Quick Links
| Wildlife Habitat Registry |
Wildlife organizations and agencies annually conduct thousands of habitat improvement projects. Usually these projects are administered and evaluated individually. They occur in an opportunistic manner with no "big picture" view of their collective effectiveness. Many occur through partnerships between an agency and NGO, but there is no means for broader awareness and participation. Often these are targeted at one species, though they may indirectly benefit multiple species or systems.
The Wildlife Habitat Registry provides a central clearinghouse or network for multiple potential partners to participate and leverage limited resources and budgets. Use of the registry is accessible to all wildlife biologists in the US, it is easy to use with a standard Internet browser and targeted and does not require specialized computer or GIS skills. Users can enter new projects, or look up partners or existing projects anywhere in the US. Directions for accessing and using the service are provided below.
This site was developed with support of a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. and funding from founding partners: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Safari Club International, and Geodata Services, Inc.
This map browser is targeted at non-GIS users, in this case biologists who may only need to access it once a month. It is simple to use and typically, most decisions are made for the user in terms of map viewing and content.
Click
here for instructions on how to use the registry web map
Requirements: The only requirement is a Web browser. The services work well with Microsoft Internet Explorer on Windows, Macintosh and Unix computers, and on most systems they also work with Netscape, Mozilla and other browser software. You do not need and special software or add-ons for the web browser, so it should work from any computer system with access to the Internet, including those behind firewalls. Dial up connections are acceptable, though it will obviously be faster using DSL, cable, satellite or office networks and LANs. The web services use frames, so older browser versions may not work properly. Also you need to have cookies and ActiveX controls enabled, and for some functions like entering database information on habitat projects, you may need to temporarily enable pop up windows if you have those set to be blocked. If you don't understand all the technical stuff in the last sentence, just try accessing the service, in most cases it will work. If it doesn't work call the support number below and we'll assist you in getting set up. There are no charges for the services, and no time limit is imposed.
How it works
The system makes use of Internet mapping and GIS software that is licensed to the server instead of individual users. Local data is served from Geodata's servers and laid on a backdrop maps from multiple other web map services. We access commercial and public domain services to provide a rich content of data at multiple scales for the US. It is designed for biologist to use, not computer or GIS experts, so the tools are simple with limited features, and most decisions on content shown at any given scale or geographic area are pre-programmed, keeping the tools as simple as possible. The base maps access hundreds of map layers and automatically make decisions on what to show and in how much detail. We use the National Map layers for small and coarse scales showing little detail and few details, and at large scales of inch to the mile we use a seamless mosaic of all USGS topographic maps in the country, artistically rendered with shaded relief by the National Geographic.
Obtaining a User Name and Password: These tools are designed for collaborative wildlife project work, not for general public access. For this reason, and to facilitate documentation of data input and review, all users must access the system using a username and password. All wildlife biologists in the country are eligible, including federal, state, local, tribal and non-governmental organizations. The first step is to access the site, click "Create New Account" and complete a short database form and assign yourself a username and password. Within 24 hours of registering, you will be assigned privileges to access the web services. If you forget your password, enter your username and choose "Reset Password" and assign a new one.
Log in procedures: After you have registered and had privileges assigned, the next time you log in, you will see the following screen with
map services. Select the appropriate map service from the list, wait a few seconds and that service will automatically come up on the screen. Select the map service you want to use and click "Use Service"
Documentation, Project Background and Help Files
At any point you can click the "Log In" button to go directly to the web map services. We also have self guided video tutorials that can be obtained via CD (drop us an email- contact information is at the bottom of this help file).
General Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions
The speed of map service using web services is dependent on several factors. Even in the best of conditions, the web mapping services will not be as fast as desktop GIS software. After changing scale or doing some map function, it can take 8-20 seconds for the new map to appear. The key factors affecting speed are the method of accessing the internet (dial-up vs broadband), how many connections there are between your connection and our servers, the amount of web traffic at the time, and the load on the server, such as the number of other users simultaneously on the server. If you regularly access the site with a slow dial-up connection, click on the AirZip button on the main Geodata page and select your usual browser speed. This will speed things up considerably, but at the expense of graphic clarity, and map labels will be fuzzier. We strive to keep the service up 24/7, but it is not guaranteed and there are times the server is down for brief periods. If you have trouble accessing the system, or it is taking longer time than usual, try closing the browser window and reopening a new browser window and logging in again. Some common problems and their work arounds are:
How can I quickly zoom to a specific location?
The "Search" and "Zoom To" functions at the top of the map are the most efficient method to quickly go to a location. We have entered approximately 2.5 million locations into the database behind the scenes. You type in a location, or part of the work making up the location and click "Search" and then browse the list of features identified, select one and "Zoom To" the selected feature. The features you can search by include, towns and place names, counties, national forests, or township and range in areas covered by the public land survey system. The search is done on searches of USGS place names and is not case sensitive, but how it is spelled or abbreviated can make a difference. In general type in part of the name if you don't locate the full name (e.g. enter "Regis" instead of "Saint Regis" or "St Regis") and try alternative spellings. PLSS searches must follow the following format - "T01NR05W", which stands for Township 1 North, Range 5 West.
I went back to the window with the list of services, and selected a different map service and the graphic icons and map failed to load?
This is a bug we are working on. The browser cache (the pages temporarily stored on your computer with recent web pages) does not clear correctly in some cases. The safest solution is to close the browser window and reopen a new one and log in again. You can also select Internet options and delete temporary files to clear your cache, then refresh the browser window.
When I enter a habitat project the lines on the map appear slightly offset from where I click with the mouse?
This is also a bug we are attempting to fix. It does not appear on all browsers. If this happens with your browser, we have no current work around, except to practice with a dummy project area and compensate for the off-set when entering your project boundaries.
I made a mistake in entering a habitat project boundary and want to edit the file, as soon as I click end, it disappears from the map?
In order to keep the map service as simple as possible, we did not include a sophisticated editor with project area entry. If you make a mistake in entering the project boundary, click the delete button and start over. If you have already submitted the entry, enter another and make a note in the free-form project notes section of the form. Your entry does not go directly onto the map, it goes into a database for subsequent processing.
Do I have to enter each of out wildlife habitat projects manually, one by one?
No, most of the initial projects loaded in the registry are loaded from existing databases, spreadsheets, or file systems, and sent in via email, or on CD or other media. The projects are often only identified by the county they are in, or the national forest, or ranger district they are located on. We can enter project areas via many established gorgaphic features, such as the ones listed above, or by township, or USGS topographic map sheet, or other geographic features.
Why are there so many map services that look mostly the same and use identical functions seem to show very similar things, why not just one larger map tool?