LINKING DSSAT V3 TO GIS:  AEGIS/WIN
 
AEGIS/WIN stands for Agricultural and Environmental Geographic
Information System for Microsoft Windows.  It was developed to improve
presentation and understanding of simulated results through visualization
of simulated outcomes using maps of farms or regions.   AEGIS/WIN links a
geographic information system with the Decision Support System for
Agrotechnology Transfer DSSAT, version 3.  It runs on IBM compatible
Personal Computers using the GIS software ArcView 2.0 from ESRI and has a
completely mouse and menu driven user interface.  AEGIS/WIN was written
using the macro programming language, Avenue, of ArcView.
 
AEGIS/WIN can be used for any region or coverage, i.e. piece of land on a
farm, region, or country scale. For a coverage, different crop management
practices can be assigned to different fields or  polygons,
i.e.homogenous land areas.   AEGIS/WIN  allows one to evaluate the
effects of various practices on yield in order to estimate crop
production, to explore (optimal) land use options, and to determine
potential environmental impacts.
 
The user interface can be used to perform the following functions:
 
1.   Create thematic maps based on (i) polygon-characteristic features of
a coverage such as soil type, total area, weather station, and climate
zones, or (ii) landuse-characteristic features  such as the crop
and variety.
 
2.   Define and modify various crop management practices using DSSAT v3.
These practices may vary in the crop, variety, planting, irrigation,
fertilization, and/or residue management.
 
3.   Perform simulations and examine results of several simulated
factors. Simulation results can be graphically presented in
thematic maps. Statistical results tables can be created and shown
using graphs.
 
4.   Maps, graphs and tables can be printed.
 
 
AEGIS/WIN uses the crop models of DSSAT v3 which are written in FORTRAN,
according to the standard crop model inputs and outputs as defined by the
International Benchmark Sites Network for Agrotechnology Transfer project
(Tsuji et al., 1994;  Jones et al., 1994;  Hoogenboom et al., 1994).
AEGIS/WIN can be used with each of 11 crop models in DSSAT v3.
 
The User's Manual provides instructions for installing and using
AEGIS/WIN.  It also contains technical information concerning the
structure of the INFO data bases, the location of files,
and some key programming concepts.
 
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Hardware:
          1.   IBM compatible Personal Computer 80386 or higher
          2.   Harddisk with at least 30 megabytes of free space
                a.  18 MB for DSSAT v3
                b.    9 MB for ArcView 2.0
                c.    1 MB for AEGIS/WIN
          3.  Minimum of  8 MB random access memory (RAM);  12 to 16 MB
                recommended.
          4.   Minimum of 5 MB swapfile (virtual memory on harddisk); 12
                MB recommended.
          5.   Microsoft compatible mouse
Software:
         1.      MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.1 and higher
         2.      MS-Windows 3.1 or higher
         3.      DSSAT v3
         4.      ArcView 2.0
 
 
TO ACQUIRE AEGIS/WIN:
Contact IBSNAT by fax (808)956-3421 or email
([log in to unmask] )
for details.  Cost is $95 plus shipping and handling.