Agricultural and Land Use Software (ALU)

1. Agricultural and Land Use Software (ALU) Stephen M. Ogle, Ph.D. Colorado State University Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory Fort Collins, Colorado USA Acknowledgements: ALU Software Programmers/Testers: Shannon Spencer (lead programmer), Mark Easter, Fadi Wedyan, Prasanna Venkatesh, Shilpa Halvadar, Hussein Al-Rousan, Stephen Williams, Lacey Hood and Amy Swan

2. What is ALU? • Greenhouse Gas Inventory Software Program • Developed for LULUCF and Agricultural Sectors • Based on IPCC methods (96 GL and GPG) • Emphasis on incorporation of good practices • Accommodates IPCC Tier 1 and 2 methods • User-interface guiding compiler through inventory process with an underlying relational database structure • Activity data entry, emission factor assignment and emission/stock change estimation • Digital archive for inventory data • Institutional memory

3. GHG Sources in Agriculture and LULUCF From 2006 IPCC GHG Inventory Guidelines

4. Some Key Features of ALU • Flexibility with choice of activity data • Option to use Approach 1, 2 or 3 activity data • May import activity data from remote-sensing imagery, and combine with forestry statistics and agricultural census data • Complete and consistent representation of land • Option to use default or region-specific factors • Tier 1 and 2 method • Explicit Quality Assurance/Quality Control steps • Activity data entry, factor assignments and calculations • Produces tabular results and maps for LULUCF • All calculations provided for transparency

5. Relevance to Capacity-Building Projects • Develop inventory with IPCC good practices • Explicit Quality Assurance/Quality Control Steps • Activity data entry, factor assignments and calculations • Complete and consistent representation of land use and management for all associated emission sources • Facilitate application of Tier 2 approaches for key sources in Agriculture and LULUCF - Flexibility • Many options for incorporating country-specific data • Country-specific emission factors • Facilitate recalculation of emissions across inventory time series

6. Relevance (continued) • Data management capability • Activity data, factor files, emission results • Utilize GIS-based data on land use and land use change derived from remote sensing imagery - Option • Digital archive of all data and results • Self-contained database with activity data, documentation references and results • Institutional memory for long-term sustainability of GHG inventory • Support reporting to the UNFCCC through capacity-building project

7. Module I, Primary Data: Enter activity data on land use change

8. Text File(Import to ALU) Spatial Data(Digital) climate,soil,lutype,area TRM,HAM,CRO,2919894.20 TRM,HAM,FOR,3359760.83 TRM,HAM,GRA,1041601.15 TRM,HAM,SET,3877.62 TRM,HAM,WET,143290.34 TRM,LAM,CRO,566015.12 TRM,LAM,FOR,2786199.48 TRM,LAM,GRA,92800.60 TRM,LAM,SET,3816.94 TRM,LAM,WET,73629.06 TRM,VOL,CRO,40697.90 TRM,VOL,FOR,127249.06 TRM,VOL,GRA,4463.06 TRM,VOL,WET,1821.44 TRM,WET,CRO,21314.42 TRM,WET,FOR,24314.44 TRM,WET,GRA,27586.35 TRM,WET,SET,315.95 TRM,WET,WET,7699.40 TMM,HAM,CRO,20028.59 TMM,HAM,FOR,75022.50 TMM,HAM,GRA,1685.64 TMM,LAM,CRO,3131.15 TMM,LAM,FOR,7102.60 TMM,LAM,GRA,159.96 TMM,LAM,WET,472.70 TMM,VOL,CRO,11870.78 TMM,VOL,FOR,49932.65 TMM,VOL,GRA,899.75 Export Sources: Remote Sensing Imagery, National Scale Mapping Projects (e.g., soils), Land Use Surveys

9. Climate and Soil Approach 2/3 Activity Data

10. QA/QC for Primary Data

11. QA/QC Items Review activity data entry to check for errors May export activity data and send to experts for additional review

12. Module I, Secondary Data: Enter additional activity data related to deforestation

13. Enter previous forest types and age classes before deforestation Insert area deforested during the year and area cleared by burning

14. Module II: Enter stock change factors for deforestation

15. Factors needed to loss of biomass C from deforestation Compiler has option to assign defaults or country-specific values

16. Module III: Program calculates emissions and stock changes using equations from IPCC GL and GPG

17. Review results for biomass C stock loss due to deforestation Calculation to estimate changes in biomass C stocks from deforestation Equation and Legend

18. Module IV: Inventory compiler exports results into spreadsheets for reporting

20. Module I-Primary Data: Enter Livestock Statistics

21. Select Climate Region Enter basic animal population numbers

22. QA/QC for Primary Data

23. QA/QC Items Review activity data entry to check for errors Confirm data complete May export activity data and send to experts for additional review

24. Module I-Secondary Data: Additional Livestock Management Statistics

25. Factors/Data needed to estimate gross energy intake Other factor files available Compiler has option to enter additional values

26. Equation and Legend Review results for daily gross energy intake Calculations

27. Module II: Enter Emission Factors for Enteric Methane QA/QC for Secondary Data

28. Factors needed to estimate enteric methane emissions Other factor files available Compiler has option to enter additional values

29. Equation and Legend Review results for enhanced enteric methane emission factor Calculations

30. QA/QC for Emission Factors Module III: Estimate Emissions for Enteric Methane

31. Equation and Legend Calculation Review results for enteric methane emissions

32. Export results into spreadsheets for reporting

34. Additional Refinements • ALU could be refined to address uncertainty • Develop a mitigation module for projections of GHG trends with various mitigation options

35. Web Site:http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/ghgtool/