USGS:Biology Biological Informatics Program Vegetation Characterization Program Zion 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: Boundary of Zion National Park as of 2002

Abstract:

This is an Arc/Info coverage containing one polygon representing the boundary (current as of April 2002) of Zion National Park, Utah. This coverage is in NAD 83.

Supplemental_Information:

It is important to note that this dataset may appear to be inaccurate when compared to topographic maps and DLG's, but that it is, in fact, the most accurate available coverage for the Zion National Park boundary. This dataset has been updated with data from the BLM's GCDB (Geographic Coordinate Data Base), GPS locations of BLM monuments, and coordinates derived from certified land surveys. This dataset also includes all boundary changes up to the date of the dataset (April 2002); no further changes occured between that date and the metadata date (August 2002). This coverage was created using NAD 27 and converted to NAD 83 in early 2002. The conversion to NAD 83 is to adhere to NPS spatial guidelines.

1. How should this data set be cited?

   Park, Zion National , 20020801, Boundary of Zion National Park as of 2002.

   Online Links:

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

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -113.21872846

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -112.86987792

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.50987066

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.13582438

   Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Zion National Park and environs

3. What does it look like?

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

   Calendar_Date: 01-Aug-2002

   Currentness_Reference: observed

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?

      Indirect_Spatial_Reference: Zion National Park, Utah

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • GT-polygon composed of rings (1)
      • Label point (1)
      • GT-polygon composed of chains (1)
      • Point (64)

   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: 0.9996

      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -111

      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 Clarke 1866.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378206.4.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/294.98.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   The first five items are the default attributes internally tracked and assigned by Arc/Info software. REV-DATE = 9 August 2000. The date of the last revision of this coverage. ACRES = the number of acres of the polygon. Arc/Info automatically calculates polygon areas in square meters as the default. This number was divided by 4046.8564 (square meters per acre) to obtain the figure for acres. This coverage consists of one polygon which represents the entire park, and its area is 148,02951129 acres. NAME = Zion National Park. The coverage consists of one polygon representing the park as a whole.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

   Contact ESRI (Environmental Systems Research, Inc.) on the World Wide Web at <http://www.esri.com> for a more detailed explanation of their internal file structure. Contact Zion National Park&apos;s GIS Program for more detail on the user-defined items.

   zion_bndry.aat

   Polygon Attribute Table (Source: None)

   $FROMNODE

   Internal node number for the beginning of an arc (from-node). (Source: ESRI)

   Numerical

   $ID

   Internal number. (Source: ESRI)

   Numerical

   $LEFTPOLYGON

   Internal number. (Source: ESRI)

   Numerical

   $RIGHTPOLYGON

   Internal number. (Source: ESRI)

   Numerical

   $TONODE

   Internal number. (Source: ESRI)

   Numerical

   FID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   FNODE#

   Internal node number for the beginning of an arc (from-node). (Source: ESRI)

   Whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   LENGTH

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

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   LPOLY#

   Internal node number for the left polygon. (Source: ESRI)

   Whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   RPOLY#

   Internal node number for the right polygon. (Source: ESRI)

   Whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   Shape

   Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

   Coordinates defining the features.

   TNODE#

   Internal node number for the end of an arc (to-node). (Source: ESRI)

   Whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   ZION_BNDRY#

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   ZION_BNDRY-ID

   User-defined feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Unique numbers.

   zion_bndry.pat

   Polygon Attribute Table (Source: None)

   ACRES

   User-defined number. (Source: none)

   Unique numbers - user defined.

   AREA

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

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   FID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   NAME

   Textual Park Name (Source: none)

   Textual

   PERIMETER

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

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   REV-DATE

   Numerical and Textual Date (Source: ESRI)

   Numerical and textual

   Shape

   Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

   Coordinates defining the features.

   ZION_BNDRY#

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   ZION_BNDRY-ID

   User-defined feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Unique numbers - user defined.

