FLORIDA GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION

TITLE: WILDLIFE OCCURRENCE DATABASE - FLORIDA 1894 - 2006

Geodataset Name:       WILDOBS_2006
Geodataset Type:       SHAPEFILE
Geodataset Feature:    Point
Feature Count:         40878
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The Wildobs database provides a standardized format for recording and managing incidental, casual, or short-term systematic observations of wildlife. Various information on geographic location, species (number, age, sex, etc.), habitat and activities can be recorded on wildlife observation forms using Microsoft Access 2000. Suggested target species and groups vary with the seasons. This system is defined to be useful to biologists to maintain species lists or to track wildlife populations in protected or managed areas. The Nongame Wildlife program is interested in maintaining current records of species distributions within Florida. This database is used as a repository for both data from planned surveys, contracted projects, and casual observations. The manual, available from the contact, provides details of each table and field of the database structure as well as overview of the contents. All data included in the database is recorded as points.
DATA SOURCE(S):                    Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
SCALE OF ORIGINAL SOURCE MAPS:     Unknown
GEODATASET EXTENT:                 State of Florida
PUBLICATION DATE: 2002 TIME PERIOD OF CONTENT: Begin Date: 1894 End Date: 2006 DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.fgdl.org/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES:

Datafile Name: WILDOBS_2006.DBF
ITEM NAME WIDTH TYPE
OBJECTID
4 OID
Shape
4 Geometry
SITENUMBER
254 String
DATE_
254 String
COMNAME
254 String
NESTS
254 String
SITENAME
254 String
SITETYPE
254 String
COUNTYNAME
254 String
LAT
8 Double
LON
8 Double
GFC
254 String
Count
8 Double
keyer
8 Double
SITETYPDEC
77 String
DESCRIPT
38 String
FGDLAQDATE
36 Date
AUTOID
4 Integer

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES CODES AND VALUES:

Item
Item Description
OBJECTID Internal feature number.

Shape Feature geometry.

SITENUMBER Unique site number designating county, wildlife population type. The number of the Notable Wildlife Area (NWA) in which the species was observed, if applicable (see Appendix 5). The field contains a 11-digit code consisting of the following: the first 4 letters of the county in which it is found (see Appendix 9), a 3-digit site-type code, and a 3-digit sequential number for the given sitetype (see Appendix 3) within the county. For example, a sitenumber code might be BAY_001033A (where the "_" represents a space) or LEON001001A. The eleventh and twelfth digit (for A, B, C, ...) allows for i. Designation of Asub-sites@ (e.g., different nesting locations within the same Asite@ [like wading bird subcolonies], ii. Different nesting locations between years at the same Asite@ [like bald eagle nests which may move between different trees during 2 different years]). iv. Multiple years for the same basic site. The twelfth digit particularly would be useful for this, for example FRAN004001A9. The designation of the 3-digit site-type codes will be coordinated through the Data Base Analyst (See Appendix 5 for a list of currently accepted codes. Sites for casual observations will get assigned a sitetype of "OBS" then a sitenumber whose numerical value is equal to the numerical value of the record number of the corresponding first count table record for the site. Casual sites entered from the web are prefaced with "web", for example web000002. This field is the KEY FIELD for linking between the sites and counts databases! It must be unique within the table of SITES. Case does not matter in determining uniqueness, for example there cannot be both FRAN004001A and FRAN004001a.

DATE_ the date on which the observer visited the site using a ten-digit format for dates (i.e., yyyy/mm/dd). A date should be recorded for every observation. However, if a date is unknown and cannot be determined you may enter incomplete dates (historical data only, please). For example, if only the month and year are known you may enter 1998/01

COMNAME the accepted common name for the species as provided in the Species Ranking database (see http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/~sprandg/sprank/ within the Commission only). In the case of subspecies, if there is only one subspecies for a given species present in the state, use the common name for that subspecies (as indicated in the species ranking database); where multiple subspecies for a given species exist in Florida, use the common name for the species and list the subspecies part of the scientific name in the SUBSPECIES field. Capitalize the first word in the common name and leave the remainder in lower case. Format for entries is, for example, American kestrel.

NESTS the number of nests recorded at the given location on the given date. The number should be left justified within the character field. For example, the number 1 would be listed as 1, followed by 4 blank spaces. Of course, this is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on whether or not any nests were observed at the location. Be sure to distinguish this from the number of pairs.

