International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center Maize Research Atlases

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center maize research atlases are three CDs, including an Africa Maize Research Atlas, an Asia Maize Research Atlas, and a Latin America Maize Research Atlas. These three CDs, produced by CIMMYT's Natural Resources Group (NRG) and Maize Program, contain spatial data including climate, soils, elevation, population, land use and maize mega-environments for Sub-Saharan Africa (20W-52E, 35S-15N), southern Asia (60-165E, 10S-35N), and all of Mexico, Central America, and South America. In addition, climate similarity maps for dozens of major maize research sites in each region are provided. All data are stored as ESRI shapefiles, and MapExplorer (v. 2.0) - developed by ESRI, UK, has been included for data display and query [Map Explorer is a trademark of ESRI (UK) Ltd; the ESRI globe is trademark of ESRI Inc.]. Each Atlas provides a compendium of more than 150 layers of digital data on climate, soils, elevation, land use, population, and a range of maize-related information for the target region in a stand-alone, CD format. All data are provided in ESRI shape file format. The Atlases are targeted towards users with no geographic infor mation system (GIS) experience, and each contains from 80 to more than 140 predesigned MapExplorer projects, along with a tutorial to introduce new users to MapExplorer and the data. Among other uses, the Atlas will allow researchers to characterize regions of interest and target and predict the potential impacts of promising germplasm or agronomic practices. The Atlas requires Microsoft Windows 95 (or higher) or Windows NT (4.0 or higher), as well as 30 Mb of disk space to run MapExplorer. 1) Hodson, D.P., E. Martinez-Romero, J.W. White, J.D. Corbett, and M. Banziger. 2002. Africa Maize Research Atlas (v3.0). Mexico D.F.: CIMMYT. CD. ISBN: 970-648-031-5. AGROVOC Descriptors: Zea mays; Maize; Plant production; Production factors; Agricultural soils; Land use; Human population; Cultural methods; Cropping systems; Crop management; Innovation adoption; Risk; Africa South of Sahara; Southern Africa; Africa; Research projects. Additional Keywords: CIMMYT; SADC. AGRIS Category Codes: F01 Crop Husbandry. Dewey Decimal Classification: 633.1523. 2) Hodson, D.P., E. Martinez-Romero, J.W. White, P.G. Jones, and M. Banziger. 2002. Asia Maize Research Atlas (v1.0). Mexico D.F.: CIMMYT. CD. ISBN: AGROVOC Descriptors: Zea mays; Maize; Plant production; Production factors; Agricultural soils; Land use; Human population; Cultural methods; Cropping systems; Crop management; Innovation adoption; Risk; Research projects Additional Keywords: CIMMYT; AGRIS Category Codes: F01 Crop Husbandry Dewey Decimal Classification: 633.1523 3) Hodson, D.P., E. Martinez-Romero, J.W. White, J.D. Corbett, and M. Banziger. 2002. Latin America Maize Research Atlas (v1.0). Mexico D.F.: CIMMYT. CD. ISBN: AGROVOC Descriptors: Zea mays; Maize; Plant production; Production factors; Agricultural soils; Land use; Human population; Cultural methods; Cropping systems; Crop management; Innovation adoption; Risk; Research projects Additional Keywords: CIMMYT; AGRIS Category Codes: F01 Crop Husbandry Dewey Decimal Classification: 633.1523 [Information taken from the Maize Research Atlas Home Page]