Zonation is decision support software for land use planning, including uses such as traditional design of conservation area networks or spatial impact avoidance. It is capable of data rich, large scale, high-resolution spatial prioritization. Whether using Zonation for scientific research or in real-life planning, running a successful project involves several project stages that often proceed in a somewhat iterative fashion. This document provides an overview of what those stages are, and what types of issues should be considered when planning to use Zonation. This information is intended for any individual or organization that is considering making use of Zonation. The topics addressed here are those encountered before and after the Zonation prioritization analysis itself: - Budgeting for time and resources - Setting objectives and planning how to meet them - Building a model for spatial prioritization - Data requirements and pre-processing - Setting up and organizing Zonation input files - Visualizing and interpreting the results - Creating planning products Zonation projects are also demonstrated through a set of case-studies that range from national to global scales
