We offer a range of spatial tools, models and scripts for a range of purposes:
- Land Use Scanner model
- Definite / BOSDA – Decision Support System (DSS)
- GeoDMS – Open source Geocoding tool using BAG-registration
Land Use Scanner model
The Land Use Scanner (LUS) is an integrated GIS-based land use model that produces simulations of future land use, based on the integration of sector-specific inputs from dedicated models. The model is based on demand-supply interaction for land, with sectors competing for allocation within suitability and policy constraints. It uses a comparatively static approach that simulates a future state, in a limited number of time steps. Elsewhere on the SPINlab website, more information on the outline and characteristics of the model and a list of publications about/using the LUS is provided. We also offer a fully functional student edition with an example model configuration and geographic data below.
Land Use Scanner – Model download
The Land Use Scanner Student Edition provides an example model configuration and the geographic data. It allows you to experiment with land-use modelling and contains an assignment that serves as a first introduction to the modelling environment that is used at various research institutes worldwide to support spatial planning.
The assignment contains a short description of the model, an introduction to its main functions and an assignment that asks you to simulate future land use in the Netherlands according to scenario conditions. Before you start with the exercise, first unzip the Land Use Scanner Student Edition zip-file and install the GeoData Model Server (GeoDMS) software by running the [setup].exe file that you can find in the setup-subdirectory. Subsequently, start the installed GeoDMS software. A message box with the text: file not found is presented. Browse to the cfg subfolder of the unzipped configuration and then select the demo.dms file and click Open. The Student Edition configuration is now loaded.
If you would like to have more information about the GeoDMS software please visit the website of the developers where you can find the GeoDMS user guide and presentations of results. An extensive set of publications on the Land Use Scanner model and its applications can be found here. Please contact us (Dr. Eric Koomen or Jip Claassens) if you want to use this modelling environment to develop your own land-use model.
Definite / BOSDA
DEFINITE (decisions on a finite set of alternatives – Dutch acronyme BOSDA) is a decision support software package that has been developed to improve the quality of environmental decision making. DEFINITE is, in fact, a whole tool kit of methods that can be used on a wide variety of problems. If you have a problem to solve, and you can identify alternative solutions, then DEFINITE can weigh up the alternatives for you and assess the most reasonable alternative. The program contains a number of graphical methods to support representation. To be able to deal with all types of information DEFINITE includes five different multicriteria methods, as well as Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness analysis. Related procedures such as weight assessment, standardization, discounting and a large variety of methods for sensitivity analysis are also available.
Definite: decision making software for a finite set of alternatives
Summary
DEFINITE (decisions on a finite set of alternatives – Dutch acronym BOSDA) is a decision-making software package that has been developed to improve the quality of environmental decision making. DEFINITE is, in fact, a whole tool kit of methods that can be used on a wide variety of problems. If you have a problem to solve, and you can identify alternative solutions, then DEFINITE can weigh up the alternatives for you and assess the most reasonable alternative. The program contains a number of graphical methods to support representation. To be able to deal with all types of information DEFINITE includes five different multiple criteria decision methods (MCDM), as well as Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness analysis. Related procedures such as weight assessment, standardization, discounting and a large variety of methods for sensitivity analysis are also available.
User interface
DEFINITE for WINDOWS is built upon the concepts and ideas of DEFINITE for MSDOS and uses the experiences from all users of this version. However, the software is rewritten from scratch to produce a genuine WINDOWS program. The development of a WINDOWS program also provides the opportunity to include methods using a graphics interface and to include new developments from the field of multiple criteria decision making. In summary a program that looks good, is easy to use and includes the last theoretical developments.
Design is similar to MSOFFICE and is therefore familiar to most people. Menus have been implemented as buttons, drop down and case sensitive menu’s and are easy to use.
Under Windows it is easy to switch between programs. This means that a table from Excel can be imported into DEFINITE, a nice graph can be exported to PowerPoint for a presentation and all output can be moved to Word to prepare the evaluation report. Output can also be exported to other applications for additional analysis.
New tools for the toolkit
Graphical evaluation methods have been included. This relatively new class of methods depends totally on graphics for interaction with the user. These methods are often easier to communicate because ranking is performed visually instead of mathematically.
Value functions are the main addition to the tool box. Experiences in the last five years have shown that value functions are a valuable means of communication between the technical expert and the decision analyst. Value functions are well established in the literature and can be found in other decision support software as well. However, a unique feature of DEFINITE is a procedure that systematically leads the expert through a number of rounds of an interactive assessment session and uses an optimization approach to integrate all information provided by the experts to a full set of value functions.
Another unique feature of DEFINITE is the extensive number of tools for sensitivity analysis. This new version will allow for analysis of dependencies between criteria and will include these dependencies in sensitivity analysis.
Order DEFINITE or BOSDA
DEFINITE and BOSDA are available from VU University. The prices of DEFINITE/BOSDA are:
Single user version: 1360 euro
Single user academic version: 750 euro
Network version (maximum of 5 users): 2260 euro
Network version for academic purpose: 1360 euro
Please contact Ron Janssen (tel ++31 641210137 or send an email to DEFINITE3.1@gmail.com if you need more information or want to order DEFINITE or BOSDA.
