FLORIDA GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION
VERSION 2007

TITLE: FLORIDA'S STATEWIDE SEAGRASS

Geodataset Name:       SEAGRS_2007
Geodataset Type:       SHAPEFILE
Geodataset Feature:    Polygon
Feature Count:         20528
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This polygon GIS data set represents a compilation of statewide seagrass data from various source agencies and scales. The data were mapped from sources ranging in date from 1987 to 2007. Not all data in this compilation are mapped from photography; some are the results of field measurements. See the "Sources" section for more information. The original source data sets were not all classified in the same manner; some used the Florida Land Use Cover and Forms Classification System (FLUCCS) codes 9113 for discontinuous seagrass and 9116 for continuous seagrass; some defined only presence and absence of seagrass, and some defined varying degrees of seagrass percent cover. In order to merge all of these data sources into one compilation data set, FWRI reclassified the various source data attribute schemes into two categories: "continuous" and "discontinuous" seagrass. In areas where studies overlap, the most recent study where a given area has been interpreted is represented in this data set. This data set is not comparable to previous statewide data sets for time series studies - not all areas have been updated since the previous statewide compilation and some areas previously not mapped are now included. Please contact GIS Librarian to request the source data if you need to do a time series comparison.
DATA SOURCE(S):                    Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Center for Spatial Analysis
SCALE OF ORIGINAL SOURCE MAPS:     Unknown
DATE OF AUTOMATION OF SOURCE:      2007
GEODATASET EXTENT:                 State of Florida

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES:

Datafile Name: SEAGRS_2007
ITEM NAME WIDTH TYPE
OBJECTID
4 OID
SEAGRASS
20 String
SOURCEDATE
20 String
METADATA
254 String
DESCRIPT
20 String
FGDLAQDATE
8 Date
SHAPE
4 Geometry
AUTOID
4 Integer
SHAPE.AREA
0 Double
SHAPE.LEN
0 Double

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES CODES AND VALUES:

Item
Item Description
OBJECTID Internal feature number.

SEAGRASS Description of seagrass density
Discontinuous = Discontinuous seagrass may range from 0 to 90% ground cover. The user should be aware that different sources and scales of seagrass information and classification systems were used to create this dataset

Continuous = Continuous seagrass may range from 85% ground cover to 100%. The user should be aware that different sources and scales of seagrass information and classification systems were used to create this dataset


SOURCEDATE Ground condition date of source data.

METADATA This field will contain a hyperlink to metadata for the source data of each polygon. Currently it is the source data set name used as a placeholder.

DESCRIPT FGDL added field based on SEAGRASS

FGDLAQDATE FGDL added field based on date downloaded from source.

SHAPE Feature geometry.

AUTOID Unique ID added by GeoPlan

SHAPE.AREA Area in meters

SHAPE.LEN Perimeter in meters


USER NOTES:
These data appear logically consistent. Geodatabase topology was run to 
detect overlapping polygons - none are present. Some slivers may be present.
These data are complete as of data available to FWRI on October 11, 2007. 
The study areas for the source data varied. Offshore data have not been 
mapped to any consistent distance or depth statewide. Two significant data 
gaps have been filled since the previous statewide compilation - Broward and 
Collier counties are now included. However, these counties were mapped using 
field measurements, rather than complete aerial photography, so additional 
unmapped seagrass may still be present within these counties. Additional data 
gaps may be present. Contact GIS Librarian to request extent of mapping.
GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the attribute information within
the original data.
Prior to July 1, 2004, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) was 
known as the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI). The institute name 
has not been changed in historical data sets or references to work completed 
by the Florida Marine Research Institute. The institute name has been changed 
in references to ongoing research, new research, and contact information. 
These data are for statewide mapping and analysis only. The original regional 
data sets may contain more detailed seagrass attribution schemes. Contact 
GIS Librarian to request the source data sets.

This GIS data set was developed to represent the most recent seagrass 
mapping available in Florida for current statewide display and analysis. Not 
all areas have been mapped. This data set includes areas that were not 
previously mapped in other statewide compilations. This data set is not 
appropriate for time series comparisons to previous statewide compilations.

Positional accuracy varies according to source data. No positional alterations 
have been performed for this compilation.