SITENAME a name for the site, as has been assigned in most of our surveys. Note that these names don't necessarily have to be unique, since sitenumbers are the only unique Akey@ field. However for reports, assign a name that is as good as you can make it, and will be useful for future surveyors. The site name should be unambiguous within the county. Names like "Publix" are poor, names like "Publix #67, Naples" are better.

SITETYPE The type of the site. This is also encoded in the SITENUMBER, but this allows easily searching for sites of specific types.

COUNTYNAME the name of the county in which the observation was recorded (see Appendix 9 or lookup table COUNTY for accepted spellings). For example, Indian River.

LAT The decimal degrees representation of the latitude for use with Mapping Software such as ArcView. The Database analyst generates this from the LAT_DEG, LAT_MIN and LAT_SEC fields.

LON The decimal degrees representation of the longitude for use with mapping software such as ArcView. Longitude degrees in Florida should be negative numbers. The Database analyst automatically generates this from the LON_DEG,LON_MIN and LON_SEC fields.

GFC Undefined by source

Count Undefined by source

keyer Automatically assigned numeric record number used for web linking.

SITETYPDEC Long description of the type of the site

DESCRIPT FGDL added field based on COMNAME

FGDLAQDATE FGDL added field based on the date the data was aquired by Geoplan

AUTOID Unique ID added by GeoPlan


USER NOTES:
Attribute Description: Attribute Description: Within the database there are two main tables. 
SITES and COUNTS. Sites was created to hold location and habitat information about 
Notable Wildlife Areas, as well as sites frequented by individuals. Counts was created to 
hold wildlife count data. The link between these two tables is a sitenumber. Additionally 
there are numerous lookup tables for describing the species activities, sites habitats, and 
quality and type of the count occurring. Every record in counts has an associated site 
description in the sites table. All records have been assigned to county, and most have a 
latitude and longitude.
This data is provided 'as is' by GeoPlan and is complete to our
knowledge.
GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the attribute information within
the original data.
Structure of the Sites Table in Wildobs database

Field name	Type	Size		Description

SITENAME	Text	40	        Name of site, e.g. St. Marks, Mounds Pool #3
SITENUMBER	Text	11		Unique site number designating county, wildlife 
					population type.
ALTNUMBER	Text	11		Alternately recorded number, e.g. Wading bird 
					atlas number
CONFIRMED	Text	1		Site confirmation status, link to Confirm table
RANK	        Text    3		Rank of the site in sites of this type (1 is best)
RANKBASIS	Text	3		Basis for the ranking, i.e., total count of sites 
					ranked
RANKDATE	Text	10		Date of the ranking
OBSERVER	Text	20		Name of observer of form G.E. Reynolds
AFFILTION	Text	3		Affiliation of observer, link to AFFIL
SITEDATE	Text	10		Date the site was first recorded, for example 
					2001/05/11
LAT_DEG         Text    9	        Degrees latitude
LAT_MIN	        Text    9               Minutes latitude
LAT_SEC	        Text	9	        Seconds latitude   (optional)
LON_DEG	        Text    9	        Degrees longitude/ Record as positive number
LON_MIN         Text    9               Minutes longitude
LON_SEC         Text    9	        Seconds longitude  (optional)
ACCURACY	Text	10		Accuracy in meters
ACCTABLE	Text	1		Y if accuracy came from MAPMETHOD table
MAPMETHOD	Text	15		Description of how lat/lon was derived, link to 
					MAPMETHOD table
MAPNAME         Text    40              Name of topo map, DeLorme Page
MAPDATE	        Text	10	        Publication date of map
DATUM	        Text	7		Datum used by the method
TOWNSHIP	Text	3		Township of Township/range/section if known
RANGE	        Text	3		Range of Township/range/section if known
SECTION	        Text	2		Section of Township/range/section if known
QSECTION	Text	2		Quarter Section of Township/range/section if known
COUNTYNAME	Text	12		County Name, linked to COUNTY table
MANAGEAREA	Text	6		Link to Managed, e.g. 1, 1.1.2
HABITAT1	Text	6		Link to habitat type (left justified) 2, 2.1
HABITAT2	Text	6		Link to habitat type (left justified)  2, 2.1
LOC_NOTES	Text	254		Description of site, detailed directions
QCMAP	        Text	3		Initials of person checking map
QCMAPDATE	Text	10		Date of map check
MAP_ID	        Text	10		Id generated by GIS
LAT	     Double	8		Decimal latitude for mapping
LON	     Double	8		Decimal longitude for mapping. Use minus for 
					Florida.
SITETYPE	Text	3		Type of site, link to SITETYPE
STUDYID	        Text	8		Study identifier used by the study, link to metadata 	
					catalog
RecCounter  Autonumber	8		Automatically assigned random record number	 		 