Order Bosda or Definite
Demo version of DEFINITE
A demo version of DEFINITE can be downloaded. This version is a limited version of the program in the sense that the effects table is limited in size and the report generation module is not available. All other modules are the same as in the ‘normal’ versions. You can download the demo version of DEFINITE through the link below:
[Instructions: save the zip-file on disk, (rename,) unzip the zip-file and then run ‘setup.exe’]
DEFINITE demo version 3.1
Tutorial
By using the educational programme (or tutorial) Evaluation methods, developed by the Institute of Environmental Studies (IVM) of VU University Amsterdam together with the Faculty Public Administration and Public Policy (BSK) of the University Twente, you can learn the basic principles of multi-criteria analysis and cost-benefit analysis yourself.
The educational programme is meant as an introduction for the computer program DEFINITE, but can also be applied without that.
Below, you can find the link to the DEFINITE tutorials. Right-click it and save it to your local computer. After unzipping the file you will see three executable files that allow access to three tutorials:
Evaluatiemethods 1 UK.exe: English version, part 1 (the basics)
Evaluatiemethoden 1 NL.exe: Dutch version, part 1 (the basics)
Evaluatiemethoden 2 NL.exe: Dutch version, part 2 (advanced features)
You can start the tutorial by clicking the icon hands. The hand at the top on the right side allows you to quit the tutorial.
DEFINITE tutorials
GeoDMS – BAG geocoder
The Geo Data and Model Server (GeoDMS) is an open source GIS platform. It is mainly focused on the raster data model and is used in a wide range of applications. At SPINlab the GeoDMS is used primarily for running the Land Use Scanner model. Furthermore, we use it to geocode Dutch data sets with addresses using the Basic administration of Adresses and Buildings (BAG in Dutch) as a geocoding-source.
With the GeoDMS-BAG geocoding configuration, you can make snapshots from and geocode against the Dutch Basic Administration of Addresses and Buildings (BAG) on your own computer, for free. The BAG is a database with actual and historic information about addresses and buildings. It is very useful for lots of purposes (e.g. geocoding, determining building types, calculating accessibility indicators). It is open data and is available as a set of XML files.
We have co-developed this tool with Object Vision B.V., who maintain and further develop the GeoDMS software. Using this tool, you can geocode your own csv-files with address data on your own local computer. Next to the advantages that these local calculations are much faster than via a web service, especially for large datasets and the fact that it’s for free, you also get lots of meta-information about the geocode-level of your data (we have included no less than 16 different levels). Both main addresses and secondary addresses (‘nevenadres’ in BAG-terminology, relates to an object with multiple entrances), are included in our BAG-snapshot data.
The manual describes all necessary steps to geocode your own data. If you have any questions, or you have suggestions for further developing the tooling, feel free to contact Jasper Dekkers from SPINlab. Since the configuration is open source, you are free to develop it further by yourself. We kindly request you to share your developments with the community, so that others may profit from it as well.
If you want to be informed about future updates to this tool, follow Jasper Dekkers on Twitter or send Jasper an email.
Minimum hardware requirements
The BAG is a large dataset and the geocode tool uses many aggregations. Therefore the tool needs sufficient internal memory. We experienced that on machines with 4Gb internal memory the tool becomes slow and might result in memory allocation errors. We therefore advise to use the tool on 64 bits machines, with 64 bits versions of the GeoDMS and 16Gb internal memory or more. This also applies to the Xml2FSS and MakeSnapshot projects. Additionally, running the configuration on a Solid State Disk (SSD0 instead of a regular rotating hard disk will speed up the calculations as well.
- Licensing, citing and referring
- Downloads
Licensing, citing and referring
The GeoDMS software is available under the following license conditions: www.objectvision.nl/geodms/software/license-and-disclaimer. The BAG-Geocoding configuration is available under GNU-GPL version 3 license, see www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html for more information.
The included CBS shapefiles with administrative region boundaries of municipalities, quarters and neighbourhoods (in Dutch the ‘Wijk en buurtkaart’) are available under CC-BY 3.0 license. When the CBS shapefiles are used to visualize area boundaries or data per region, you are obliged to include the following reference: © Kadaster / Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 2016.
The shapefile containing NVM-regions has been constructed by Jasper Dekkers from SPINlab and may be used without referring.
When you use our geocoding configuration to geocode your data and subsequently use this data in your work, we kindly request you to recognize our work and refer to our geocoding configuration in the following way: Dekkers, J.E.C. and Van der Beek, M., Geocoding with the GeoDMS using BAG data. Making Snapshots from and Geocoding against the Dutch Basic Administration of Addresses and Buildings (BAG), Vrije Universiteit/Object Vision B.V., Amsterdam, 2017.
Downloads
Easy download – One zip-file including tool & source data
Advanced download – Tool & source data folders separately
When you already are running other GeoDMS model configurations, like the Land Use Scanner model, you might want to extract the ProjDir-directory and the source data files separately and put them in your own folder structure. The zip-files below are meant for that purpose. You will need to adjust some path name references in Geocode.dms, Bron.dms and MakeSnapshot.dms when you use other that the default path names, but with some GeoDMS experience this should not be a problem.
Older versions of Geocoding-configuration, manuals and BAG-snapshots