About Heureka

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New software for a multiple-use oriented forest management

The Heureka Forestry Decision Support System (DSS) is a suite of freely available softwares developed and hosted by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The system covers the whole decision support process from data inventory to tools for selecting among plan alternatives with multi-criteria decision making techniques.

The vision is that the system should contribute to a more profitable and environmentally friendly forestry. The utilities handled by the system is timber production, recreation values, bilogical diversity, and carbon storage. By including these in the same system, a holistic approach to forestry planning is made possible.

The system is designed so that it will be relatively easy to add new functionality as new research results and models become available.

The system covers the entire analytical chain, from forest inventory plots, through predictive modeling and optimization, to tools to rank alternatives. The system consists of the following applications:

• StandWise: For stand-level analysis, with 2D and 3D visualization. StandWise is an interactive simulator where the user specifies specifies treatmens period by period.
• PlanWise: For forest-level and landscape planning. Enables the exploration on many different management options and has an inbuilt optimizer for solving problems. Includes a report builder for maps, tables and charts.
• PlanEval: An application to compare and rank the plans created in PlanWise.
• RegWise: The impact on the regional level. Hugin's successor.
• PlanStart: Tool for importing forest data, and prepare for field inventories.
• Ivent: Field computer application to inventory plots. Communicates with computer caliper, altimeter, GPS, and PosTex, a new instrument to determine tree coordinates.
• "Heureka Habitat Model": An ArcGIS application that reads data from PlanWise or RegVis, computes which stands are suitable as habitat in each period, and saves it in a format that can be returned to PlanWise and RegWise. Note: This software is not yet released.

Prognosis

Forecasts can be made for a large amount of variables. These include eg

• Common variables such as forest growing stock and age
• Tree species distribution
• Recreation index
• Biomass
• In the carbon content of trees and soil
• Range of outcomes (logs, pulpwood and biofuel) by logging

All variables that forecasts can be made can also be displayed in maps, charts and tables.

Climate

Forecast model can take account of how forests evolve under different climate scenarios.

Nature Conservation

In order to analyze different strategies for conservation adjustment scheme can count on and propose provisions, prescribed ex-forestry, and the provision of retention trees. The results of a conservation strategy can be evaluated with a specific ArcGIS program that calculates the area suitable habitat for a number of selected species (see below).

Optimization

The Plan Wise is a built-in tools for formulating and solving LP and MIP problems (linear programming with or without heltalsvillkor). The system is very flexible and all variables that the system may make projections can be easily inserted into an optimization model. An optimization model is saved in a file, making it easy for users to share and distribute the models. The great flexibility, while the relatively high demands on the user who should have basic knowledge of optimization methods. Has not it may use existing optimization models.

GIS

In PlanWise and RegWise has an inbuilt license-free map viewer. Thematic maps is very easy to set up and display, and you can step through period to period to study how the forest develops over time.

Import of GIS data

Maps can be imported as shape files in PlanStart. You can also import background images, such as orthophotos.

Spatial relationships ==== ==== The system provides a function to calculate the neighboring relations between the polygons, and a function to compute all permissible combinations of contiguous polygons that do not provide for an excessive amount of logging. The results of these calculations can be used in the optimization, if you want to avoid the large clearings.

Habitat Model

Habitat model is a standalone GIS module. It applies a kind of "Moving Window" algorithm which classifies land suitable habitat for a species as a function of the state forest. To a certain local habitats will be classified as necessary not only to forestry is appropriate, but also that there should be a certain amount of habitat in areas such as one square kilometer area around the room. Habitat model can be in one journey to make calculations for multiple plans, multiple time periods, and all six species there are models for the current situation.

Added value for forest owners and decision makers

Examples of benefits and added value that software can provide:

• Ability to develop targeted plans that directly reflect the objectives and requirements of the laying of its forestry
• Ability to compare different plan options with each other and choose the option that best meets the objectives
• Long planning horizon (Type 100 years) allows for long positioning in terms such as timber production, virkesförrådets development, and a number of non-economic values. In short, a tool for a practice that is sustainable in the long term
• Visualization of individual stocks and development of management options provides discussion and decision making
• Evaluation of various conservation strategies and their cost
• Increased return on forest capital
• Control of product flows in the short and long term

Examples of application: How to make a forest management plan with Heureka?

These systems have very modern user interface, but still makes quite heavy demands on the user, both in terms of computer skills and experience of forest estimates. The elaboration of a plan for a skogsfastighet consists of the following steps:

1. Import the stocks and forest registers map to a Heureka database using import functions in the Plan Start. Have PCskog there is an export function to Heureka from there.
2. Create a project in Plan Wise.
3. Split the woods in the forest domains (care groups).
4. Make settings for each forest domain, type of care to be simulated, etc.
5. Let the program calculate a variety of alternative care programs for each stock.
6. Use the built-in optimizer to formulate the objectives and constraints for forestry, as well as allow optimization model to develop a solution to the problem.
7. Detail Study plan in tables, diagrams and maps.
8. (Presumably) Change the conditions and make further optimizations, so that several alternative plans are obtained.
9. (Optional) Compare and rank the plans in the PlanEval.

Availability and Support

Freely available

The software is free and can be downloaded from the Internet: Download and register

Maintenance

Skogliga hållbarhetsanalyser at SLU is responsible for maintaining the system.

Get help

There is no dedicated personal support available. To get help, try the following:

• Help documentation : https://www.heurekaslu.se/help/en/index.html?
• Support:

- Technical support:

The Heureka system is a very complex system and we recommend attending one of the annual Heureka courses at SLU. Usage support availability is limited and we respond to questions when we can find the time.

Please report bugs and errors to support.heureka@slu.se.

- Academic support:

and related analyst services within research projects can be provided. Consider involving SHa already in the application stage, both for task planning and financing matters (especially when new functionality needs development efforts). Requests and proposals on academic support and collaboration can be directed to support.heureka@slu.se .

Laborious support matters will be charged or require academic collaboration (including supervising of thesis works or co-authorship).

- Commercial support:

Requests and quotes on commercial support can also be directed to support.heureka@slu.se. Time taken overshooting one work hour will be charged at a consultancy rate of 1200 SEK per hour, VAT not included.

Service Level Agreements ensuring support availability upon request within an agreed time frame can be arranged, please contact the SHa Program Manager for further details.

Registered users

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