geodesign-in-practice

explicit wildlife corridors that link user-defined locations. Such
outputs result in linearly arranged polygons that represent either
structural connections between locations with given landscape
characteristics or functional paths through which individuals are
expected to move. While useful for planning purposes, such
outputs lack the specificity necessary for informing the physical
design of their interiors upon implementation.
The Automated Design Module (ADM) is intended to provide
additional insight and guidance in the physical design of a wildlife
corridor's interior by populating it with vegetation arranged in
patterns known to impact wildlife movement in desired ways.
Developing such a tool sheds light on the suggested physical
structure and design of the modeled corridor's interior, aspects
that current tools do not address. Additionally, the automated
nature of this tool allows large swaths of the landscape to be
designed based on widely available data pertaining to landscape
characteristics and considerations, such as soil, terrain, and
vegetation, among others. Until now, designing such large
portions of the landscape has been impractical due to the
massive time constraints that are required to manually develop
such designs. Finally, the ADM allows analysis, modeling, and
design to all be accomplished within an ArcGIS environment
without the need to employ other graphic design platforms,
resulting in a more streamlined workflow.
See also "Geodesign and Wildlife Corridors."
(This article originally appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of ArcNews.)
Geodesign in Practice: Designing a Better World
J10221
The Importance of Connecting Protected Areas
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