Explanation of Fields in the Sites Table:

Created to hold location information about Notable Wildlife Areas, as well as 
sites casually frequented by individuals. All fields may not be meaningful for 	
all studies.

SITENAME - a name for the site, as has been assigned in most of our surveys.  
Note that thesenames don't necessarily have to be unique, since sitenumbers 
are the only unique Akey@ field. However for reports, assign a name that is as 
good as you can make it, and will be useful for future surveyors. The site name 
should be unambiguous within the county. Names like "Publix" are poor, names 
like "Publix #67, Naples" are better.  

SITENUMBER - The number of the Notable Wildlife Area (NWA) in which the 
species was observed,if applicable (see Appendix 5). The field contains a 11-
digit code consisting of the following: the first 4 letters of the county in which 
it is found (see Appendix 9), a 3-digit site-type code, and a 3-digit sequential 
number for the given sitetype (see Appendix 3) within the county. For example, a 
sitenumber code mightbe BAY_001033A (where the "_" represents a space) or 
LEON001001A. The eleventh and twelfth digit (for A, B, C, ...) allows for:
i. Designation of Asub-sites@ (e.g., different nesting locations within the same 
Asite@ [like wading bird subcolonies] 
ii. Different nesting locations between years at the same Asite@ [like bald eagle 
nests which may move between different trees during 2 different years]).
iii. Multiple instances of recording the site location information, for example 
habitat information. 
iv.Multiple years for the same basic site. The twelfth digit particularly would be 
useful for this, for example FRAN004001A9. The designation of the 3-digit site-
type codes will be coordinated through the Data Base Analyst (See Appendix 5 
for a list of currently accepted codes. Sites for casual  observations will get 
assigned a sitetype of "OBS" then a sitenumber whose numerical value is equal  to 
the numerical 
value of the record number of the corresponding first count table record for the 
site.Casual sites entered from the web are prefaced with "web", for example 
web000002. This field is the  KEY FIELD for linking between the sites and counts 
databases!It must be unique within the table of SITES. Case does not matter in 
determining uniqueness, for example there cannot be both FRAN004001A and FRAN004001a

ALTNUMBER - another identifier that may have been used for the site in surveys, etc. 
(e.g., 616001 for a  wading bird rookery in the Atlas, LE01 for a bald eagle nest). 
This may serve as a link to the original database, or to field paper forms. 

CONFIRMED - has the species (or species group) been confirmed as using the site by 
reliable sources within the FWC (CONFIRMED = C), outside the Commission (O), or is 
the site questionable (N), unconfirmed (U), or simply a potential (P) use area?

RANK - the numerical ranking of a site, if applicable (see RANKBASIS).

RANKBASIS - the numerical basis for the site's ranking (e.g., the top 100 wading 
bird rookeries were ranked, sothe tenth Abest@ rookery would have a RANK of 10 
and a RANKBASIS of 100).This field  is also included in the lookup table for 
Notable Wildlife area types, SITETYPE

RANKDATE - the date on which the site was ranked with the data formatted as 
yyyy/mm/dd (e.g., 1996/05/30).You will note that dates indexed in this format are 
automatically in chronological order (i.e., year, then month, then date) even though 
all date fields are actual text. Having a text field for date fields allows entering of  
incompletedates (e.g., 1996/05), which may be needed for historical data. If both 
month and day are not known use spaces for example 2000/  /

OBSERVER - the person who documented the site will be listed here. The format 
is as follows:G.E. Reynolds, with the name left justified and a single space between
the middle initial and the last name. There is also a lookup table for observers 
(ADDRESS) which contains more detailed information about people who have 
contributed data to the wildobs system (e.g., full name, address, phone number, etc.); 
this information is entered only once in the lookup table for each observer. Another 
table (OBSERVER) allows name changes such that observer names never have to be 
changed in the main SITES and COUNTS tables.  

