Suitability analysis is a landscape modeling process that is used to determine which locations are best suited for certain uses. The landscape planner specifies the environmental and cultural factors considered important to decision making, selects the appropriate data layers, weights them, and uses geoprocessing tools to filter the criteria and identify the best locations. For example, a planner may want to assess where habitats are located for endangered species and how close a site may be to suburban development. Or you may be researching a site for a new petroleum pipeline and need to figure out which sites would be suitable based on elevation, slope, endangered species habitats, and proximity to urban and suburban areas.This can be a time-consuming process with conventional desktop GIS tools. Landscape Modeler is a web-based application that makes the entire process more efficient. It allows you to use raster services to visualize information such as critical habitats, development risk, and fire potential, across the United States. This information can be used to research sites for urban development, housing developments, habitat locations, and other projects that require you to weigh several types of data against each other.

Raster data providing site suitability results for the production of castor throughout Brazil. The pixel value range from 1 (currently not suitable) to 10 (highly suitable) for a suitability ranking in the given pixel location. The site suitability for castor was conducted using data associated with agronomic and disease characteristics. The various characteristics were subject to a weighted overlay analysis in conjunction with an analytical hierarchy process. The raster was the result of these analytics.

Please visit the User Guide to learn about using the Conservation Opportunities Modeler.CA Nature supports the California Natural Resources Agency’s goals for equitable access for all, the conservation of the state’s biodiversity, and expanding the use of nature-based solutions to address climate change. The Conservation Opportunities Modeler uses a technique called a Weighted Raster Overlay (WRO) to evaluate multiple factors simultaneously. You can select layers from almost 50 layers in library, assign a weight to each selected layer, and then a scores to the available variables. These are then combined to show the range of combined values across the landscape, whether high or low based on your assigned weights. Data libraries are available to explore opportunities for access for all, biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as opportunities that integrate across multiple challenges. After your model is complete, run it online and explore the results through interactive summaries and comparison against data from CA Nature or other sources. Use the Conservation Opportunities Modeler to explore opportunities through building your own scenarios.