TY - JOUR

T1 - A visualization and data-sharing tool for ecosystem service maps

T2 - Lessons learnt, challenges and the way forward

AU - Drakou, E. G.

AU - Crossman, N. D.

AU - Willemen, L.

AU - Burkhard, B.

AU - Palomo, I.

AU - Maes, J.

AU - Peedell, S.

N1 - Funding Information: The project was funded by the European Union under the 10th EDF for the BIOPAMA (Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management) project (Intra-ACP envelope: CRIS DEC 2010/ 022-121). The authors would like to thank the participants of the 6th ESP conference who tested and provided feedback on the ESP visualization tool and also all other users who provided and keep providing us with feedback via the online forms. N. D. Crossman is supported by the CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Research Flagship. Publisher Copyright: © 2014 The Authors. Copyright: Copyright 2015 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2015/6/1

Y1 - 2015/6/1

N2 - A plurality in methods, models, terminologies is used to assess, quantify, map and communicate ecosystem services (ES). The Thematic Working Groups on Mapping (TWG4) and Modeling ES (TWG5) of the Ecosystem Service Partnership (ESP), recent literature and expert workshops, have highlighted the need for developing a platform that systematically organizes, visualizes and shares ES maps and related information. This led to the development of the Ecosystem Services Partnership Visualization Tool (ESP-VT), an open-access interactive platform that hosts a catalogue of ES maps with information on indicators, models and used data. Users can upload or download ES maps and associated information. ESP-VT aims at increasing transparency in ES mapping approaches to facilitate the flow of information within the ES community from academics to policy-makers and practitioners. Populating the ESP-VT with ES maps from different geographic locations, across different spatial scales, using different models and with various purposes, leads to a diverse and heterogeneous ES map library. The scientific community has not yet agreed on standards for ES terminology, methodologies and maps. However we do believe that populating and using the ESP-VT can set a basis for developing such standards and serve towards achieving interoperability among the varying ES related tools.

AB - A plurality in methods, models, terminologies is used to assess, quantify, map and communicate ecosystem services (ES). The Thematic Working Groups on Mapping (TWG4) and Modeling ES (TWG5) of the Ecosystem Service Partnership (ESP), recent literature and expert workshops, have highlighted the need for developing a platform that systematically organizes, visualizes and shares ES maps and related information. This led to the development of the Ecosystem Services Partnership Visualization Tool (ESP-VT), an open-access interactive platform that hosts a catalogue of ES maps with information on indicators, models and used data. Users can upload or download ES maps and associated information. ESP-VT aims at increasing transparency in ES mapping approaches to facilitate the flow of information within the ES community from academics to policy-makers and practitioners. Populating the ESP-VT with ES maps from different geographic locations, across different spatial scales, using different models and with various purposes, leads to a diverse and heterogeneous ES map library. The scientific community has not yet agreed on standards for ES terminology, methodologies and maps. However we do believe that populating and using the ESP-VT can set a basis for developing such standards and serve towards achieving interoperability among the varying ES related tools.

KW - Blueprint

KW - Classification systems

KW - Data catalogue

KW - Data standards

KW - Open access

KW - Web services

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84930181952&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.12.002

DO - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.12.002

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84930181952

VL - 13

SP - 134

EP - 140

JO - Ecosystem Services

JF - Ecosystem Services

SN - 2212-0416

ER -