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Ecosystem Management Decision Support

Spatial decision support for environmental planning

Assess landscape condition. Compare management priorities. Trace the evidence behind your decisions.

Explore the example Watch the tutorials
QGIS ArcGIS Pro Online Beta coming soon
Optional local AI assistance For QGIS on Windows
Inside the Chewaucan exampleFrom spatial evidence to priorities
Chewaucan management priorities: nine subwatersheds classified by their CDP priority scores, with the map legend.
QGIS · NetWeaver · CDPSee the workflow
Built for evidence-based decisions Scientific researchEnvironmental planningGovernment & public agencies
How EMDS works

A clear path from data to decisions.

Connect spatial data with explicit models, then explore both the results and the reasoning behind them.

  1. Bring your data

    Organize your study area, spatial layers, and assessment inputs in a workspace.

  2. Assess condition

    Use knowledge models to evaluate how well landscape conditions meet your criteria.

  3. Compare priorities

    Combine assessment results with decision criteria to rank management alternatives.

  4. Explain the evidence

    Review the models, inputs, and results that support your planning decisions.

Explore reusable workflows
See EMDS in action

One watershed. A complete decision workflow.

Follow the Chewaucan teaching example in QGIS, from a NetWeaver condition assessment to CDP management priorities.

NetWeaver watershed-condition results for the nine Chewaucan subwatersheds, with five condition classes in the legend.
01 / Assessment

Where does condition need attention?

Explore the logic-based evidence for watershed condition.

CDP management-priority results for the nine Chewaucan subwatersheds, shown with their priority-score legend.
02 / Prioritization

Which alternatives come first?

See how weighted decision criteria shape management priorities.

Sample data, models, results, and a step-by-step guide.
A teaching example, for learning and exploration.

Open the complete example
Start with the essentials

Your first EMDS workflow,
in three short videos.

See the concepts, create a workspace, and turn an assessment into priorities. About 11 minutes, demonstrated in QGIS.

Browse the tutorial series
  1. What EMDS isSpatial data, knowledge models, and decisions3:18
  2. Your first workspace and assessmentFollow the Chewaucan NetWeaver example4:06
  3. From assessment to prioritiesCompare management alternatives with CDP3:17
Products

Work in the GIS environment you know.

Work with your spatial data in ArcGIS Pro or QGIS. Browser-based workspaces are coming with the EMDS Online beta.

Desktop GIS

EMDS for ArcGIS Pro

Spatial assessments and decision-analysis workflows directly within your ArcGIS Pro environment.

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Desktop GIS

EMDS for QGIS

NetWeaver assessments, CDP prioritization, and reusable workflows within QGIS. Review available packages for your platform.

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Beta coming soon

EMDS Online

Browser-based decision workspaces. The public beta is coming soon; contact the team about participating.

Explore →
EMDS for QGIS on Windows

AI assistance, with you in control

Ask EMDS helps you explore your project context and draft explanations of results using an optional local AI model.

Local processing

Questions and selected project context are processed on your computer using a local AI model, without cloud AI inference.

Your choice

AI assistance is off by default. Use EMDS's assessment and decision tools without enabling it, or turn it on when you want help.

Reviewable explanations

EMDS's analytical engines calculate the results. Treat AI-generated explanations as drafts and review them against the underlying models and data.

A compatible AI model is required. Downloading a model needs an internet connection; once installed, AI inference runs locally.

Explore EMDS for QGIS →
Analytical Suite

Models you can examine. Results you can explain.

EMDS brings complementary analytical tools into decision workflows. Available engines, authoring tools, and integrations vary by platform and release.

View Full Capabilities →

NetWeaver

Logic network modeling for complex multi-criteria spatial analysis and condition assessments.

CDP

Criterium DecisionPlus for ranking management alternatives using weighted criteria and objectives.

BayesFusion

Bayesian belief network integration for probabilistic reasoning under uncertainty.

VisiRule

Visual rule-based decision logic for transparent, auditable decision modeling.

Use Cases

Built for Real-World Ecosystem Decisions

Public agencies

Government Land Managers

Federal and state agencies use EMDS to evaluate landscape condition and prioritize management actions across millions of acres.

Science & education

Academic Researchers

Universities and research institutes use EMDS's extensible framework for novel spatial decision research and ecological modeling.

Tools & integration

GIS Developers

Use reusable workflows and Python script tasks to prepare inputs and automate repeated analyses. Discuss host-specific integrations with the EMDS team.

View Case Studies →
The EMDS Consortium

A 30-Year Research Partnership

EMDS is the product of a sustained collaboration between leading research institutions, government agencies, and software developers — united by a commitment to evidence-based ecosystem stewardship.

Our partnership with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station spans three decades of applied research in landscape ecology and decision support.

Get in Touch →

Consortium Members

  • Mountain View Business Group
  • Rules of Thumb
  • InfoHarvest
  • USDA Forest Service
  • LPA
  • BayesFusion

Ready to get started?

Review desktop downloads for ArcGIS Pro and QGIS, or learn about access to EMDS Online.

View desktop downloads Explore EMDS Online →
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