Application of a modified habitat suitability index model for moose

This paper explores alternative approaches for calculating moose Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) values using a GIS. We modified an existing moose HSI model and implemented it using moving windows and various boundary value estimation methods. The habitat window and boundary analyses indicate that a 50 percent window overlap is sufficient to capture variation in the landscape. A mirror data set for areas outside the study area, used to estimate boundary habitat values from a sample grid within a vector GIS, is proposed as a useful alternative for supporting landscape-scale resource management.