Getting Started
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The Alaska Vegetation (AKVEG) Database is built in PostgreSQL and hosted on a cloud server that can be queried in numerous ways. These instructions will enable you to connect to and query the AKVEG Database query using R, Python, or ArcGIS Pro.
To query the database, you will need server credentials. To request server credentials, fill out a
Database Access Form. The database is public and
access is free; the purpose of the server credentials is to prevent excessive loads on the server and for us to know how many people are connecting.
Navigating the Database
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The tables in the AKVEG Database can be broadly classified into data
tables, referenced tables, and metadata tables.
Data tables contain information on
vegetation, environmental, and soils characteristics, as well as
information about the plots at which these data were collected (e.g.,
plot coordinates, dimensions).
Referenced tables are referenced by the data tables to constrain the
set of allowable values in a field. For example, the cover type id
field in the vegetation_cover table references the cover_type table. The cover_type table specifies the types of methods that can be used to
collect cover data.
Credits
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Authors
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- Timm Nawrocki - Alaska Center for Conservation Science, University of Alaska Anchorage
- Amanda Droghini - Alaska Center for Conservation Science, University of Alaska Anchorage
- Matt Macander - ABR, Inc. Environmental Consulting & Research Services
- Aaron Wells - AECOM
- Lindsey Flagstad - Alaska Center for Conservation Science, University of Alaska Anchorage
Support
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The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, and Alaska Department of Natural Resources provided funding in support of the development of the AKVEG Database.