Available resources play a significant role in discussions of the organizational approach of a research group. Some sites identify and encourage use of a common set of software tools. In such cases, the availability of training can help those users not familiar with the supported tools. Other sites find a range of diverse software to be advantageous. It is important, given the variety of software available, to consider the collective consequences of software choice and to develop a policy regarding which packages will be site supported in order to maintain realistic user expectations.
Familiarity also plays a role in the decision-making process.
The LTER software survey permits sites to place their own decisions into a network-wide context, i.e., a survey extends a single site's experience to a network of sites. The LTER software survey began in 1992 with eighteen sites in addition to the LTER Network Office. By 1997, the survey included twenty-one participants. A yearly LTER software survey of more than nine categories quantifies the diversity and trends of software within the LTER community. The first line of each category in the table gives the total number of packages used throughout the LTER Network.