NatCap Partnership Software & Tools
We’ve built advances in ecosystem science, co-developed with end users, into our free, open-source tools to make the science accessible and useful in real decisions. Download our tools and check out their documentation here. Find more information about testing, validation, and application of these tools in our library.
MESH
Mapping Ecosystem Services to Human well-being (MESH) is an integrative modelling platform that calculates and maps ecosystem service supply under different landscape management scenarios. MESH has built-in scenario generation tools, multiple ecosystem service supply evaluation, visualization of output maps and automated reprogramming functionalities.
OPAL
OPAL (Offset Portfolio Analyzer and Locator) is a tool for quantifying the impacts of development and the value of potential protection or restoration activities to biodiversity and ecosystem services. OPAL helps identify mitigation options that can restore ecosystem service benefits back to the same people affected by a development project and tracks the amount of mitigation needed to meet biodiversity and ecosystem service mitigation targets. OPAL combines widely available ecological and social data along with the Natural Capital Project’s spatially explicit InVEST ecosystem service models to recommend offset parcels based on flexible, user-defined criteria.
OPAL is a generalized version of the MAFE-T tool that we built specifically to inform permitting and mitigation decisions in Colombia. You can download the MAFE-T tool, the user’s guide, and the related inputs: sample input data, carbon static data, sediment static data, nutrient static data, and nutrient static percent-to-stream data.
PyGeoProcessing
PyGeoProcessing is a programmable, open source, and free GIS processing library. We built it to support our InVEST ecosystem service software, but it can be used for applications unrelated to ecosystem services. This is a tool for developers, built with their needs and data in mind.
RIOS
The Resource Investment Optimization System (RIOS) is no longer supported by the Natural Capital Project, meaning we are unable to provide an installer for download. Nor can we provide bug fixes or user support. If you are interested in using the source code, or are looking for the User Guide or sample data, you can find it here. RIOS supports the design of cost-effective investments in watershed services.
ROOT
ROOT (Restoration Opportunities Optimization Tool) is a tool to perform optimization and tradeoff analysis. It uses information about potential impact of restoration or management change activities together with spatial prioritization or serviceshed maps to identify key areas for ecosystem service provision. Multi-objective analysis allows users to consider how to best manage tradeoffs between different project goals.
RPM
The Rangeland Production Model (RPM) projects forage production and diet quality for extensive grazing systems under different conditions of climate and livestock management. The model couples a gridded implementation of the Century ecosystem model with a basic ruminant physiology submodel. From livestock density and climate inputs, RPM predicts the combined impacts of livestock management and climate in controlling rangeland condition and livestock productivity.