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Loamist GeospatialMulticriteria siting, from carbonizers to data centers

Compare land and logistics on one map.

A geospatial decision platform that combines multicriteria site analysis with cost modelling. Teams compare complex scenarios side by side, from carbonizer sites to data centers, with every assumption traceable to its source and access set by role.

PG&E, USFSClients include
MulticriteriaSite analysis
TraceableEvery assumption
Role-basedAccess
Fig. 01 · Siting a mobile carbonizer

Where to build, and whether it beats current practice.

From the Loamist Geospatial tool
Transport footprint
Miles drivenTransport CO₂e Carbonize @ site326.3 mi0.5 t Haul to disposal1,384.9 mi2 t
+1,059 mi and +1.50 t CO₂e saved by carbonizing at this site.

Each figure traces to its source: route distances, vehicle factors, and the site inputs your team approved.

Figure 1 shows a dot map of Northern California from real geometry. Seven candidate sites for a mobile carbonizer appear as rings. The selected site is gold, and a dotted route runs from it to a disposal point, shown as a square. Transport footprint: carbonizing at the selected site means 326.3 miles driven and 0.5 t of transport CO₂e. Hauling the same material to disposal means 1,384.9 miles and 2 t. Carbonizing at this site saves 1,059 miles and 1.50 t CO₂e.

Fig. 02 · Multicriteria analysis

Four criteria, one answer.

Drag the weights · illustrative inputs
Gentler ground scores higher
Closer to a usable road
Further from high-risk areas
More treatable material nearby
Dot size and tone: suitability Top 5%: shortlist Excluded: protected or too steep

Figure 2 uses illustrative inputs. Four small dot maps of Northern California show one criterion each: slope under 15%, road access, fire-risk buffer, and feedstock within 5 miles. They merge into one large combined suitability map. The score of each cell is the weighted mean of the four criteria. Larger, darker dots are more suitable, the top 5% of cells are gold as a shortlist, and protected or too-steep ground is excluded and drawn as grey rings. The default weights are slope 5, road access 7, fire-risk buffer 6 and feedstock 8, each adjustable from 0 to 10.

A data-driven dot animation, drawn to scale from the treatment-effect data in Brodie et al. 2024. The 2021 Antelope Fire reaches two stands. In the untreated stand, dense with low crowns, fire climbs from the ground into the crowns and the burned trees fall to ash grey. In the thinned and burned stand, treated 20 and 10 years earlier, fire stays on the ground and the crowns survive. Thinned and burned stands had a 60 point lower probability of tree mortality and 86 points less crown volume consumed.

60 ptsLower probability of tree mortality in thinned and burned stands
86 ptsLess crown volume consumed by the fire
5 to 7×Fewer trees per hectare after thinning
20 yrsThinning still limited crown fire two decades later
Source
Brodie, E. G., E. E. Knapp, W. R. Brooks, S. A. Drury, and M. W. Ritchie. 2024. Forest thinning and prescribed burning treatments reduce wildfire severity and buffer the impacts of severe fire weather. Fire Ecology 20: 17. doi.org/10.1186/s42408-023-00241-z A randomized, replicated 1,200 ha experiment on the Klamath National Forest, burned by the 2021 Antelope Fire. Figures compare thinned-and-burned stands with untreated controls. Stand drawing to scale: crown base 3 m on pole trees, 11 m on large trees.
Case study · PG&E · Mobile carbonizers

Preventing catastrophic wildfires.

Thinning removes the fuel that turns ground fire into crown fire. Treating that material where it lies is what makes thinning affordable at scale.
The questionPG&E clears hazardous vegetation to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Where should a mobile carbonizer go, and does treating that material on site beat hauling it to disposal?
What we modelledCandidate sites scored on slope, road access, fire-risk buffer, and nearby feedstock. Each site then carried its own transport and cost model against current practice.
What it showedAt the selected site, carbonizing in place meant 326 miles of driving against 1,385 to haul the same material to disposal.
Saved at the selected site
1,059 miFewer miles driven
1.50 tLess transport CO₂e
MilesCO₂e Carbonize @ site326.3 mi0.5 t Haul to disposal1,384.9 mi2 t
From the Loamist Geospatial tool. Every figure traces to its route, vehicle factor, and site input.

Same method, any siting question. Including data centers.

Multicriteria analysis + cost model
01Data centersGrid capacity, water, fiber, land cost, permitting, and hazard exposure, weighed together.
Grid capacityWaterFiberLand costPermittingHazard
02Mobile carbonizersWhere to treat material, and whether it beats hauling to disposal.
SlopeRoad accessFire riskFeedstock
03Energy and storageInterconnection, resource quality, land use, and environmental constraints.
InterconnectionResourceLand useConstraints
04Logistics facilitiesDrive times, labor, road access, and lease cost against demand.
Drive timeLaborAccessLease cost
§ 01 · What it does

Every answer shows its work.

01

Multicriteria site analysis

Weigh terrain, access, risk, and feedstock together, then see how the ranking moves when priorities change.

02

Cost modelling

Each scenario carries its own cost model, compared directly against current practice.

03

Traceable assumptions

Every number links to the dataset, rate card, or study it came from.

04

Role-based access

Planners, analysts, reviewers, and sub-contractors each contribute data at their own permission level. Every tenant sees only what it is allowed to see, and nothing more is shared.

§ 02 · Start

Bring a siting question. We will model it with you.