Washington Gap Project 1991 Land Cover for Washington State

Metadata:

Identification_Information
Data_Quality_Information
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
Spatial_Reference_Information
Entity_and_Attribute_Information
Distribution_Information
Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

No accuracy assessment was performed on land use polygons. We collected non-random ground data, but the ground data were all used to assist in labeling; none were set aside for accuracy assessment. Since we knew in advance that we were unlikely to afford an accuracy assessment, we avoided labeling beyond the level at which we felt reasonably confident. Thus, we delineated vegetation zones, for example, but did not specify cover to dominant species, which is difficult to reliably determine with TM imagery. Actual accuracy will depend on the amount of ground data for an area, the familiarity of the labeler with the area, the simplicity or complexity of the cover, cover fragmentation, and scene date.

Quantitative_Attribute_Accuracy_Assessment:

Attribute_Accuracy_Value: Unknown
Attribute_Accuracy_Explanation:: No accuracy assessment was done on land cover/land use attributes

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Polygons were checked to verify that there was one and only one label for each polygon using the Arc facility LABELERRORS. All polygons have a unique polygon ID. The cover was not cleaned of all dangling arcs. Arcs may also be split at places other than intersections.

Completeness_Report:

Land cover for the entire state was completed, but some areas of the state are better delineated than others because of ease of cover identification, ruggedness of terrain, fragmentation of cover, and familiarity of the labeler with the area. The nominal minimum mapping units were 100 hectares for non-wetland cover and 40 hectares for wetlands. In practice, some smaller areas were delineated. In particular, all offshore islands large enough to be seen on TM imagery (at least approximately 50 meters wide) were delineated because of their importance to nesting shore birds. Conversely, some polygons are much larger than 100 hectares because of very uniform cover types (e.g., large agricultural fields in the Columbia Basin) or because of lack of time (e.g., many areas of the Cascades with a complex mix of forest and small cuts need further delineation). Although the size of some important cover types and stands were below the minimum mapping units, we initially adhered to them. As mapping progressed, we tended toward a smaller mapping unit more closely matched to the landscape and stand size. For example, much US Forest Service land is a patchwork of 5- to 30-hectare cuts among old forest; a 100-hectare mapping unit gives a poor representation of this landscape. The effort to map these features, was not uniform because of time constrainsts, but fragmented forest landscapes are deliated below the 100-hectare mapping unit in some parts of the state. Another common problem was adequate representation of highly fragmented developed areas, where boundaries between development levels were unclear. Often, major roads were used as convenient boundaries, but urban areas, especially the Spokane area, needed more work.

Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:: The positional accuracy of the TM scenes (root mean square error) on which the map is based is 1 to 2 pixels (25 to 50 meters). Polygon delineation was performed with the TM scenes as a backdrop, but often done with a large area displayed, so the delineator could see patterns over a large area. The positional accuracy of polygon boundaries for cover types with an abrupt border is generally approximately 4 or 5 pixels (100 to 125 meters). For cover types with fuzzy boundaries, such as in highly fragmented urban landscapes or in forests where cover type changes gradually, positional acuracy is somewhat indeterminate. Underlying TM scenes were georectified and terrain corrected by EOSAT.

Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:

Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report: See horizontal positional accuracy

Lineage:

Methodology:

Methodology_Type: On-screen delineation with TM scenes as a backdrop

Methodology_Identifier:

Methodology_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Methodology_Description:

Polygons were delineated at a nominal minimum mapping unit of 100 hectare using spectrally clustered TM imagery as a backdrop.

Methodology_Citation:

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: TM scenes from Landsat 5

Publication_Date: 1991

Title: 1991 TM scenes for Washington State

Other_Citation_Details:

16 full or partial TM scenes. All but one were from 1991. See Cassidy 1997 for a list of scenes and dates.

Larger_Work_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Cassidy, K. M.

Publication_Date: 19970101

Title:

Land cover of Washington State: Description and management

Series_Information:

Series_Name: Gap Analysis of Washington State - Final Report
Issue_Identification: Volume 1

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Seattle, WA
Publisher:: Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Washington

Other_Citation_Details:

This volume is the first volume of the 5-volume set (with one supplement), titled "Gap Analysis of Washington State - Final Report".

Type_of_Source_Media: Digital raster files

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 19910522
Ending_Date: 19910803

Source_Currentness_Reference: Ground Condition

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: None

Source_Contribution: Primary basis of land cover map

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Satellite data were spectrally clustered and colored, with colors indicating pixels of similar spectral reflectance. Individual spectral classes were not matched with specific land cover types, but spectrally clustered data were used as a backdrop for manual land cover polygon delineation and interpretation.

Process_Date: 1992 to 1996

Process_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Kelly M. Cassidy
Contact_Organization:: Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research
Unit

Contact_Position: Washington State Gap Analysis Project Leader

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address
Address:: Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research
Unit
Address: MS 357980
Address: University of Washington
City: Seattle
State_or_Province: WA
Postal_Code: 98195
Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 206-543-6475

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

Contact_Instructions:

Kelly Cassidy will not be at the Coop Unit after 1998, but they will be able to provide a contact location

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Grid_Coordinate_System:

Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: State Plane Coordinate System 1927

State_Plane_Coordinate_System:

SPCS_Zone_Identifier: 4602

Lambert_Conformal_Conic:

Standard_Parallel: 45.833333
Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -120.5
Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 45.333333
False_Easting: 609601.2192
False_Northing: 0

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 82.02
Ordinate_Resolution: 82.02

Planar_Distance_Units: feet

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1927
Ellipsoid_Name: Clarke 1866
Semi-major_Axis: 6378206.4
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 294.98

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Distribution_Information:

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 19981104

Metadata_Review_Date: 19981104

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Contact_Position:

Technical Services Manager - Wildlife Management Program

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing Address
Address: 600 Capitol Way North
City: Olympia
State_or_Province: Washington
Postal_Code: 98501
Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 360-902-2515

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

Metadata_Standard_Name:

NBS Content Standards for National Biological Information Infrastructure Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version:

NBII Draft of June 1997, Based FGDC of June 8, 1994

Metadata_Access_Constraints: None

Metadata_Use_Constraints: None

Metadata_Security_Information:

Metadata_Security_Classification_System: None
Metadata_Security_Classification: Unclassified
Metadata_Security_Handling_Description: None

Generated by mp on Wed Dec 9 11:06:35 1998