Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) System

The Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system is a state-of-the-art modeling framework that supports decisions for environmental analysis and planning at multiple geographic scales. The system integrates the latest technology from geographic information systems (GIS), including ArcGIS Pro and QGIS, as well as logic-based reasoning and a variety of decision modeling technologies. This provides explicit, practical decision support for strategic and tactical planning as well as adaptive management. Because EMDS is a generic solution framework, it can be applied to an extremely broad array of problems at virtually all spatial scales.

EMDS is a geospatial analysis and geodesign tool that supports modeling, analysis, tactical and strategic planning, as well as workflows, provenance tracking, and reporting.

EMDS Features

The EMDS Framework, created by Mountain View Business Group, supports extensibility through exposing workflows and leveraging scripting engines. It includes the following:

1. Logic-based processing for environmental assessments from models built using NetWeaver from Rules of Thumb.
2. Multi-criteria decision analysis for strategic planning uses models built from Criterium Decision Plus from InfoHarvest.
3. Decision trees for tactical planning use Prolog-based decision trees, leveraging models from VisiRule made by Logic Programming Associates.
4. Bayesian networks, provided by models built with the GeNIe application from BayesFusion, are used for tactical planning.
5. Portfolio analysis enables managers to view multiple choices and determine which proposals or activities to fund to achieve maximum impact.
6. Workflow processing enables analysts and managers to create multi-tool analysis to enable complex evaluations. Leveraging workflows enables integration of ArcGIS, EMDS, Python, Excel, and Velma tools in this analysis.
7. A full reporting component facilitates the creation of complex reports with tables, charts, and maps. These reports can then be used as templates for future reports.

EMDS Components

The EMDS project environment consists of an add-in to ArcGIS Pro 3.x; the components include the EMDS Framework and its four primary engines: NetWeaver, CDP, VisiRule, GeNIe. For practical purposes, the EMDS project environment can be thought of as a supervisory component of the add-in that manages the activities and interactions of the other components within the ArcGIS Pro 3.x environment. The EMDS project environment also is the primary component of the add-in with which a user interacts to set up various assessments, analyses, scenarios, and workflows. Data are organized within a tree view of project structure.

The engines of EMDS are:

• NetWeaver from Rules of Thumb allows for the evaluation of data against a logic model that provides a formal specification for interpreting data and synthesizing information. The model can be thought of as a type of meta-database, allowing for the evaluation of ecosystem states.
• CDP from InfoHarvest assists users with developing strategic priorities for management activities in landscape elements of the assessment area. This multi-criteria decision analysis component rates management units not only with respect to their condition, but also with respect to logistical factors important to resource managers, such as the feasibility, efficacy, or social acceptability of choices.
• VisiRule from Logic Programming Associates allows for the implementation of Prolog-based decision trees. These decision models are particularly useful to support tactical planning decisions for selecting optimal actions in specific management units, given the state of the unit, and managers’ and scientists’ understanding of the effectiveness of potential actions in specific contexts.
• GeNIe from BayesFusion allows for the creation of Bayesian networks. Bayesian networks have been particularly popular among wildlife biologists for decision making related to wildlife habitat suitability and population viability.

Note: The use of trade or firm names is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service.

Background

Forest Service researcher Keith Reynolds developed the first iteration of EMDS 30 years ago. The system of tools supports land and natural resource management. The application framework is designed for maximum flexibility and extensibility. The knowledge-based decision support is organized for evaluation and planning to help resource managers and analysts. It is scalable for any geographic area.

The EMDS Consortium formed in 2015, and the resulting collaboration among partners has enabled EMDS to grow and evolve. The EMDS Consortium includes the USDA Forest Service, Mountain View Business Group, Rules of Thumb, InfoHarvest, Logic Programming Associates, and BayesFusion. Mountain View Business Group is the primary developer and architect for EMDS expansion.

Resources and Tutorials

Visit the EMDS Consortium website to download EMDS-related software and for news about EMDS updates. FAQs and use-cases provide quick answers and examples of how EMDS may be used.

EMDS 9 requires Windows 10 or 11 for the ArcGIS Pro 3 platform. It will run on MacOS, Windows, and Linux with the QGIS version of the system.

EMDS for ArcMap Tutorial 1 introduces the user to the basic operation of EMDS. This includes creating a project, building an initial assessment to define the data and spatial extent, and performing the first analysis in the assessment using NetWeaver.

EMDS for ArcPro and QGIS is the central repository for EMDS tutorials and prior versions of EMDS.

Training workshops are available on request.