Spatial Vegetation Data 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?
  8. What biological taxa does this data set concern?
• 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?

What does this data set describe?

1. How should this data set be cited?

   Cogan Technology, Inc. Galena Illinois, Unpublished Material, saan_veg: None None, None, None.

   Online Links:

   • <http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/ftp/vegmapping/saan/saan.zip>

   Other_Citation_Details: None

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -98.501358

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -98.146262

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 29.395769

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 29.083526

   Description_of_Geographic_Extent: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and environs

3. What does it look like?

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

   Calendar_Date: 2005

   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):

      • Complete chain (3065)
      • Label point (1122)
      • GT-polygon composed of chains (1122)
      • Point (0)

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

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator

      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:

      UTM_Zone_Number: 14

      Transverse_Mercator:

      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600

      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -99.000000

      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 0.000001
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000001
      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.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   saan_veg.pat

   attributes from shapefile table (Source: Dan Cogan)

   FID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   Shape

   Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

   Coordinates defining the features.

   AREA

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

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   PERIMETER

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

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   SAAN_VEG#

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   SAAN_VEG-ID

   User-defined feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   MAP_CLASS

   Final Map Unit Codes - PI derived, project specific (Source: Cogan Technology, Inc.)

   Value	Definition
   F-PECN	Pecan - Sugarberry Forest
   F-COTW	Eastern Cottonwood Temporarily Flooded Forest Alliance
   F-CELM	Cedar Elm - Sugarberry / Possum-haw / Virginia Wild Rye Forest
   F-LOAK	Live Oak Temporarily Flooded Forest Alliance
   W-MESQ	Honey Mesquite - Granjeno / Prickly-pear species - South Texas Ericameria Woodland
   W-HUCH	Huisache - (Honey Mesquite) Woodland
   W-CHIN	Chinaberry Woodland Stand
   S-CHAP	Chaparro - Prieto Shrubland
   S-PRVT	Privet Shrubland Stand
   S-BLWL	Black Willow Temporarily Flooded Shrubland Alliance Stand
   H-BERM	Bermuda Grass Herbaceous Alliance
   H-SVJN	Silver Beardgrass - Johnsongrass Herbaceous Vegetation
   H-OFLD	Old Field Weedy Herbaceous Vegetation
   L-STRM	Stream / River
   L-CANL	Canal / Ditch
   L-POND	Lake / Pond
   L-RESD	Residential
   L-AGRI	Agricultural Business
   L-ROAD	Transportation
   L-URBN	Mixed Urban
   L-TRAN	Transitional
   L-FLAT	Flats
   L-ORCH	Orchards / Vineyards / Groves
   L-FILD	Planted / Cultivated
   L-FACL	Park Facilities
   L-LINY	Commercial / Light Industry
   L-HINY	Heavy Industry
   L-COMM	Communications and Utilities
   L-CEMT	Cemeteries
   L-GOLF	Golf Course
   L-PARK	Urban Parks
   L-DISP	Disposal

   MAP_DESC

   Map Unit Description Name - PI derived, project specific (Source: Cogan Technology, Inc.)

   Value	Definition
   Pecan - Sugar Hackberry Forest	F-PECN
   Plateau Live Oak - Netleaf Hackberry Woodland	F-LOAK
   Plateau Live Oak / Little Bluestem Woodland	F-LOAK
   Post Oak - Blackjack Oak Woodland Alliance	F-LOAK
   Chinaberry Woodland Stand	W-CHIN
   Ashe Juniper Woodland Alliance	Unknown
   Honey Mesquite Woodland Alliance	W-MESQ
   Black Willow Temporarily Flooded Shrubland Alliance Stand	S-BLWL
   Sugar Hackberry Shrubland Stand	S-chap
   Bermuda Grass Herbaceous Alliance	H-BERM
   Silver Beardgrass - Johnsongrass Herbaceous Vegetation	H-SVJN
   Restored Grassland Prairie	H-OFLD
   Switchgrass - Eastern Gammagrass Herbaceous Alliance	Unknown
   Hairy Grama - Sideoats Grama Herbaceous Vegetation	Unknown
   Stream / River	L-STRM
   Canal / Ditch	L-CANL
   Lake / Pond	L-POND
   Residential	L-RESD
   Agricultural Business	L-AGRI
   Transportation	L-ROAD
   Airport	L-LINY
   Mixed Urban	L-URBN
   Transitional	L-TRAN
   Flats	L-FLAT
   Orchards / Vineyards / Groves	L-ORCH
   Planted / Cultivated	L-FILD
   Park Facilities	L-FACL

   DENS_MOD

   Modifier - Percent cover of the upper stratum layer in the polygon (Source: Cogan Technology, Inc.)

