Global Ecological

This map as well as the data layers used to create it can be explored in a new story map that introduces ecological land units. The data is available in the form of services and can enrich any GIS effort.

The collaborative partnership between Esri and USGS resulted in a dynamic online map representing the world’s ecological diversity at unprecedented detail and authority. This work leveraged quantitative methods, geographic science, and big data produced by government agencies and the scientific community. To create this map the data were processed in Esri’s ArcGIS cloud computing environment. This map provides new knowledge and understanding of geographic patterns and relationships by distinguishing the geography of the planets’ ecosystems.

To better understand the significance of the new Global Ecological Land Units (ELUs) map and the data behind it, I recently met with project leads, Roger Sayre, Ph.D., Senior Scientist for Ecosystems, USGS, and Randy Vaughan, Manager of Content Engineering, Esri.

What is Global Ecological Land Units map?

Roger Sayre, USGS: The Global ELUs map portrays a systematic division and classification of the biosphere using ecological and physiographic land surface features.

How was this map created?

Randy Vaughan, Esri: The globe was divided in cells (Ecological Facets) at a base resolution of 250 meters. The Facets were then characterized (attributed) with four input layers that drive ecological processes: bioclimate, landform, lithology, and land cover parameters. The layers chosen were the best available in terms of accuracy, currency, and global coverage. The result was a global raster data layer with 47, 650 unique combinations of the four input layers. The Facets were then aggregated into 3, 923 ecological land units (ELUs).

• Body ecological
• Global Ecological problems
• What is Ecological?
• Global Ecological Crisis