83 atlas and repository where all of this migration information can come together in one place.” GIS technology is integral to conservation initiatives because it allows scientists to make informed decisions that will affect biodiversity and the planet. Each of the datasets provides a different knowledge system. By combining them, it doesn’t necessarily mean we have all the answers, but it does mean we have the most complete picture, and we will use that to inform smart conservation. —Melanie Smith, program director for the Bird Migration Explorer Smith is quick to note that the 458 species included in the Bird Migration Explorer account for less than 5 percent of all bird species in the world. In the future, she looks forward to adding datasets and more species. A simplified experience for Conservation mobile users is in the works as well. The mobile version of the Explorer will join other portable birding resources, such as Audubon’s Bird Guide app—which contains the organization’s complete Field Guide to Birds— and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird app. These in-thefield resources give naturalists, birders, and first-time explorers access to authoritative data that makes the birding experience more rewarding and enlightening. Even though the Explorer is just one piece of Audubon’s conservation strategy, Smith and Bailey anticipate finding more ways to use a geographic approach in their work. “GIS allows us to visualize and understand problems we face from a geographic perspective,” Bailey said. “That’s important because we need to be able to understand our landscape in order to actually make changes that benefit humans, biodiversity, and birds.” Roseate spoonbills are locally common in coastal Florida, Texas, and southwest Louisiana. They are usually found in small flocks, often associating with other waders.
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