NA_CEC_Eco_Level3

Metadata also available as

Metadata:

Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication_Date: 20100501
Title: NA_CEC_Eco_Level3
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Series_Information:
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Corvallis, OR
Publisher:
U.S. EPA Office of Research & Development (ORD) - National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Online_Linkage: <ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/ecoregions/cec_na/NA_CEC_Eco_Level3.zip>
Online_Linkage: <http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm>
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Publication_Date:
Title:
Series_Information:
Publication_Information:
Description:
Abstract:
Ecological regions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across international, national, province and state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas.
A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels for ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 50 regions. At Level III, there are currently 181 ecological regions for North America.
These files of Level I ecological regions of North America are a 2010 update and revision of files developed by Canada, the United States, and Mexico in 2006, which were an update of earlier files from the late 1990's in a cooperative project for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC 1997). The CEC was created under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts and promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental provisions established in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The 2006 version of North American ecological regions was developed in a meeting between representatives of the three nations in April 2006 in Newport, Oregon. This 2010 version updates mainly the United States ecoregions in those states where new ecoregion mapping has occurred since 2006, particularly in Michigan, New York, and New England. Issues relating to topology (overlaps and gaps in the data) and to waterbodies were the only revisions for Canada and Mexico. Many small waterbodies in Mexico and in coastal areas of the United States were merged with surrounding ecoregions to conform with their depiction in the interior United States and Canada. The 2010 files are considered draft and subject to further refinements.Commission for Environmental Cooperation. 1997. Ecological regions of North America: toward a common perspective. Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 71pp.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010, Level III ecoregions of the continental United States (revision of Omernik, 1987): Corvallis, Oregon, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Map M-1, various scales.
Comments and questions regarding the North America Ecoregions should be addressed to Glenn Griffith, Dynamac Corporation, c/o US EPA., 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, (541)-754-4465, email:griffith.glenn@epa.gov. Alternate: James Omernik, USGS, c/o US EPA, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, (541)-754-4458, email:omernik.james@epa.gov
Purpose:
Ecoregion maps assist managers of aquatic and terrestrial resources to understand the regional patterns of the realistically attainable quality of these resources
Supplemental_Information:
Electronic versions of ecoregion maps and posters, as well as other ecoregion resources are available at: <http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm>. Symbology layers for US Levels III and IV also available. Level IV ecoregions are not complete for California and Arizona, as of May, 2010. For these states, the polygons are for Level III or lower. The field "US_L4CODE" contains placeholder information derived from "US_L3CODE". Ecoregions were digitized at 1:250,000 scale and are intended for large geographic extents (i.e. states, multiple counties, or river basins). Use for smaller areas, such as individual counties or a 1:24,000 scale map boundary, is not recommended.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 20100501
Currentness_Reference: Publication date
Status:
Progress: Ongoing
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -180.000000
East_Bounding_Coordinate: 180.000000
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 84.132635
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 6.630919
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: biota
Theme_Keyword: boundaries
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme_Keyword: location
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: EPA GIS Keyword Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: Biology
Theme_Keyword: Conservation
Theme_Keyword: Ecology
Theme_Keyword: Ecosystem
Theme_Keyword: Land
Theme_Keyword: Natural Resources
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: User
Theme_Keyword:
US Ecoregion Levels III and IV, North American (CEC) Ecoregion Levels I, II, III
Place:
Place_Keyword: Selected State, Conterminous United States
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: United States
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints: None
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Marc Weber
Contact_Organization:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research & Development (ORD) - National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Contact_Position: GIS Analyst
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 200 S.W. 35th St.
City: Corvallis
State_or_Province: OR
Postal_Code: 97333
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (541) 754-4469
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: weber.marc@epa.gov
Contact_Instructions: <http://www.epa.gov/>
Security_Information:
Security_Classification_System: FIPS Pub 199
Security_Classification: No Confidentiality
Security_Handling_Description: Standard Technical Controls
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.3000
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Title: Ecoregions of the United States
