Vegetation habitat units derived from 2009 aerial imagery and field data for the Elwha River estuary, Washington

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Frequently anticipated questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title:
Vegetation habitat units derived from 2009 aerial imagery and field data for the Elwha River estuary, Washington
Abstract:
Estuary vegetation cover delineated from 11 September 2009 1-meter-resolution NAIP aerial imagery at a scale of 1:1500.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Ritchie, Andrew C., Freeman, Aaron T., and Shafroth, Patrick B., 2017, Vegetation habitat units derived from 2009 aerial imagery and field data for the Elwha River estuary, Washington: data release 10.5066/F75B00N4, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Foley, Melissa M., Shafroth, Patrick B., Bierne, Matthew M., Paradis, Rebecca, and Ritchie, Andrew C., 2017, Ecological parameters in the Elwha River estuary before and during dam removal: data release 10.5066/F75B00N4, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.572702559
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.553199762
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.150530928
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.141603444
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 11-Sep-2009
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Vector Digital Data Set (Polygon)
  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):
      • G-polygon (51)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 10
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -123.0
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.0
      False_Easting: 500000.0
      False_Northing: 0.0
      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Planar coordinates are specified in Meter
      The horizontal datum used is D_North_American_1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS_1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Attribute Table
    Table containing attribute information associated with the data set. (Source: Producer defined)
    OBJECTID
    Internal feature number. (Source: Esri) Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
    VEG_DESC
    Vegetative cover types developed using aerial image interpretation with ground-truth surveys to assess changes to coastal vegetation and habitats during removal of two dams on the Elwha River, Clallam County, WA, USA. (Source: Producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    DunegrassPlant communities dominated by Leymus mollis (American dunegrass) with generally high diversity of forb species.
    Emergent marsh transitionPlant assemblages including relatively pure emergent marsh transition plants such as Juncus spp. (rushes), Carex spp. (sedges), Potentilla anserina (Pacific silverweed), Rumex salicifolius (willow dock), and Eleocharis palustris (spike rush). In addition, this vegetation cover type includes vegetation that typically occurs between the narrow bands of emergent marsh transition vegetation that are subject to regular and relatively large tidally-driven water level fluctuations and patches of riparian shrub or riparian forest that typically are inundated by river flooding vs. tidal fluctuations.
    Mixed pioneer vegetationGenerally sparse cover of early colonizing taxa adapted to highly disturbed, high light conditions that may also be nutrient-poor or salty.
    Mixed riparian forestMature forests composed of deciduous and coniferous trees with shrub understory. Common overstory trees include Acer macrophyllum (bigleaf maple), Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (black cottonwood), Alnus rubra (red alder), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), Thuja plicata (western red cedar), and Abies grandis (grand fir).
    Riparian shrubPlant assemblages characterized by high shrub cover, including: Rosa nutkana (Nutka rose), Rosa pisocarpa (clustered wild rose), Crataegus douglasii (black hawthorne), Lonicera involucrata (black twinberry), Malus fusca (Pacific crab apple), Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian-plum), Rubus spectabilis (salmonberry), and Symphoricarpos albus (common snowberry).
    Roads, residential structures and yards, upland vegDisturbed land dominated by anthropogenic activities and structures.
    Willow-alder forestYoung deciduous forest composed primarily of Salix spp. (willow species) and Alnus rubra (red alder).
    Shape_Leng
    perimeter of feature in internal units (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:39.8415665794
    Maximum:4756.98704749
    Units:meter
    Shape_Area
    Area of feature in internal units squared. (Source: Esri)
    Range of values
    Minimum:72.7148463232
    Maximum:169424.490931
    Units:square meter
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the data set. Please review the detailed descriptions that are provided (the individual attribute descriptions) for information on the values that appear as fields/table entries of the data set.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the data set. Please review the detailed descriptions that are provided (the individual attribute descriptions) for information on the values that appear as fields/table entries of the data set.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Andrew C. Ritchie
    • Aaron T. Freeman
    • Patrick B. Shafroth
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    NPS, USGS
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Patrick B. Shafroth
    U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Region
    Research Ecologist
    2150 Centre Avenue Bldg C
    Fort Collins, CO
    United States

    970-226-9327 (voice)
    970-226-9230 (FAX)
    shafrothp@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Data were collected/produced to monitor and assess changes to coastal habitats during dam removal on the Elwha River, Clallam County, WA, USA.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    USDA NAIP 2009 (source 1 of 1)
    Agency, Farm Service, 20090911, NAIP 2009: FSA, Digital Globe.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital and/or Hardcopy Resources
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 20000
    Source_Contribution: provided high-resolution imagery showing ground conditions
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 30-Mar-2015 (process 1 of 7)
    identify project area and create clip extent for aerial imagery
    Date: 01-May-2015 (process 2 of 7)
    Delineate vegetation units from aerial imagery and field-mapped data
    Date: 30-Apr-2016 (process 3 of 7)
    Revise polygon boundaries for consistency with geomorphic units, revise map units to produce fewer more generalized categories, calculate area values
    Date: 19-Jul-2018 (process 4 of 7)
    Keywords section of metadata edited for consistency across the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center and to further optimize discovery in search engines and data catalogs. Metadata was modified to bring up to current USGS PCMSC standards. Minor typos were corrected. No data information was changed. Person who carried out this activity:
    Susan A Cochran
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Geologist
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA
    USA

    (831) 460-7545 (voice)
    scochran@usgs.gov
    Date: 05-Sep-2018 (process 5 of 7)
    Corrected Point of Contact and Metadata Contact phone number prefix. Person who carried out this activity:
    Susan A Cochran
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    2885 Mission St.
    Santa Cruz, CA
    United States

    831-460-7545 (voice)
    scochran@usgs.gov
    Date: 19-Oct-2020 (process 6 of 7)
    Edited metadata to add keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. No data were changed. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 13-Oct-2021 (process 7 of 7)
    Performed minor edits to the metadata to correct typos. No data were changed Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Susan A. Cochran
    Geologist
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-460-7545 (voice)
    scochran@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Foley, Melissa M., Warrick, Jonathan A., Ritchie, Andrew, Stevens, Andrew W., Shafroth, Patrick B., Duda, Jeffrey J., Beirne, Matthew M., Paradis, Rebecca, Gelfenbaum, Guy, McCoy, Randall, and Cubley, Erin S., 2017, Coastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River: Ecological Monographs, Ecological Society of America, Washington DC.

    Online Links:


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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    No formal attribute accuracy tests were conducted.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the data set has not been conducted.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the vertical positional information in the data set has either not been conducted, or is not applicable.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Data set is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted.

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:
USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service as the originator(s) of the dataset and in products derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? These data are available in shapefile format (VegUnits_2009.shp and accompanying files), which also includes CSDGM FGDC-compliant metadata.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The downloadable data file has been compressed with the "zip" command and can be unzipped with Winzip (or other tool) on Windows systems. To utilize these data, the user must have software capable of uncompressing the WinZip file and importing and viewing an Esri ArcMap SHP.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 13-Oct-2021
Metadata author:
USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
2885 Mission St
Santa Cruz, CA
USA

831-427-4747 (voice)
pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/ScienceBase/DR_F75B00N4/VegUnits_2009_meta.faq.html>
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