| Abstract: | Map validation data that are ambiguously allocated to map units and collected via poorly designed sampling methods are not statistically reliable and will misrepresent map quality. A recent paper published in Ecological Management and Restoration (Ecological Management & Restoration, 17, 2016 and 40) reported that a map in south‐eastern Australia provided little or no predictive accuracy based on new field data, but the validation suffered from the aforementioned pitfalls. In this comment, we outline the basic guidelines for a robust, reliable and transparent accuracy assessment of thematic maps, pointing out where (Ecological Management & Restoration, 17, 2016 and 40) fails to meets these guidelines. |
