Online mapping tools for Biodiversity

Introduction

The goal of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is to provide openly and freely the primary data about biodiversity to everyone in the global community, using digital technologies. Geographic point coordinates (latitude and longitude) are very important data to capture when digitizing information on biological specimens and observations. Most biological specimens occurring in collections pre-date the availability of GPS machines that provide accurate point coordinates. Geocoding (assigning geographic coordinates) must then often be performed retrospectively. To facilitate the task, the CBIF team is providing a suite of online GIS applications that can be used to capture point coordinates for Canada, view and clean data point coordinates for Canada and the world and map GBIF occurrence data directly from the GBIF data portal.

Canadian mapping tools

The following applications utilize Web Map Service (WMS) layers provided by the Centre for Topographic Information in Sherbrooke, QC (CTIS). The WMS layers are the Canadian National Topographic System (NTS) topographic maps at scales of 1/50 000 and 1/250 000 and usage of the WMS layers is Copyright (see Copyrights and Acknowledgements below). Note that the 1:50 000 scale does not cover some remote areas of Canada (blank layers are returned).

• Capture point coordinates - (a GIS application used to capture point coordinates for Canada that are more accurate than those found in conventional gazetteers)
• Map GBIF occurrence data - Canadian version - (see plots of species' distributions - for use by anyone)
• the Generic Point Mapper - Canadian version - (data clean point coordinates and plot your own maps)

Global mapping tools

• Map GBIF occurrence data on a global scale - (see plots of species' distributions - for use by anyone)
• the Generic Point Mapper - Global version - (data clean point coordinates and plot your own maps)
• GBIF Web Map Service (WMS) - (for programmers only)

Copyrights and Acknowledgements

These applications retrieve information electronically from remote Internet servers (in Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands). If these servers are unavailable, the applications will not work properly and this is beyond the control of the CBIF team.

The applications are built upon Open Source software. Please follow the links below to read the Copyrights on the various softwares as well as GBIF occurrence data usage.

The applications use PHP MapScript and ROSA java applet from D.M. Solutions Group Inc., Ottawa, Canada.

The map engine is Mapserver originally developed by the University of Minnesota.

The Canadian topographic Web Map Service (WMS) map layers are retrieved from the Centre for Topographic Information, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada (CTIS) and the WMS data are © Copyright to Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Department of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.

The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base (CGNDB) provides the online Gazetteer service and it is Copyright.

The world map layers are retrieved from Demis BV in the Netherlands.

Glossary:

• CBIF: Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility
• GIS: Geographic Information Systems
• GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility
• GPS: Global Positioning System
• WMS: Web Map Service