at the present time.

Record Details:

Record Type:MODEL

Product Published Date:01/13/2004

Record Last Revised:11/16/2009

Record ID: 75822

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Model Detail:

Model Evaluation :See Draft User Guide.

Model URL :http://www.epa.gov/nerlesd1/land-sci/tools.htm

Model Guidance Documents :To obtain a draft version of the User's Guide for ATtILA, please contact Donald W. Ebert (U.S. EPA) at ebert.donald@epa.gov or (702) 798-2158.

Model Decision Documents :For other documents, please contact Donald W. Ebert (U.S. EPA) at ebert.donald@epa.gov or (702) 798-2158.

Model Download Information :To obtain a copy of ATtILA, please contact Donald W. Ebert (U.S. EPA) at ebert.donald@epa.gov or (702) 798-2158.

modelcontactinfo :Donald W. Ebert
U.S. EPA
Landscape Ecology Branch
ESD/ NERL/ORD
ebert.donald@epa.gov
702.798.2158

Model Inputs :GIS coverages

Model Outputs :Landscape metrics

Model Computer Requirements:

Model Operating Systems Needs :Both UNIX and Windows (95, 98, ME, XP, and NT) environments are supported.

Model Hardware Needs :Minimum of a Pentium II 266 MHz (or equivalent)with 32 MB of memory. A preferredsystem would include a Pentium II 400MHz(or better) with 64 MB of memory and a fast(<8 ms) hard drive or better.

Model Programming Language(s) :Avenue Script

other_req :To use the ATtILA, you will need version 3.1 or later of ArcView and the Spatial Analyst version 1.1 extension.