AFFILTION - 3-letter codes for the affiliations (e.g., FWC).  See lookup table, AFFIL, 
for the complete list. 

SITEDATE - the date on which the observer described the site. However, if a date is 
unknown and cannot be determined you may enter incomplete dates (historical data 
only, please). For example, if only the month and year are known you may enter 1998/01.
This format is the case for all wildobs date fields. 

LAT_DEG, LAT_MIN, LAT_SEC, LON_DEG, LON_MIN, LON_SEC  The degrees minutes 
of the latitude and longitude. The LAT_MIN and LON_MIN are usually recorded as decimal
minutes for example 29.313. LAT_SEC and LON_SEC may be used if desired to record the 
seconds as a separate field.  One should record the exact number of digits provided in the 
given mapping method (e.g., from a differentially-corrected GPS location). The Database 
analyst will store this information in the decimal LAT/LON fields for mapping.  

ACCURACY - the approximate accuracy of the latitude/longitude coordinates expressed 
in meters of ground distance (plus-or-minus from the Atrue@ location).  For commonly 
employed methods, there is a lookup table called MAPPING, which often lists the average 
accuracy and estimated 95% confidence intervals for each method.

ACCTABLE - did the accuracy come directly from the MAPPING lookup table? Y for yes, 
N for no. If no, use the LOC_NOTES field to elaborate the source of the accuracy estimate. 

MAPMETHOD - a unique identifier for each technique used to map sites in wildobs (see 
MAPPING lookup table). Note that the first several digits of this field designate the 
general method employed to map the location  (e.g., TOPO = using a topo quad, AVGUCGPS = 
using the average of several uncorrected GPS coordinates, etc.). GUESS may be used to 
indicate that such.

MAPNAME - the name of the map, if any, which was used for plotting the location (e.g., 
if a topo quad was used,this would be the name of the quad map; if a Delorme Atlas was 
used, this would be the page number & section of the page [e.g., 26 A-1]).

MAPDATE - the publication date of the map used to plot the location, if any.  This would 
be the date the map was first published, not the date it was updated using aerial 
photography, etc.

DATUM - the datum employed by the method (map, GPS unit, etc.) you used to plot your 
location. DEP and DOTnow distribute their data in a customized Albers projection using 
the HPGN datum (See http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gis/dataspec.htm). That datum optimizes
the correct calculation of areas to the detriment (however small) of distance and shape.
The datum used on a map is typically noted, and we should be able to determine which one 
our GPS unit's use, which is typically WGS-84.  This should be recorded this if it is 
easily obtainable since guessing the datum can result in errors of hundreds of meters.See 
http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/notes.html for more information.  

TOWNSHIP, RANGE, SECTION, QSECTION. The following four fields are geographic 
coordinates recorded in the Public Land Survey System. For examples of the layout see:
http://feature.geography.wisc.edu/sco/geodetic/plss.html or 
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hollow/3184/tipsland.html. For all records in Florida, 
the principal meridian is the Tallahassee Principal.  To convert a TRS to a lat/lon or to 
see a map based on TRS go to http://www.landnetusa.com/ (This is now a pay site - Within 
the Commission under \\Wildnet\BWDC\Field Data\MULTIPLE\WILDOBS\Access\ TRSSearch.mdb 
is an Access database that  allowssearching also, or web  site internally 
http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/beardata/gis.asp has conversions). 

TOWNSHIP - the township in which the observation occurred. This may be recorded as, for 
example, 10S or 5N, followed by a blank space. The township is an OPTIONAL FIELD at this 
time but should be recorded if a SITENUMBER is assigned.

RANGE - the range in which the observation occurred. This may be recorded as, for example, 
15E or 5W, followed by a blank space.The range is also an OPTIONAL FIELD at this time but 
should be recorded if a SITENUMBER is assigned.

SECTION - the legal section in which the observation occurred. This should be recorded as, 
for example, 15 or 5, followed by a blank space. This is also an OPTIONAL FIELD.

QSECTION - the quarter section in which the observation occurred (NW, NE, SE, or SW). In 
certain cases, the location may actually lie in more than 1 quarter section. If the 
observation is at the center of the 4 quarter-sections, record it as C_ (Where "_" always 
represents a blank space). If it is located between 2 of them, record it to the nearest 
half-section (e.g.,an observation along the line between the NW and SW quarter-sections 
would be recorded as W_). This is an OPTIONAL FIELD.

