CNR-IRSA activities related to INHABIT

The software ICMeasy was created as an operational tool performing the automatic calculation of Intercalibration Common Metrics, in a collaboration between CNR-IRSA and Università della Tuscia (VT). The software has been extensively used during the first phase of the intercalibration exercise and was developed in 2005 - on the basis of the results of the STAR project - in the context of REBECCA Project, dedicated to investigate the relationships between the biological elements (and the metrics that describe their characteristics) and anthropogenic pressures.
ICMeasy has also been the basis to compile the MacrOper.ICM software, now used for the calculation of STAR_ICMi index for ecological status assessment based on benthic macroinvertebrates. ICMeasy automatically calculates four sets of metrics, and four related overall indices, specific for each Geographic Intercalibration Group (GIG). 11 metrics are calculated in total. An additional feature of the software is to automatically perform linear regression between biological metrics and other quality indices (or individual variables) associated with biological samples under examination.
To install ICMeasy, please use the file 'ICMEasy124_setup.zip'. Afterwards, substitute the files present in 'substitute_after_installICMeasy.zip' to those initially found in the directory where ICMeasy was installed. A guide to the software is available (in English) in the Notiziario dei Metodi Analitici 2007. Also, you can download an example Input file 'example_file_ICMeasy28mar06.txt'.

ICMeasy can be used freely (but no commercial use or modification of the software are allowed), and it should be cited as follows: 

Buffagni A. & C. Belfiore, 2006. ICMeasy 1.2 Intercalibration common metrics and index easy calculation. CNR-IRSA & UniTuscia - DECOS, Rome.

Note: Although Intercalibration Common Metrics used for Central GIG are formally the same ones included in the STAR_ICMi, it is recommended NOT to use ICMeasy software to calculate such metrics for official classification purposes in Italy, for revisions have been introduced in the calculation of some of the metrics along the years and taxalist has been adjusted. ICMeasy can be used outside Italy (i.e. extended taxalist compared to MacrOper.ICM) to calculate individual metrics. Successively, they can be weighted and combined. Afterwards, the obtained raw STAR_ICMi value obteined has to be normalized to obtain the EQR value. Please, refer to National standards for options to derive Ecological Status classes.