   Value	Definition
   10 - 25%	Sparse
   25 - 60%	Open
   > 60%	Closed

   PTRN_MOD

   Modifier - Vegetation pattern within the polygon (Source: Cogan Technology, Inc.)

   Value	Definition
   Homogenous	Continuous
   Linear	Dominant vegetation in strips
   Bunched / Clumped	Dominant vegetation in bunches

   HT_MOD

   Modifier - Height range of the dominant vegetation layer (Source: Cogan Technology, Inc.)

   Value	Definition
   0 - 0.5 Meters	0-0.5 m (0-1.6 ft)
   0.5 - 1 Meters	0.5-1 m (1.6-3.3 ft)
   1 - 5 Meters	1-5 m (3.3-16.4 ft)
   5 - 15 Meters	5-15 m (16.4-50 ft)
   15 - 30 Meters	15-30 m (50-98 ft)

   CES_CODE

   Ecological Systems Code (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Ecological System code.

   CES_NAME

   Ecological Systems Name (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Ecological System name.

   IDENTIFIER

   Corresponding Association or Alliance Name Code (Source: NatureServe)

   CEGL code.

   ASSN_NAME

   Project Community Name - NVC Association(s) (Source: NatureServe)

   Textual Scientific association name.

   ASSN_CNAME

   Project Common Community Name - synonym name of Association(s) (Source: NatureServe)

   Textual common association name.

   NVCS_CODE

   NVC Code - to NVC Formation level (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification System code.

   ALL_NAME

   Project Alliance Name = NVC Alliance(s) (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Alliances (scientific names).

   ALL_CNAME

   Project Common Alliance Name = NVC Alliance(s) (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Alliances (common names).

   FORMATION

   NVC Formation = Formation name NVC Code - Formation name (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Formation name.

   SUBGROUP

   NVC Formation Subgroup = NVC Code - Subgroup name (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Subgroup name.

   GROUP

   NVC Formation Group = NVC Code - Group name (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Group name.

   SUBCLASS

   NVC Formation Subclass = NVC Code - Subclass name (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Subclass name.

   CLASS

   Formation Class = NVC Code - Class name (Source: NatureServe)

   National Vegetation Classification Class name.

   LUC_II_GEN

   General Land Use and Land Cover Classification System Name (Source: Anderson, J.R., E.E. Hardy, J.T. Roach, R.E. Witmer. 1976. A land use and land cover classification system for use with remote sensor data. Geological Survey Professional Paper 964. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.)

   Land Cover Classification System types.

   LUC_II_DET

   Specific Land Use and Land Cover Classification System Name (Source: Anderson, J.R., E.E. Hardy, J.T. Roach, R.E. Witmer. 1976. A land use and land cover classification system for use with remote sensor data. Geological Survey Professional Paper 964. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.)

   Specific Land Cover Classification System types.

   COMMENTS

   Surface area of the polygon in acres (Source: Cogan Technology, Inc.)

   Text

   ACRES

   Polygon Area in Acres (Source: Cogan Technology, Inc.)

   Unique numbers - user defined

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview: Attributes were either generated by ArcInfo or assigned by CTI.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

   Cogan, D. 2007. San Antoinio Missions National Historical Park Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Natural Resource Report. A Report for the Gulf Coast Network. National Park Service, Lafayette, LA.

8. What biological taxa does this data set concern?

   Taxonomy:

   Keywords/Taxon:

   Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

   Taxonomic_Keywords: Standardized National Vegetation Classification System

   Taxonomic_Keywords: vegetation classification

   Taxonomic_Keywords: alliance

   Taxonomic_Keywords: community association

   Taxonomic_Classification:

   Taxon_Rank_Name: Kingdom

   Taxon_Rank_Value: Plantae

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Cogan Technology, Inc. Galena Illinois

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

   CTI - Dan Cogan USBR Remote Sensing and GIS Group - David Salas, Joyce Lewallen, Mike Pucherelli NatureServe - Jim Drake NPS Southern Plains Network - Dusty Perkins and Heidi Sosinski

3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   Bureau of Reclamation
   c/o Mike Pucherelli
   Group Manager
   P.O. Box 25007 Bldg. 56 Denver Federal Center M.S. D-8260
   Denver, Colorado 80225
   United States of America
   

   303-445-2267 (voice)
   303-445-6337 (FAX)
   mpucherelli@do.usbr.gov
   

   Hours_of_Service: 8 am - 5 pm

   Contact_Instructions: None

Why was the data set created?

The NPS Inventory and Management goals are, among others, to consistently map and document the vegetation of all National Park Service units with a resource component, thereby creating a baseline vegetation inventory.

