PALM is a web-based spatial decision support system (www.palm.ethz.ch) enabling landscape planners to allocate new building zones by taking into account ecological, economic and social ecosystem services. Based on a user-defined set of ecosystem services the PALM model calculates and displays an optimal distribution of building zones in a specific area. The results of a PALM analysis make it possible to maintain the quality of the landscape and the services of intact ecosystems for future generations. PALM 2.0 covers the whole of Switzerland, which enables analyses to be run on every Swiss canton or municipality.
Grêt-Regamey, A., Altwegg, J., Sirén, E. A., van Strien, M. J. & Weibel, B. (2017). Integrating ecosystem services into spatial planning—A spatial decision support tool. Landscape and Urban Planning 165, 206-219. doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.05.003