Methods, Standards, and Conventions

Methods of data collection/presentation, data standards, and usage conventions used/proposed by the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project are detailed here.

• Abbreviations & codes
• Island abbreviations
• Taxon (species) codes 
• Filename conventions
  
• Maps
• Base maps
• Mapping/digitizing conventions
• Metadata
  
• Data
• Precision 
• Confidence levels 
• Authorities
• Island-by-island distributions
  revisions! (11 Mar 97)

If you have comments or questions about any information presented at this site, please e­mail the Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk project or send us the information at the above address.

The HEAR Alien Species in Hawaii website uses the abbreviations* for Hawaiian islands defined in the Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawai`i (pp. 126-127), as follows:

*The single exception to our conformance with the island codes defined in Wagner et al. 1990 is that we use "NW" (vs. the published "NWI") to designate the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Since "NW" is unambiguous in this context, use of the shorter code means that all island codes are two (2) or fewer characters in length; this is convenient when establishing filename conventions.

Taxon codes used at this site are based on standard Taxon codes used by HEAR's Monitoring Database. Specific information about these Taxon codes is available at HEAR's Monitoring Database site, as well as additional relevant information. Standard taxon codes are based on Bishop Museum's accepted taxonomic nomenclature.   The most current HEAR standard taxon codes are now available online.

Filenames for maps comprise the standard taxon code and a 2-character island code, plus the appropriate file extension. The 2-character island code is based on the standard HEAR island codes ("HI"nbsp;= All Main Hawaiian Islands). If standard island code is only one character long, an underscore character ("_") is appended to the island code to make it two characters long. For example:

	Andropogon virginicus on Oahu:
		AndVirO_.gif
		AndVirO_.pdf

	Hedychium coronarium, all-island distributions:
		HedCor010HI.gif
		HedCor010HI.pdf

This section will eventually contain metadata-type information about the base maps used by HEAR for their map products; this isn't complete yet. However, to get .PDF versions of base maps on which to submit new distribution information to HEAR, refer to our blank maps for each Hawaiian Island.

[Nothing here yet, please check back SOON!]

YOUR COMMENTS ARE REQUESTED

See HEAR's discussion document RE: metadata standards, describing details which should be submitted along with any reports of alien species locations reported to HEAR.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE REQUESTED

See HEAR's discussion document RE: proposed geographic data precision standards.

Confidence levels

YOUR COMMENTS ARE REQUESTED

The purpose of HEAR's draft document on "confidence levels" is to show how a qualitative assessment of the CONFIDENCE LEVEL associated with a spatial data set is made by the CPSU Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk Project. As the term is used here, confidence level refers to overall reliability, i.e., the amount of faith that we are willing to place in the "accuracy" and level of "precision" of spatial information.

Authorities

•   A RELATIVELY recent version of the standard taxon codes is available here as a PKZIP'd dBase (.DBF) table [last updated 01 April 1997]. (If further information is needed [e.g. Genus-Family cross-reference], contact the HEAR project.) To ensure that you have the most recent codes, subscribe to the Hawaii Natural Resources Monitoring Database Administrator internet mailing list and search the archives for any updates which have been posted since the creation date of the online version. After you've loaded the initial set of codes, you should REMAIN on this list in order to keep up with any changes or additions which take place to the taxon codes and/or taxonomic nomenclature.

•    there will also be links to other Authority files (e.g. USFWS federal statuses for endangered/threatened species).

Island-by-island distributions

The steps we have implemented to validate the island-by-island distribution information presented at the HEAR Alien Species in Hawaii Website are presented below. ALL island-by-island distribution data at this website has been/will be validated using this method before being posted to this site.

Island-by-island distribution validation process:

A goal of this website is to be a reliable source of the most current available information about selected island-by-island distribution of alien species in Hawaii. To maintain reliability of our information, we attempt--whenever possible--to base our information on curated voucher specimens (or sources which cite such specimens).

However, in the "real world," the collection and curation of specimens may not occur until after the species is reliably known to be present on an island (sometimes years later). In order to fulfill our goal of timeliness-without sacrificing reliability­-we may include data based on information from a source which we believe to be accurate, even if a voucher specimen cannot be cited. In cases where we CANNOT directly or indirectly cite a voucher specimen, the island on the statewide map is marked with an asterisk (*), as so:

Bearing in mind the above exception, island-by-island range distributions mapped on this site have been verified against a voucher specimen or a published source which (unless otherwise stated in the text describing the source) cites at least one curated voucher specimen of the species on the island indicated. References are available on request (and eventually will be online at this site) for all distribution information presented.

