distribution maps - free and easy

[Steve at]

Warning: Semi-commercial plug.

BioLink uses ESRI's ArcView plug-in for displaying maps.  This gives access
to Shape files and supports multiple layers (that is, displaying several
map files at once), zooming and panning.  The results can be exported as
bitmaps or Shape files (the later for import into ArcView/ArcInfo).  Once
data is entered, maps are generated by selecting the taxon of interest,
choosing the Distribution Map command, setting the colour and size of the
point to display and pressing OK.  Once plotted, the underlying data can be
accessed directly from the map using the mouse pointer and the Edit Data
command.  This makes updating those terrestrial points which were geocoded
as being in the ocean quick and easy.

While this BioLink feature is intended as a mapping tool and not a
full-blown GIS package, the use of ESRI's plug-in means that standard ESRI
maps can be used and that information can be transferred easily to
ArcView/ArcInfo for further analysis when required.

For further details on BioLink see
http://www.ento.csiro.au/biolink/index.html

Unfortunately, BioLink isn't free, thus the "semi-commercial" nature of
this message.

Steve Shattuck
CSIRO Entomology
steves at ento.csiro.au