This data is provided 'as is' and its vertical positional accuracy
has not been verified by GeoPlan

Acknowledgment of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish 
and Wildlife Research Institute as the data source would be appreciated in any 
products developed from these data, and such acknowledgment as is standard 
for citation and legal practices for data source is expected by users of this data.  
Please cite the original metadata when using portions of the record to create a 
similar record of slightly altered data, such as reprojection. If any data are modified 
or adjusted, please share the edited information with FWC. Users should be aware 
that comparison with other data sets for the same area from other time periods may 
be inaccurate due to inconsistencies resulting from changes in mapping conventions, 
data collection, and computer processes over time. FWC shall not be liable for improper 
or incorrect use of this data. These data are not legal documents and are not to be 
used as such.  This is not a survey data set and should not be utilized as such. 
These data are not to be used for navigation.

THE DATA INCLUDED IN FGDL ARE 'AS IS' AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED
AS LEGALLY BINDING. THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GEOPLAN CENTER SHALL
NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF USING,
MODIFYING, CONTRIBUTING OR DISTRIBUTING THE MATERIALS.

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

REFERENCES:
For more information contact the Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish 
and Wildlife Research Institute,
Division of Marine Fisheries Management (DMFM)
GIS data librarian at gislibrarian@myfwc.com
http://ocean.floridamarine.org/mrgis/viewer.htm

DATA LINEAGE SUMMARY:
FWRI staff added three attributes to each data set:SEAGRASS - indicates 
?continuous? or ?discontinuous?. If a seagrass data set only indicated 
presence/absence this attribute defaulted to discontinuous. SOURCEDATE - 
year(s) of photography. Also indicates if date is unknown or if the polygon 
was not interpreted from photography. METADATA - the information in this 
field will be populated with a link to the metadata for the source data set that 
the polygon came from once the source metadata is online. Currently it is the 
source data set name used as a placeholder. Staff used the most recent 
information for an area. Staff determined the most recent information by creating 
footprints of all source polygons, minus any large land polygons and uninterrupted 
areas. Staff used these footprints with the ArcGIS Toolbox 9.1 command ?
erase? to eliminate areas of overlap from older source data sets. In some areas 
the exclusion of shoreline resulted in sliver polygons due to different studies 
using different shorelines. Staff manually deleted these slivers after the ?erase?, 
defaulting to the more recent shoreline coverage. Once all the data were erased, 
staff loaded all of the data into a single geodatabase feature class. Running 
a topology resulted in no overlaps. If an area was uninterrupted within a more 
recent study, but interpreted in an older study, then the older study was used. 
The first draft did not include areas from older data sets in the turbid areas within 
benthic_flbay_2004. To correct this, staff extracted the data from the 
benthic_south_fl and the seagrass_swcoast_fl_1987 using the ?clip? and ?
erase? tools in order to fill in the gaps. Sliver polygons less than one square 
meter were erased. Any additional slivers are either due to preserving the 
"Source" attribute or they were present in the original source data sets.
Process Date: 2007

GeoPlan downloaded this dataset from the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) via FTP (ftp://ftp.floridamarine.org/) on 6/12/2008. The data was received as a shapefile in projection: Albers, NAD 83, GRS 80. The dataset was then projected from NAD 83 to FGDL Albers HPGN. - Reprojected data to FGDL Albers HPGN - Added DESCRIPT field based on SEAGRASS - Renamed shapefile from seagrass_fl_1987to2007_poly to seagrs_2007 - Upcased all fields - Deleted Shape.Length and Shape.Area fields Process Date: 20080618
Data imported to ArcSDE and exported as a shapefile. Process Date: 20080718
MAP PROJECTION PARAMETERS:

Projection                          ALBERS
Datum                               HPGN
Units                               METERS
Spheroid                            GRS1980
1st Standard Parallel               24  0  0.000
2nd Standard Parallel               31 30  0.000
Central Meridian                   -84 00  0.000
Latitude of Projection's Origin     24  0  0.000
False Easting (meters)              400000.00000
False Northing (meters)             0.00000

DATA SOURCE CONTACT (S):

Name:
Abbr. Name:
Address:


Phone:

Web site:
E-mail:
Contact Person:
         Phone:
        E-mail:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
FFWCC_FWRI
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Avenue Southeast
St. Petersburg, Florida
33701
727-896-8626

http://research.myfwc.com/ GISLibrarian@MyFWC.com GISLibrarian

FGDL CONTACT:
Name:                   FLORIDA GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY
Abbr. Name:             FGDL
Address:                Florida Geographic Data Library
                        431 Architecture Building
                        PO Box 115706
                        Gainesville, FL  32611-5706
Web site:               http://www.fgdl.org

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