A new tool that gives users the most detailed view yet of the world’s mountains is now available from the USGS. The Global Mountain Explorer can help a variety of users – from hikers planning their next adventure, to scientists, resource managers and policy makers seeking information that is often sparse in these prominent yet often understudied landscapes. The Global Mountain Explorer provides information from global scales down to specific mountains.
The USGS developed the Global Mountain Explorer, in partnership with ESRI, and three organizations at the University of Bern in Switzerland – the Center for Development and Environment, the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment, and the Mountain Research Initiative. The tool was developed as part of a Group on Earth Observations initiative to accurately delineate mountain regions using best available data. It is intended to provide information on the global distribution and a variety of mountain data with a resolution 16 times more detailed than previous mapping efforts.
“This product allows anyone with access to the Internet to explore where mountains are, whether they are low or high, scattered or continuous, snowy or snow-free,” said USGS ecosystems geographer Roger Sayre, who led the project. “Mountain Explorer users can visualize and compare in one place and for the first time the three major global mountain maps that have been produced,” he added.
Mountains provide significant water, timber, and mineral resources, and food, fiber, and fuel products. They are home to diverse ecosystems and wildlife and are valued for their esthetic beauty and recreational offerings. Mountain areas are also prone to natural hazards. But despite their importance, surprisingly few attempts have been made to scientifically define and map these regions worldwide with detail.
What Can You Do With the Tool?
The Global Mountain Explorer allows for visualization and query of K1, K2, and K3 either separately or in pairwise comparisons. The K1, K2, and K3 resources are accessible as either mountains only in one color, or as mountain classes (K1, K3) and mountain bioclimatic belts (K2) in various colors. Pan, zoom, and query functionality are included, and a query anywhere on the map returns the binary values for K1, K2, and K3 in a pop-up query results box. The data are being served as image services, and the GIS data files are available for download.
Get started exploring mountains and peaks at The Global Mountain Explorer
Map Servicces used:
1KM DEM – http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/ArcGIS/rest/services/gmek1/MapServer
250m DEM – http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/ArcGIS/rest/services/gmek3/MapServer
