USGS Gap Analysis Program Ancillary Data – Forest Edge

Metadata:


Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: US Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Program (GAP)

Publication_Date: 20110222

Title:

USGS Gap Analysis Program Ancillary Data – Forest Edge

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster data

Publication_Information:

Publisher: USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP)

Online_Linkage: <http://gapanalysis.usgs.gov/data/species-data/>

Larger_Work_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: USGS Gap Analysis Program

Publication_Date: 20110222

Title:

USGS Gap Analysis Program Ancillary Data – Forest Edge

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form:

Publication_Information:

Publisher: USGS Gap Analysis Program

Online_Linkage: <http://gapanalysis.usgs.gov/data/species-data/>

Description:

Abstract:

The ecotone (i.e., edge) between forested and non-forested environments can be a critical aspect of habitat. We grouped map units into forested, non-forested, and shrubland/woodland land cover types to create unique data layers. These data layers can then be buffered at specified distances to identify species habitats. Aggregated map units can be compared and contrasted to identify areas of transition between these broad categories. They can also be used to identify core areas or contiguous blocks of similar type (i.e., interior) through buffering.  This dataset was derived from the GAP National Land Cover data.  Forested map units included deciduous forest, evergreen forest, mixed forest, palustrine forested wetland, and estuarine forested wetland.  Non-forested map units were defined as water, pasture/hay, agricultural areas, urban/developed, marshes, beaches, etc. Woodland/shrubland map units were defined as those ecological systems and land uses containing a majority of short, scrubby, woody vegetation or sparsely canopied treed vegetation. 

 

Forest edge was processed using ESRI Arc Macro Language scripts and reclass tables to facilitate the development of Forest edge. Although scripts were consistent nationwide, the reclass tables were region specific. Forest and nonForest classes are identified in landcover grid with a reclass table, and then focalmajority is used to remove small isolated pixels prior to buffering. Buffering is done with 2 grids; one for exterior buffers (FROM) and one for interior buffers (INTO).

The forest edge data layer has unique aggregations of forest and non-forest map units. 

Utilizes Forest Interior: For species that require interior forest. Buffer distances must be identified to utilize this input.
Avoids Forest Interior: For species that avoid interior forest. Buffer distances must be identified to utilize this input.
FROM Buffer: 0, 30, 60, 120, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 9999 (> 4000 m)
INTO Buffer: 0, 30, 60, 120, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 9999 (> 4000 m)

 

These data are divided into 6 regions across the US (Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Upper Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast).  If you want complete coverage of the entire US, all 6 regional files are needed.

 

These raster data have a 30 m x 30 m cell resolution.

 

No selection of this parameter indicates the species' model is not contingent on an forst edge. 

 

GAP used the best information available to create the forest edge ancillary data; however GAP seeks to improve and update these data as new information becomes available. 

 

 

Purpose:

The mission of the USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is to provide state, regional and national biodiversity assessments of the conservation status of native vertebrate species and natural land cover types and to facilitate the application of this information to land management activities. Ancillary data, such as forest edge are needed to build species distribution models, which are used to conduct a biodiversity assessment of species across the U.S, as well as to delimit the area within which distribution models are completed. The goal of GAP is to keep common species common by identifying species and plant communities not adequately represented in existing conservation lands. Common species are those not currently threatened with extinction. By providing these data, land managers and policy makers can make better-informed decisions when identifying priority areas for conservation.

Status:

Progress: Complete

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -127.970938021

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -37.9709380214

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 52.797123291

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 22.797123291

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword: Ancillary Data

Theme_Keyword: Forest edge

Theme_Keyword: Gap Analysis

Theme_Keyword: Biodiversity

Theme_Keyword: Conservation

Theme Keyword: Predicted habitat

Theme Keyword:  Deductive modeling

Theme Keyword: Habitat modeling

 

Place:

Place_Keyword: United States

Place_Keyword: Alabama (AL)

Place_Keyword: Arizona (AZ)

Place_Keyword: Arkansas (AR)

Place_Keyword: California (CA)

Place_Keyword: Colorado (CO)

Place_Keyword: Connecticut (CT)

Place_Keyword: Delaware (DE)

