Reference - Detail
| RRC ID | 83408 |
|---|---|
| Author | Tejada-Gutiérrez EL, Mateo Fornés J, Solsona F, Alves R. |
| Title | ForestForward: visualizing and accessing integrated world forest data from the last 50 years. |
| Journal | Database (Oxford) |
| Abstract |
Mitigating the effects of environmental exploitation on forests requires robust data analysis tools to inform sustainable management strategies and enhance ecosystem resilience. Access to extensive, integrated plant biodiversity data, spanning decades, is essential for this purpose. However, such data are often fragmented across diverse datasets with varying standards, posing two key challenges: first, integrating these datasets into a unified, well-structured data warehouse, and second, handling the vast volume of data using big data technologies to analyze and monitor the temporal evolution of ecosystems. To address these challenges, we developed and used an extract, transform, and load (ETL) protocol that curated and integrates 4482 forestry datasets from around the world, dating back to the 18th century, into a 100-GB data warehouse containing over 172 million records sourced from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility repository. We implemented Python scripts and a NoSQL MongoDB database to streamline and automate the ETL process, using the data warehouse to create the ForestForward web platform. ForestForward is a free, user-friendly application developed using the Django framework, which enables users to consult, download, and visualize the curated data. The platform allows users to explore data layers by year and observe the temporal evolution of ecosystems through visual representations. Database URL: https://forestforward.udl.cat. |
| Volume | 2025 |
| Published | 2025-3-3 |
| DOI | 10.1093/database/baaf018 |
| PII | 8051092 |
| PMID | 40037615 |
| PMC | PMC11879282 |
| MeSH | Biodiversity Databases, Factual* Forests* Software* |
| IF | 2.593 |
| Resource | |
| GBIF | Bryophyte Specimens of Ishikawa Museum of Natural History (ISKW) Plant Specimens of The Cattle Museum Plant specimens of Toyota City Nature Sanctuary Ferns and Lycophytes Specimens of Kawasaki Municipal Science Museum Vascular plant specimens of Akita Prefectural Museum Bryophyte Collection of Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba Ibaraki Nature Museum, Vascular Plants collection Vascular plant specimens of National Museum of Nature and Science (TNS) Spermatophyta specimens of Iwate Prefectural Museum Plant specimens in the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Plant specimens deposited in Osaka Museum of Natural History, Japan Plant specimens of Kiritappu Wetland Center Vascular Plant Specimen database of Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History Gunma Museum of Natural History, Vascular Plant Specimen Plant specimens of Parthenon Tama Museum (PTHM) Vascular plant specimens of Nagano Environmental Conservation Research Institute, Nagano Prefecture Plant specimens of Toyota City Nature Sanctuary (from non-museum circle) Vascular plant specimens of Toyama Science Museum Plant distribution data with photograph |