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Biodivervity in Bulgaria :: BD and technology

The science of Biodiversity is impressively complicated to define and categorize - it attempts to gain increased understanding of living systems across extremes of spatial scale (molecular to global proportions), of temporal scale (physiological response times to evolutionary change), and of levels of biological organization spanning DNA to global biomes.

 

Scientists who study biodiversity come from many diverse academic fields including molecular genetics, evolution, biosystematics, ecology, geography, conservation, natural resources management, computer science, education and economics.

 

 

Biodiversity scientists, and in particular conservation biologists, actively engage in research crucial to reducing the geometrically increasing rate of global ecological degradation and species decline. With so many disciplines working independently and in collaboration, it is no wonder that the biodiversity sciences lack a unified classification system for information, nor share a common scale to observe and describe biodiversity.

 

 

Numerous knowledge representation schemes have been recently devised by computer scientists in collaboration with life scientists, and new ones are in a continuous state of development, which offer utility in devising a practical, general purpose biodiversity data visualization strategy suitable for many uses.

 

Some sample schemes for presenting and visualization of the knowledge related to biodiversity

Virtual ProximityLive video streams from in-situ cameras, sensors, and fixed mounted robotically controlled systems for wildlife viewing, environmental monitoring and visual documentation. Web GISLink to a web-based interactive geographic information systems, using software for managing remote sensing images, digital raster coverages, and vector coverages with associated attribute data. Quicktime Virtual RealitySeries of linked panoramic images demonstrate the use of Quicktime VR movies as a photo-monitoring/photo-documentation tool for field studies. This tool can be used as an alternate interface to GIS data. 3D GISThree dimensional visualization of GIS and remote sensing data, including time series animations (fly-throughs). 3D World ConstructionThree dimensional visualization of multi-scale ecological features derived from close range photogrammetry, 3D model building tools, and 3D rendering from GIS data. RoboticsDeployment of web and tele-operated, and autonomous all-terrain robots as platforms for environmental sensors, stereoimaging and panoramic imaging cameras, stereo-microphone.

Bulgarian Nature-GIS Information Node

 

Bulgarian information node to the European NATURE-GIS network offers presentation and exchange of GIS information services for protected areas in Bulgaria. Currently the information node is constructed for demonstration purposes only. It contains GIS maps and GIS information about the Natural Park “Vitosha" near Sofia, Bulgarian capital.

The information node is structured in 3 levels:

1.      First level includes the map of Bulgaria with basic GIS information including the boundaries of the protected areas in the country.

2.      At the second level a protected area picked out from the map at the first level can be viewed through a layer or combination of layers with maps and other related GIS information.

3.      At the third level a given object from the second level can be explored in more details.

 

The web site of Nature-GIS Information Node in Bulgaria includes information about the project, services, protect areas and contact persons: http://gis.biodiversity.bg/ 

 

The web site of the National Contact Point in Nature-GIS presents short description of the project for establishment of Nature-GIS network, documents about the participation of Bulgaria in the project, opportunity for subscribing to the mailing list, useful links to GIS and protected areas: http://www.ursit.com/projects_NATUREGIS.htm 

 

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