PlanIT : a multiuser 4D decision support tool for land and water resource planning.

PlanIT is a PC based decision support system (DSS) designed for end users from farmers to government agencies. It is designed to be a generic multi-user platform to integrate biophysical, economic, and social data and models in a user friendly format. The user interface is a 4D world, showing photos of the farm or catchment draped over terrain, that can vary through time. The software allows for mapping, and editing both natural and man-made objects within the landscape. The user can visualise, analyse, simulate, and cost land management options including building dams, digging drains, fencing, choosing crops, revegetating, and applying pesticide etc. Market and climate forecasts can be input to allow managers of natural resources (farmers, agencies, developers, financiers) to explore what-if scenarios and arrive at decisions that optimise both the profitability of the enterprise and sustainability of the resource. The DSS matrix can be edited to allow for weighting of preferred outcomes. The background software “engines” include a standard games engine linked to biophysical simulation models, cost-benefit analysis software, a multi-objective decision support tool, and market and climate historical and forecast data. Outputs include standard environmental, financial statement, and social decision outcomes.