The general public and citizen scientists utilize published distributions in field guides to assist with identification, government agencies utilize known distributions to better plan management strategies, and medical practitioners must maintain a working knowledge of dangerous taxa in their area to better treat patients afflicted during an encounter. Species distributions are also important to applied disciplines outside biology. Knowing where a species occurs is critical for understanding numerous aspects of biology including evolution, biogeography, ecology, and conservation. With these distributions, biologists can better understand the biogeography and conservation status of this group, researchers can better assess vulnerability to snakebite, and medical professionals can easily discern species found in their area. Therefore, to begin to address the need for updated fine-scale distributions, we created VenomMaps, a database and web application containing updated distribution maps and species distribution models for all species of New World pitvipers. Pitvipers (Viperidae: Crotalinae) are responsible for >98% of snakebites in the New World. However, recent studies highlighted the need for updated fine-scale distributions of venomous snakes. Envenomation by snakebite is considered a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization and venomous snake distributions are used to assess vulnerability to snakebite based on species occurrence and antivenom/healthcare accessibility. Venomous snakes are one group that highlight the importance of having accurate information given their cosmopolitan distribution and medical significance. Created by German cartographer Oswald Winkel in 1921, it represents the poles more accurately, but there’s still some distortion and the same issues apply to the Pacific.Beyond providing critical information to biologists, species distributions are useful for naturalists, curious citizens, and applied disciplines including conservation planning and medical intervention. More useful to those uninterested in setting sail is the Winkel Tripel projection, which is often used in magazines. Japan and Hawaii look very far apart, but the distance between the two is actually 6,625 kilometres, not much further than the 5,830 kilometres that separate Hawaii and mainland USA. It’s also difficult to establish distance at the edges of the map where the Pacific Ocean is split. However, this made it less effective for anyone seeking to grasp the relative size of Earth’s landmasses – countries further from the equator are famously stretched, with Antarctica appearing bigger than everything else combined. Devised by the Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, it prioritised navigation for sailors and enabled sailors to identify the shortest distance between two points. Take one of the most famous: the cylindrical Mercator projection, used by Google Maps. There are many ways of doing it, but they all have downsides. The problem of how to depict the curved surface of the Earth on a flat map has troubled cartographers for centuries. A new, double-sided projection of the world map seeks to minimise the resulting inaccuracies The new double-sided projection by Gott, Goldberg and Vanderbei Flattening our spherical planet onto a 2D surface has always been a tricky endeavour.
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