Implementing and Developing an Interactive Atlas for the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) Database

Abstract

The Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) project is a living database that represents the occurrence and identity of naturalized alien vascular plant taxa across the globe. This centralization of data can lead to insights into global bio-geographical patterns of invasive plants and can be used to determine drivers of relative richness of naturalized and invasive plant species on Earth. To encourage the accessibility of this dataset, an interactive atlas can allow researchers to lter, search, and visualize the data. Developing a framework to accomplish this task can be done by following a user-centered design philosophy.Interactive atlases have been developing and changing rapidly the past three decades due to the rise of the internet and advancements in technology. Using D3, a client-side data visualization framework, the GloNAF dataset can be visualized to a high cartographic standard.A five stage framework was developed that generates measurable success through communication with the target user group, iterative prototyping, and a competitive analysis.These methods prove useful in creating an atlas that applies user feedback to determine usability and utility features within an interactive atlas system.