Assessing species distribution using Google Street View: a pilot study with the Pine Processionary Moth.

ABSTRACT: Mapping species spatial distribution using spatial inference and prediction requires a lot of data. Occurrence data are generally not easily available from the literature and are very time-consuming to collect in the field. For that reason, we designed a survey to explore to which extent large-scale databases such as Google maps and Google Street View could be used to derive valid occurrence data. We worked with the Pine Processionary Moth (PPM) Thaumetopoea pityocampa because the larvae of that moth build silk nests that are easily visible. The presence of the species at one location can therefore be inferred from visual records derived from the panoramic views available from Google Street View. We designed a standardized procedure allowing evaluating the presence of the PPM on a sampling

SUBMITTER: Rousselet J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3794037 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature