Northampton County --- Virginia Coast Reserve - Long Term Ecological
Research (VCR/LTER) Digital Geospatial Metadata
1. Identification Information
1.1 Citation
8.1 Originator: Virginia Coast Reserve - Long Term Ecological
Research (VCR/LTER) in cooperation with Northampton County,
Virginia.
8.2 Publication Date: 1990winter
8.4 Title: Plant Associations on the Virginia Barrier Islands
8.5 Edition (version): 1.0
8.6 Geospatial Data Presentation Form: view
8.8 Publication Information
8.8.1 Publication Place: Charlottesville, VA.
8.8.2 Publisher: Virginia Coast Reserve - Long Term
Ecological Research (VCR/LTER)
8.9 Other Citation Details: Virginia Department of Environmental
Quality grant DEQ-??????? with computational support from NSF
support grants BSR-8702333-06 and DEB-9211772.
1.2 Description
1.2.1 Abstract: Vegetation maps (1;20000 scale) and descriptions
of plant associations were compiled for 16 barrier and marsh islands
on the seaward margin of the Delmarva Peninsula (USA): Metompkin,
Cedar, Parramore, Revel, Cresent, Chimney Pole Marsh, Hog, Rogue,
Cobb, Little Cobb, Wreck, Ship Shoal, Godwin, Myrtle, Mink and Smith.
These maps were based on photointerpretation of false-color infrared
aerial photography taken in 1974. Extensive ground-truthing revealed
26 mapping units based on botanical, topographic and edaphic attributes.
Each unit represents a distinctive plant association, ecotone or
non-vegetated surface. Most associations exhibit relatively low plant
species diversity, high consistancy in species composition and strong
dominance by one or a few plant species. Variation among communities
reflects the effects of location, topography, edaphic factors, consumer
influence and disturbance history. With periodic resurvey, these maps
will be useful for describing site-specific vegetation dynamics and
succession on this rapidly-changing landscape.
The islands which are not part of Northampton County have not been
prepared for this document and image set, but may be obtained from the
VCR-LTER.
1.2.2 Purpose: Environmental management and the study of barrier
island dynamics.
1.3 Time Period of Content
9.3 Range of Dates
9.3.1 Beginning Date: 19740604 (NASA photography flight date)
9.3.2 Ending Date: 1990 (Publication in VA Journal of Science)
1.3.1 Currentness Reference: publication date
1.4 Status
1.4.1 Progress: Complete
1.4.2 Maintenance and Update Frequency: None planned
1.5 Spatial Domain
1.5.1 Bounding Coordinates
1.5.1.1 West Bounding Coordinate (longitude): -76.2
1.5.1.2 East Bounding Coordinate (longitude): -75.6
1.5.1.3 North Bounding Coordinate (latitude): 37.6
1.5.1.4 South Bounding Coordinate (latitude): 37.1
1.6 Keywords
1.6.1 Theme
1.6.1.1 Theme Keyword Thesaurus: None
1.6.1.2 Theme Keyword: barrier island
1.6.1.2 Theme Keyword: Delmarva Peninsula
1.6.1.2 Theme Keyword: landscape
1.6.1.2 Theme Keyword: plant association
1.6.1.2 Theme Keyword: succession
1.6.1.2 Theme Keyword: vegetation
1.6.2 Place
1.6.2.1 Place Keyword Thesaurus: None
1.6.2.2 Place Keyword: Northampton County
1.6.2.2 Place Keyword: Virginia
1.6.2.2 Place Keyword: Delmarva Peninsula
1.6.2.2 Place Keyword: Virginia Barrier Islands
1.7 Access Constraints: None.
1.8 Use Constraints: This is one piece of a GIS database presently
being developed for Northampton County's planning purposes. If you
use VCR/LTER-generated data in a publication, please acknowledge
the VCR/LTER in addition to the originator, and cite support from
the above listed NSF grants. We would also like to receive a copy
of your publication(s), sent to the contact below.
