MESA tool version 5.1.0 2026.05.27

This package provides compiled Windows 11 binaries for MESA 5.1, a desktop workflow for preparing, processing, and publishing spatial sensitivity analysis deliverables using the MESA method. The MESA 5.x line fully replaces all earlier MESA versions and provides a clear end-to-end workflow from inputs to published outputs.

The distribution includes pre-processed example data from Mafia Island, Tanzania, allowing immediate exploration of visualisation and reporting without additional setup.

MESA 5.1 carries forward the 5.0 foundation — an explicit, structured pipeline that guides users through data preparation, processing configuration, computation, and review/publishing on a modern Qt-based launcher — and adds an operator-facing layer of resilience and control on top. The per-pool memory watchdog now has a soft-throttle tier that halves worker counts and keeps the run going under pressure, falling back to the existing hard-panic abort only as a last resort. The Cancel button actually interrupts a stage mid-flight instead of waiting for it to finish. A single-instance project lock prevents two pipelines from interleaving on the same project. Backup and restore run on a worker thread with a proper progress dialog. Pipeline GeoParquet writes now use ZSTD compression, roughly halving on-disk size on large partitions. A new Welcome tab captures project metadata on first launch, and the About tab gains a Credits dialog and a corrected GPU-RAM readout.

The reporting system is Word-first (.docx), improving reproducibility and easing downstream editing, while advanced cartographic layout remains supported via bundled QGIS projects. Lightweight status monitoring on the Status tab continues to support iterative and team-based work.

For method background, workflow details, and ongoing updates, refer to the MESA project wiki:

https://github.com/ragnvald…