Specimens with associated georeferenced location nodes are now dynamically mapped on the species pages. The mapping feature of Scratchpads is very nice. The Google maps are elegant, and the placemarks for specimen localities display nicely. The different colors cause the eye to really look at each locality, and the 'cluster placemarks' show regions where high densities of specimens have been recorded. Clicking on these cluster icons will zoom you in close enough to where individual placemarks or (additional cluster placemarks) segregate from each other.
I think the mapping feature is important for sites such as this that focus on introduced and invasive species. The is already a feature request on the Scratchpads development site to allow mapped taxon distributions to be coded as native/introduced. Scratchpads also allows Specimen/Observation nodes to be coded as different source types. For example, all the records from Antweb are coded as 'preserved specimens', but we can also make a new 'literature record' category with its own unique fields and relations to biblio nodes. The 'Human observation' category already exists, and could be a great way for port of entry personnel or anyone working with introduced species to get their important observations online.
All these different source types could show up differently on the map (different colors or shapes?). That way users can get a better idea of how reliable each distribution record is. Specimen records are the most useful, as they can actually be verified independently. Literature records from taxonomic revision are generally reliable. Literature records from other types of literature are generally less trustworthy because they are rarely associated with individual specimens and have not necessarily been identified by taxonomic experts. Human observation records are reliable only to the extent of the observer's taxonomic expertise.
Future development of this site would do well to focus on compiling distribution data. Knowing which species are recorded from a given region can help substantially with identification, and bringing new distribution records of invasive species to the public eye is important for informing management policy and initiating new management programs.