Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - 4:00 PM
302

Citizen Biomonitoring – Designing Web Based Keys to Simplify Identification

Andre DeLorme, Valley City State University, Valley City, ND 58072

The proper identification of collected taxa is often the main barrier to citizen participation in the full process of macroinvetebrate biomonitoring.  In the past, identification has relied on printed keys and descriptions. In designing and producing these keys there has always been a tradeoff between enough illustrations and descriptions to make proper determinations, and limiting the amount of pages to make a manageable key. These keys can be a challenge for the non professional.  A computer-based key has several advantages over the traditional printed pages: a vast amount of information and illustrations can be stored and accessed, information can be available at the click of a mouse button, and the information is available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. This is not only a user friendly approach for citizen groups, but also provides excellent training tools for young professionals.  We have developed computer-based keys for the aquatic macroinvertebrates of North Dakota rivers and streams. It utilizes a mysql database for data entry and php scripting to link the database to an internet website interface. In addition we have utilized GIS software to generate range maps for all taxa.  The url for this website is www.waterbugkey.vcsu.edu.


Web Page: www.waterbugkey.vcsu.edu

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