Accuracy Assessment FAQ Metadata
Frequently-anticipated questions:
- Title: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Vegetation Mapping Project - Accuracy Assessment Points
- Abstract:
-
The accuracy assessment field work was performed
in July - August, 2001 to verify the accuracy of the
vegetation communities spatial data developed by
the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program for Florissant
Fossil Bed National Monument. The data points were
randomly distributed stratified according to
vegetation association over the project area
according to protocols developed by the Program.
Points were located by GPS navigation and the
community information was collected at the point,
without knowledge of the attributes of the
vegetation spatial data. 556 points were used in the
final analysis.
- How should this data set be cited?
U.S. Geological Survey, and Department of the Interior, 20021216, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Accuracy Assessment: USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, USGS Core Science Systems, Core Science Analytics and Synthesis, Denver, CO.
Online Links:
- What geographic area does the data set cover?
- West_Bounding_Coordinate: -105.311935
- East_Bounding_Coordinate: -105.245676
- North_Bounding_Coordinate: 38.941112
- South_Bounding_Coordinate: 38.884081
- Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado.
- What does it look like?
- <http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/flfo/images/flfoaa.pdf> (PDF)
-
Locations of accuracy assessment sites; low resolution for web browsing.
- Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
- Calendar_Date: Jun-2002
- Currentness_Reference: Source of data collection
- What is the general form of this data set?
- Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: spreadsheet and spatial data
- How does the data set represent geographic features?
- How are geographic features stored in the data set?
This is a Point data set.
- What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
- Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
- Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
-
- UTM_Zone_Number: 13
- Transverse_Mercator:
-
- Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996
- Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -105
- Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0
- False_Easting: 500000
- False_Northing: 0
Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 1
Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 1
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.
The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/297.257.
- How does the data set describe geographic features?
- Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
-
The National Vegetation Classification Standard is
organized hierarchically to support conservation
and resource stewardship applications across
multiple scales. The upper levels of the hierarchy
are based on the physical form or structure of the
vegetation (physiognomy) and have been refined
from the international standards developed by the
United nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The two most
detailed levels of the hierarchy are based on the
species composition of existing vegetation
(floristics) and reflect the phyto-sociological
standards that were originally developed by
European ecologists. The vegetation classification
is continually advanced through the collection and
analysis of new field data and will be greatly
strengthened during the course of the USGS-NPS
mapping efforts. Data file attributes include
species, alliance, community element, and land cover.
3 = SDF = Colorado Blue Spruce - Douglas-fir Forest
4 = SDAF = Colorado Blue Spruce - Douglas-fir - Quaking Aspen Forest
5 = BPW = Bristlecone Pine / Arizona Fescue Woodland
7 = PPW = Ponderosa Pine Woodland
9 = PPSBW = Ponderosa Pine / Smooth Brome Semi-natural Woodland
10 = BAPW = Balsam Poplar Woodland
11 = AF = Quaking Aspen Forest
14 = TAS = Thinleaf Alder Shrubland
15 = SSS = Silver Sagewort Dwarf-shrubland
16 = MMS = Mountain Mahogany / Mountain Muhly Shrubland
17 = SCS = Shrubby Cinquefoil Shrubland
18 = WROS = Waxflower Rock Outcrop Shrubland
19 = SHWS = Shortfruit Willow Shrubland
20 = SBWS = Sandbar Willow Temporarily Flooded Shrubland
21 = MWS = Mountain Willow Shrubland
22 = CTHV = Canada Thistle Herbaceous Vegetation
23 = DHV = Duckweed Permanently Flooded Herbaceous Vegetation
24 = THV = Toadflax Herbaceous Vegetation
25 = SBHV = Smooth Brome Semi-natural Herbaceous Vegetation
26 = SRHV = Aquatic Sedge - Beaked Sedge - Baltic Rush Herbaceous Vegetation
27 = POHV = Parry Oatgrass Herbaceous Vegetation
28 = AFMMHV= Arizona Fescue - Mountain Muhly Herbaceous Vegetation
29 = FBHV = Foxtail Barley Herbaceous Vegetation
30 = AFSMHV= Arizona Fescue - Slimstem Muhly Herbaceous Vegetation
31 = LBY = Little Bluestem Herbaceous Vegetation / Yucca Dwarf-shrubland
- Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
-
Grossman, D. Et al. 1994. National Park Service/
National Biological Service Vegetation Mapping
Project, Standardized National Vegetation
Classification System 209 pp.
- What biological taxa does this data set concern?
- Taxonomy:
-
- Keywords/Taxon:
-
- Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
- Taxonomic_Keywords: vegetation classification
- Taxonomic_Keywords: Standardized National Vegetation Classification System
- Taxonomic_Keywords: alliance
- Taxonomic_Keywords: community association
- Taxonomic_System:
-
- Classification_System/Authority:
-
- Classification_System_Citation:
-
- Citation_Information:
-
- Originator: U.S. Government; Federal Geographic Data Committee
- Publication_Date: 19971022
- Title: National Vegetation Classification Standard (NVCS)
- Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
- Publication_Information:
-
- Publication_Place: Washington D.C.
- Publisher: Federal Geographic Data Committee
- Online_Linkage:
-
<http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/vegetation/index_html>
- Taxonomic_Procedures:
-
Vegetation associations were identified; no specimens
nor vouchers were collected as a part of this process.
