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Tools for mapping ecosystem services

Ignacio Palomo·Mihai Adamescu·Kenneth J. Bagstad·Constantin Cazacu·Hermann Klug·Stoyan Nedkov
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Abstract

Mapping tools have evolved impressively in recent decades. From early computerised mapping techniques to current cloud-based mapping approaches, we have witnessed a technological evolution that has facilitated the democratisation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These advances have impacted multiple disciplines including ecosystem service (ES) mapping. The information that feeds different mapping tools is also increasingly accessible and complex. In this chapter, we review the evolution of mapping tools that are shaping the field of ES mapping together with the different sources of information that exist at this point. We discuss briefly the suitability of these approaches for mapping different ES types and for different scientific and policy aims. Finally, we elaborate on the integration of multiple tools (from desktop applications to sensor, web-based, or mobile devices) and on the future developments of these methods and the possibilities they may open for ES mapping.

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Ignacio Palomo, Mihai Adamescu, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Constantin Cazacu, Hermann Klug, Stoyan Nedkov. 2017. Tools for mapping ecosystem services. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70185294

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