GeoSpatial Toolkit (Geospatial Data Science Data and Tools)

The GeoSpatial Toolkit is a map-based software application that integrates renewable energy resource data and other GIS data for integrated resource assessment. The Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) enables exploration and simple analysis of renewable potential without expertise in geographic information systems (GIS). It combines software (GIS capabilities) plus data (resource, land use, and infrastructure data) into a downloadable package that can be used on any Windows desktop. Toolkit functionalities include:Viewing solar and wind data and overlay roads, transmission lines, land use and elevation. A user can zoom in and out and move all around exploring the renewable energy opportunities for a country.Running queries that will calculate the land area meeting certain criteria, such as minimum resource values, proximity to infrastructure, restricted land use, and slope characteristics.Clicking on a location to use the underlying resource values to develop a HOMER file which can simulate systems that will meet the loads of pre-designed off-grid loads. These files can also be used in the full version of HOMER for more sophisticated users.