These systems are free for non-commercial use. 99% of our users use the free version. You only need a license for commercial use or if you require additional functionality and support as below. Even then, if you collaborate with us academically in the work, there is no license fee, just an agreement to collaborate.
Why we have to charge a license: The development and maintenance of these systems is costly and can only be funded sustainably by those who use the systems, since the long term, operational delivery of these systems cannot be funded under research grants and contracts. The hosting of the simterra database and modelling platform, by a commercial cloud computing provider, costs hourly and the development, maintenance, and especially user training and support for these systems has associated staff costs. Our cost model below is designed to allow free and unfettered use for genuine educational, research and charitable applications but to obtain a return from funded and commercial users to ensure that the systems are sustainable long term. Policysupport.org is a UK not-for-profit. License funds are used to develop, maintain and improve the systems, to provide free training and support and to support a series of internships and grants which assist others to improve the datasets used.
Basic scientist level access to these systems will always be free of charge for non-commercial use but if you are using these systems extensively to deliver funded projects we do expect you to bring us in as partners to those applications at proposal stage. Moreover, these systems are not free for commercial use. Commercial use includes any use by a commercial organisation (including consultants) or by a non-commercial organisation (e.g. NGO) receiving funding to apply these systems for or on behalf of a commercial organisation. Commercial means any non-charitable, for-profit activity. Those who purchase a commercial-use license to our systems will be logged into a commercial-use version in which all datasets available through the system are free from restriction or are licensed for commercial use (i.e. commercial-use restricted datasets are no longer used).
These systems are licensed on an annual basis so costs are per annum, per user-account as below. The data produced by the tools are provided for free to all users, your license at higher levels of access covers the supply of the enhanced analytical functionality, server-space and technical support by AmbioTEK. New functionality is released first at the highest user levels. All user levels run the same analysis on the same data and vary only in access to analytical functions, GIS result downloads, scenario analysis options, new functionality, storage space and support:
* Partners work with us on a funded research project or collaboration (and that is our preferred resourcing model to licensing)
^Note that the non-commercial license is also a non-consulting license. If you intend to use the software in paid consultancy for another organisation you must purchase a commercial use license.
+Email support is technical support in using the system functions and basic interpretation of outputs. Adaptation of the system functionality and significant interpretive consultation would be charged separately.
#According to project needs
Your license provides access to all policysupport.org systems (Co$tingNature, WaterWorld) for application anywhere globally at 1km or 1ha spatial resolution and is active on our public servers eg http://www1.policysupport.org/links/waterworld. Fair use policies apply to all users : if you intend to use these systems heavily and continuously you will need to cover the costs for your own cloud server so as not to tie up the public servers upon which our other users depend.
APPLY FOR A LICENSE OR PARTNER STATUS (NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT REQUIRED FOR SCIENTIST LEVEL ACCESS, WHICH IS FREE FOR ALL NON-COMMERCIAL USE) :
Please apply for your paid license or register as a partner here . If you prefer you can contact us
Alternatively, have an expert to apply these tools for you | Recent projects carried out with these tools are listed here |
FAQ:
Q: I am just trialing the tool and do not know whether I will use it or not. Do I need to buy a license? A: If you are just trialing the tool and not using the results for activity other than this then no, you can just use the scientist level interface until you have made a decision of how you will use the tool and thus the type of license that you need.
Q: I am a non-commercial organisation working with a commercial organisation to provide them with results from the tool: do I need a commercial license? A: If the commercial organisation that you are working with holds a commercial license then no, you can buy a non-commercial use license because their commercial use license covers your work for them. If they do not have a commercial license then you will need one for your work with them.