Animal Mapping Using a Citizen-Science Web-Based GIS in the Bay Islands, Honduras

Mapping animal distributions on a large spatial scale may be important for recognizing movement patterns not immediately apparent on smaller scales (Catlin-Groves 2012). Habitat health and distribution on a regional scale may be an important factor for spatial management of endangered species. One example is the historic and current distribution of the koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) in the New South Wales region of Australia (Lunney et al . 2000). Mapping the spatial extent of koalas and their habitat within this region using community based surveys has facilitated data-driven decision-making by the local government to incorporate habitat and distribution maps into their local environmental plan (Lunney et al . 2000). As an alternative to mapping sightings by hand, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are changing how ecosystems and individual species are monitored, by providing easy access to long-term, wide-scale spatial views. However, some GIS programs are only accessible to researchers and can be complex without proper training. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System Spatial Ecological Analysis of Megavertebrate Populations (OBIS-SEAMAP) plots GPS data of turtle nesting sites and migrations using layers within a GIS (Halpin et al . 2009). Similarly, the Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT) collects satellite-transmitted data and displays them in relation to various information layers ( i.e. , bathymetry, chlorophyll abundance, and sea surface temperature) on a map (Coyne & Godley 2005). However, these systems, although freely accessible to anyone, are typically only used and manipulated by marine researchers.