Methodology for creating a dataset of point maps of finds in the monograph “Vascular Plants of the Soviet Far East”

Abstract

The maps of vascular plants distribution from the 9-volume monograph “Vascular Plants of the Soviet Far East” (1985-1996, 2006) are digitizing. The original raster maps were manually georeferenced and then a point layer of plant finds was created in ArcGIS. Totally, 4387 maps were digitized, recording 156767 finds of 4140 plant species. In some cases, a check was made against the text of the species distribution annotation when referencing the find points. In doing so, points not indicated on the maps may have been added, or, on the contrary, erroneous points may not have been indicated. The technical methodology of map georeferencing and digitization and the main problems encountered are described in detail. A rough estimate of the geographical accuracy of the data has been made, ranging from 1 to 25 km, depending on the scale and quality of the original map. The resulting dataset has been adapted to the GBIF structure and taxonomic nomenclature standards (Darvin Core) and published there for public access. The results add significantly to the available numerical geographical data on floral diversity within Russia, along with previously published GBIF data from a similar publication “Flora of Siberia”.