Dear Colleagues, This posting is to announce an updated version of www.eco-tools.net, the site that provides free, online calculators for ecology and conservation biology.
The address remains the same -- http://www.eco-tools.net -- but now links to a much faster server. The site has been redesigned for easier navigation, and parts of it have been translated into Spanish, with other languages on the way. A number of the modules have also been updated. Some highlights: 1) The Species Richness module now incorporates the latest work on analytical sample-based rarefaction curves by Rob Colwell and his collaborators, and on true richness estimators by Anne Chao. It also automatically performs a number of tests of the assumptions underlying these methods (which makes it unique as far as we can tell). 2) For those of you who haven't visited the site for a while, there is a module that does simple, count-based population viability analysis. This module also includes tests of assumptions, and allows the elimination of outliers if desired. Please take a moment to visit the site, so that you can see what is currently available. Almost all of the modules have classic, example datasets which you can analyse with a click of the button. Two requests: 1) The site is aimed in part at conservation practitioners in developing countries or remote regions where access to computers and software is limited. As not everyone reads Ecolog-L, please forward this message to any of your colleagues whom you feel might like to know about the site. 2) www.eco-tools.net is meant to be an evolving resource with input from the user community (it is 'open-source'). We are looking for help in many areas, from algorithm development to translation and web development. We would love to have some of the modules available in, say, Chinese! If you would like to contribute in any capacity, please e-mail us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] (you can also visit the site to learn more about contributing). I hope you find it useful, Gareth Russell New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University [EMAIL PROTECTED]
