81 and hundreds of researchers to tell the complex story of bird migration using GIS technology. The process required aggregating research data from hundreds of institutions and designing an accessible, beautiful, and dynamic platform. Using millions of location data points, the newly launched Bird Migration Explorer allows users to visualize on maps the incredible annual journeys made by more than 450 bird species across the hemisphere. The free, interactive digital platform—available in English and Spanish on desktops and tablets— connects birds to locations across the Americas and reveals the extraordinary challenges they face in flight. Such insight is invaluable and timely: In the past 50 years, we’ve lost more than 2.5 billion migratory birds from North America. “Birds are important ecological indicators,” Smith said. “They tell us about the health of the environment because what birds need and what humans need are very similar: clean air, clean water, open space, access to food, and shelter. When we see their populations declining, we have to wonder what’s causing that and how we can remedy it.” A Data-Driven Approach to Conservation In late 2018, Audubon established the Migratory Bird Initiative and its focus was multifaceted: identify places that migratory birds need and protect the ones that matter most, reduce threats to birds, and engage people from diverse communities in the joy of birds and the wonder of migration. With this mission in mind, Smith and her team asked: How can we use data to drive conservation efforts? By mapping when and where birds face challenges, such as suburban development or climate change, Audubon can investigate root causes of decline and engage with communities and local organizations to reverse the decline and preserve biodiversity. Presented using three types of maps—species, locations, and conservation challenges—the Explorer combines bird banding, tracking, abundance, and genetic data with geography. Intricate illustrations of each species, a custom basemap built by Esri, and well-crafted storytelling help the Explorer appeal to multiple audiences, from conservationists and advocates to birders and the casually curious. The platform’s eye-catching design is fueled by troves of data that were identified, processed, and published to ArcGIS Online. Each of the partners listed on the Explorer home page provided aggregations of migration science. Tracking data was the exception, because individual scientists owned that information. And to secure it, Smith and her team contacted each one of them. The data was then combined in Movebank, an online platform that helps researchers manage, share, and analyze Conservation The Bird Migration Explorer was made possible through the generous contributions of tracking data submitted by hundreds of researchers across many organizations working throughout the Western Hemisphere.
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