What is this project?

The Landscape Scenario Planning Tool (LSPT) is a set of resources to assist users with developing, analyzing, and evaluating different land use scenarios in California’s Suisun-Delta region. The tool is designed to inform ongoing and future restoration planning efforts by assessing how proposed projects will affect a suite of landscape metrics relating to desired ecosystem functions and services. The tool can also be used to conduct basic assessments of agricultural, infrastructural, and economic impacts of proposed landscape changes. The tool helps enable users to create scenarios that are grounded in the best available science and research, efficiently evaluate the tradeoffs between different scenarios, evaluate proposed projects, and track actual progress towards regional goals as projects are implemented and the landscape changes over time. In the future, new tool modules could be developed to allow for more robust assessments of the impacts of proposed scenarios on additional ecosystem functions and services. Our vision is to leverage the tool’s modular design to expand the coverage area to include landscapes across the Bay Area and eventually throughout California. 


How do I access the tool?

The second version (LSPT 2.0) of the Landscape Scenario Planning Tool (a desktop ArcGIS Pro toolbox for evaluating proposed land use scenarios) is now available for download (April 2022). Click on the “Download” tab above to access.

Version 2.0 (LSPT 2.0) replaces Version 1.0 (DLSPT 1.0) (first available May 2020). The main differences between versions 2.0 and 1.0 are:

  1. Expansion of spatial extent: While DLSPT 1.0 was focused on the Delta, LSPT 2.0 has been expanded to cover the Suisun-Delta region.
  2. Addition of new analysis modules: We have added two new modules to LSPT 2.0 that were not included in DLSPT 1.0. These new analysis modules include Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Economics, making a total of 14 analysis modules available in the tool.
  3. Implementation of technical improvements.
  4. Upgrade in compatibility to ArcGIS Pro: LSPT 2.0 now runs on ArcGIS Pro, whereas DLSPT 1.0 is only compatible with older versions of ArcMap.

The previous version of the tool (DLSPT 1.0) is also available on the tool download page for user’s working with an older version of ArcGIS, although the new modules and expanded spatial extent are not included in the previous version (DLSPT 1.0).

Who is developing the tool?

Funding for the development of the first version of the Landscape Scenario Planning Tool (previously referred to as the Delta Landscapes Scenario Planning Tool) was provided by the Delta Stewardship Council. The current version of the tool (LSPT 2.0) was funded by the Delta Stewardship Council and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The tool is being built by scientists and developers at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, a non-profit organization serving local and state agencies, communities, NGOs, and businesses by developing and translating science to measurably improve the health and resiliency of California’s ecosystems. SFEI also appreciates the many other organizations and individuals that have contributed their expertise to the development of specific tool components.

This project builds on a decade of work funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Delta Stewardship Council, the Delta Conservancy, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (among others) to describe and map the historical Delta landscape, to develop a suite of landscape metrics to quantify how the Delta has changed over time, and to provide science-based guidelines for ecological restoration moving forward (see the Delta Landscapes Project). It directly builds on recent efforts to translate these guidelines into methods for developing landscape-scale restoration visions and identifying spatially-explicit landscape-scale restoration opportunities. In phase 2 of the project, the tool has been expanded geographically to include Suisun and the full legal Delta, and additional modules and metrics have been added to the analysis toolbox. Together, these materials will help ensure that tool users have the resources they need to develop, analyze, and evaluate scenarios in a way that capitalizes on the best-available science for landscape-scale restoration planning in California’s Suisun-Delta region. Phase 2 developments were made in collaboration with HydroFocus, Inc., the UC Merced Water Systems Management Lab, USGS, and Greeninfo Network.

For more information about this project, please contact Letitia Grenier ([email protected]).

This page provides the key materials to access, utilize and maximize use of the tool, including the downloadable ArcGIS Pro desktop tool, its associated user manual, example scenario inputs and outputs, and additional useful data inputs for the desktop tool.

