Issue No 12, July 1999.

NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the Advice on Publications Available.

37. Software

LucID Professional for Windows
Supported by the Centre for Pest Information, Technology and Transfer
The University of Queensland
CD-ROM & Manual
ISBN 0 643 06415 X

LucID Professional is a powerful but simple system that lets you construct and view interactive identification keys to almost anything. The Windows-based program consists of two modules: the LucID Builder, which allows researchers and other users to design and build their own identification keys for any group of organisms or array of material; and the LucID Player, which allows interactive use of those identification keys.

LucID Professional is a research, decision-support and educational tool that is easy to use but includes many powerful features. The LucID Player can act as an identification key to items held in its data files, but it can also provide information about the item once it has been identified. This information comes in the form of text, audio files, photographs or video clips. The LucID Builder enables you to construct these powerful interactive keys and to incorporate related multimedia information.

Features:

identification is easy, start with any character
the point-and-click interface is elegant and straight forward
images, videos and sounds can be included
states are coded as common or rare, and misinterpretations are allowed for
discrete character data and continuous numeric data are supported
the optimum route to identification can be shown at any time
related subkeys can be loaded from the main key
errors can be tolerated and set to your requirements
material within keys can be compared for similarities and differences
remaining possible answers are ranked according to their probability of being correct
keys can be created in languages other than English

Minimum requirements:
Windows 3.1, 95, NT, 98
486 DX/33 processor (Pentium recommended)
8 Mb of RAM
40 Mb of hard-disk space
CD-ROM drive
VGA monitor displaying 256 colours

The LucID Professional website has a detailed description of this product and details of costs and discounts available:
http://www.publish.csiro.au/lucid

Available from:
CSIRO Publishing
PO Box 1139
Collingwood Victoria 3066
Telephone: 03 9662 7666
Facsimile: 03 9662 7555
Email: sales@publish.csiro.au
Web site: http://www.publish.csiro.au/lucid
Price AUD495

For general enquiries regarding LucID Professional, contact:
Ms Andrea Jordan
LucID Professional Project Manager
CSIRO Publishing
PO Box 1139 (150 Oxford Street)
Collingwood Victoria 3066
Telephone: 03 9662 7623
Facsimile: 03 9662 7600
Email: andrea.jordan@publish.csiro.au

CLIMEX: Predicting the effects of climate on plants and animals
By RW Sutherst and GF Maywald
CSIRO Entomology
ISBN 0 643 06361 7

CLIMEX is a dynamic simulation model for predicting the effects of climate on the distribution of plants and animals. Climate is one of the major factors limiting the distribution of plants and cold-blooded animals. CLIMEX uses climate information, and knowledge about the biology and distribution of species in their original habitat, to provide a rapid, reliable assessment of the risks posed by the introduction of various organisms, and can be used to predict their spread. CLIMEX can also be used to identify possible collection and release sites for biological control agents. Possible changes due to the Greenhouse Effect can be tested.

CLIMEX is currently used in many countries to examine the distribution of insects, plants, pathogens and vertebrates for a variety of purposes, including biogeography in quarantine, biological control and impacts of climate. It can be used to compare climate at different locations, compare climate across a number of years and to match climates against pre-set criteria.

CLIMEX provides:

an in-depth interpretation of the climatic responses of biological organisms
geographical mapping of those responses
annual indices of responses for organisms in one location
a global meteorological database which can be inspected, edited or added to a user-friendly interface
customised maps
Greenhouse Effect scenario builder.

CLIMEX has applications in Biogeography, Quarantine, Pest Risk Biocontrol, Global Climate Change Policy, Integrated Pest Management and Education

CLIMEX 1.1 requires an IBM-compatible PC running Microsoft Windows 95 or greater. A minimum standard 486 DX66 MHz PC is recommended with a VGA or SVGA monitor.

To fully install the program you will require approximately 10 megabytes of hard disk space.

CLIMEX comes with a comprehensive user guide that explains the theory behind the product and gives an overview of the major functions and uses of CLIMEX including:

Comparing Locations
Comparing Years
Matching Climates

There is a CLIMEX free demonstration version at:
http://www.publish.csiro.au/CLIMEX/

Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter

Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email: r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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originally created by: GK; latest update 17 October 2001 by: RF