“The app puts a significant proportion of our global knowledge about biodiversity in the palm of your hand, and allows you to discover and connect with biodiversity in a place, wherever you are,” said Walter Jetz, a Yale University associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and developer of Map of Life, in a press release.
“This vast information, personalized for where we are, can change the way we identify and learn about the things we see when traveling, hiking in the woods, or stepping in our own back yard,” Jetz said.
The app, available for iPhone and Android phones, features photos and text to help identify what species of insects, birds, mammals and plants in the immediate area.
The app also allows users to make lists of sightings to add to the biodiversity database. “Think of a field guide that continues to improve the more we all use it and add to it,” said Rob Guralnick, associate curator at the University of Florida and the project’s co-leader, in the release.
“That is the beauty of this mobile application, and its great strength. We hope that the Map of Life app, built from 100 years of knowledge about where species are found, will accelerate our ability to completely close the many gaps in our biodiversity knowledge.”
©2015 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