Data_Quality_Information:
Logical_Consistency_Report:
Although ecoregion polygons and attributes have been checked for accuracy, some errors may remain. Polygons along state borders were reviewed and updated, May 2010.
Completeness_Report:
Ecoregion development is ongoing in the United States and may be integrated into the North America data in the future. This pertains mainly to the states of California and Arizona.
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
Data were collected using methods that have unknown accuracy (EPA National Geospatial Data Policy [NGDP] Accuracy Tier 10). For more information, please see EPA's NGDP at <http://epa.gov/geospatial/policies.html>)
Lineage:
Source_Information:
Source_Contribution:
The state borders were derived from the dtl_st.sdc on the ArcGIS DVD provided by ESRI. It was modified by removing Alaska and Hawaii polygons and all but the State field, adding some coastal islands based on imagery or NHDPlus areas, and restoring topology (removing internal gaps and small overlaps). The EPA regions were added to this custom geodatabase (dtl_48plyf) prior to the intersection process with the seamless ecoregion data.
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
1) U.S.G.S. 1:250,000 topographic maps are used to delineate the ecoregions. The lines drawn are manually digitized or scanned to produce georeferenced electronic files. 2) All base maps are joined together and errors along the edges are resolved. 3) Topology is established and the maps are reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and conformity with the original lines. Corrections are made as needed and topology regenerated. 4) Attributes are added. 5) Maps are plotted for visual inspection by two individuals and necessary changes made. 6) Ecoregions from all available states are merged and dissolved to identify and correct inconsistencies. 7) Polygons of the corrected seamless ecoregion features are extended beyond the coastal borders. 8) State and Ecoregion datasets are intersected. 9) Topology errors removed. 10) Final QA
Process_Date: 20100526
Process_Step:
Process_Description: Metadata imported.
Process_Date: 20101129
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector
Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
SDTS_Terms_Description:
SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: G-polygon
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 2548
Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Planar:
Map_Projection:
Map_Projection_Name: Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area
Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area:
Longitude_of_Projection_Center: -100.000000
Latitude_of_Projection_Center: 45.000000
False_Easting: 0.000000
False_Northing: 0.000000
Planar_Coordinate_Information:
Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair
Coordinate_Representation:
Abscissa_Resolution: 0.000001
Ordinate_Resolution: 0.000001
Planar_Distance_Units: meters
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: D_Sphere_ARC_INFO
Ellipsoid_Name: Sphere_ARC_INFO
Semi-major_Axis: 6370997.000000
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: infinity
Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: NA_CEC_Eco_Level3
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: FID
Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.
Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Shape
Attribute_Definition: Feature geometry.
Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Coordinates defining the features.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L3CODE
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L3NAME
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L2CODE
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L2NAME
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L1CODE
Attribute_Definition: Code for Level I Ecoregion (North America)
Attribute_Definition_Source: CEC
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L1NAME
Attribute_Definition: Name for Level I Ecoregion (North America)
Attribute_Definition_Source: CEC
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L3KEY
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L2KEY
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NA_L1KEY
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Shape_Leng
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Shape_Area
Attribute_Definition: Area of feature in internal units squared.
Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.
Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research & Development (ORD) - National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Contact_Person: Marc Weber
Contact_Position: GIS Analyst
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 200 S.W. 35th St.
City: Corvallis
State_or_Province: OR
Postal_Code: 97333
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (541) 754-4469
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: weber.marc@epa.gov
Contact_Instructions: <http://www.epa.gov/>
Resource_Description: Downloadable Data
Distribution_Liability:
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the Environmental Protection Agency, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy 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. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file
Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20101129
Metadata_Future_Review_Date: 20140920
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Colleen Burch Johnson
Contact_Organization: SRA / Raytheon Contractors to US EPA
Contact_Position: GIS Analyst
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 200 S.W. 35th St
City: Corvallis
State_or_Province: OR
Postal_Code: 97333
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (541) 754-4454
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: johnson.colleen@epa.gov
Contact_Instructions: <http://www.epa.gov/>
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Metadata_Time_Convention: local time
Generated by mp version 2.9.6 on Mon Nov 29 09:55:24 2010