Place_Keyword: Florida (FL)

Place_Keyword: Georgia (GA)

Place_Keyword: Idaho (ID)

Place_Keyword: Illinois (IL)

Place_Keyword: Indiana (IN)

Place_Keyword: Iowa (IA)

Place_Keyword: Kansas (KS)

Place_Keyword: Kentucky (KY)

Place_Keyword: Louisiana (LA)

Place_Keyword: Maine (ME)

Place_Keyword: Maryland (MD)

Place_Keyword: Massachusetts (MA)

Place_Keyword: Michigan (MI)

Place_Keyword: Minnesota (MN)

Place_Keyword: Mississippi (MS)

Place_Keyword: Missouri (MO)

Place_Keyword: Montana (MT)

Place_Keyword: Nebraska (NE)

Place_Keyword: Nevada (NV)

Place_Keyword: New Hampshire (NH)

Place_Keyword: New Jersey (NJ)

Place_Keyword: New Mexico (NM)

Place_Keyword: New York (NY)

Place_Keyword: North Carolina (NC)

Place_Keyword: North Dakota (ND)

Place_Keyword: Ohio (OH)

Place_Keyword: Oklahoma (OK)

Place_Keyword: Oregon (OR)

Place_Keyword: Pennsylvania (PA)

Place_Keyword: Rhode Island (RI)

Place_Keyword: South Carolina (SC)

Place_Keyword: South Dakota (SD)

Place_Keyword: Tennessee (TN)

Place_Keyword: Texas (TX)

Place_Keyword: Utah (UT)

Place_Keyword: Vermont (VT)

Place_Keyword: Virginia (VA)

Place_Keyword: Washington (WA)

Place_Keyword: West Virginia (WV)

Place_Keyword: Wisconsin (WI)

Place_Keyword: Wyoming (WY)

Access_Constraints: These data are in the public domain

Use_Constraints:

It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from the U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program server, and not indirectly through other sources, which may have changed the data in some way. It is also strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. All information is created with a specific end use or uses in mind. This is especially true for GIS data, which is expensive to produce and must be directed to meet the immediate program needs. However, these data were created with the expectation that they would be used for other applications; therefore, we list below both appropriate and inappropriate uses. This list is in no way exhaustive but should serve as a guide to assess whether a proposed use can or cannot be supported by these data. For many uses, it is unlikely that GAP’s forest edge data will provide the only data needed, and for uses with a regulatory outcome, field surveys should verify the result. In the end, it will be the responsibility of each data user to determine if these data can answer the question being asked, and if they are the best tool to answer that question. While it is impossible to predict all the uses of these data we have listed several possible appropriate and inappropriate uses. All data are provided as is without warranty as to its currency, completeness, or accuracy of any specific data. In no event shall USGS-GAP be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, consequential damages, or for damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information contained in these data, under any theory of liability used. The data provided is for planning, assessment, and informational purposes. The information provided is not a survey quality dataset. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data.

 

Appropriate uses of the data:

-primarily as a coarse map for a large area such as a county or to provide context for finer-level maps.
 

A general list of possible applications include:

-National, Regional or state habitat conservation planning

-County comprehensive planning

-Large-area resource management planning

-Coarse-filter evaluation of potential impacts or benefits of major projects or plan initiatives on biodiversity, such as utility or transportation corridors, wilderness proposals, habitat connectivity proposals, climate change adaption proposals, regional open space and recreation proposals, etc.

-Determining relative amounts of management responsibility for specific biological resources among land stewards to facilitate cooperative management and planning

-Basic research on regional distributions of plants and animals and to help target both specific species and geographic areas for needed research

-Environmental impact assessment for large projects or military activities

-Estimation of potential economic impacts from loss of biological resource-based activities

-Education at all levels and for both students and citizens


Inappropriate Uses: It is far easier to identify appropriate uses than inappropriate ones, however, there is a "fuzzy line" that is eventually crossed when the differences in resolution of the data, size of geographic area being analyzed, and precision of the answer required for the question are no longer compatible.

 

Examples include:

-Using the data to map small areas (less than thousands of hectares), typically requiring mapping resolution at 1:24,000 scale and using aerial photographs or ground surveys.

