About E-Fauna BC

Mapping on e-fauna bc

Crane Fly, photo © by Diane Williamson

INTRODUCTION

Mapping is a significant component of E-Fauna BC and helps us visualize species distributions. On E-Fauna, we map vouchered records of species occurrences in the province. Where available, we provide authoritative static maps that have been prepared by experts (e.g., the maps prepared for the bats), and we also provide interactive mapping using data from a range of sources. The interactive maps are generated by our computers when an atlas page is requested, and are based on vouchered occurrence data obtained from several key data providers and sources, including provincial and national museums, and our own photo records database. We do not map observational data alone.

In the interactive maps, vouchered data is presented as colour-coded data layers, each layer representing individual data sources. These layers can be viewed collectively or independently. The maps are interactive, so allow users to access the data behind the distribution dots (open the full-sized interactive map to do this) and to add other information layers (e.g. biogeographic information). The interactivity allows users to to explore correlations of physical features with species distributions.

The maps focus primarily on species distribution in BC and the Pacific Northwest but may also provide some coverage of other regions. Pan the interactive maps to view distribution dots in other regions.

LIMITATIONS OF THE MAPPING: No Dots on the Map?

Note that sometimes our distribution maps are blank. This can happen for several reasons:

1) We do not presently have any data to display for a particular species or faunal group. This can happen for one of several reasons:

• we have not yet found a data source to access and so cannot map the species
• although a data source exists, the data has not yet been made available to us
• there isn't much data available on a group because there has been very little survey work done. Funding for some groups is often non-existent

2) The data provider may not yet have databased all of their collections, so some groups may not yet be represented. We will add data for species or groups as it becomes available.

3) Blank distribution maps may also occur in E-Fauna because, while there may be collections in a museum for a species from a given region, the specimens may not have precise locality information (that is, latitude and longitude) recorded. These records cannot be mapped until this information is added to the database.

4) Blank maps may also occur where specimens might be in museum collections under other names (synonyms). We will be working over time to add more synonyms to our species databases in order to 'capture' these additional collections.

 

To view a list of the database used in the E-Fauna mapping, visit the How to Report Map Errors page.