Tukman Geospatial, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (who led the project), the County of Merced and the California Department of Conservation, developed a land-use planning tool that can be applied at a county level. The tool, Terra Count, models the effects of different development patterns and agricultural practices on future greenhouse gas emissions and a suite of co-benefits, which include terrestrial habitat quality, water quality, and human well-being.

Terra Count delivers data-rich tables describing the effects of planning scenarios on emissions and co-benefits, and creates plots comparing the impacts of the different scenarios. It was built using python and runs as a toolbox through ESRI’s ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro. The project included significant research into land use and agricultural practices and their relationship to greenhouse gases and co-benefits.