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USGS:Biology arrow icon Biological Informatics Program arrow icon Vegetation Characterization Program arrow icon Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument arrow icon Field Plots FAQ Metadata

Field Plots FAQ Metadata

Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Vegetation Mapping Project - Field Plot Points
Abstract:
This spatial dataset in ESRI Coverage format maps field releve plot locations for the vegetation classification and descriptions of the vegetation map at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and in the surrounding environs as part of the National Vegetation Mapping Program.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Thomas, Kathryn, and (comp.), Monica Hansen , 2004, Field Releve Plots: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Vegetation Mapping Project.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Colorado Plateau Research Station
    This is part of the following larger work.

    M. Hansen, J. Coles, K.A. Thomas, D. Cogan, M. Reid, J. Von Loh, K. Schultz, 2004, USGS-NPS National Vegetation Mapping Program: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Arizona, Vegetation Classification and Distribution, Final Project Report.

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -111.578334
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -111.468496
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.406889
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.329189
    Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and the environs.

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/sucr/images/sucrplots.pdf> (PDF)
    415 kbyte file showing vegetation associations and locations of vegetation plot samples

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

    Beginning_Date: Jun-1999
    Ending_Date: Aug-1999
    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):

      • Entity point (114)
      • Point (4)

    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 0.000005
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000005
      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?

    sucr_releve.pat
    This is a listing of all releve plot locations within the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument project area (Source: User defined)

    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)

    Area is always zero for point coverages. Values are automatically generated.

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

    Perimeter is always zero for point coverages. Values are automatically generated.

    SUCR_RELEVE#
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:114
    Units:number

    SUCR_RELEVE-ID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:114
    Units:number

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    X-COORD
    The geographical coordinates for UTM Easting (x-coordinate) collected at each accuracy assessment field point in NAD83 Zone12 using Garmin 45XL. (Source: The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid USGS Fact Sheet 077-01 (August 2001) <http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/factsheets/fs07701.html>)

    Range of values
    Minimum:447488
    Maximum:457421
    Units:number

    Y-COORD
    The geographical coordinates for UTM Northing (y-coordinate) collected at each accuracy assessment field point in NAD83 Zone12 using Garmin 45XL. (Source: The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid USGS Fact Sheet 077-01 (August 2001) <http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/factsheets/fs07701.html>)

    Range of values
    Minimum:3909703
    Maximum:3918268
    Units:number

    PLOT_CODE
    Plot releve code developed as a unique identifier for the center of each releve point. (Source: User Defined)

    Range of values
    Minimum:SC-001
    Maximum:SC-114
    Units:"SC-" and number

  8. What biological taxa does this data set concern?

    Taxonomy:
    Keywords/Taxon:
    Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
    Taxonomic_Keywords: plant communities
    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)

    • Kathryn Thomas
    • Monica Hansen (comp.)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

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

    Kathryn A. Thomas
    USGS-SBSC-Colorado Plateau Research Station
    Project Leader, Vegetation Scientist
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
    USA

    928.556.7327 (voice)
    928.556.7500 (FAX)
    Kathryn_A_Thomas@usgs.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Arizona time) Monday through Friday
    Contact_Instructions: E-mail

Why was the data set created?

This data set was developed to locate the field points used for classification and description of vegetation types for NVCS associations and map labels used to develop the vegetation map at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and the surrounding environs.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

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

    Date: 1999 (process 1 of 1)
    Two CPRS plant ecologists conducted field surveys from mid-June thru mid-August 1999 and sampled 114 field plots in the project area. A gradsect sampling design was used to divide the park into 'environmental types' to stratify for field sampling. The gradsect was developed using terrain types and four aspect and elevation categories developed from a Digital Elevational Model (DEM). The result was 40 unique 'environmental types'. A total of over 100 potential plot locations were allocated based on the percent of the unique environmental types and were used to guide sampling. Within our environmental types we initially determined placement of plots based on road accessibility and land ownership access. Typically we measured 1,000m2 circular relevés; however, in areas of dense vegetation we would lower our plot size to 400m2. At the center of these releves we measured the UTMs via a GPS unit. Several environmental types were inaccessible due to extensive sharp lava beds causing high safety risks for the field crew. The implementation of laser binoculars, a new technology, was lent to the program from Karl Brown of the Core Science Analytics and Synthesis (CSAS). The binoculars provide locality information in UTMs by targeting a location. The laser binoculars transfer information in UTMs by triangulation, using distance and azimuth of targeted locations in conjunction with the GPS Plugger system. Additional laser plots were completed in SUCR until all environmental types within the gradsect sampling area were completed. All releve plot codes and UTMS were results entered into a table in a Microsoft Access database. The Microsoft Access database table was then converted to a text file and formatted as an ArcInfo generate file. The points coverage was then created using ArcToolbox generate.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Kathryn Thomas
    USGS-SBSC-Colorado Plateau Research Station
    Project leader
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
    USA

    928.556.7327 (voice)
    928.556.7500 (FAX)
    Kathryn_A_Thomas@usgs.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Arizona time) Monday through Friday
    Contact_Instructions: E-mail

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

    M. Hansen, J. Coles, K.A. Thomas, D. Cogan, M. Reid, J. Von Loh, K. Schultz, 2004, USGS-NPS National Vegetation Mapping Program: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Arizona, Vegetation Classification and Distribution, Final Project Report.

    Kathryn Thomas, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Colorado Plateau Field Station, Monica Hansen, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Colorado Plateau Field Station, 2003, SUCR_FieldReleve_database.mdb.

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    Dataset was quality checked in a spatial environment and through reviewing data entry.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Visual inspection was preformed on the dataset to ensure accuracy of all sampling locations

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    Data collection is complete with no exclusions

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

    Dataset was quality checked by visually inspecting the dataset in a geographic information system (GIS).

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:
This data was compiled for government use and represent the results of data collection/processing for a specific USGS/CSS activity/project. The USGS/CSS makes no representation as to the suitability or accuracy of this data for any other purpose and disclaims any liability for errors that the data may contain. As such, it is only valid for its intended use, content, time, and accuracy specifications. While there are no explicit constraints on the use of this data, please exercise appropriate and professional judgment in the use and interpretation of this data. Acknowledgement of the originating agencies would be appreciated in products derived from this data.

  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?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 09-Feb-2004
Last Reviewed: 15-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:

Generated by mp version 2.9.12 on Tue Jun 15 12:40:30 2010
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