COUNTYNAME - the name of the county in which the observation was recorded (see Appendix 9 
or lookup table COUNTY for accepted spellings). For example, Indian River.

MANAGEAREA - A code for the type of managed land on which the species was recorded, if 
applicable. Codes are hierarchical  in nature with the first number representing the level 
of the agency/organization who owns the land (federal, state, local, private), the second 
number dividing the managing groups within a given level, and the third designating the 
type of managed area. For example, 1.1.2 represents a National Wildlife Refuge (see 
Appendix 6). In cases where the area is managed by more than 1agency, record it as a 
Wildlife Management  Area if the Commission is 1 of the cooperating agencies; use the lead 
agency if the Commission is not involved.This is an OPTIONAL FIELD but should be filled 
out if the observation occurred on a managed area. Consider eliminating, because managed 
areas can be displayed on a map and all points that occur in managed areas can labeled as 
such.  Additional because the designation of what is a WMA (either do to purchase of giving 
up an area), is changeable the value at the time of recording may not be the current value. 

HABITAT1 - the primary habitat code for the site at which the observation occurred (see 
Appendix 7). Codes should be left-justified within the field and should be listed as, for 
example, 1, 1.8, or 1.8.6.The observer shouldrecord to the level they feel most comfortable 
with. 

HABITAT2 - a second habitat code for the site at which the observation occurred, if 
applicable. Record as  specified in HABITAT1 - This is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on 
whether or not a second habitat type is present at the site.

LOC_NOTES - this field should contain written directions to the site (e.g., 1 mile west of 
Kissimmee River bridge on State Road 70), as well as the name of the managed area, Critical 
Wildlife Area, or well-known site on which the observation took place, if applicable. 
Additional items might include more detailed information pertaining to the habitat, details 
of ownership, or disturbance factors.

QCMAP - the initials of the person who quality-checked the given record, if any.  This 
especially applies to the mapped location, hence the name.

QCMAPDATE - the date of the quality check. 

MAP_ID - the unique identifier for the site assigned and used by our mapping software to 
track the location internally. Eventually, we may want to eliminate our SITENUMBERS and 
simply use the unique numbers which ArcView generates for each mapped location; this would 
eliminate the administrative task of assigning numbers, and we would no longer be making 
assumptions about whether or not a given Asite@ was the same as another (the computer would
just display them on the map as they occurred in the field). 

LAT - The decimal degrees representation of the latitude for use with Mapping Software such 
as ArcView. The Database analyst generates this from the LAT_DEG, LAT_MIN and LAT_SEC fields. 

LON - The decimal degrees representation of the longitude for use with mapping software 
such as ArcView. Longitude degrees in Florida should be negative numbers. The Database 
analyst automatically generates this from the LON_DEG,LON_MIN and LON_SEC fields.

SITETYPE - The type of the site. This is also encoded in the SITENUMBER, but this allows 
easily searching for sites of specific types. 

STUDYID - a study id code if the record was part of an organized project.  This may be 
composed of the FWC Project/Study code for a given project, along with the beginning year 
of that project (e.g., 925351993 for the Wading Bird Protection Initiative), or for those 
projects which share a Project/Study code with other project(s), some other code plus the 
year (e.g., COHA1993 for the Cooper=s hawk work, which was placed under 7615 - other 
approved surveys). Study ids of the form NG99-009, are contracted research projects funded 
by the  nongame program. This is linked to the Division's Metadata catalog where additional  
information about the project is kept see http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/datacat/ (within 
the Commission, go to that web site and search by the study id). In some cases, the 
multiple count records associated with a given sitenumber, may span multiple "studies", 
so the study id in the counts table is more reliable with respect to the 
study associated with a particular count.

RECCOUNTER - This numerically assigned record indicator is used for web displays and 
can be used for unique indications. This should not be assumed to be the same as the 
number of records in the table.  


Description of fields in the COUNTS table. 


