SERVICES: Programming of customized spatial analysis tools

The primary service offered is that of programming customized spatial analyses and tools. There are a great number of analyses that cannot be conveniently performed with out-of-the-box software, and I specialize in creating software solutions to make such analyses possible.

It is invariably more cost efficient to contract the development of a customized tool than it is to employ a GIS or remote sensing technician to do these things manually (if it is possible to do them manually at all). The benefit of a software solution is that it can be conveniently repeated, and that the analysis (which often involves numerous intermediate stages) is consistent, streamlined, documented, fast, and easily adapted or modified.

Furthermore, many spatial analyses take a great deal of time to run (thousands of hours is not unusual). The only efficient way of completing that processing in as short a time as possible is to write software that handles every aspect of the analysis, thereby keeping a processor working on the analysis 24 hours a day (in contrast to manual work which involves a great deal of processor inactivity).

Software solutions come in a wide variety of flavors - there is no single best solution for all applications. I prefer to develop solutions for ArcMap on the Windows platform using Visual Studio, but am also able to supply solutions for other platforms (Arc/Info AML for UNIX/PC, Avenue for ArcView 3.2, stand alone products, spatial data and database web interfaces, etc).

For examples of my work please feel free to explore this site. HawthsTools2 is a free extension for ArcGIS (ArcMap) containing numerous tools that automate repetitive tasks and enable new functionality relating to ecological analyses. It is a prime example of the type of product that is offered here.

I am familiar with coding the following sorts of analysis techniques (in no particular order):

- roving window analyses
- animal movement analysis, path generation and analysis
- data processing automation
- home range analyses
- simple linear regression
- Monte Carlo simulations
- case controlled logistic regression
- a wide range of spatial operations and analyses
- colinearity equation solutions
- demuxing techniques
- serial port communications (COM)
- GPS applications
- aerial videography applications

If you are interested in a software solution, I would be happy to discuss it with you. Please contact me using the following email address:

Hawthorne Beyer
Spatial Information Systems Consultant
hawthorne@spatialecology.com