The central goal of this project is to develop a web-based multi-scale Arctic Geobotanical Atlas (AGA) for the Toolik Lake Field Station, the North Slope of Alaska, and circumpolar region. The Arctic Geobotanical Atlas (AGA) will include a framework set of geobotanical map themes (vegetation, soils, landforms, surface geomorphology, geology, hydrology, and topography). The maps span plant to planet scales, seven scales in all. The map themes, map legends, and map colors are consistent across map scales. The great bulk of the maps in the Atlas have already been made, but are currently only available as hard copy maps or by ftp of data files. An internet-map server (IMS) will make all the maps available in a variety of formats for display, query, and on-line analysis. The Atlas will be part of a regional GIS node at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and an envisioned circum-Arctic GIS network. A major effort will be devoted to metadata for the Atlas using national metadata standards and peer-reviewed publications. Links will provide access to key supporting publications, photo glossaries, and other information relevant to the maps. We will develop the research tools, applications, and analyses needed by researchers, land managers, educators, and the public to access and use the data.
