Contacts

Kyle Copas
Director of Marketing and Communications
office (703) 908-1895
mobile (434) 960-0395

Press Releases

NatureServe VistaTM 2.6 for ArcGIS 10 Released

Free decision-support software now supports state and ecoregional-sized projects
Press Release

NatureServe has announced the release of NatureServe VistaTM 2.6, which now adds full compatibility and support for Esri ArcGIS 10. The move to Esri’s new 64-bit platform has greatly increased both Vista’s speed and the scale of planning and assessment projects it can process.

Vista is a powerful, flexible tool that integrates conservation values within planning and assessment activities for land use, transportation, energy, natural resources, and ecosystem-based management.

Version 2.6 has been successfully tested with projects whose boundaries measure up to 65,000 sq. mi. (168,349 km2) while maintaining a 30-meter raster cell size. This expansion of Vista’s capabilities make it feasible to use the tool to design, evaluate, implement, and monitor land-use and resource management scenarios for medium-sized U.S. states and other jurisdictions, large watersheds, and ecoregions.

NatureServe Vista 2.6 is also fully compatible with Marxan 2.1.1, using a step-by-step wizard to “generate solutions” and create input files needed for Marxan. Users can also import Marxan results through Vista’s “capture results” function.

NatureServe Vista 2.6 is free for users to download at www.natureserve.org/vista, where registrants can access additional resources, including FAQs, detailed user guides, and details on other companion tools.

While Vista is free and easy to learn and use, its capacity to address complex processes leads some enterprise users to secure basic or custom support services, including technical support, live and online help desks, training programs, along with other conservation-planning and ecosystem-management consulting services.

About NatureServe

NatureServe is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to providing the scientific basis for effective conservation action and a member of the IUCN Red List Partnership. Through its network of 81 natural heritage programs and conservation data centers in the United States, Canada, and Latin America, NatureServe provides a unique body of detailed scientific information and conservation biodiversity expertise about the plants, animals, and ecosystems of the Americas. Learn more at www.natureserve.org.