Accepting, then, that mapping life in a much broader context is possible, the benefits are innumerable. Information could be collected on various topics such as hunting and social habits, the chemistry of living organisms, and their reactions to the environment. Many key human inventions have been created from ideas catalysed by observations of nature. With the far greater detail provided by mapping animals and plants, new discoveries could be made, and we would gain a previously unimagined insight into our world and its environments. For example, here in the United Kingdom, some ash trees have been infected with Chalara fraxinea , or ash dieback.
If ash trees at risk were tagged and electronically monitored for symptoms of the disease then infected specimens could be removed before infecting nearby trees. As sensors decline dramatically in price over time and solar technology improves such that these tiny, low power sensors can become ubiquitous, I am sure that there are many volunteers who would assist with placement and monitoring of such sensors so that a broad reach of forests could be “mapped” in a new and deeper way.
Comparing the detail with which the Earth’s surface and features have been mapped over the generations and by sophisticated satellite imaging and technology today, with our much more limited knowledge of the location and status of living organisms, I believe we are in the foothills of the potential of mapping on Earth. Though the process would be lengthy and costly, the hurdles of developing and attaching new sensors mirrors the problems faced and effort needed to land the first man on the Moon as outlined in President JF Kennedy’s speech to Congress in 1961, or to launch the first satellite into orbit in 1957. Mapping is essentially about identifying and recording our knowledge. This cannot be anything but incomplete as our knowledge is continually building. ‘Recording in detail the spatial distribution’ of life is an objective not yet fulfilled. In contrast, much of the physical mapping of Earth has been carried out in high detail, with sophisticated accuracy and is ubiquitously available.
Imagine a map that not only shows rivers, mountains, highways and buildings but also plant and animal locations and their status and activity. This would be a dynamic map updated as the sensors continually stream information to the map.
"Mapping life in a much broader context is possible..."
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