Land Allocation Decision Support System
Encyclopedia
LADSS or Land Allocation Decision Support System, is an agricultural land use
planning tool developed at The Macaulay Institute. More recently the term LADSS is used to refer to the research of the team behind the original planning tool.
The EU FP7 SMILE (Synergies in Multi-scale Inter-Linkages of Eco-social Systems) project, focuses on the concept of social metabolism that draws attention to how energy, material, money and ideas are utilised by society.
The Aquarius project, which is aims is to find and implement sustainable, integrated land-water management through engaging with land managers.
The COP15 website which provides a series of briefing and scoping papers produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and contributed to by The Macaulay Institute to raise the profile of the ecosystems approach in the UNFCC 15th Conference of the Parties meeting in Copenhagen to tackling not just climate change mitigation and adaptation, but also poverty alleviation, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity loss and many other environmental issues.
GIS application using the Magik programming language and an Oracle database
. LADSS models crops using the CropSyst
simulation model. LADSS also contains a livestock
model plus social, environmental and economic impact assessments.
LADSS has been used to address climate change
issues affecting agriculture in Scotland
and Italy
. Part of this work has involved the use of General Circulation Models (also known as Global climate model
s) to predict future climate scenarios. Other work has included a study into how Common Agricultural Policy
reform will affect the uplands of Scotland
, an assessment of agricultural sustainability
and rural development research within the AGRIGRID
project.
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
planning tool developed at The Macaulay Institute. More recently the term LADSS is used to refer to the research of the team behind the original planning tool.
Overview of Research
The focus of the research of the LADSS team has evolved over time from land use decision support towards policy support, climate change and the concepts of resilience and adaptive capacity.Recent Studies
The team has recently published a study which examines, from a Scottish perspective, a number of alternative scenarios for reform of CAP Pillar 1 Area Payments. It focuses on two alternative classifications: the Macaulay Land Capability for Agriculture classification; and Less Favoured Area Designations; and includes analysis of the redistribution of payments from the current historical system. The study is entitled: Modelling Scenarios for CAP Pillar 1 Area Payments using Macaulay Land Capability for Agriculture (& Less Favoured Area Designations) and was used to inform the Pack Inquiry.The EU FP7 SMILE (Synergies in Multi-scale Inter-Linkages of Eco-social Systems) project, focuses on the concept of social metabolism that draws attention to how energy, material, money and ideas are utilised by society.
The Aquarius project, which is aims is to find and implement sustainable, integrated land-water management through engaging with land managers.
The COP15 website which provides a series of briefing and scoping papers produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and contributed to by The Macaulay Institute to raise the profile of the ecosystems approach in the UNFCC 15th Conference of the Parties meeting in Copenhagen to tackling not just climate change mitigation and adaptation, but also poverty alleviation, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity loss and many other environmental issues.
LADSS Planning Tool
The LADSS planning tool is implemented using the programming language G2 from Gensym alongside a SmallworldSmallworld
Smallworld was a GIS company founded in Cambridge, England, in 1989 by Dick Newell and others. It grew to become the global market leader for GIS in utilities and communications, according to Daratech. In September 2000, it was acquired by GE Energy, a division of General Electric...
GIS application using the Magik programming language and an Oracle database
Oracle database
The Oracle Database is an object-relational database management system produced and marketed by Oracle Corporation....
. LADSS models crops using the CropSyst
CropSyst
CropSyst is a is a multi-year multi-crop daily time-step simulation model being developed by a team at Washington State University's Department of Biological Systems Engineering. The model is used to study the effect of cropping systems management on productivity .The model has been parameterised...
simulation model. LADSS also contains a livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
model plus social, environmental and economic impact assessments.
LADSS has been used to address climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
issues affecting agriculture in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Part of this work has involved the use of General Circulation Models (also known as Global climate model
Global climate model
A General Circulation Model is a mathematical model of the general circulation of a planetary atmosphere or ocean and based on the Navier–Stokes equations on a rotating sphere with thermodynamic terms for various energy sources . These equations are the basis for complex computer programs commonly...
s) to predict future climate scenarios. Other work has included a study into how Common Agricultural Policy
Common Agricultural Policy
The Common Agricultural Policy is a system of European Union agricultural subsidies and programmes. It represents 48% of the EU's budget, €49.8 billion in 2006 ....
reform will affect the uplands of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, an assessment of agricultural sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
and rural development research within the AGRIGRID
AgriGrid
AGRIGRID is a research project commissioned by the EU which has the aim of developing methodological grids for the calculation of payments in rural development measures for the EU member states....
project.