 

EXAMPLE SCENARIOS

The following scenario has already been evaluated using the latest version of the tool. The input data for this example, included with the tool download, can be modified by the user 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.

The EcoRestore scenario reflects the existing and planned EcoRestore projects in Suisun Marsh and the Delta (as of 9/16/2021). It was developed by SFEI staff from GIS datasets provided by DWR, with adjustments and additional details added based on publicly-accessible reports and maps. It may not reflect the latest plans for these projects. It is not endorsed by any State agencies or project proponents. The scenario is included here to demonstrate tool functionality and data formats and is subject to change in the future.
View tool results
 

 

 

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 and Suisun 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 and Suisun vegetation and land use, with each vegetation type crosswalked to the historical habitat types. This layer also includes some types that were not in the historical habitat map, including agriculture/ruderal and urban/barren. See the metadata for additional details.

 

The historical habitats map layer shows the habitat types in the Delta and Suisun in the early 1800s. It was developed by SFEI for the Delta from hundreds of historical maps, photographs, and texts 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. Suisun was mapped with less detail using a smaller number of sources than typically used in a full historical ecology study, and thus the “reconnaissance-level” mapping in these areas should be considered an interim product. Historical ecology research currently being conducted through the Suisun Landscapes project (funded by the Delta Stewardship Council) will refine and update the historical mapping for Suisun.

 

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. For more information about the geomorphic zones and suitable restoration and management actions appropriate for each zone, please see "Elevation and Opportunity in the Delta”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONNECTIONS WITH REGIONAL DATASETS

EcoAtlas Project Tracker is a tool for tracking information on wetland restoration, mitigation, and habitat conservation projects throughout California (https://ptrack.ecoatlas.org/). The Landscape Scenario Planning Tool currently allows users to bring in project data from EcoAtlas Project Tracker to help build and refine landscape scenarios. Integrating the Landscape Scenario Planning Tool with other regional datasets and planning tools, such as EcoAtlas, can help improve coordination and communication among conservation planners and land managers.

 

 

 

 

PRESENTATION MATERIALS

 

View Factsheet.

 

This recorded presentation from a workshop at the Delta Adaptive Management Forum provides an introduction to the tool and details on the technical use of the tool to design scenarios, with a case study example of how the tool is used.

Watch video.

Download slides.

 

 

launch webmap

ABOUT

The Delta Landscapes Scenario Planning Tool webmap allows users to view a variety of datasets that are useful for developing restoration scenarios. It is available at http://deltaplanningmap.sfei.org/.

Unlike the desktop Delta Landscapes Scenario Planning Tool itself, the webmap is only for viewing data. For actual design, analysis, and evaluation of restoration scenarios, download the tool (here). Many of the layers shown on the webmap are included in the tool download package, and any layer not included in the download package can be derived from the available parent layers. The webmap includes layers developed for LSPT 2.0, as well as a subset of layers developed with DLSPT 1.0 that have not been updated. Click the “About this data” tab on a dataset in the webmap for more information.

USING THE WEBMAP

To operate the webmap, press the “Add Data” button below the search box, which will open a data catalog of folders in a pop-up window. The layers are broadly organized around different habitat types. Each habitat type folder will contain layers showing the primary opportunities for restoring the habitat type, as well as a variety of related layers. The folder “Supporting Resources” contains additional general reference layers related to habitat, hydrology, elevation and sea level rise, ownership, jurisdiction, agriculture and infrastructure. These layers provide additional information that is relevant to the development of restoration scenarios.

Clicking on a data layer will generate a preview of the layer, a description of the dataset, and source details. To add this dataset to the main webmap, click the blue “Add to the map” button in the top right-hand corner of the pop-up window. On the left-hand side of the page, layers will be populated as they are added. Click the box to the left of a layer title to toggle the layer on and off. The small arrow to the right of the title shows or hides the legend for that layer. Hovering over a layer will allow you to click and drag layers above or below each other to reorder them. The “Zoom to Extent” button directs the user to the location of the dataset on the webmap. The "About This Data" tab reopens that data information. The “Remove” button allows you to clear the layer from the left-hand panel. The opacity slider enables options for transparency. Click the “About” button for discussion of sharing created maps and data rights.

