USGS:Biology Biological Informatics Program Vegetation Characterization Program Theodore Roosevelt National Park 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: National Park System Boundary Dataset

Abstract:

This dataset contains 340 National Park System unit boundaries. Under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS), these park units are located throughout the United States (U.S.) and its territories. Almost all the parks are located north of the equator in the western hemisphere; although a couple parks are south of the equator or in the eastern hemisphere. The dataset was compiled (and edited) from a variety sources: park-based GIS databases; U.S. Geological Survey 7.5' 1:24,000 quadrangles; NPS Park Land Status Maps; legal.

1. How should this data set be cited?

   National Park Service, Water Resources Division, 199904, National Park System Boundary Dataset: National Park Service, Water Resources Division, Fort Collins, Colorado.

   Online Links:

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

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -170.7235

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: 145.7298

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 68.65592

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: -14.28846

   Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

3. What does it look like?

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

   Beginning_Date: 1992

   Ending_Date: 1999

   Currentness_Reference: Source boundary dates

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

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Map

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.

   2. 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:

      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -105

      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0

      False_Easting: 0

      False_Northing: 0

      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: .9996

      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 1927.
      The ellipsoid used is Clarke 1866.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   Three basic attributes are assigned to each park boundary: (1) a unique four character code; (2) a full park name; and (3) boundary source information. The four character code is generally a combination of the first two letters of the first two words in a park's name (or the first four letters if the park has a one word name). For example, Yosemite National Park is YOSE while Rocky Mountain National Park is ROMO. The park's full name is the actual given name of the park. The boundary source information provides the date, scale, and originator of the particular park boundary.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: NA

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • National Park Service, Water Resources Division

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

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

   National Park Service, Water Resources Division
   GIS Specialist
   1201 Oak Ridge Drive, Suite 250
   Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
   USA
   

   unknown (voice)
   

These digital park unit boundaries should not be used for any legal boundary disputes. They are intended solely for use only in identifying the general locations of national park units throughout the U.S. This dataset was compiled to assist the NPS Water Resources Division in determining the proximity of certain hydrographic features to national park units and whether national park units are contained in other management units.

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   NPSWRDPARKBDYSVer.2 (source 1 of 1)

   National Park Service, Water Resources Division, 199904, National Park System Boundary Dataset.

   Type_of_Source_Media: electronic file

   Source_Contribution: National park unit designated boundaries.

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

   Date: 1992 (process 1 of 1)

   This national park boundaries dataset was compiled by combining park boundaries from a variety of sources: extant digital park-based GIS databases; analog U.S. Geological Survey 7.5' 1:24,000 quadrangles; analog NPS Park Land Status Maps; legal descriptions; etc.). Digital boundaries from existing park GIS databases were converted to ATLAS*GIS format and thinned as necessary to reduce the number of points describing the boundary to a maximum of 4,096. Analog boundaries from the U.S. Geological Survey 7.5' 1:24,000 quadrangles and from NPS Park Land Status Maps were digitized in ATLAS*GIS and directly incorporated into the master dataset.

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

1. How well have the observations been checked?

   The attribute accuracy was tested by manual comparison of the source with hard copy printouts. Attributes were further verified by visual inspection.

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?

   Dataset contains boundaries for only 1 of 375 park units. Park boundaries are generally the legislative boundary only. No attempt has been made to include or exclude inholdings within the designated boundary.

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

   Tests for logical consistency are performed by digitizing software (ATLAS*GIS).

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

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

This digital national park unit boundary should not be used for any legal boundary disputes. To obtain the most accurate, current boundary, users should contact the specific park. The National Park Service shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the park boundary data described and/or contained herein. These data 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 no better than the original sources from which they were derived. In fact, the data are likely less accurate than the original sources as no attempt has been made to thoroughly error check the data. 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. The National Park Service and the US Geological Survey 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 NPS server 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 USGS, 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.

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

   USGS Center for Biological Informatics
   USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Coordinator
   United States Geological Survey, Center for Biological Informatics
   Denver, Colorado 80225
   USA
   

   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?

   Digital data were compiled for use in NPS decision making.

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/thro/index.html#geospatial_veg_info>

   • Cost to order the data:

     Organizations/individuals may need to provide suitable media to reporduce the data.

Dates:

Last modified: 29-Apr-1999
Last Reviewed: 07-Nov-2007

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/>