A note about data scale:
Scale is an important factor in data usage. Certain scale datasets are not suitable for some project, analysis, or modeling purposes. Please be sure you are using the best available data.
1:24000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the county level. 1:24000 data should NOT be used for high accuracy base mapping such as property parcel boundaries. 1:100000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the multi-county or regional level. 1:125000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the regional or state level or larger.
Vector datasets with no defined scale or accuracy should be considered suspect. Make sure you are familiar with your data before using it for projects or analysis. Every effort has been made to supply the user with data documentation. For additional information, see the References section and the Data Source Contact section of this documentation. For more information regarding scale and accuracy, see our webpage at: <http://geoplan.ufl.edu/education.html>
Aquatic Preserve boundaries were created by the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI)/CAMRA. We are using these boundaries to represent the OFWs that are also designated Aquatic Preserves
Special OFW Category :
The streams and lakes that do not have defined legal boundaries were automated using methods other than transferring legal descriptions into a digital format. Because of the interpretive nature of the boundaries for the Special Waters Category, we have avoided making any implication that this line represents the ordinary high water line that separates the State-owned lands from privately-owned lands by referring to this line as a fuzzy boundary or trip wire. Final determinations of these boundaries will require on-site inspections or aerial photo-interpretations coupled with field verifications and will not be carried out for any of the streams and lakes designated as OFWs, in the short term. These interpretive boundaries were designed to alert persons making land use decisions that on-site inspections or further investigations by qualified soils scientists or botanists may be necessary. These interpretive boundaries are necessary because if a proposed activity falls within or near an OFW boundary, different, more stringent permitting review standards are imposed on the permittee's application. The OFW Special Water boundary is based on the contour lines from the U.S. Geological Survey 1:24000-scale quadrangle maps. This boundary is labeled with the elevation of those contours that are most likely to meet the criteria of supporting obligate and facultative plants and hydric soils. These elevations are 5 or 10 feet apart vertically, so that other information was used to modify the line. Currently, the best additional information is a set of EOSAT satellite images from 1992. The 1994 EOSAT imagery was also available, but because 1994 was an extremely wet year, the spectral reflectance values were judged less reliable. However, other indications that the area inside the Special Waters delineation line is likely to meet the rule's criteria are the swamp symbols on the quadrangle, the change in slope that is indicative of the seepage line, or springs that indicate that the groundwater is near the surface at that elevation. Cultural features can also be helpful. Roads often stop at wetted areas and buildings are usually (but not always) built above the elevation of the water feature's most frequent floods. Similarly, railroads are usually built up high enough to stay dry. This information is generally discernible on USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles.
Other OFW Categories :
All other categories are taken from the Lands managed for Conservation created and compiled by GEOPLAN or have been created by us using descriptions from the Outstanding Florida Waters documentation. Those boundaries created internally were scanned from published materials, registered and rectified with 1:24,000 USGS Public Land Survey section corners. Data was then extracted from USGS 1:24,000 hydrology layer and attributed. For boundaries not completely represented by USGS 1:24,000 hydrology layer, arcs were digitized directly from the scanned material to complete the boundary. State Parks and Recreational Areas Category
The COGO method has several advantages and disadvantages for use in producing a database for the OFWs. It uses primary source material - the legal description on the deed. Data created using this method should have validity within the legal system because it is from a source familiar to the courts. Other agencies are using the COGO system so it is a familiar process and product. COGO methodology is appropriate in that it weds the new system for describing land ownership to the existing system. Additionally, each parcel boundary will be maintained in a digital form and can be extracted from the official boundary as a parcel's status changes. This data layer will also be maintained and updated by the stewards of all the state park boundaries data, so as the parcel boundaries change, the OFW boundaries will automatically be updated. The downside is that COGO (or the survey data it automates) is labor intensive and requires extensive training and expertise to use. Each legal description references source materials that may only be available locally or from the county appraiser's office, at a cost of travel and materials. Each park boundary may have numerous parcels transferred to the state at different times and some parcel boundaries overlap. Legal descriptions were transferred to digital form using the COGO modules in ESRI's ARC/INFO software on a UNIX platform DEC Alpha 3000 workstation and Softdesk's ADDCAD Civil/Survey software on 486/90 DELL personal computers configured with 1 gigabyte storage memory, 32 megabytes of RAM, 17" VGA monitors and running DOS. Both platforms are connected to HP-650C plotters. See Standard COGO Procedures developed by the Division of Parks and Recreation.
