Abstract

Abstract Scientific research increasingly calls for open‐source software that is flexible, interactive, and expandable, while providing methodological guidance and reproducibility. Currently, many analyses in ecology are implemented with “black box” graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that lack flexibility or command‐line interfaces that are infrequently used by non‐specialists. To help remedy this situation in the context of species distribution modeling, we created Wallace , an open and modular application with a richly documented GUI with underlying R scripts that is flexible and highly interactive. Wallace guides users from acquiring and processing data to building models and examining predictions. Additionally, it is designed to grow via community contributions of new modules to expand functionality. All results are downloadable, along with code to reproduce the analysis. Wallace provides an example of an innovative platform to increase access to cutting‐edge methods and encourage plurality in science and collaboration in software development.