- Taxonomic_Completeness:
-
Conforms with FGDC standardized vegetation
classification system.
- Taxonomic_Classification:
-
- Taxon_Rank_Name: Kingdom
- Taxon_Rank_Value: Plantae
- Applicable_Common_Name: plants
- Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Department of the Interior
- Who also contributed to the data set?
- To whom should users address questions about the data?
USGS/CSS/Core Science Analytics and Synthesis
c/o USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Coordinator
Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Room 8000, MS 302
Denver, Colorado 80225
(303) 202-4220 (voice)
303-202-4219 (FAX)
gs-b-npsveg@usgs.gov
To verify the accuracy of the mapped vegetation
communities at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
- What methods were used to collect the data?
- Method 0 of 2
-
Type: Field
Data points were located by use of a Garmin 3 GPS
receiver. Vegetation communities were identified
on the basis of a dichotomous field key and plant
Species: present
- Method 0 of 2
-
Type: Lab
Accuracy assessment points were compiled into an
ArcInfo point coverage and intersected with the
vegetation community coverage. The resulting INFO
file was exported into a text file, imported into
a spreadsheet, and the attributes from the
accuracy assessment and the spatial data were
compared. If the attributes did not compare, an
analysis of the mismatch was made and either the
AA attribute or the map attribute was changed
based on identification of the community on the
aerial photo.
- From what previous works were the data drawn?
- Accuracy Assessment Procedures Document (source 1 of 2)
-
U.S. National Biological Survey, U.S. National Park Service, and Department of the Interior, 199411, Accuracy Assessment Procedures, NBS/NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: USGS, Core Science Systems, Core Science Analytics and Synthesis, Denver, CO.
- Other_Citation_Details:
-
Prepared by: Environmental Systems Research Institute; Redlands, CA and National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA anbd The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA under contract from U.S. Department of the Interior National Biological Survey and National Park Service.
- Type_of_Source_Media: electronic document
- Source_Contribution:
-
This document established the procedures and protocols for the accuracy assessment at Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument.
- Spatial data of vegetation communities for Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. (source 2 of 2)
-
U.S. Geological Survey, and Department of the Interior, 200212, Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument Spatial Vegetation Data: Cover type / Association level of the National Vegetation Classification System: USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, USGS, Core Science Systems, Core Science Analytics and Synthesis, Denver, CO.
- Other_Citation_Details:
-
Created in large part by e2m and the USGS Rocky Mtn
Mapping Center under an agreement from the NPS.
- Type_of_Source_Media: Disc
- Source_Contribution:
-
This document established the procedures and protocols for the accuracy assessment at Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument.
- How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
- Date: 16-Dec-2002 (process 1 of 1)
-
The accuracy assessment field work was performed
in July - August, 2002 to verify the accuracy of the
vegetation communities spatial data developed by
the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program for Florissant
Fossil Beds National Monument. The data points were
randomly distributed stratified according to
vegetation association over the project area
according to protocols developed by the Program.
Points were located by GPS navigation and the
community information was collected at the point,
without knowledge of the attributes of the
vegetation spatial data.
- What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
- How well have the observations been checked?
The attributes for the accuracy assessment were
recorded in the field in May - June, 2002. Vegetation
associations were identified based on the field
key and plant identification. If additional
communities were found within a 50 meter radius of
the plot center, they were recorded as well.
During the analysis, it was concluded that some
attributes were in error and changed to match the
mapped attributes. This was done by examination
of the aerial photographs under stereoscopic view.
The attributes were in error due to 1) spatial
error in the GPS derived coordinates (4-8 meters),
2) change of vegetation community due to temporal
changes, or differences between observation team identifications.
- How accurate are the geographic locations?
The points were located using a military-style GPS
receiver (PLGR), which has a published accuracy of
4-8 meters.
- How accurate are the heights or depths?
Not applicable
- Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
All points were collected and analyzed.
- How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
All attributes are codes that correspond to
vegetation communities and have been checked for
typographical and logical errors.
Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
- Access_Constraints: None
- Use_Constraints:
-
Any person using the information presented here
should fully understand the data collection and
compilation procedures, as described in these
metadata, before beginning analysis. The burden
for determining fitness for use lies entirely
with the user. For purposes of publication or
dissemination, citation or credit should be given
to the U.S. Geological Survey and the National
Park Service.
- Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
USGS/CSS/Core Science Analytics and Synthesis
c/o USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Coordinator
Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Room 8000, MS 302
Denver, Colorado 80225
(303) 202-4220 (voice)
303-202-4219 (FAX)
gs-b-npsveg@usgs.gov
- What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
- 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.
- How can I download or order the data?
- Availability in digital form:
- Cost to order the data: None
- Dates:
- Last modified: 16-Dec-2002
Last Reviewed: 21-May-2010
- Metadata author:
-
USGS/CSS/Core Science Analytics and Synthesis
c/o USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Coordinator
Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Room 8000, MS 302
Denver, Colorado 80225
(303) 202-4220 (voice)
303-202-4219 (FAX)
gs-b-npsveg@usgs.gov
- Metadata standard:
- FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001.1-1999)
- Metadata extensions used:
-
Generated by mp version 2.9.12 on Fri May 21 07:26:52 2010
Return to USGS Vegetation Characterization Program at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
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