 

 

TOOL DOWNLOADS

Version Notes Example Materials User Guide
LSPT v2.2.0
Requires ArcPro 3.0 or later
  1. New wetland resilience module
  2. Baseline correction bugfix
  3. Fish module fixes
 EcoRestore Results (v2.2.0) Landscape Scenario Planning Tool User Guide v2.2.0
Requires ArcPro 2.8 or later
  1. Enhanced ArcGIS Basic License compatibility. Advanced license workarounds or alternative methods implemented for "Polygon to Line", "Aggregate Polygon", and "Union" tools.
  2. Updated layers for subsidence and carbon module. Hotfixes and rule modifications to carbon, fish, and agriculture/economics modules.
  3. Fish module ensures use of tidal wetlands where appropriate. Carbon storage updated to calculate and report low/med/high uncertainties.
  4. Tweaks and fixes to region delineation for carbon elevation. Fix potential no-data handling error in carbon elevation calculation.
  5. Fix for agriculture/economics outputs related to collating unique crop types in specified area of analysis.
 EcoRestore Results (v2.1.1) Landscape Scenario Planning Tool User Guide v2.1.1
LSPT v2.0.1
Requires ArcPro 2.8 or later
  1. Expansion of spatial extent: While DLSPT 1.0 was focused on the Delta, LSPT 2.0.1 has been expanded to cover the Suisun-Delta region.
  2. Addition of new analysis modules: We have added two new modules to LSPT 2.0.1 that were not included in DLSPT 1.0. These new analysis modules include Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Economics, making a total of 14 analysis modules available in the tool.
  3. Implementation of technical improvements.
  4. Upgrade in compatibility to ArcGIS Pro: LSPT 2.0.1 now runs on ArcGIS Pro, whereas DLSPT 1.0 is only compatible with older versions of ArcMap.
EcoRestore Results (v2.0.1) Landscape Scenario Planning Tool User Guide v2.0
LSPT v1.1 Beta
 Modifed for ArcPro; removed dependencies on Advanced Licenses    
DLSPT v1.0
 Initial release; ArcPy Toolbox designed for ArcGIS 10.x and Python 2.7.5 with ArcPy (installed with ArcGIS)

EcoRestore Results (v1.0)


 		 Delta Landscapes Scenario Planning Tool User Guide v1.0

 

This project is a tool for planning scenarios of landscape-scale restoration. The tool is designed to inform ongoing and future restoration planning efforts. In particular, this tool will help inform implementation of restoration objectives as described in the Delta Plan, as well as the ongoing Ecosystem Amendment to Chapter 4.


The need for a scenario planning tool has been discussed by many stakeholders. Currently, there is no existing tool to create, evaluate or compare across scenarios or evaluate how scenarios interact or cumulatively add up to at a larger scale. Further, there is no standardized tool that allows parties to accurately calculate desired metrics related to support for ecological functions or other ecosystem services, during project planning or as projects develop over time. This tool will help fill some of these gaps.

Dates: 
2019
Associated Staff: 
Ruth Askevold
Donna Ball
Sean Baumgarten
Cristina Grosso
Katie McKnight
Ellen Plane
Sam Safran
Gemma Shusterman
Lawrence Sim
Lydia Vaughn
Alison Whipple
Key Materials: 
Landscape Scenario Planning Tool User Guide v2.0
Landscape Scenario Planning Tool User Guide v2.1.1
Landscape Scenario Planning Tool User Guide v2.2.0
Programs and Focus Areas: 
Resilient Landscapes Program
Historical Ecology
Delta Science & Management
Terrestrial Ecology
Carbon, Ecosystems & Climate
Location Information