1.9 Point of Contact
10.2 Contact Organization Primary
10.1.2 Contact Organization: Virginia Coast Reserve - Long
Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER)
10.3 Contact Position: Data Manager
10.4 Contact Address
10.4.1 Address Type: mailing and physical address
10.4.2 Address: LTER, Dept. Environmental Sciences, Clark
Hall, University of Virginia
10.4.3 City: Charlottesville
10.4.4 State or Province: VA
10.4.5 Postal Code: 22903
10.4.6 Country: USA
10.5 Contact Voice Telephone: (804) 924-8999
10.8 Contact Electronic Mail Address: jporter@lternet.edu or
jhp7e@virginia.edu
1.10 Browse Graphic
1.10.1 Browse Graphic File Names: hogt.gif
cobbt.gif
wreckt.gif
shipst.gif
myrtlet.gif
smitht.gif
1.10.2 Browse Graphic Description: Thumbnail view of each of the
Northampton County islands surveyed.
1.10.3 Browse Graphic File Type: GIF
1.10.1 Browse Graphic File Names: hog.gif
cobb.gif
wreck.gif
ships.gif
myrtle.gif
smith.gif
1.10.2 Browse Graphic Description: View of each of the Northampton
County islands surveyed.
1.10.3 Browse Graphic File Type: GIF
1.11 Data Set Credit: Primary compilation by Cheryl A. McCaffrey
(7425 Earlwood Road NE Newberg, Oregon 97132) and Raymond D. Dueser
(Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA 22903 USA.
Addition help provided by John H. Porter also at the University of
Virginia. The Northampton County section presented here was compiled
by Anne L. Halpin at UVA for the Northampton County GIS project.
1.13 Native Data Set Environment: ARC/INFO 6.1 running under SunOS
4.1 on a SUN SPARC station 1.
2. Data Quality Information
2.1 Attribute Accuracy
2.1.1 Attribute Accuracy Report: Vegetation maps were prepared from
1:20000-scale false-color aerial infrared transparencies (cf. Holman
1974). The photography was flown by the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, Wallops Island, Virginia during the late morning
of June 4, 1974, at 2-2.5 hours before low tide (Roll W 2710101,
frames 83-127).
Field maps at 1:6500 scale were prepared by magnifying the
transparencies using a reflecting projector. Blueprints of these
overlays were field checked in 43 days between early March and late
July, 1975.
2.3 Completeness Report: Barrier islands for Northampton County are
included in this set.
2.4 Positional Accuracy
2.4.1 Horizontal Positional Accuracy
2.4.1.1 Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report: These islands
are centered on latitude 37.5 degrees north and 75.33 degrees
west.
Geographical UTM coordinates are based on NAD-27 from USGS Quad
sheets. Due to lack of ground reference points on most maps,
geographical accuracy is on the order of +- 100 m.
2.4.2 Vertical Positional Accuracy
2.4.2.1 Vertical Positional Accuracy Report: none
2.5 Lineage
2.5.1 Source Information (repeat this section as often as needed)
2.5.1.1 Source Citation
8.1 Originator: Cheryl A. McCaffrey and Raymond D. Dueser
8.2 Publication Date: winter 1990
8.4 Title: Plant Associations on the Virginia Barrier Islands
8.5 Edition (version): 1
8.6 Geospatial Data Presentation Form: view
8.8 Publication Information
8.8.1 Publication Place: Richmond, Virginia 23173
8.8.2 Publisher: The Virginia Academy of Science
8.9 Citation: McCaffrey, C.A. and R.D. Dueser. 1990.
Plant Associations on the Virginia Barrier Islands. Va. J.
Sci. 41(4A): 282-299.
2.5.1.3 Type of Source Media: journal paper and online views
2.5.2 Process Step
2.5.2.1 Process Description: Digital versions of the maps
included in that article were digitized by John Porter and
Raymond Dueser.The ARC/INFO export files in this directory
were produced by ARC INFO version 6.1.
