Species occurrence data for the Nation—USGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON)

Abstract

Web Interface Users may query BISON by scientific or common name, and then refine their search results by choosing one or more criteria, including basis of record (such as observation or specimen), provider or resource name, location, higher taxa, year range, and centroid inclusion/exclusion. BISON also provides a refined search option for querying the database by selecting a county or state, or by drawing an exact boundary around an area of interest on the map such as protected areas, villages or even much smaller areas. For instance, BISON maps more than 270,000 occurrences in New York City’s Central Park alone, with detailed information available for each species record. Species occurrence data are displayed in BISON on an interactive map (with heat map or points layer options), or in checklist format. Mapped search results may be displayed on any of 50 available map layers. Users can download their search results in zipped text (.csv), Google Earth KML, or shapefile formats.