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

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

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

   Zion National Park, National Park Service
   GIS Specialist
   Zion National Park
   Springdale, Utah 84767
   USA
   

   (435)772-0213 (voice)
   

   Hours_of_Service: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday Through Friday

   Contact_Instructions:

   Except for raster data and sensitive data, data are available on national NPS spatial data clearinghouse, www.nps.gov/gis/available_data.html

This dataset representing the boundary of Zion National Park is used to determine land ownership, shared boundaries, and fencelines. This coverage is also used in almost all map compositions created in the park, showing the extent of Zion National Park, Utah.

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   certified surveyor&apos;s data (source 1 of 3)

   Bureau of Land Management, Cadastral Division, Unknown, Cadastral Survey coordinate data for Zion National Park boundary.

   Other_Citation_Details:

   This data consisted of a listing of geographic coordinates for boundary changes and corrections (for accuracy), a legal description of the boundary change (land acquired in a land swap which occurred in 1997), and maps depicting the areas involved in the land swap. This data was received at Zion from the BLM on 10/10/1997. The date of the original survey from which the coordinates were derived, is unknown. For details on the Cadastral data used in creating this coverage, contact Larry Judd at the BLM Cadastral Division; 176 East D.L. Sargent Dr., Cedar City, UT 84720; 435/865-3016.

   Type_of_Source_Media: certified surveyor data (Microsoft Word document)

   Source_Contribution:

   Provided coordinates used with the Arc/Info GENERATE command to create vectors for park boundary; also provided legal descriptions for newly acquired land.

   GCDB (source 2 of 3)

   Park, Zion National , 1996, Clip of the Geographic Coordinate Database, BLM.

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital database file

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 24000

   Source_Contribution: Provided coordinates for park boundary.

   GPS data (source 3 of 3)

   Park, Zion National , 1996, GPS Collected Data for Portions of the Zion National Park Boundary.

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital database file

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 24000

   Source_Contribution: Provided GPS coordinates for locations along the park boundary.

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

   Date: 09-Aug-1999 (process 1 of 1)

   Inaccuracies and discrepancies in the boundary coverage were discovered and corrected between 1996 and 1999; in addition, a land swap which necessitated a boundary change occurred in 1997. Corrections and updates were made as follows: Segments of the Zion National Park boundary were GPSed when possible. In some areas of the park the geographical terrain is so extreme that using GPS to obtain the boundary would be impossible. The remaining segments of the boundary were taken from certified surveyors&apos; data and the Geographic Coordinate Data Base (GCDB). A series of digitized segments were snapped to these points, while the GPSed sections remained unedited. The boundary was then verified and tested in Arcedit for discrepancies and errors.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Zion National Park, National Park Service
   GIS Specialist
   Zion National Park
   Springdale, Utah 84767
   USA
   

   (435)772-0213 (voice)
   

   Hours_of_Service: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday Through Friday

   Contact_Instructions:

   Except for raster data and sensitive data, data are available on national NPS spatial data clearinghouse, www.nps.gov/gis/available_data.html

   Data sources used in this process:

   • certified surveyor&apos;s data
   • GCDB
   • GPS data

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

1. How well have the observations been checked?

   All attributes and topology were cross-referenced with multiple data layers present in Zion National Park&apos;s GIS database. This coverage has been minimally attributed; REV-DATE, ACRES, and NAME are the user-defined attributes. The remaining five attributes are Arc/Info default attributes which are computed internally by the software.

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

   Accuracy is tested by visual and measured comparisons of DOQ&apos;s, GPS features, and other source data geospatial datasets. This is the most accurate available data for the park boundary, and is based on GPS points, Public Land Survey System, and surveyors&apos; coordinate data.

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

   This coverage was revised in August 2000 to reflect corrections to the boundary and is now considered 100% complete. This is the most accurate available data for the park boundary, and is based on GPS points, Public Land Survey System, and surveyors&apos; (BLM Cadastral) coordinate data.

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

   This dataset was processed following Zion National Park, GIS Program Standards. These standards verify that every dataset created in, imported to, and exported from the park adheres to certain processing standards that are FGDC compliant.

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 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?

   ZION 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/zion/index.html#geospatial_veg_info>

   • Cost to order the data: None

Dates:

Last modified: 24-Feb-2004
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/>