Field name	Type	Size		Description
OBSERVER	Text	20	Name of observer of observation, e.g.  G.E. Reynolds
AFFILTION	Text	3	Affiliation of observer, link to AFFIL, e.g. FWC
DATE	        Text    10	Date of the observation, for example 2001/05/11
STARTTIME	Text	4	Start time in military time (no colon), e.g. 1325
ENDTIME	        Text	4	End time of observation
COMNAME	        Text	35	Common name of species, e.g. Black skimmer
SUBSPECIES	Text	25	Latin subspecies designation if any
ADULT_MALE	Text	5	Number of adult males counted
AMESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating adult males ( estimate) 
ADULT_FEM	Text	5	Number of adult females counted
AFESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating adult females ( estimate) 
ADULT_UNK	Text	5	Number of adults (of unknown sex) counted
AUESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating adults (unknown sex)
YOUNG_MALE	Text	5	Number of immature males counted
YMESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating immature males
YOUNG_FEM	Text	5	Number of immature females counted
YFESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating immature females
YOUNG_UNK	Text	5	Number of immatures (of unknown sex) counted
YUESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating immatures
UNK_MALE	Text	5	Number of males (of unknown age)
UMESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating unknown males
UNK_FEM	        Text	5	Number of females (of unknown age)
UFESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating unknown females
UNK_UNK	        Text	5	Number of individuals of unknown age and sex
UUESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating individuals of unknown age and sex 
ICOUNTTYPE	Text	1	Count type for the individuals (Link to COUNTTYPE)
NESTS	        Text	5	Count of nests
NESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating count of nests
OCCUPIED	Text	1	Were nests occupied?
SURVEYTYPE	Text	2	Survey type
STUDYID	        Text	8	Study identifier used by the study
SITENUMBER	Text	11	Site number linked to sites
ACTIVITY1	Text	7	Most prevalent activity, link to ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY2	Text	7	Next Most prevalent activity, link to ACTIVITY
SPP_NOTES	Text	254	Notes specific to the observation
QCCONTENT	Text	3	Initials of person doing quality control
QCDATE	        Text	10	Date of quality control
KEY	        Text	6	Unique id to identify this record
KEYER	     Integer	8	Automatically assigned numeric value for key

 

Created to hold wildlife count data from Notable Wildlife Areas (i.e., locations having 
assigned sitenumbers; see SITETYPE for list of the types of NWA=s), as well as sites 
frequented by individuals.  This table is linked to table SITES through the SITENUMBER 
field and contains one record per species per site for a given site visit (i.e., date 
and time).                                                                                            

OBSERVER - The format is as follows: G.E. Reynolds, with the name left-justified and a 
space between the middle initial and the last name.  There is also a lookup table for 
observers (ADDRESS) which contains more detailed information about people who have 
contributed data to the wildobs system (e.g., full name, address, phone number, etc.); 
this information is entered only once in the lookup table for each observer.  Another 
table (OBSERVER) allows name changes such thatobserver names never have to be changed 
in the main SITES and COUNTS tables.  

AFFILTION - The 3-letter codes for the affiliations. (e.g., FWC is the Commission.  See 
lookup table, AFFIL, for the complete list.

DATE - the date on which the observer visited the site using a ten-digit format for dates 
(i.e., yyyy/mm/dd). A date should be recorded for every observation.  However, if a date
is unknown and cannot be determined you may enter incomplete dates (historical data only, 
please).  For example, if only the month and year are known you may enter 1998/01

STARTTIME - the time at which the counting began or, alternatively, the time at which a 
single observation took place.  Recorded in military time without the colon (e.g., 4:15 pm 
= 1615).

ENDTIME - the time at which the counting ended (left blank for an instantaneous 
observation).Recorded in military time without the colon (e.g., 1630).

COMNAME - the accepted common name for the species as provided in the Species Ranking 
database (see http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/~sprandg/sprank/ within the Commission only).
In the case of subspecies, if there is only one subspecies for a given species present in 
the state,use the common name for that subspecies (as indicated in the species ranking 
database); where multiple subspecies for a given species exist in Florida, use the common 
name for the species and list the subspecies part of the scientific name in the 
SUBSPECIES field. Capitalize the first word in the common name and leave the remainder in 
lower case.  Format for entries is, for example, American kestrel.

SUBSPECIES - the commonly accepted Latin subspecies name, as listed in the Species Ranking 
Database.  For example, for the American kestrel breeding population in Florida, the 
correct subspecies name and format for entry would be paulus (all lower case). This is an 
OPTIONAL FIELD.

