The First-Ever 'Ecological Land Units' Map of the World

A new web-based tool by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Esri allows users to "explore the ecological tapestry of the world."

1 minute read

January 14, 2015, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

"A new, free, web-based tool from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and ESRI allows us to gain a better understanding of the ecological character of any place in the world," according to a post by Jared Green. As Green describes it, "the web site can be used by everyone — from local government officials and planners to landscape architects and conservationists — to visualize the world’s complex ecological patterns."

Green quotes Randy Vaughan from ESRI, about the development of the tool and its possible advancements in the future. Green also recommends a map created by the team of "10 of the world’s ecological hot spots," or "places with high levels of ecological diversity."

Ben Schiller from FastCo.Exist also covered the new tool, and Matt Artz also wrote a post explaining the tool for Esri's blog.

FULL STORY: A New Map of the World’s Ecosystems

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 in ASLA The Dirt

Environment Technology World Maps Apps ESRI U.S. Geological Survey Ecological Land Units View More

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