Geographical UTM coordinates are based on NAD-27 from USGS Quad
sheets. Due to lack of ground reference points on most maps,
geographical accuracy is on the order of +- 100 m.
Maps were hand-drawn in 1975 using 1:20,000 scale aerial photography
in 1974 by Cheryl McCaffrey.
Maps were originally digitized into a 2-m raster format with ERDAS and
then later converted to a vector format in ARC INFO and corrected for
digitizing and thematic errors. For this reason, most lines have
stairstepping. An exception is Myrtle and Mink Islands which were
digitized directly into ARC/INFO vector format.
2.5.2.6 Process Contact (processor)
10.2 Contact Organization Primary
10.1.2 Contact Organization: Virginia Coast Reserve -
Long Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER)
10.1.1 Contact Person: John H. Porter
10.4 Contact Address
10.4.1 Address Type: mailing and physical address
10.4.2 Address: LTER, Dept. Environmental Sciences,
Clark Hall, University of Virginia
10.4.3 City: Charlottesville
10.4.4 State or Province: VA
10.4.5 Postal Code: 22903
10.4.6 Country: USA
10.8 Contact Electronic Mail Address: jhp7e@virginia.edu
2.5.2 Process Step
2.5.2.1 Process Description: A final version was converted to
State Plane, NAD83 projection and EXPORTed (compression NONE)
for use on a PC.(Some descriptive attribute information is not
readily interchangable.) Another version was converted to
UTM, NAD83 projection for use on a UNIX system and EXPORTed
(compression FULL)
2.5.2.2 Source Used Citation Abbreviation: none
2.5.2.3 Process Date (completed): 19950322
2.5.2.5 Source Produced Citation Abbreviation: none
2.5.2.6 Process Contact (processor): Anne L. Halpin
10.2 Contact Organization Primary
10.1.2 Contact Organization: Virginia Coast Reserve -
Long Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER)
10.1.1 Contact Person: Anne L. Halpin
10.4 Contact Address
10.4.1 Address Type: mailing and physical address
10.4.2 Address: LTER, Dept. Environmental Sciences,
Clark Hall, University of Virginia
10.4.3 City: Charlottesville
10.4.4 State or Province: VA
10.4.5 Postal Code: 22903
10.4.6 Country: USA
10.8 Contact Electronic Mail Address: alh5w@virginia.edu
3. Spatial Data Organization Information
3.2 Direct Spatial Reference Method : Vector
3.3 Point and Vector Object Information
3.3.1 SDTS Terms Descriptions: line and polygon coverages with
associated attributes.
3.3.1.1 SDTS Point and Vector Object Type: (choose one)
Point; Network chain, planar graph; GT-polygon composed of
chains
3.3.1.2 Vector Object Count:
hog - 156 Polygons
cobb - 74 "
wreck - 34 "
ships - 41 "
myrtle- 45 "
smith - 167 "
4. Spatial Reference Information
4.1 Horizontal Coordinate System Definition *(choose Geographic or
Planar, PLUS Geodetic Model)
4.1.2 Planar
4.1.2.2 Grid Coordinate System Name
4.1.2.2.1 Grid Coordinate System Name: State Plane
Coordinate System 1983
4.1.2.2.4 State Plane Coordinate System (SPSC)
4.1.2.2.4.1 SPCS Zone Identifier: Virginia, south zone
: -4502 NOS, 5576 USGS
4.1.2.4 Planar Coordinate Information
4.1.2.4.1 Planar Coordinate Encoding Method: coordinate pair
4.1.2.4.4 Planar Distance Units: international feet
4.1.4 Geodetic Model
4.1.4.1 Hoizontal Datum Name: North American Datum of 1983
4.1.4.2 Ellipsoid Name: Clarke 1866
5. Entity and Attribute Information
5.1 Detailed Description
5.1.1 Entity Type
5.1.1.1 Entity Type Label: GRID-CODE
5.1.1.2 Entity Type Definition: Polygon label with two attributes
defining 26 classes used to identify vegetation zones based on
botanical, topographic and edaphic qualities.