ADULT_MALE - the number of adult males recorded at the given site on the given date. The 
number should be left justified within the character field.  For example, the number 1 
would be listed as 1, followed by 4 blank spaces.  Of course, this is an OPTIONAL FIELD, 
depending on whether or not any adult males were observed at the site.

ADULT_FEM, ADULT_UNK, YOUNG_MALE, YOUNG_FEM, YOUNG_UNK, UNK_MALE, 
UNK_FEM - see ADULT_MALE for format.  Count of adult, young, or unknown, male, female 
or unknown sex. 

UNK_UNK - the number of individuals whose age and sex were not determined or the number 
of signs (e.g., tracks, etc.) observed.  See ADULT_MALE for format.

AMESTIMATE, AFESTIMATE, AUESTIMATE, YMESTIMATE, YFESTIMATE, YUESTIMATE, 
UMESTIMATE, UFESTIMATE, UUESTIMATE  - the estimate code (i.e., E=Exact count or 
census, G=Best guess, P=Incomplete or partial count, S=Estimated total count based upon a 
sample) for the Adult_male count, the Adult_female count, adult unknown sex count, young 
male count, young female count, young unknown sex count, unknown age male count, unknown 
age female county, and unknown age and sex count.   

ICOUNTTYPE - the count type for the counts of individuals (i.e., I=count of individuals, 
Y=count of young in nest, N= counts of adults & young at nests, S= count of signs, for 
example track sets. A code for what the numbers in fields ADULT_MALE, ADULT_FEM, 
ADULT_UNK, YOUNG_MALE,YOUNG_FEM, YOUNG_UNK, UNK_MALE, UNK_FEM, UNK_UNK) (see Appendix 3).  

NESTS - the number of nests recorded at the given location on the given date. The number 
should be left justified within the character field.  For example, the number 1 would be 
listed as 1, followed by 4 blank spaces.  Of course, this is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending 
on whether or not any nests were observed at the location.  Be sure to distinguish this 
from the number of pairs. 

NESTIMATE - Method of estimating nest numbers. Namely: E=Exact count or census, G=Best 
guess, P=Incomplete or partial count, S=Estimated total count based upon a sample

OCCUPIED - basically, the count type for the nest count, which used to be a choice between
occupied nests and Asuccessful@ nests.  Y = yes (the nests were occupied), N = no, P = 
partially (for counts of many nests), or U = unknown.  

SURVEYTYPE - the type of survey/census performed (see Appendix 3 for a list of current 
codes). For example, an aerial survey observation is recorded as AS.

STUDYID - a study id code if the record was part of an organized project. See the 
description under the SITES table.  This allows linking to a metadata table (within the 
Commission)(http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/datacat/) to allow obtaining more information 
about the project, or reports from the data.

SITENUMBER - The link to the description of the site in the SITES table.  See the 
description there. 

ACTIVITY1 - the activity being displayed by the species when it was observed (see 
Appendix 8). Activity codes should also be left-justified within the field and should be 
listed as, for example, 02, PO, 25, 25.13, or 25.13.4. This is generally the most 
prevalent activity, or perhaps the most noteworthy activity. 

ACTIVITY2 - a second activity code for the given observation, if applicable. Record as 
shown under ACTIVITY1. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on whether or not the species 
was exhibiting a second type of activity. 

SPP_NOTES - notes pertaining to the observation. May include a further explanation of the 
activities observed, etc. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD.  Note any factors that may influence 
the count of this species, or unusual behaviors. 

QCCONTENT - the initials of the person who quality-checked the given record, if any.

QCDATE - the date on which the above person quality-checked the given record.

KEY - Text field that indicates record number. 

KEYER - Automatically assigned numeric record number used for web linking.

Description of fields in the COUNTS table. 


