“Finding Nemo” – Assessment and Visualisation of Biodiversity Data in a Web-based Atlas

Abstract

What is the current distribution of the salmon? Has the population of the European otter declined? Which alien species have most recently been discovered in Germany? The Biodiversity Atlas gives the answers. Since 2006, the Project Group AG Biodiversity has been developing the Atlas at the Bremen University of Applied Sciences in cooperation between the Fish Ecology Lab and the Institute of Informatics and Automation (IIA). What started as a rudimentary cartography service for fishes of Germany and Austria has evolved to a comprehensive web-based tool for assessing and communicating biodiversity data. Today it is used in several projects to map species distribution and to depict specific biological information, e. g. about amphibians in Pernambuco (Brazil) or mammals in the city of Bremen (Germany). The information is gathered through expert networks, literature or public authorities. The aim is to offer a scientifically sophisticated instrument to display highly topical data to the interested public in an aggregated and easily understandable manner. By this means the Biodiversity Atlas provides a solution for the sustainable protection of species and habitats.