The purposes of this specfic mapping effort are varied and include the following: 1) provide support for NPS Resource Management, 2) promote vegetation-related research, 3) provide support for NPS Planning and Compliance, 4) add to the information base for NPS Interpretation, 5) provide a vegetation baseline inventory for the Park, and 6) assist in overall NPS Operations.

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   2005 NAIP Imagery for Blanco and Gillespie Counties, Texas (source 1 of 1)

   NAIP, Unknown, NAIP 2005 Ortho-photos for Bexar and Wilson Counties, Texas.: None None, None, None.

   Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 12000

   Source_Contribution: None

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

   Date: Unknown (process 1 of 5)

   MAP CLASSES: The Vegetation classification for SAAN was conducted in accordance with the standards developed under the USGS/NPS Vegetation Mapping Program using the National Vegetation Classification (NVC). Field work helped create a list of NVC associations and alliances for SAAN. In addition, the Park had specific types that were also mapped (i.e. Park Specials). The final list of map classes was based directly on the NVC associations and alliances, park specials, and land-use and standard land-cover categories.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Dan Cogan
   CTI
   Project Manager
   21 Valley Road
   Galena, IL 61036
   USA
   

   815-777-1773 (voice)
   dancogan@cogantech.com
   

   Hours_of_Service: 8-5

   Contact_Instructions: none

   Date: Unknown (process 2 of 5)

   IMAGE INTERPRETATION/SEGMENTATION: All map classes were used to interpret and segment the vegetation as shown on the 2005 NAIP, 1:12,000-scale, true color ortho-photography, the 2004 NAIP 1:12,000-scale, color infrared ortho-photography, and the 2003 NAIP, 1:12,000-scale, color infrared ortho-photography. The 2005 imagery was used as the basemap and the 2004 and 2003 were used as an ancillary base to aid in delineating the grasses and deciduous trees. Segmentation of the imagery was conducted using eCognitation software to delineate obvious land-use and land-cover features. Interpretation and on-screen digitizing of the imagery was used to supplement the segmentation. Final vegetation polygons were based on their identification features such as tone, texture, color, pattern, topographic position, and shadow. In addition, field sample locations and their vegetation descriptions aided in assigning a map class to each polygon.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Dan Cogan
   CTI
   Project Manager
   21 Valley Road
   Galena, Illinois 61036
   USA
   

   815-777-1773 (voice)
   dancogan@cogantech.com
   

   Hours_of_Service: 8-5

   Contact_Instructions: none

   Date: Unknown (process 3 of 5)

   GIS PROCEDURES: The linework created by interpretation and segmentation was cleaned and smoothed. Polygon topology was built and attribute information regarding each polygon was assigned to polygon label points.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Dan Cogan
   CTI
   Project Manager
   21 Valley Road
   Galena, Illinois 61036
   USA
   

   815-777-1773 (voice)
   dancogan@cogantech.com
   

   Hours_of_Service: 8-5

   Contact_Instructions: none

   Date: Unknown (process 4 of 5)

   Metadata imported.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • C:\DOCUME~1\Dan\LOCALS~1\Temp\xml445.tmp

   Date: Unknown (process 5 of 5)

   Metadata imported.

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?

   The thematic accuracy is approximately 89%. Please read the accompanying report or check with SAAN for the latest accuracy assessment values.

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

   Unknown: The National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) orthophotos used as basemaps for this project are assumed to meet the National Map Accuracy Standards for 1:12,000-scale maps. Please reference the NAIP metadata for more information.

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

   Unknown: The NAIP orthophotos used as basemaps for this project are assumed to meet the National Map Accuracy Standards for 1:12,000-scale maps. Please reference the NAIP metadata for more information.

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

   All data that could be interpreted from the aerial photos were digitized in accordance with the minimum mapping unit (MMU) of 1/4 acre. This included selected features that fell into the National Vegetation Classification and the Anderson Level II land use classification. Some classes below the MMU were included, especially water and wetland features and those at the edge of the study area (i.e. cut off by other features and borders). Roads (to visible right-of-way or fence line) and streams/drainages wider than 10 meters were digitized as polygons and attributed accordingly.

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

   All polygon features were checked for topology, existence of label points, and label point uniqueness. The labels were checked for correct and complete attributing. All nodes where checked for unintentional lines and to ensure that the polygons were closed. All steps preformed using ESRI ArcInfo commands.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

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/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
   

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:	HTML
     Network links:	<http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/saan/index.html>

   • Cost to order the data: None

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 06-Apr-2007
Last Reviewed: 14-Jun-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:

• <http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt/community/fgdc_metadata/255>