EDIT

      var opts = $.extend({},$.fn.cdm_openlayers_map.defaults, options);

      // sanitize invalid opts.boundingBox

      if(opts.boundingBox &&  !( typeof opts.boundingBox  == 'string' && opts.boundingBox .length > 6)) {

        opts.boundingBox = null;

      }

      return this.each(function(){

          this.cdmOpenlayersMap = new CdmOpenLayers.Map($(this), mapserverBaseUrl, mapserverVersion, opts);

          this.cdmOpenlayersMap.init();

      }); // END each

    // These are bounds in the epsg_4326 projection in degree

    boundingBox: null,

      var mapServicePath = '/edit_wp5';

      // firebug console stub (avoids errors if firebug is not active)

      if(typeof console === "undefined") {

          console = { log: function() { } };

      }

      // sanitize given options

      try {

          opts.customWMSBaseLayerData.max_extent = OpenLayers.Bounds.fromString(opts.customWMSBaseLayerData.max_extent);

      } catch(e){

          opts.customWMSBaseLayerData.max_extent = null;

      }

      var legendImgSrc = null;

      var map = null;

      var infoElement = null;

      var baseLayers = [];

      var defaultBaseLayer = null;

      /**

       * Default bounding box for map viewport in the projection of the base layer.

       * as defined by the user, can be null.

       *

       * These are bounds in the epsg_4326 projection, and will be transformed to the baselayer projection.

       *

       * @type string

       */

      var defaultBaseLayerBoundingBox = "-180,-90,180,90";

      /**

       * bounding box for map viewport as defined by the user, can be null.

       *

       * These are bounds in the projection of the base layer.

       *

       * @type string

       */

      var boundingBox = null;

      /**

       * Bounds for the view port calculated from the data layer responses.

       * These are either calculated by the minimum bounding box which

       * encloses the data in the data layers, or it is equal to the

       * boundingBox as defined by the user.

       *

       * These are bounds in the projection of the base layer.

       *

       * @see boundingBox

       *

       * @type OpenLayers.Bounds

       */

      var dataBounds = null;

      /**

       * Final value for the view port, calculated from the other bounds.

       *

       * These are bounds in the projection of the base layer.

       *

       * @type OpenLayers.Bounds

       */

      var zoomToBounds = null;

      var zoomToClosestLevel = true;

      var LAYER_DATA_CNT = 0;

      /* this is usually the <div id="openlayers"> element */

      var mapContainerElement = mapElement.parent();

      var defaultControls = [

         new OpenLayers.Control.PanZoom(),

         new OpenLayers.Control.Navigation(

           {

             zoomWheelEnabled: false,

             handleRightClicks:true,

             zoomBoxKeyMask: OpenLayers.Handler.MOD_CTRL

           }

         )

      ];

      var layerByNameMap = {

              tdwg1: 'topp:tdwg_level_1',

              tdwg2: 'topp:tdwg_level_2',

              tdwg3: 'topp:tdwg_level_3',

              tdwg4: 'topp:tdwg_level_4'

      };

      if(opts.resizable == true) {

        // resizable requires jQueryUI to  be loaded!!!

        mapContainerElement.resizable({

          resize: function( event, ui ) {

            map.updateSize();

            //   this.printInfo();

          }

        });

      }

          // set the height of the container element

          adjustHeight();

          // register for resize events to be able to adjust the map aspect ratio and legend position

          jQuery( window ).resize(function() {

            adjustLegendAsElementPosition();

          });

          createBaseLayers(opts.baseLayerNames, opts.defaultBaseLayerName, opts.customWMSBaseLayerData);

          initMap();

          // now it is

          if(opts.boundingBox){

            boundingBox = OpenLayers.Bounds.fromString(opts.boundingBox);

            boundingBox.transform(CdmOpenLayers.projections.epsg_4326, map.getProjectionObject());

          }

          // -- Distribution Layer --

          var mapServiceRequest;

          var distributionQuery = mapElement.attr('distributionQuery');

          if(distributionQuery !== undefined){

            distributionQuery = mergeQueryStrings(distributionQuery, '&recalculate=false');

            if(typeof legendPosition == 'number'){

              distributionQuery = mergeQueryStrings(distributionQuery, 'legend=1&mlp=' + opts.legendPosition);

            }

            if(opts.boundingBox){

              distributionQuery = mergeQueryStrings(distributionQuery, 'bbox=' + boundingBox);

            }

            distributionQuery = mergeQueryStrings(distributionQuery, 'callback=?');

            var legendFormatQuery = mapElement.attr('legendFormatQuery');

            if(legendFormatQuery !== undefined){

              legendImgSrc = mergeQueryStrings('/GetLegendGraphic?SERVICE=WMS&VERSION=1.1.1', legendFormatQuery);

            }

            mapServiceRequest = mapserverBaseUrl + mapServicePath + '/' + mapserverVersion + '/rest_gen.php?' + distributionQuery;

            LAYER_DATA_CNT++;

            jQuery.ajax({

              url: mapServiceRequest,

              dataType: "jsonp",

              success: function(data){

                  var layers = createDataLayer(data, "AREA");

                  addLayers(layers);

                  layerDataLoaded();

              }

            });

          }

          // -- Occurrence Layer --

          var occurrenceQuery = mapElement.attr('occurrenceQuery');

          if(occurrenceQuery !== undefined){

            occurrenceQuery = mergeQueryStrings(occurrenceQuery, '&recalculate=false');

            occurrenceQuery = mergeQueryStrings(occurrenceQuery, 'callback=?');

            if(opts.boundingBox){

              occurrenceQuery = mergeQueryStrings(occurrenceQuery, 'bbox=' + boundingBox);

            }

            mapServiceRequest = mapserverBaseUrl + mapServicePath + '/' + mapserverVersion + '/rest_gen.php?' + occurrenceQuery;

            LAYER_DATA_CNT++;

            jQuery.ajax({

              url: mapServiceRequest,

              dataType: "jsonp",

              success: function(data){

                  var layers = createDataLayer(data, "POINT");

                  addLayers(layers);

                  layerDataLoaded();

              }

            });

          }

            zoomToBounds = zoomToBoundsFor(opts.boundingBox ? opts.boundingBox : defaultBaseLayerBoundingBox, defaultBaseLayer);

                  // calculate zoomBounds using the first layer

                    // mapResponseObj.bbox are bounds for the projection of the specific layer

      /**

       * returns the zoom to bounds.

       *

       * NOTE: only used for the base layer

       *

       * @param bboxString

       *     a string representation of the bounds in degree for epsg_4326

       * @param layer

       *     the Openlayers.Layer

       *

       * @return the bboxstring projected onto the layer and intersected with the maximum extent of the layer

       */

      var zoomToBoundsFor = function(bboxString, layer){

        var zoomToBounds;

        if(bboxString) {

          zoomToBounds = OpenLayers.Bounds.fromString(bboxString);

          // transform bounding box given in degree values to the projection of the base layer

          zoomToBounds.transform(CdmOpenLayers.projections.epsg_4326, layer.projection);

        } else if(layer.maxExtent) {

          zoomToBounds = layer.maxExtent;

          // no need to transform since the bounds are obtained from the layer

        } else {

          zoomToBounds = new OpenLayers.Bounds(-180, -90, 180, 90);

          // transform bounding box given in degree values to the projection of the base layer

          zoomToBounds.transform(CdmOpenLayers.projections.epsg_4326, layer.projection);

        }

        zoomToBounds = intersectionOfBounds(layer.maxExtent, zoomToBounds);

        return zoomToBounds;

      };