- Added the field DESCRIPT based on NAME. - Added the field FGDLAQDATE based on date downloaded from source. - Upcased all text in the attribute table. - Data set was renamed ofw_other_jan07 from OUTSTANDING_FLORIDA_WATERS
STANDARD COGO PROCEDURES used in creating original source information REVISED 5/1/95 1 NEW DRAWING 1.1 Start a new AutoCad/COGO drawing using the CGPROTO.DWG prototype drawing found in F:\GROUPS\PARKS\CGPARCEL 1.2 File the new drawing under the park ID number plus "CG" 1.2.1 Example: SOOOO1CG.dwg for Addison Blockhouse S.H.S. 1.2.2 All park drawings shall be filed in F:\GROUPS\PARKS\CGPARCEL 1.3 Attach, as an Xref, the USGS quad(s), if available. 1.3.1 All USGS quads may be found in F:\GROUPS\PARKS\QUADS 1.3.2 The USGS quads are for reference only and shall not be modified. 2 SOURCES FOR BOUNDARY DEVELOPMENT 2.1 Electronic survey file: Parcel deeds from 1991 to present may have an electronic survey file. Research should be done to locate any electronic files from Survey and. Mapping. The electronic survey files need to be verified per our deeds to be certain all out easements and out parcels are represented. Also, one survey may encompass several deeds and will need to be broken out deed per deed. 2.2 Deed descriptions : The parcel boundaries will be generated from the legal descriptions on the deeds. 2.3 USGS 1-24,000 electronic quads: Certain information on the electronic quads (section lines, water meander lines and roadways) may be used if and only if better information, such as bearing and distance calls and electronic survey information, is not available 2.4 USGS 1-24,000 paper quads: Hardcopies of USGS quadrangle maps compliment the electronic quads and provide a good visual reference. In addition, if the electronic quad is not available, section lines, water meander lines and roadways may be digitized from the paper quads as a last resort. 2.5 TRW/REDI tax maps: Tax maps are available for some counties and provide information on tax parcels, government lots and roadways. 2.6 Additional sources: 2.6.1 Government survey plats show government lot boundaries. 2.6.2 Water line surveys are available for some coastal water lines and river meander lines. 2.6.3 Base maps for the parks may help to clarify confusing boundaries but are to be used for visual reference only 3 OBTAINING SOURCE INFORMATION 3.1 Electronic quads : If the quad(s) you need is/are not on the QUAD directory, notify Kelley in writing requesting the specific quad(s) by quad number. 3.1.1 The quad number (s) for each park may be determined as follows: 1) find the general park location using THE FLORIDA STATE PARK SYSTEM map, 2) from the GMDNCC FLORIDA BASEMAP, select the USGS Quadrangle(s) corresponding to the paper quadrangle(s) in the COGO folder for that park, 3) each quad has a four (4) digit number followed by the letter "N", "W", or "E" associated with north, west and east zones, respectfully -- choose the zone which applies to all or most of the previously selected quad(s), 4) record the quad number (s) on parks COGO folder and COGO Boundary Development Sheet. 3.1.2 Record the request in your COGO notebook 3.2 Electronic survey: If you need an electronic survey file, notify Kayle in writing. Include the park name, county, Section, Township and Range, deed date, grantor and any other information you feel may be helpful. 3.2.1 Record the request in your COGO notebook. 3.3 TRW/REED tax maps: Copies of tax maps may be obtained by notifying Todd in writing. Include the county, Section, Township and Range with your request. 3.3.1 Record the request in your COGO notebook. 3.4 Deeds and official records: For deeds and other count records, notify Todd in writing. Include the county, O.R. book and page numbers and any other information you feel may be helpful. Make absolutely certain that the parcel boundaries cannot be completed without this information before you request it. 3.4.1 Record the request in your COGO notebook. 3.5 Additional information: Should you require any other resources such as government survey plats or water line surveys, notify Todd in writing. Include the park name, county, Section, Township and Range and any other information you feel may be helpful. 3.5.1 Record the request in your COGO notebook. 