User Guide

Welcome to the Species Explorer User Guide! This guide will help you get started with exploring biodiversity data in QGIS.

What is Species Explorer?

Species Explorer is a QGIS plugin that connects to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to fetch and visualize species occurrence data. GBIF is the world's largest biodiversity database, containing over 2 billion occurrence records from around the globe.

Getting Started

• Installation

  Learn how to install Species Explorer in QGIS

• Quick Start

  Get up and running in 5 minutes

• Usage Guide

  Detailed guide on all features

• FAQ

  Frequently asked questions

Key Concepts

Species Occurrence Data

An occurrence record is a documented observation of a species at a specific location and time. This can include:

• Museum specimen collections
• Field observations
• Citizen science records
• Research survey data

GBIF Integration

Species Explorer uses the GBIF REST API to:

1. Search for species by name
2. Retrieve taxonomic information
3. Download occurrence records
4. Create point layers in QGIS

Data Attributes

Each occurrence point includes attributes such as:

Attribute	Description
gbifID	Unique GBIF identifier
scientificName	Full scientific name
decimalLatitude	Latitude coordinate
decimalLongitude	Longitude coordinate
eventDate	Date of observation
basisOfRecord	Type of record (specimen, observation, etc.)
countryCode	ISO country code

Need Help?

• Check the FAQ for common questions
• Report issues on GitHub
• Contact Kartoza for commercial support

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