The Land Use Decision Support (LUDS) Tool aims to assist
environmental practitioners by providing them with a tool that extracts information for an area from
selected spatial data layers, thereby facilitating their deliberations and decision-making processes when
assessing the possible impacts of development or land-use changes.
The LUDS tool will guide the user through an automated process of
finding their area of interest,
selecting a land parcel or area and then
analysing this selection against a set of
pre-defined layers that coincide spatially with that location. Once the extraction analysis has been completed, the user
will have the option of either viewing the results in report format or generating a pre-rendered map.
The primary objective of the LUDS tool is to serve as a guide for planning and decision-making when using biodiversity information and should therefore not be seen as a replacement for specialist ecological assessments. Most of the spatial biodiversity planning information incorporated into the
LUDS tool were mapped at a scale of 1:250 000 (i.e. 1 cm on the map = 2,5 km on the ground) or greater. Therefore, to ensure maximum accuracy, always check the map against actual conditions on the ground when
undertaking planning or decision-making or contact your local conservation authority for additional assistance.
Land Use Decision Support (LUDS) Tool User Guide
