The Spatial Pattern Analysis Program for Categorical Maps.

A powerful yet easy to use application used for over 25 years by thousands of educators, students, and researchers.

FRAGSTATS is a spatial pattern analysis program for categorical maps representing the landscape mosaic model of landscape structure. Note, at this time FRAGSTATS is not suitable for continuous surface maps representing the landscape gradient model of landscape structure, although this is under construction for a future release. The landscape subject to analysis is user-defined and can represent any spatial phenomenon. FRAGSTATS simply quantifies the spatial heterogeneity of the landscape as represented in the user-defined categorical map; however, it is incumbent upon the user to establish a sound basis for defining and scaling the landscape in terms of thematic content and spatial resolution (i.e., spatial grain and extent). We strongly recommend that you read the FRAGSTATS Background section before using this program (see the Help tab and “Online documentation” in the software). Importantly, the output from FRAGSTATS is meaningful only if the landscape as defined is meaningful relative to the phenomenon under consideration.