This page provides the key materials to access, utilize and maximize use of the tool, including the downloadable desktop tool, its associated user manual, example scenario inputs and outputs, and additional useful data inputs for the desktop tool.
SCENARIO PLANNING TOOL
This GIS tool assists users with developing, analyzing, and evaluating different restoration and land use scenarios in the Delta. The tool runs as a custom toolbox within ArcMap (ESRI ArcGIS) and comes with a data package for developing and analyzing scenarios.
The User Guide provides detailed instructions on using the tool. It discusses how the tool operates, how to design a scenario, how to import other scenarios, what data inputs are needed, where to acquire these data, and how to interpret and evaluate scenario outputs.
EXAMPLE SCENARIOS
The following scenario has already been evaluated using the latest version of the tool. The input data for this example can be downloaded by users and modifed to create their own scenarios. The output tool results for the example scenario can also be viewed here without the need to run the tool. More scenarios will be added below as they are developed and evaluated.
Scenarios can be submitted for inclusion in the list below by filling out the online scenario upload form, which is provided via e-mail upon downloading the tool.
GUIDING DATASETS
These datasets are useful for the design of landscape-restoration scenarios. They are offered for download as part of the tool package. These layers (and others) can also be viewed on the Webmap tab.
The landscape potential & restoration opportunities analysis is a package of layers that identifies spatially-explicit restoration opportunities in the Delta to support multiple desired ecological functions. These analyses are informed by past and present land cover, elevation, sea-level rise projections, and other data sets. They are useful for developing scenarios that can then be evaluated with the tool.
The modern habitats map layer is a compilation of several spatial datasets detailing Delta vegetation and land use, with each vegetation type crosswalked to the historical habitat types. This layer is a version of the Modern Habitat Type map published in the report A Delta Transformed: Ecological Functions, Spatial Metrics, and Landscape Change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (SFEI 2014).
The historical habitats map layer shows the habitat types in the Delta circa the year 1800. It was developed from hundreds of historical maps, photographs, and texts by the San Francisco Estuary Institute as part of the “Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Historical Ecology Investigation.” The dataset classifies the historical Delta into 17 habitat types, the majority of which are based on modern classification systems.
Elevation is a critical driver of what restoration actions might be appropriate in a given area. Particularly important is a site’s elevation relative to the tides: whether an area is situated within, above, or below the tidal zone (and by how much) influences what types of natural communities can be supported and how vulnerable the area is to flooding. The geomorphic zones layer combines current topographic and bathymetric datasets with local tidal datums to identify different elevation-based zones with different associated opportunities and constraints.
