About the datasets:
These datasets include species lists, distribution maps, label data, and access to high-resolution specimen images for vascular plants, bryophytes, algae, lichenized fungi, and non-lichenized fungi for the Pacific Northwest region.
The datasets are pre-compiled as HTML files from the PNW Herbaria specimen database. This allows the datasets to be installed locally to a device (mobile phone, tablet, or desktop computer). Our goal is to allow access to the specimen data in remote locations where a network connection is not available. Although the datasets can be viewed on desktop computers they look best on mobile phones and tablets.
We use these datasets when collecting to target new county records and notable distribution records.
Datasets generated on November 28, 2020.
View online:
Algae
Bryophytes
Lichenized Fungi
Vascular Plants
Download for offline use:
Data usage restrictions apply.
The HTM files can easily be installed on an Android device or a desktop computer and viewed using a web browser. By contrast, installing to an iPhone or iPad is difficult and may require using a third-party app or resorting to risky options such as jailbreaking your phone (look online for ideas; you're on your own). The instructions below are for Android devices:
- Connect your device to your computer so you can copy files to it.
- Download one of the following zip files for the group of organisms you want, unzip the file, and move the unzipped contents to the location on your device where you would like to place the datasets (the root of the SD card is recommended). Depending on your device, you may also be able to download and unzip the file directly to the device, skipping step 1:
algae.zip (21.0 MB; unzips to 64.9 MB, 2,840 files)
bryophytes.zip (36.5 MB; unzips to 156 MB, 4367 files)
lichenized-fungi.zip (29.1 MB; unzips to 11 MB, 3,591 files)
vascular-plants.zip (241.7 MB; unzips to 1.33 GB, 17,656 files)
- Open a web browser on your device and manually type one of these URLs (which one works depends on your device's version and browser used), replacing [group] with the name of the organismal group you selected (use the name of the zip file, minus the .zip):
file:///sdcard/[group]/index.htm
content://com.android.htmlfileprovider/
sdcard/[group]/index.htm
/mnt/sdcard-ext/[group]/index.htm - Bookmark the URL so you can easily refer to it again. That's it!
Data usage restrictions:
Dataset files © 2020 Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (managed by the University of Washington Herbarium). Ownership of the specimen data contained within is retained by the individual data providers.
These datasets are intended for personal use. They may not be redistributed, sold, or posted for download or display by any third-party entity without prior written permission from the University of Washington.
Precautions regarding the data:
Please use the data at your own discretion. You will notice problems and inconsistencies with both nomenclature and distributions. Although we go to considerable effort to clean and standardize the data, we cannot detect or fix every problem. The quality of the specimen data provided to us varies by taxonomic group. Vascular plant specimens are generally the best curated, followed by bryophytes and lichens.
- The Consortium maintains a checklist for vascular plants which is used to standardize family and scientific names. No checklist is in place yet for bryophytes, algae, lichenized fungi, or non-lichenized fungi; thus, the nomenclature and family classifications for these groups is not uniform.
- We intend to exclude records of cultivated specimens. However, not all cultivated specimens are marked as such.
- Some specimens are mapped incorrectly because of faulty latitude/longitude coordinates (usually obtained by using automated georefencing software). We try to detect and hide as many of these as possible, but cannot catch all.
- Precise localities and coordinates are suppressed for species of conservation concern. These are displayed on the map using large open squares. The squares are aligned to a fixed grid such that the actual location may fall anywhere within the square.