Projects. About. Blog. Jobs. Contact. Half-Earth. Committing Half the Earth to nature. Check it online. Earth is experiencing a biodiversity crisis. The rate at which species are going extinct is more than 1,000 times higher than it has ever been before. To save ourselves and the irreplaceable animals, vegetation, and ecological systems we depend on, we must act now. We’ve been working with the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, Map of Life and Esri on the construction of an interactive globe depicting the diversity of life on Earth and answer E.O Wilson’s call-to-action to commit half of the planet’s surface to nature. If we conserve half the Earth, we can safeguard the bulk of biodiversity from extinction. We are working towards visualising biodiversity richness and rarity at 1km resolution globally, to inform decisions on which half to protect. The Half-Earth Map is visualising global biodiversity on a local scale. Together, scientists, designers, user researchers, and developers are creating an experience that’s grounded in data and scientific methodology. Visualising biodiversity. Data collected by scientists, satellites and sensors are painting an increasingly detailed picture of our planet. The huge amount of data on the distribution of species, human encroachment, and existing conservation areas is combined using ESRI’s ArcGIS API for JavaScript. The API leverages the built-in webGL functionality of modern browsers, which utilises your computer’s graphic card computing power to render 3D scenes. This smooth technology allows users to spin, magnify and layer data smoothly, giving them a semi-immersive experience. Educate with delight. Presenting information in novel ways, like an interactive globe, opens up the possibility of learning something new, or gaining a fresh perspective on known facts. We believe it’s easier to inspire change when people feel joy, surprise and delight, so every detail is designed to spark curiosity and engagement. To do that, our designers collaborated with Esri’s John Nelson to create the custom, vibrant Half-Earth base map. Tracking progress The Half-Earth Project uses the latest science and technology to map thousands of species around the world. We used Esri’s ArcGIS API to visualise the map and data layers. The underlying data is carefully curated by Map of Life. Half-Earth Map update: National Report Cards added. Check it online. What are people saying about it? Unless humanity learns a great deal more about global biodiversity and moves quickly to protect it, we will soon lose most of the species composing life on Earth. E.O. Wilson Thanks to the Half-Earth project and the wonderful team at Vizzuality for the fantastic experience of fun and collaborative cartography. John Nelson, Esri A real pleasure to be in a #HalfEarthDay with brilliant partners from @Vizzuality as we inform what goes on behind-the-scenes of the #HalfEarth map at half-earthproject.org Dr Dawn Wright, Esri Next project. Resource Watch. World Resources Institute. Get in touch Contact us. Projects. About. Blog. Jobs. Contact. Privacy policy. Follow us: Read our cookie policy to know more. Got it!