“Map of Life” shows global wildlife distribution

New York Times : Researchers from Yale University and the University of Colorado Boulder have released a demo version of their Map of Life , an online tool that maps the distribution of plant and animal life on Earth, writes Joanna Foster for the New York Times. Unlike previous global biodiversity databases, the Map of Life pulls together many different data sources and may help expose information gaps. Although the map is not yet finished, its database already includes more than 25 000 different species of terrestrial vertebrates and North American freshwater fish. Its creators hope that as the project continues to grow, it could become an invaluable resource for making better decisions on land management and conservation and a means of studying disease transmission in wildlife populations.