Update (5th December) - We've just announced a new free starter plan and discounted pricing for non-commercial use, aimed at making the RCA tools more affordable for small businesses and non-profits. Read the post to find out more.
Update (17th October) - We'd like to clarify that the charges mentioned in the post below relate purely to the River Condition Assessment, which is a specific application of the MoRPh survey method to meet the needs of Biodiversity Net Gain and other professional applications.
Rest assured that all of the citizen science initiatives under the Modular River Survey umbrella, including MoRPh Rivers CSci, MoRPh Estuaries CSci, Mud Spotter, and Wild Invaders, are and will remain completely free to use.
Since the launch of the draft Biodiversity Metric in 2019, we’ve been proud to offer our River Condition Assessment (RCA) tools on Cartographer for free. Starting in January 2025, however, we're moving to a paid subscription model (with a 12 month free trial for new customers - details below).
Although we've always been open about eventually needing to charge for the RCA tools, introducing paid subscriptions isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly. Below I’ve set out why we’re doing this and what to expect.
What to Expect
- Flexible Pricing Plans - We're launching tiered subscription plans that cater to individuals, teams, and whole organisations, all at competitive price points.
- Extended Free Trials for New Users - First-time training customers will still enjoy a 12 month free trial, giving them plenty of time to evaluate the RCA tools without commitment. If you started using the tools in 2024, you don't have to worry about subscriptions until your 12 months have passed.
- Discounts for Current Users - RCA will remain free for everybody until the end of 2024, and we’re planning special discounts for existing customers to soften the transition. We'll share more details in the coming weeks.
- New Features for Everyone - We are introducing a range of new administrative tools as part of the transition. We are in the process of reaching out to existing customers to provide access to these features as soon as possible.
Why the Change?
Since 2019, the user base for RCA has grown from a handful of beta testers to over 500 workspaces, from solo consultants to large organisations. As the number of users has grown, so has the need for us to invest in Cartographer. Since 2020 we've built:
- a new website for recording data and analysing outputs;
- a mobile app for field data collection;
- a public register for surveyors to publish their RCA certificates;
- integration with external tools such as ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Hub;
- and much more behind the scenes.
Most of this work has been funded from the RCA training course. However, a dedicated source of recurring revenue is needed to meet the ongoing cost of providing and improving the tools. Charging for subscriptions will help us continue to invest in the tools, maintain platform stability, and provide dedicated support to our users.
We understand that this change may bring up questions or concerns. If you have any feedback, or you’d like to talk to us about how this might affect your work, please reach out to us via our help site. Our team is ready to help in any way we can.