New Features in RAMAS GIS 3.0

Note: If you are currenly using version 1, also see New Features in RAMAS GIS 2.0

• Windows 95 interface allows a more intuitive menu system, more memory for the program, and compatibility with printers and other software.

Landscape data:

• You can export the Patch map, in addition to the habitat suitability map (version 2 exports only HS map).
• Both Habitat Suitability Map and Patch Map can be exported in IDRISI format as well as text format (version 2 supports only text format).

Metapopulation model (RAMAS Metapop):

• You can specify multiple standard deviation matrices, each of which can be assigned to one or more populations (version 2 allows only one standard deviation matrix).
• Dispersal rates can have random variation (environmental stochasticity), specified with a single parameter, coefficient of variation (version 2 allows only demographic stochasticity in dispersal).
• Two different types of catastrophes can be modeled (version 2 allows only one type).  Each type can affect abundances, carrying capacities or vital rates, and can be regional or local in its spatial extent.
• You can give a name to each stage (these are used as labels instead of “Stage 1”, “Stage 2”, etc.).
• You can give a name to each catastrophe (used as labels).
• You can model three types of population management actions: harvest, translocation, and introduction.  You can specify up to 100 management actions (in any combination).  Each action involves a specified number or proportion of individuals and affects a specified range of populations and stages.  The timing of each action (starting and ending time steps; frequency; before/after dispersal), and conditions (e.g., translocate only if source population is above a certain size) can also be specified.
• A new type of result reports the total biomass harvested in each time step (with average, standard deviation, minimum and maximum over all replications).
• You can specify an average weight for each stage (used for calculating total harvest).
• The number of truncations in vital rates is reported at the end of the simulation.  New “advanced” options (under Stochasticity) allow two additional ways to correct these.

Metapopulation model, Landscape data, Comparison of results:

• You can view the results as graph or text (table), and print them on any Windows-supported printer.  You can save the results (graph or text) in disk files, or copy them to the clipboard.
• Text results copied to clipboard can be pasted to Excel spreadsheets.  Graphical results can be pasted into any application that accepts bitmaps.