# dots on maps

[asolodovnikov]

>> Does anyone have an opinion about how many dots (=distribution records) a
>> map needs to be useful? Many of my species are known from only one or two
>> sites, so a map of their distribution would probably be a waste of space and
>> time (but maybe other people think otherwise?). How many locality records
>> does it take to interest biogeographers?


JC> as many as you have records - any less would not be telling us all you
JC> know, any more would be fibbing...

I cannot agree with this point. Any map, even very detailed, is just a
plan of a distributional phenomenon. Thus, ANY map is fibbing to some
degree. As less thoughtfull it is done as more fibbing it is. Thus,
constructing the map, the idea is not to dot any known record (though
on practize for the most distrib. maps it is so, and it is good), but
to illustrate (or to reveal, or to let the others to discover)some
pattern (or at least what is thought to be so).

JC> If you are worried about space you can always plonk a number of related
JC> taxa on the one map.

Yes, this is true if you have a problem of much blanc space for the few
dots distant from each other. But what about the map with the thousands of
records? To show each dot separate from each other one has to generate
it on the bed-sheet.

JC> Of course if you generate the maps on the fly on the web, space is never
JC> a problem.

OK, the web, computers, anything invented could help one to save the bed-sheet
for the bedroom. But is there any sense, in the cases with awful lots
of records, to do maps which is difficult to view in general? In some particular
cases, I agree, some pieces of the very detailed maps might be neccessary. But
I don't agree that the idea of putting any record on the map just because the
listed record should be converted into the drawn dot is good idea. Moreover, in
some cases the original "traditional" list of records, with various label data might
be better than dots (loss of some information!). I am shure that map, containing
thousands of dots of records, but somehow (bad design) poorely showing
its general idea, is of little use. Is there any sense to invest time
for producing such map from the database of records? Even if it takes few
seconds for pushing some keys on the keyboard, what is the aim of
such action?

Sincerely,

Alexey.
*************************************************
Alexey Yu. Solodovnikov
research assistant and research entomologist, Ph. D.
Laboratory of Insect Taxonomy
Zoological Institute Russ. Sci. Acad.
Universitetskaya nab. 1
199034 St.Petersburg RUSSIA
phone: +7 812 3281212
fax:   +7 812 1140444
e-mail: asolodovnikov at mail.ru


JC> -- jim