Development of a Geographic Database Infrastructure at the Atatürk Arboretum Using Free Open Source Software(s)

Botanical gardens and arboreta, which have considerable role in the conservation of plant diversity, are valuable natural resources. A decision support and registration system is needed in the management and planning of these worthy areas. Because it is required to survey position, to record information, and to monitor life history of plants which are geographically located and the main objects of arboreta. The institutes looking for a solution to such requirements encountered with mainly software and hardware problems. Although minimizing the cost of hardware is difficult, it has recently become possible to completely eliminate the cost of software with regard to the free open source software. The purpose of this study is to build a geographic information database, to satisfy the similar needs of the Atatürk Arboretum established on a part of Belgrad Forest under authorization of Istanbul Forest District, Bahçeköy Forest enterprise in 1949. To accomplish this task, 4674 point, 32 polygon and 4 line type geographical plant locations were surveyed with a totalstation. Spatial data and related attributes were entered into 15 different database tables. In the determination of these attributes, in order to provide the requiring understandable information in plant exchange going on between various arboretums, the standards of the international data exchange format (ITF2) were closely followed. Other data, on the other hand, pertaining to the remaining geographical objects, were again entered to the database by digitizing them through the available maps. These intelligent maps were presented for institutional usage as well as for everyday visitor usage through kiosks set up inside the arboretum, and the internet. The software costs were eliminated by utilizing the independent, free open source software; also, such software’s perfectly capable natures were once more proven that such undertakings could very well be accomplished with them.