ATLAS FLORAE EUROPAEAE

Atlas Florae Europaeae Database

During the first thirty years of Atlas Florae Europaeae (AFE), the basic technology for the collection of distribution data and publication of distribution maps has remained practically unchanged. Manual map production as such is rather tedious. Furthermore, distribution data available only on printed maps are not suitable for further (computerized) analyses. The construction of the Atlas Florae Europaeae database was started in 1992. The primary goal was to make the distribution data available in digital format, and the additional goal was the computerization of the editorial process of AFE. The printed AFE distribution maps were processed this way:

• the maps were scanned at 300 dpi resolution
• locations of the grid cells (4419) were calculated on the scanned bitmap images
• arrays of black pixels were searched from the bitmaps using custom software
• the map originals and and their interpretation were compared using custom software

So far all printed AFE volumes (1 to 12) have been processed this way.

ATLAS FLORAE EUROPAEAE 1999 - free software for map viewing

Plant distribution data in this product are based on the printed volumes 1 to 11 of Atlas Florae Europaeae (1972-1996), edited by Jaakko Jalas and Juha Suominen, together with Raino Lampinen (Vol. 11). At present the maps cover about 20% of the European vascular flora (pteridophytes to crucifers).

Please notice the following details when viewing the digital distribution maps:

• UTM dot locations outside the AFE base map have sometimes been used on the printed maps. These dots are missing here.
• All taxa with ambiguous taxonomic status, mentioned in quotation marks on the printed maps, have been omitted.
• AFE uses six symbol categories. Note that in maps which combine several taxa at lower ranks, the symbol priority is 1) native, present, 2) unknown whether native and present, or a present established alien, 3) established alien, present, 4) possibly extinct (origin, ie. native, established or unknown not shown), 5) extinct (without indication of origin), 6) uncertain identification or locality.
• An explanation of the AFE grid system (used up to vol. 12) and the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) and the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) are given on the AFE web pages.
  

How to install and use the software (available only for the 32-bit Windows95/Windows98/NT platforms):

1. Download the self-extracting afesetup.exe (704,275 bytes).
2. Run afesetup.exe program. The archive will expand and following files will be created: afe99.dot, afe99.emf, afe99.exe, afe99.tax, readme.txt
3. Create a desktop shortcut for starting afe99.exe, or start the afe99.exe program from the Explorer.

• Select the family, genus, species, or subspecies with the left mouse button. The taxon name will be highlighted, and appears in the grey bar near the bottom of the window (as Athyriaceae in the image above).
• Click the grey bar to see the map. It is possibly to view several maps simultaneously.

• You can make the map larger (or minimize or close it) by using the buttons in the upper right corner of the map window. Another way to enlarge or shrink the map window is to place the mouse cursor above the border of the map window, and then change the map window size by keeping the left mouse button down and dragging the window margin.
• You can zoom to a closer view by clicking the maps with the mouse, and return into a more distant by clicking it again.
• For moving the map windows, press the blue title using the left mouse button, keep the button down, and move to map window to a new place on the screen.
  

DISCLAIMER

There may still be errors in the distribution data shown on the digital maps, due to difficulties in the interpretation of certain scanned bitmaps. Please report all taxa with such erroneous data to:

Leo Junikka (leo.junikka@helsinki.fi )
Botanical Museum
Finnish Museum of Natural History
P.O.Box 7 (Unioninkatu 44)
FIN-00014 HELSINKI UNIVERSITY
FINLAND