Windows software for generating maps of the potential distribution of plants and animals.

A common problem facing managers is the lack of adequate knowledge about the distribution of the species. CIFOR's DOMAIN software takes known distribution points for species and uses map layers of environmental factors such as climate, soil, land use etc, to construct an environmental habitat envelope or "domain" for those points. The envelope is then compared with environmental data for the region under study and a map produced of similarity ranges of the species' primary domain.

Another facility allows the investigator to explore how survey transects, (e.g. drawn with the mouse) account for environmental variability within the area. The same transects can be used to examine the degree to which they intercept the domain of specified plant or animal species. This can be a very useful way of generating maps for planning and inventory.

In line with CIFOR policy on data and information sharing, the DOMAIN package is distributed free of charge (see licensing agreement).

Simply download the software and follow the instructions.

We welcome comments on its use at cifor@cgiar.org