Scenario 360 decision tools allow you to set up particular types of analysis simply by providing inputs and making choices. They include “wizards” that provide step-by-step procedures for setting up the rules and data you want to use. The particular decision tools available to you will depend upon which one you have installed and licensed. Some, but not all, decision tools require separate licensing. To license a decision tool or see license information, point to Tools License from the Scenario 360 toolbar menu.
To access a decision tool, click the Scenario 360 drop-down menu, point to Tools, and click on the desired tool. As you move your mouse over each tool name, you may see informational text displayed on the Status Bar in the lower left-hand corner of the window. A grayed-out tool name means that the tool is not currently available - either because it is not licensed or because the analysis does not contain all the data the tool requires to run. For an explanation, read the information provided on the Status Bar or refer to the help for that tool.
When decision tool Wizards are open they are the only active window in the analysis. To return to the rest of the analysis, simply close the Wizard. Any data you have entered will usually be saved so that you can see it next time you open the Wizard.
Access the Decision Tools toolbar by clicking the Scenario 360 drop-down menu on the Scenario 360 toolbar, pointing to Tools and clicking Show Decision Tools Toolbar.
Automatically create GIS-based impact analyses based on projected growth. With simple input, the Common Impacts Wizard creates charts, reports, formulas, indicators, attributes, and assumptions that help you analyze the economic, environmental, and social outcomes associated with alternative growth scenarios. This Wizard provides a great jump start for all kinds of planning projects as well as a powerful companion to the CommunityViz Build-Out Wizard and TimeScope™.
The Land-Use Designer helps you set up and manage land-use models. Once they have been created, land-use models provide an easy way to create land-use scenarios and impact analyses simply by sketching on the map. Each model specifies the name and particular characteristics of a given land use, such as building density and resource utilization rates. When you apply a land use to a feature on the map, the feature takes on all the specified characteristics, and corresponding impacts are calculated automatically. In Scenario 360 terminology, the designer creates both land-use styles and corresponding analysis components needed for impact modeling.
The LandFrag Wizard helps you calculate and classify the fragmentation of an existing land cover raster based on the pattern of land cover in surrounding cells. A typical application is measuring forest fragmentation, but the model works on any land cover. The tool is useful for quantifying fragmentation in an objective, repeatable way. You can use it in the course of analysis to measure existing fragmentation and to measure the potential fragmentation effects of alternative land-use scenarios or growth over time. (This premium feature may not be available in all versions of CommunityViz.)
The Optimizer Wizard assists you in choosing the best combination of features to satisfy certain goals, such as which parcels to conserve given a finite conservation budget. This advanced decision tool provides users a mathematical way to find near-optimal solutions to Scenario 360 combinatorial analysis problems. (This advanced feature is available only with CommunityViz – Professional.)
One of the most powerful applications of CommunityViz is site-suitability analysis The process of determining which locations are best suited for certain uses.: the process of determining which locations are best suited for certain uses. Just specify the factors you want to consider (for example, proximity to roads and overlap with floodplains) and the Suitability Wizard sets up a complete analysis for you. Once the analysis has been created, you can color code your map according to which sites are most suitable, and you can dynamically change the weighting of each factor and see the results.
The Allocator Wizard is a decision tool that performs the common planning function of allocating demand for buildings across the available supply of potential building locations. Buildings are placed according to the desirability and capacity of each land-use area. The CommunityViz Allocator Wizard allows you to specify either strict ordering, in which the most desirable area are always filled up first, or probability-based ordering, in which the probability that a location is used is based on its relative desirability.
Build-out analyses allow planners to estimate the amount and location of development for an area. A build-out analysis provides an answer to the question “how many buildings could be built in this area according to current land-use regulations?” A build-out analysis provides a convenient reference for future planning because it represents a theoretical maximum. It does not imply or forecast how many buildings will actually be built. Scenario 360 Build-Out Wizard automates the entire build-out process. It guides you through the choices and selections that will form the basis of a build-out analysis.
TimeScope is a decision tool that helps you look at changes over time. Using TimeScope, you can assign a “build date” to features within a layer based on rules you set, such as rate of growth and building sequence. A special TimeScope Time variable assumption lets you change the nominal date you are viewing in the analysis, making features appear and disappear accordingly. Features that have not been “built” by the date set by the TimeScope Time assumption don't appear on the map. In addition, you can write impact formulas that exclude them from your calculations.