4 PARCEL BOUNDARY DEVELOPMENT For our purposes a parcel is defined as all that area, upland or submerged, as described by a single deed. 4.1 From electronic survey: If an electronic survey is used, the parcel boundary shall be WBLOCKed and INSERTed on the park drawing. For an insertion point, use the POINT OF BEGINNING as specified on the electronic survey. 4.2 From legal descriptions: Most parcel boundaries will be created from the legal deed descriptions. These descriptions may provide bearing and distance calls or refer to quadrangle sections, manmade or natural features, government lots, tax parcels, or a combination thereof. 4.2.1 Bearing and distance calls are the most accurate of all the deed information and shall be used whenever available, even for water lines, section lines and roadways. NOTE: If a bearing and a distance are provided but the description also refers to a specific location (section line, roadway, water line, etc.) and the location can be positively determined, follow the bearing to the specified location regardless of the distance. 4.2.2 When it is necessary to use information from an electronic quad, verify the entities needed for your parcel boundary then duplicate them on your drawing file. 4.2.3 If REDI tax maps are used, dimensions may be scaled but verify that the scale you are using is correct and that you can accurately locate the parcel boundaries on the electronic quad(s). Also, parcel information may be digitized as a last resort. 4.3. From other sources: Only as a last resort and in the absence of more accurate information, other sources may be used to complete parcel boundaries. However, the use of any sources not specified in this section requires Todd's approval. 4.3.1. Also, record your request and Todd's decision in your COGO notebook. 4.3.2. Todd will notify Kelley when other information is used. 5 DRAWING REQUIREMENTS 5.1 Parcel boundaries: The boundaries of each parcel shall meet the following requirements. 5.1.1 All parcel boundaries shall be on the B-PARCEL layer. 5.1.2 Individual parcel boundaries should close but do not need to be polylines. 5.1.3 All temporary lines used to create parcel boundaries should be removed. 5.1.4. Parcels should not overlap. Notify Todd if this occurs. 5.1.5. When two parcels touch along one or more sides, only one (1) dividing line is necessary. Double lines should be avoided. 5.2 Parcel numbers: Each parcel shall be given a nine (9) digit identification number (####-#####) as follows. 5.2.1 The first four (4) digits correspond to the Unit I.D. Number for the park being developed. 5.2.2 The last five (5) digits are used to sequentially number the parcels in chronological order according to deed date where "-00001" refers to the oldest deed. NOTE: If a parcel is added later, chose the next available number regardless of deed date and do not renumber the parcels. 5.2.3 Clearly label each parcel on the drawing with its complete parcel number. 5.2.4 All parcel number labels and associated leader lines shall be on the B-PARTXT layer. 5.2.5 Record each parcel number, grantor and deed date on the park's PARCEL IDENTIFICATION SHEET. 5.2.6 If a lease exists without a deed, use the lessor and lease date in place of the grantor and deed date and note it on the park's PARCEL IDENTIFICATION SHEET. 5.2.7 Example: "0001-00001" would represent the parcel described in the oldest deed for Addison Blockhouse S.H.S. 5.3 Out parcels: Out parcels are areas removed from a parcel according to the legal description and should have their own respective boundaries. 5.3.1 All out parcel boundaries shall be on the B-OUTL layer. 5.3.2 In addition to its own boundary, each out parcel shall have a parcel boundary on the B-PARCEL layer and a park boundary on the B-BNDL layer. 5.3.3 Clearly label all out parcels with the word "OUT". 5.3.4 All "OUT" labels and associated leader lines shall be on the B-OUTTXT layer/ 5.3.5 Out parcels will not be recorded on the PARCEL IDENTIFICATION SHEET. 5.4 Park boundary: After all the parcel boundaries have been completed, create a separate polyline boundary for the entire park. 5.4.1 If the park consists of several non-adjoining pieces, each piece should have its own separate polyline boundary. 5.4.2 All boundary lines shall be on the B-BNDL layer.