Hemisfer is shareware. It can be redistributed freely as long as no modifications are done to the original distribution package (except for adding lens parameters or adding new language files). The author retains the copyright of the software.
Hemisfer was developed with great care, but it is provided with absolutely no warranty. After installation, the free downloadable software is limited to an image analysis within a radius of 500 pixels. This limitation is removed upon registration.
Users (registered or not) must include a proper citation if
they write scientific articles including results obtained using Hemisfer.
The following citations can be used:
Schleppi P.,
Conedera M., Sedivy I. & Thimonier A., 2007: Correcting non-linearity and slope
effects in the estimation of the leaf area index of forests from hemispherical
photographs. Agric. For. Meteorol. 144: 236-242.
Thimonier A., Sedivy I.,
Schleppi P., 2010: Estimating leaf area index in different types of mature
forest stands in Switzerland: a comparison of methods. Eur. J. For. Res. 129:
543-562.
Newer publications may appear later and can be obtained from Hemisfer's
web site.
An help file is provided with Hemisfer. If they don't find answers to their question in this help, registered users can ask for e-mail support. There is however no warranty about response time and users may only be referred to a page of frequently asked questions. General questions about hemispherical photography and LAI estimation may not be answered if they are not directly related to the use of Hemisfer.