This update is intended for current MapMate users.
Yesterday, Mark Yeates circulated an email to MapMate users announcing his retirement and has outlined plans to wind-down MapMate Ltd from the end of this year. BSBI appreciates Mark’s 25 years of dedication and the valuable contribution that his software has made to biological recording. We wish him all the best for the future.
We understand this news may raise many concerns for MapMate users, but MapMate will continue to function normally beyond the end of this year. As stated in Mark’s email, users will be supported, updated and the infrastructure maintained until the end of 2025. BSBI has a current licence covering our users. This means you will experience a full year with no change to MapMate functionality.
Next steps
If you currently use MapMate for your day-to-day recording, then you can continue to do so. The software will continue to work and will be fully supported for another year and you can continue to use it beyond that period.
BSBI anticipates that many MapMate users will choose to migrate to alternative recording software over the period of this wind-down and we will be actively supporting recorders in doing so. We have been working on alternative data solutions and developing guidance and training to support recorders to make this transition as smooth as possible.
If you were planning to use MapMate for a major new project such as a new county Flora, or are toward the beginning of new work, then it may be appropriate to consider alternatives to MapMate. Please discuss this with your Country Officer or with the data support team.
MapMate will no longer be available for new VCRs, but there are several other good options in place or being developed actively.
What happens once MapMate support ends next year?
Even when the last licences finally expire, MapMate will still operate on your computer. The only practical change will be that MapMate’s online transfer system for sync files may close. Sync files will need to be exchanged with your colleagues by email or uploaded directly to the DDb website. For a variety of reasons, many BSBI recorders already use this approach.
Do note, though, that after MapMate Ltd fully ceases support and updates at the end of 2025, MapMate will rely on compatibility with future system updates. The long-term stability of the software beyond 2025 is not known.
Will there be new taxon dictionary updates?
A major update to align MapMate’s dictionary with Stace edition 4 names has been prepared and will be loaded before the end of this year.
What is the replacement for MapMate?
BSBI has been developing alternative recording software, the BSBI Recording App, that works on desktops, laptops and on mobile devices. We also actively support the use of iRecord. Access for VCRs to upload tabular data from spreadsheets directly to the DDb is being rolled-out. For more information, see the BSBI Documentation website.
The DDb provides extensive tools for data analysis and everyday mapping. We have recently started a programme of DDb training and we will continue to develop additional tutorials and documentation focused on the needs of users who are moving from MapMate.
We know that many VCRs value MapMate as a means of maintaining a highly curated ‘personal’ county data-set, separate from the overall DDb data-sets. For people who need it, there are broadly comparable facilities to maintain separate county-level data sets available in the DDb. We’re happy to help you investigate those options and will provide training.
For ‘publication quality’ maps we recommend the use of QGIS, which is a highly capable free software system for mapping and geospatial analysis of data. BSBI will develop support materials for this system, focused on the needs of botanical recorders, building on the work already done by the Field Studies Council.
We’ve sent this email to the group of BSBI MapMate users for whom we had readily available email contact details. If you know of other botanical colleagues who rely on MapMate then please forward this information to them.
Updates on support, guidance and training to help with future transitions will be made through Recorder eNews, so please make sure you are signed up here.
Julia Hanmer, Tom Humphrey, James Drever, Kevin Walker, Sarah Woods & James Harding-Morris (members of the BSBI Data Plan Steering Group)