USGS:Biology Biological Informatics Program Vegetation Characterization Program Colorado National Monument Boundary FAQ Metadata

Boundary FAQ Metadata

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How should this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

Title: Vegetation Mapping Boundary for Colorado National Monument

Abstract:

This polygon boundary file was created by the natural resource staff at Colorado National Monument for the sole purpose of the vegetation mapping project. This boundary includes lands on all sides of the boundary that were mapped in the vegetation mapping project.

1. How should this data set be cited?

   Colorado National Monument Resource Staff, 20070901, Vegetation Mapping Boundary for Colorado National Monument.

   Online Links:

   • <http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/colm/index.html#geospatial_veg_info>

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -108.767524

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -108.611035

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.125796

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 38.967351

   Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Colorado National Monument and environs

3. What does it look like?

4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Beginning_Date: 01-Jan-2002

   Ending_Date: 31-Dec-2002

   Currentness_Reference: ground condition

5. What is the general form of this data set?

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • G-polygon (1)

   2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator

      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:

      UTM_Zone_Number: 12

      Transverse_Mercator:

      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600

      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -111.000000

      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000

      False_Easting: 500000.000000

      False_Northing: 0.000000

      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000063
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000063
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.
      

      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:

      Altitude_System_Definition:

      Altitude_Datum_Name: National Geodetic Vertical Datum 1983

      Altitude_Encoding_Method:

      Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates

      Altitude_Resolution: 0.000250

      Altitude_Distance_Units: Unknown

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   fcl_Project_Boundary

   Feature Class (Source: National Park Service)

   OBJECTID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   SHAPE

   Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

   Coordinates defining the features.

   GIS_Loc_ID

   String (Source: NPS)

   Name of the boundary data.

   Unit_Code

   String (Source: NPS)

   Park acronym name.

   Unit_Name

   String (Source: NPS)

   Park name.

   Project_Acreage

   Integer (Source: NPS)

   Acreage size.

   SHAPE_Length

   Length of feature in internal units. (Source: ESRI)

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   SHAPE_Area

   Area of feature in internal units squared. (Source: ESRI)

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   Field Name - Type - Description OBJECTID - ObjectID - Sequential unique whole numbers, ESRI autogenerated. SHAPE - Geometry - Feature geometry, ESRI autogenerated. GIS_Loc_ID- Text - Unique polygon identifier. Unit_Code - Text - Four letter park code (COLM). Unit_Name - Text - Park name (Colorado National Monument). Project_Acreage - Double - Acres calculated using X-tools for project area. SHAPE_Length - Double - Length of feature in internal units. SHAPE_Area - Double - Area of feature in internal units squared.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: Unknown.

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Colorado National Monument Resource Staff

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

This boundary shows the extent of the vegetation mapping project. The intended use of all data in the park's GIS library is to support diverse park activities including planning, management, maintenance, research, and interpretation.

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: Unknown (process 1 of 1)

   This boundary was created on-screen, using the park boundary as a reference.

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

   Von Loh, J., K. Landgraf, A. Evenden, T. Owe, 20070901, Colorado National Monument Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report: National Park Service, Northern Colorado Plateau Network, Moab, UT.

   Online Links:

   • https://science1.nature.nps.gov/naturebib/

1. How well have the observations been checked?

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

   N/A

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

   N/A

4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

   Complete vegetation mapping area depicted.

5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

   No duplicate polygons exist. All polygon features are checked for topology using the ArcGIS software.

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints: None

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

   USGS Biological Resources Division, Center for Biological Informatics
   c/o USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Coordinator
   USGS
   Denver, Colorado 80225-0046
   USA
   

   (303) 202-4220 (voice)
   (303) 202-4229 (FAX)
   gs-b-npsveg@usgs.gov
   

2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

   Downloadable Data

3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

   The U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (if available) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such.

   The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived. It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of geospatial data in general and these data in particular. Any related graphics (if available) are intended to aid the data user in acquiring relevant data; it is not approriate to use the related graphics as data.

   The U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from an U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service servers and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on another system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is also strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this metadata report does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U. S. Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey and National Park Service.

4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	GDB (feature class) Size: 5.09
     Network links:	<http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/colm/index.html#geospatial_veg_info>

   • Cost to order the data: None

Dates:

Last modified: 31-Aug-2007
Last Reviewed: 21-Apr-2008

Metadata author:

USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Coordinator
U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Biological Informatics, MS 302,
Room 8000, Building 810, Denver Federal Center
Denver, Colorado 80225
USA

(303) 202-4220 (voice)
(303) 202-4219 (FAX)
gs-b-npsveg@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:

FGDC-STD-001.1-1999 Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, 1998 Part 1: Biological Data Profile, 1999 (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Metadata extensions used:

• <http://metadata.nbii.gov/portal/community/Communities/Toolkit/Metadata/FGDC_Metadata/>