CATE fungal data acquisition

[Michael Jordan]

Looking back to Summer 2009, the CATE database had received approximately 200,000 UK fungal records since its launch in January 2008, and had up until then been receiving data a rate of about 11,000 records a month.

Latest update: At mid-February 2010, the total has now reached almost 400,000 with a current rate of uptake well in excess of 20,000 records per month. Particularly encouraging in terms of recent acquisitions, have been datasets from Yorkshire (northeast), Hampshire (north), Surrey, Northumberland and Durham.

Sincere thanks to all those recorders who have supported CATE, and are delivering fungal data. The data system is technically far in advance of anything else that British mycology has at its disposal for fungal record analysis, and is delivering results to match. CATE is on course to pass its next critical 'threshold' of 1/2 million by late summer, but is now able to generate authoritative checklists and Important Fungus Areas maps (IFAs) for many counties and local regions. Keep up the good work!