Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA)

Global Mountain Explorer

June 2021: The new version (version 2) of the Global Mountain Explorer has been released! IMPORTANT: in this new version, two of the three original layers have been replaced following the discovery that the downsampling process applied in preparing the first version increased their global coverage of mountains considerably. More information is available in the release note online.

The Global Mountain Explorer (GME) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with Esri, the Center for Development and Environment of the University of Bern (CDE), the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), and the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI). The work was part of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Global Network for Observations and Information in Mountain Environments (Geo Mountains) initiative (previously GeoGNOME), and specifically addresses Task 1.0 in the workplan: "Accurately delineate mountain regions using best available data".

The Global Mountain Explorer allows for visualization and query of three mountain definitions (the UNEP-WCMC definition - K1, the GMBA definition - K2, and the USGS Ecological Land Units - K3) either separately or in pairwise comparisons. Pan, zoom, and query functionality are included. The data are being served as image services, and the GIS data files are available for unrestricted download and use in geographic information systems, thanks to financial support from GMBA and the MRI. New in version 2 is also the option for 3D view.

Access the GME landing page with the new release note!

Access the online tool!

Swiss GeoScience Meeting 2017 _Global Mountain Explorer.pdf (PDF, 789KB)