VEG-CLASS is a brief descriptive name
VEG-CODE is an abbreviation for the VEG-CLASS which may be used
for easier reference while working with this coverage than the
longer VEG-CLASS names.
Refer to the journal publication by the authors for a more complete
definition of each vegetation catagory.
5.1.1.3 Entity Type Definition Source (authority): C.A. McCaffrey
and R.D. Dueser
5.1.2 Attributes
Codes for vegetation classes are:
GRID-CODE VEG_CODE VEG_CLASS
0 w Water/background
1 A Foredune Grassland
2 G Dense Grassland
3 AG Beachgrass Dunes/ Dense Grassland Dunes
4 g Sparse Grassland
5 Ag Foredune - Sparse Grassland Complex
6 At Open Dunes - Thicket Complex
7 B Beach
8 T Tall Thicket
9 AT Open Dunes - Thicket Complex
10 t Low Thicket
11 J Juniper Thicket
12 P Pine Forest
13 H Hardwood Forest
14 PH Pine-Hardwood Forest Complex
15 m Low Salt Marsh
16 Mm Upper Low Salt Marsh
17 M Brackish Marsh
18 s Salt Flat
19 F Fresh Marsh
20 w Open Water
21 dr Drift
22 b Submerged Sand
23 uw Underwater Flora (or Fauna)
24 peat "Peat" Outcrops
25 wf Wash Flat
26 mf Mud Flat
6. Distribution Information
6.1 Distributor
10.2 Contact Organization Primary
10.1.2 Contact Organization: Virginia Coast Reserve - Long
Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER)
10.3 Contact Position: Data Manager
10.4 Contact Address
10.4.1 Address Type: mailing and physical address
10.4.2 Address: LTER, Dept. Environmental Sciences, Clark
Hall, University of Virginia
10.4.3 City: Charlottesville
10.4.4 State or Province: VA
10.4.5 Postal Code: 22903
10.4.6 Country: USA
10.5 Contact Voice Telephone: (804) 924-8999
10.8 Contact Electronic Mail Address: jporter@lternet.edu or
jhp7e@virginia.edu
6.3 Distribution Liability: None
6.4 Standard Order Process
6.4.2 Digital Form
6.4.2.1 Digital Transfer Information
6.4.2.1.1 Format Name: ARCE
6.4.2.1.6 File Decompression Technique:
6.4.2.1.7 Transfer Size (MB):
6.4.2.2 Digital Transfer Option
6.4.2.2.2 Offline Option
6.4.2.2.2.1 Offline Media: For information about
available offline media and how to obtain them, please
first obtain the permission of Northampton County
before contacting the above distribution contact party.
6.4.3 Fees: A fee may be assessed for non-digital and offline
digital formats of the dataset(s) covering reasonable costs
entailed in the distribution of the data. Any additional fees
are the prerogative of Northampton County alone.
7. Metadata Reference Information
7.1 Metadata Date: 19950310
7.4 Metadata Contact
10.2 Contact Organization Primary
10.1.2 Contact Organization: Virginia Coast Reserve - Long
Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER)
10.3 Contact Position: Data Manager
10.4 Contact Address
10.4.1 Address Type: mailing and physical address
10.4.2 Address: LTER, Dept. Environmental Sciences, Clark
Hall, University of Virginia
10.4.3 City: Charlottesville
10.4.4 State or Province: VA
10.4.5 Postal Code: 22903
10.4.6 Country: USA
10.5 Contact Voice Telephone: (804) 924-8999
10.8 Contact Electronic Mail Address: jporter@lternet.edu or
jhp7e@virginia.edu
7.5 Metadata Standard Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital
Geospatial Metadata
7.6 Metadata Standard Version: 19940608