USGS:Biology Biological Informatics Program Vegetation Characterization Program Voyageurs 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: Voyageurs National Park - Park Boundary

Abstract:

ArcInfo coverage displays Voyageurs National Park boundary as currently authorized. Coverage is based on 1:24K and 1:50K scale source data (e.g., paper maps and DRGs). Park boundary has not yet been surveyed.

1. How should this data set be cited?

   PARK, VOYAGEURS NATIONAL , 19990411, Voyageurs National Park - Park Boundary: VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK, International Falls, Minnesota 56649.

   Online Links:

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

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -93.194603

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -92.449640

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.631462

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.299489

   Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

3. What does it look like?

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

   Beginning_Date: 01-Jan-1979

   Ending_Date: 31-Dec-1997

   Currentness_Reference: Publication date

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. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • GT-polygon composed of chains (3)

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

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator

      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:

      UTM_Zone_Number: 15

      Transverse_Mercator:

      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996

      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -93

      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.0

      False_Easting: 500000

      False_Northing: 0.0

      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 GRS 1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   boundary.pat

   Polygon Attribute Table (Source: None)

   Area

   Area of polygon (Source: Software generated)

   Software computed

   Perimeter

   Perimeter of polygon (Source: Software generated)

   Software computed

   Boundary#

   Internal feature number (Source: Software generated)

   Software computed

   Boundary-id

   Feature identification number (Source: Software generated)

   User Defined

   Acres

   acres attribute calculated from acres = area / 4046.87. (Source: None)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	4.45107
   Maximum:	204176

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

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

   VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
   GIS Specialist
   3131 HWY 53
   International Falls, Minnesota 56649
   USA
   

   218 283-9821 (voice)
   218 285-7407 (FAX)
   Voya_GIS@nps.gov
   

   Hours_of_Service: M-F 0800 - 1630 (CENTRAL)

Coverage is intended to be used as cartographic representation of Voyageurs National Park boundary.

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   D7.5 (source 1 of 3)

   National Mapping Division U.S. Geological Survey, 19860101, 1:24000 scale 7.5 minute quadrangle: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Type_of_Source_Media: paper

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 24000

   Source_Contribution:

   Small area was table-digitized from quad near Rainy Lake Visitor Center.

   GPS (source 2 of 3)

   Samuel R. Lammie, Voyageurs National Park, Unpublished material, NPS-1 Boundary Corridor: Not Applicable, Not Applicable.

   Other_Citation_Details:

   Boundary corridor identified by collecting GPS field data and buffering resultant centerline.

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital file

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 12000

   Source_Contribution:

   Collected autonomous GPS data using Trimble XL Pathfinder GPS. Data represented new road centerline. Differentially corrected data to improve accuracies. Buffered corrected data by 400 feet to identify park boundary along road.

   USGS SPM (source 3 of 3)

   U.S. Geological Survey, 19790101, 1979 Special USGS Park Map: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Other_Citation_Details:

   Special park map at 1:50000 scale was scanned using large format scanner at WASO GIS in Denver, CO on 9/15/1992.

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital image

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 50000

   Source_Contribution:

   Park boundary was heads-up digitized. Since source data was prior to construction of Rainy Lake Visitor Center and prior to construction of NPS-1, other methods were required to acquire data in those areas.

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

   Date: 15-Nov-1992 (process 1 of 5)

   Heads-up digitized park boundary using GIS software GRASS Version 4.1 and utilizing scanned park map (DRG) as raster backdrop. Subsequently, exported to PC ArcInfo as DXF files. Imported into PC ArcInfo using DXFARC command.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
   GIS Specialist
   3131 HWY 53
   International Falls, Minnesota 56649
   USA
   

   218 283-9821 (voice)
   218 285-7407 (FAX)
   Voya_GIS@nps.gov
   

   Hours_of_Service: M-F 0800 - 1630 (CENTRAL)

   Data sources used in this process:

   • USGS SPM

   Date: 15-Sep-1994 (process 2 of 5)

   Edited 1:50K park coundary using GPS field daa collected autonomously for Rainy Lake VC. Utilized park platt map as ancilliary data source for constructing park boundary. Edited in PC ArcInfo.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
   GIS Specialist
   3131 HWY 53
   International Falls, Minnesota 56649
   USA
   

   218 283-9821 (voice)
   218 285-7407 (FAX)
   Voya_GIS@nps.gov
   

   Hours_of_Service: M-F 0800 - 1630 (CENTRAL)

   Data sources used in this process:

   • Platt

   Date: 15-Jun-1996 (process 3 of 5)

   Collected autonomous GPS data using Trimble Pro XL Pathfinder unit. Data represented new NPS-1 road centerline. Field data was differentially corrected and buffered by 400 meters to delineate boundary corridor using PC ArcInfo.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
   GIS Specialist
   3131 HWY 53
   International Falls, Minnesota 56649
   USA
   

   218 283-9821 (voice)
   218 285-7407 (FAX)
   Voya_GIS@nps.gov
   

   Hours_of_Service: M-F 0800 - 1630 (CENTRAL)

   Data sources used in this process:

   • GPS-Buffer

   Date: 1997 (process 4 of 5)

   Suumary: 1) created initial boundary using DRG 1:50K special park map, 2) revised park boundary near Rainy Lake VC using platt map and GPS data, 3) created park boundary along NPS-1 by collecting autonomous GPS data, differentially correcting, and buffering by 400 meters along centerline.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
   GIS Specialist
   3131 HWY 53
   International Falls, Minnesota 56649
   USA
   

   218 283-9821 (voice)
   218 285-7407 (FAX)
   Voya_GIS@nps.gov
   

   Hours_of_Service: M-F 0800 - 1630 (CENTRAL)

   Data sources used in this process:

   • Summary

   Date: 19-Mar-2002 (process 5 of 5)

   Projected from Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1927 and Ellipsoid_Name: Clarke 1866 into NAD 1983. PRJ file as follows: PROJCS["NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_15N",GEOGCS["GCS_North_American_1983", DATUM["D_North_American_1983",SPHEROID["GRS_1980",6378137,298.257222101]], PRIMEM["Greenwich",0],UNIT["Degree",0.0174532925199433]], PROJECTION["Transverse_Mercator"],PARAMETER["False_Easting",500000], PARAMETER["False_Northing",0],PARAMETER["Central_Meridian",-93], PARAMETER["Scale_Factor",0.9996],PARAMETER["Latitude_Of_Origin",0], UNIT["Meter",1]]

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
   GIS Specialist
   3131 HWY 53
   International Falls, Minnesota 56649
   USA
   

   218 283-9821 (voice)
   218 285-7407 (FAX)
   Voya_GIS@nps.gov
   

   Hours_of_Service: M-F 0800 - 1630 (CENTRAL)

   Data sources used in this process:

   • Output from above process step

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

1. How well have the observations been checked?

   Accuracy of area and length attributes is unknown.

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

   Approximate horizontal accuracy is 25 meters, assuming source data meets National Map Accuracy Standards.

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

   NONE

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

   Data set is complete.

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

   Polygon and arc-node topology exists.

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

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

Not for use at scales greater than 50,000 without comment regarding accuracies.

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?

   VOYA Park Boundary

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/voya/index.html#geospatial_veg_info>

   • Cost to order the data: None

Dates:

Last modified: 01-Nov-1999
Last Reviewed: 08-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/>