-Combining these data with other data finer than 1:100,000 scale to produce new hybrid maps or answer queries

-Generating specific areal measurements from the data finer than the nearest thousand hectares

-Establishing exact boundaries for regulation or acquisition

-Establishing definite occurrence or non-occurrence of any feature for an exact geographic area

-Determining abundance, health, or condition of any feature

-Establishing a measure of accuracy of any other data by comparison with GAP data.

-Altering the data in any way and redistributing them as a GAP data product

-Using the data without acquiring and reviewing the metadata and this report

 

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Jocelyn Aycrigg

Contact_Organization: National Gap Analysis Program - University of Idaho

Contact_Position: Conservation Biologist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and physical address

Address: 530 S. Asbury St. Suite #1

City: Moscow

State_or_Province: Idaho

Postal_Code: 83843

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 208-885-3901

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 208-885-3618

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: aycrigg@uidaho.edu

Hours_of_Service: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm PST, M-F

Data_Set_Credit:

US Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Program (GAP). 2011. USGS Gap Analysis Program Ancillary Data – Forest Edge

 

The Sanborn Map Co, 610 SW Broadway Ave, Suite 310, Portland, OR 97205, Principle Investigator: Steven Lennartz.

Native_Data_Set_Environment: Microsoft Windows 7; ESRI ArcCatalog 10.0

Cross_Reference:

Citation_Information:

Online_Linkage: <http://gapanalysis.usgs.gov/data/species-data/>


Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Map_Projection:

Map_Projection_Name: Albers Conical Equal Area

Albers_Conical_Equal_Area:

Standard_Parallel: 29.500000

Standard_Parallel: 45.500000

Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -96.000000

Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 23.000000

False_Easting: 0.000000

False_Northing: 0.000000

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: row and column

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 0.000100

Ordinate_Resolution: 0.000100

Planar_Distance_Units: meters

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222

Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Altitude_System_Definition:

Altitude_Resolution: 1.000000

Altitude_Encoding_Method:

Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates


Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

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Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.

Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI

Attribute_Domain_Values:

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Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Exterior Buffer Codes: >4000 meters

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Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Exterior Buffer Codes: +250 meters

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Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Exterior Buffer Codes: +120 meters

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Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Exterior Buffer Codes: +30 meters

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Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Interior Buffer Codes: -30 meters

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Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Interior Buffer Codes: <4000 meters

Attribute_Measurement_Frequency:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

 

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: National Gap Analysis Program – University of Idaho

Contact_Person: Jeff Lonneker

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: 530 S. Asbury Street, Suite #1

Address:

City: Moscow

State_or_Province: Idaho

Postal_Code: 83843

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 208-885-3534

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jlonneker@uidaho.edu

Hours_of_Service: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm PST

Resource_Description: Download or view data from: USGS Gap Analysis Program website (http://gapanalysis.usgs.gov/data/species-data/)

Distribution_Liability: The digital data described by this metadata report were prepared by USGS GAP and the Sanborn Map Company. Neither USGS-GAP or Sanborn make any warranty, for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report or media or represent that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Sanborn or Gap. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Sanborn or Gap. Data on this media may have been derived from federal agencies or from other external sources or from data developed by the agencies involved. In those cases where data has been translated from one format to another or initially developed from map or other sources the agencies involved have made all reasonable efforts to preserve the data quality as originally developed, however no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the agencies involved as to the completeness or accuracy of the data and related materials. The act of distribution does not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the agencies involved in the use of this data, or related materials.

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name:

ArcInfo GRID format (ESRI)

Transfer_Size:

Fees: None

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name: <http://gapanalysis.usgs.gov/data/species-data/>


Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20110412

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Jeff Lonneker

Contact_Organization: National Gap Analysis Program - University of Idaho

Contact_Position: GIS Analyst / Wildlife Biologist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: University of Idaho

Address: 530 South Asbury Street, Suite 1

City: Moscow

State_or_Province: Idaho

Postal_Code: 83843

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 208-885-3534

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 208-885-3613

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jlonneker@uidaho.edu

Hours_of_Service: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm PDT

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time

Metadata_Extensions:

Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>

Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile