TerrSet (formerly IDRISI) is an integrated

geographic information system A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...

(GIS) and

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

developed by Clark Labs at

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...

for the analysis and display of digital geospatial information. TerrSet is a PC grid-based system that offers tools for researchers and scientists engaged in analyzing earth system dynamics for effective and responsible decision making for

environmental management Environmental resource management is the management of the interaction and impact of human societies on the environment. It is not, as the phrase might suggest, the management of the environment itself. Environmental resources management aims ...

, sustainable resource development and equitable resource allocation. Key features of TerrSet include: * GIS analytical tools for basic and advanced spatial analysis, including tools for surface and statistical analysis, decision support, land change and prediction, and image time series analysis; * an image processing system with multiple hard and soft classifiers, including machine learning classifiers such as

neural networks A neural network is a network or circuit of biological neurons, or, in a modern sense, an artificial neural network, composed of artificial neurons or nodes. Thus, a neural network is either a biological neural network, made up of biological ...

and classification tree analysis, as well as

image segmentation In digital image processing and computer vision, image segmentation is the process of partitioning a digital image into multiple image segments, also known as image regions or image objects ( sets of pixels). The goal of segmentation is to simpl ...

for classification; * Land Change Modeler, a land planning and decision support toolset that addresses the complexities of land change analysis and land change prediction. * Habitat and Biodiversity Modeler, a modeling environment for habitat assessment and biodiversity modeling. * Ecosystem Services Modeler, a spatial

decision support system A decision support system (DSS) is an information system that supports business or organizational decision-making activities. DSSs serve the management, operations and planning levels of an organization (usually mid and higher management) and h ...

for assessing the value of

natural capital Natural capital is the world's stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. Some natural capital assets provide people with free goods and services, often called ecosystem services. All of t ...

. * Earth Trends Modeler, an integrated suite of tools for the analysis of image

time series In mathematics, a time series is a series of data points indexed (or listed or graphed) in time order. Most commonly, a time series is a sequence taken at successive equally spaced points in time. Thus it is a sequence of discrete-time data. Exa ...

(time series) to assess climate trends and impacts. * Climate Change Adaptation Modeler, a facility for modeling future climate and its impacts. * GeOSIRIS-REDD, a national-level

REDD Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name ''Ten''. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, titled ''"50/50" ...

planning tool to assess deforestation, carbon emissions, agricultural revenue and carbon payments. *

GeoMod GeoMod is a raster-based land change modeling tool in the GIS software TerrSet that simulates the gain or the loss of a land category over a specified time interval.Pontius, R. G., Cornell, J. D., & Hall, C. A. (2001). Modeling the spatial pattern o ...

, a

land change modeling Land change models (LCMs) describe, project, and explain changes in and the dynamics of land use and land-cover. LCMs are a means of understanding ways that humans change the Earth's surface in the past, present, and future. Land change models a ...

tool based around modeling unidirectional transitions between two land cover categories

History and background

TerrSet was first developed in 1987 by Prof. J. Ronald Eastman of

, Department of Geography. Dr. Eastman continues to be the prime developer and chief architect of the software. The software was initially named after cartographer

Muhammad al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي القرطبي الحسني السبتي; la, Dreses; 1100 – 1165), was a Muslim geographer, cartograp ...

(1100–1166). In June 2020 Clark Labs released the TerrSet 2020 Geospatial Monitoring and Modeling software, version 19. Besides its primary research and scientific focus, TerrSet is popular as an academic tool for teaching the principal theories behind GIS at colleges and universities. Since 1987 TerrSet has been used by professionals in a wide range of industries in more than 180 countries worldwide. In total, there are over 300 modules for the analysis and display of digital spatial information. TerrSet is managed and updated by Clark Labs. Based within the Graduate School of Geography at

, Clark Labs and its software tools are known for advancements in areas such as decision support, uncertainty management, classifier development, change and time series analysis, and dynamic modeling. Clark Labs partners with organizations such as the

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is an American foundation established by Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore and his wife Betty I. Moore in September 2000 to support scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care improvements a ...

Google.org Google.org, founded in October 2005, is the charitable arm of Google, a multinational technology company. The organization has committed roughly US$100 million in investments and grants to nonprofits annually. The organization is noted for se ...

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

, the United Nations,

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The organ ...

Imazon Imazon (Amazon Institute of People and the Environment, pt, Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia) is a non-profit organisation based in Belém, Pará, Brazil, that is dedicated to conserving the Amazon rainforest. It has published many ...

and

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...

References

External links

*{{Official website, clarklabs.org
Clark Labs Tech Notes BlogREDD BlogEarth Trends BlogIDRISI Canada Home PageIDRISI Brazil WebsiteIDRISI Ecuador
GIS software Remote sensing software