About the Protected Areas Center

• What is the Data Basin Protected Areas Center?
• What does the Protected Areas Center do?
• Who is the Protected Areas Center built for?
• Who contributed and provides datasets to the Protected Areas Center?
• What is the PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition)?
• Why should you join Data Basin?

What is the Data Basin Protected Areas Center?

The Protected Areas Center is a component of Data Basin that specializes in creating and disseminating critical datasets, tools, and networks needed to address changes related to land protection. The Data Basin Protected Areas Center allows you to do three primary activities:

•     Publish existing protected areas datasets and analyses
•     Review new research on protected areas
•     Connect with people with datasets, expertise, or similar interests

The building blocks of the Data Basin Protected Areas Center are:

• Datasets: A dataset is a spatially explicit file, currently Arcshape and ArcGrid files.  These can be biological, physical, socioeconomic, (and soon to be imagery) that can be uploaded, downloaded or visualized.
• Maps: Maps are visualized datasets created with easy-to-use tools in Data Basin.  Maps, customized by users, can be kept private, shared with groups, or published for everyone.  Users can critique maps with provided drawing and commenting tools.
• Galleries: Galleries are meaningful collections of datasets and/or maps created by Data Basin users.  Users and organizations can publish galleries (including studies, atlases and books) that others can easily find and use. 
• People: People are members of the Data Basin community.  Users can search profiles to find data providers, potential collaborators or interested audiences. 
• Groups: Groups are user-defined subset of Data Basin users collaborating around a specific topic or issues.  Group members can share, analyze, and discuss datasets and maps.  Data Basin allows for private (closed) and public (by request) groups.
• Centers: Centers are topics or geographies of special interest to Data Basin users.  Users can find specific datasets, maps, galleries, people, groups, and analytical tools under each center.

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What does the Protected Areas Center do?

Data Basin makes it simple to find reliable protected areas datasets and make compelling visualizations. After locating a relevant dataset, combine it with others to create a map the way you want. The Protected Areas Center provides the following functionality:

•     Extensive documentation for each protected areas dataset or analysis
•     Capability to upload your dataset then share it publically or keep it private
•     Ability to download publically-shared protected areas-related datasets
•     Visualization tools that allow you to combine datasets and make maps
•     Searchable profiles of all users including protected area and biodiversity experts
•     Searchable galleries (collections of datasets, maps, or people)
•     Working groups that enable sharing of datasets and maps with specific people

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Who is the Protected Areas Center built for?

This Protected Areas Center is created to help people integrate protected areas data into their daily work (e.g. mapping, planning, analyses, and problem-solving). For example, this site makes it easy for users to address important conservation and resource questions pertaining to climate change adaptation, green energy development, infrastructure planning, and wildlife connectivity. Conservation planners and managers will appreciate the resources on this site, as they provide critical contextual information for their work.  Institutions responsible for national and international reporting will find the Center full of reliable, accurate information for their purposes.  The scientific and conservation community will similarly benefit from having this standardized base maps to carry out their research and planning objectives.

The Data Basin Protected Areas Center lowers the technical skills usually needed to visualize and create spatial datasets and maps. The data storage, visualization, group sharing, and directories are relatively straight forward to use. The Conservation Biology Institute provides technical support for registered Data Basin users. Now, anyone can visualize the conservation impacts of land and water protection.

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Who contributes datasets to the Protected Areas Center?

Data Basin works with dozens of institutions, universities, research groups and individuals to provide the highest quality datasets as they become available.  Data contributors are required to add metadata to the datasets that they upload to ensure that the datasets can be correctly cited and understood by users in Data Basin. Data contributors are responsible for ensuring that they are permitted to share the datasets they upload to Data Basin according to the Terms of Service.

Any organization or individual that has made data available for upload to Data Basin is credited with providing the data, even if they were not the ones who uploaded (contributed) the data to Data Basin. Data Basin is actively seeking data partnerships with data-providing organizations to help streamline processing and uploading of their datasets. Please contact us if you need any assistance providing or contributing data.

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What is PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition)?

PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) is a comprehensive geospatial data set of United States protected areas, including detailed information on land ownership, management and conservation status. Our goal is to regularly compile and publish national, state and local protected areas information (public and private) that we obtain through an established network of data providers. Protected areas data are collected from these sources and aggregated into a standard framework. Challenges related to the incompleteness of source data, varied formats, data structures, and accuracy are reconciled as much as possible, but this effort is an ongoing process of steady improvement.

A unique collaborative process with leading data providers across the nation ensures that source information flows into this database and back to the providers in an iterative fashion. This version substantially improves our national inventory of protected lands. PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) provides the spatial foundation by which users can conceptualize our national conservation landscape.

Why should you join Data Basin?

Data Basin is a vibrant, online community. It works because individuals and institutions are willing to share information and expertise to solve problems. By joining Data Basin you are given access to the datasets, maps, and tools. You also get to connect to a broad spectrum of people working on conservation-related efforts. Registering is easy and free. Our system is powered by Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS.com (ESRI), and therefore requires all Data Basin users to obtain an ESRI global account during registration. Each user is given 2 GB of free data storage space by ESRI for their uploaded data. Click "JOIN NOW" to sign up.

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