Abstract

Access to national conservation databases via the web
Track: Forestry and Wildlife Management
Authors: Adam Radel, Jeff Lonneker

National conservation databases, including land cover, protected areas, and species ranges and distributions, are important conservation tools you can access from your computer. By leveraging the power of ArcGIS Server, the USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP) has provided access to these large and complex databases via user friendly web viewers. Users can interact with these national datasets through data queries or downloads to inform conservation decisions. The land cover viewer accesses the GAP National Land Cover Data at 3 nested hierarchical levels with detailed descriptions of each land cover type. Ownership and conservation status of your favorite protected area can be located using the protected areas viewer. The species viewer accesses seasonal ranges and predicted distributions for approximately 2000 species across the US. These online viewers will be demonstrated. With these viewers, GAP strives to inform conservation by creating national conservation databases and bringing them to your computer.