The HEAR island-by-island maps currently document PRESENCE--not only naturalization--of species on each island. Therefore, if we have information that indicates that a species is PRESENT but NOT NATURALIZED, we will indicate that the species is PRESENT on the island with a controllability code "1".

Minimally, EVERY statewide island-by-island distribution map has been validated against the following sources for each relevant group:

• Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawaii (flowering plants only)
• Bishop Museum's Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey (all species)
• Appendix (checklist: "A Preliminary List of Alien Adventive Seed Plants in the Hawaiian Islands") in "Origin and distribution of adventive alien flowering plants in Hawai'i" (Wester in Stone et al. 1992) (seed plants only)

Additionally, every statewide distribution map (vascular plants only) has been checked against Appendix 1A (checklist: "Vascular plant species recorded from Kaho'olawe Island") in Biological Database & Reconnaissance Survey of Kaho'olawe Island, Including Rare Plants, Animals, and Natural Communities (Gon 1992) for presence/absence of each species for the island of Kaho'olawe. Inclusion of a species in this reference consitutes confirmation of presence; and, since this IS intended to be a comprehensive checklist for all vascular plants on Kaho'olawe, non-inclusion in this reference will, for our purposes, constitute confirmation of absence of the species on the island (unless other confirmation of presence is available). (HOWEVER, note that the HEAR lists document the PRESENCE--not just naturalization of plants on an island; Gon 1992 specifically states about itself that "[k]nown plantings were not documented during the HHP reconnaissance survey because the scope of this project was to document the native and naturalized vegetation of Kaho'olawe." Therefore, non-inclusion in this report does not actually indicate absence of a species on the island.)

Gymnosperm distributions have been checked against information in Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Little&npsp;& Skolmen, 1989). Other woody plants also may have been checked against this reference; inclusion in this reference consitutes confirmation of presence (though absence of mention does not constitute confirmation of absence, as it does for plants treated in the Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawaii [Wagner et al. 1990]).

Fern distributions for the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii have been checked against Table 1 in Alien ferns in Hawai'i (Wilson 1996). Inclusion in this reference consitutes confirmation of presence. Additionally--since this article attempts to document "[t]he current status of naturalized ferns and fern allies in Hawai'i," non-inclusion in this table will, for our purposes, constitute confirmation of absence of the species on the island (unless other confirmation of presence is available). (03/97 NOTE:  The information in the table from this document is based on NATURALIZATION records; the HEAR island-by-island maps currently document PRESENCE--not only naturalization--of species on each island. Therefore, if we have information that indicates that a species is PRESENT but NOT NATURALIZED, we will indicate that the species is PRESENT on the island with a controllability code "1".)

Fern distributions have been checked also against information in Ferns of Hawai'i (Valier 1995). Inclusion in this reference consitutes confirmation of presence (though absence of mention does not constitute confirmation of absence, as it does for plants treated in the Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawaii [Wagner et al. 1990]). Note that this book does NOT attempt to comprehensively document fern distributions in Hawaii (not even "naturalized" ferns); the author states that "[f]erns in this book are common on all the Islands [sic]" (with some [noted] exceptions). (03/97 NOTE:  The information in this document is based on whether the species is considered to be NATURALIZED; the HEAR island-by-island maps currently document PRESENCE--not only naturalization--of species on each island. Therefore, if we have information that indicates that a species is PRESENT but NOT NATURALIZED, we will indicate that the species is PRESENT on the island with a controllability code "1".)

If we have a record of an herbarium specimen for a species from an island, this will also be considered confirmation of its presence there. This information will be on record in our database, and should also be mentioned in the text accompanying the map.

If presence of a species on an island is indicated but marked with an asterisk, its presence on that island is NOT documented by any of the above sources. Instead, the information regarding presence of that species on that island has been submitted by a source which we feel is knowledgeable and reliable; reference information for each such source is maintained and available on request (and eventually will be online at this site).

If a species was reported from an island by a source which we cannot immediately verify, this information will be presented in the text accompanying the map. However, such information will NOT be graphically included in the map until it is verified (by a voucher specimen or expert opinion).