Field name	Type	Size		Description
OBSERVER	Text	20	Name of observer of observation, e.g.  G.E. Reynolds
AFFILTION	Text	3	Affiliation of observer, link to AFFIL, e.g. FWC
DATE	        Text    10	Date of the observation, for example 2001/05/11
STARTTIME	Text	4	Start time in military time (no colon), e.g. 1325
ENDTIME	        Text	4	End time of observation
COMNAME	        Text	35	Common name of species, e.g. Black skimmer
SUBSPECIES	Text	25	Latin subspecies designation if any
ADULT_MALE	Text	5	Number of adult males counted
AMESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating adult males ( estimate) 
ADULT_FEM	Text	5	Number of adult females counted
AFESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating adult females ( estimate) 
ADULT_UNK	Text	5	Number of adults (of unknown sex) counted
AUESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating adults (unknown sex)
YOUNG_MALE	Text	5	Number of immature males counted
YMESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating immature males
YOUNG_FEM	Text	5	Number of immature females counted
YFESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating immature females
YOUNG_UNK	Text	5	Number of immatures (of unknown sex) counted
YUESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating immatures
UNK_MALE	Text	5	Number of males (of unknown age)
UMESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating unknown males
UNK_FEM	        Text	5	Number of females (of unknown age)
UFESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating unknown females
UNK_UNK	        Text	5	Number of individuals of unknown age and sex
UUESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating individuals of unknown age and sex 
ICOUNTTYPE	Text	1	Count type for the individuals (Link to COUNTTYPE)
NESTS	        Text	5	Count of nests
NESTIMATE	Text	1	Method of estimating count of nests
OCCUPIED	Text	1	Were nests occupied?
SURVEYTYPE	Text	2	Survey type
STUDYID	        Text	8	Study identifier used by the study
SITENUMBER	Text	11	Site number linked to sites
ACTIVITY1	Text	7	Most prevalent activity, link to ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY2	Text	7	Next Most prevalent activity, link to ACTIVITY
SPP_NOTES	Text	254	Notes specific to the observation
QCCONTENT	Text	3	Initials of person doing quality control
QCDATE	        Text	10	Date of quality control
KEY	        Text	6	Unique id to identify this record
KEYER	     Integer	8	Automatically assigned numeric value for key

 

Created to hold wildlife count data from Notable Wildlife Areas (i.e., locations having 
assigned sitenumbers; see SITETYPE for list of the types of NWA=s), as well as sites 
frequented by individuals.  This table is linked to table SITES through the SITENUMBER 
field and contains one record per species per site for a given site visit (i.e., date and 
time).                                                                                            

OBSERVER - The format is as follows: G.E. Reynolds, with the name left-justified and a 
space between the middle initial and the last name.  There is also a lookup table for 
observers (ADDRESS) which contains more detailed information about people who have 
contributed data to the wildobs system (e.g., full name, address, phone number, etc.); 
this information is entered only once in the lookup table for each observer.  Another 
table (OBSERVER) allows name changes such thatobserver names never have to be changed in 
the main SITES and COUNTS tables.  

AFFILTION - The 3-letter codes for the affiliations. (e.g., FWC is the Commission.  See 
lookup table,AFFIL, for the complete list.

DATE - the date on which the observer visited the site using a ten-digit format for dates 
(i.e., yyyy/mm/dd). A date should be recorded for every observation.  However, if a date
is unknown and cannot be determined you may enter incomplete dates (historical data only, 
please).  For example, if only the month and year are known you may enter 1998/01

STARTTIME - the time at which the counting began or, alternatively, the time at which a 
single observation took place.  Recorded in military time without the colon (e.g., 4:15 pm 
= 1615).

ENDTIME - the time at which the counting ended (left blank for an instantaneous observation).  
Recorded in military time without the colon (e.g., 1630).

COMNAME - the accepted common name for the species as provided in the Species Ranking 
database (see http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/~sprandg/sprank/ within the Commission only).  In 
the case of subspecies, if there is only one subspecies for a given species present in the 
state,use the common name for that subspecies (as indicated in the species ranking database); where 
multiple subspecies for a given species exist in Florida, use the common name for the 
species and list the subspecies part of the scientific name in the SUBSPECIES field. 
Capitalize the first word in the common name and leave the remainder in lower case. Format 
for entries is, for example, American kestrel.

SUBSPECIES - the commonly accepted Latin subspecies name, as listed in the Species Ranking 
Database.  For example, for the American kestrel breeding population in Florida, the 
correct subspecies name and format for entry would be paulus (all lower case).  This is an 
OPTIONAL FIELD.

ADULT_MALE - the number of adult males recorded at the given site on the given date. The 
number should be left justified within the character field.  For example, the number 1 
would be listed as 1, followed by 4 blank spaces.  Of course, this is an OPTIONAL FIELD, 
depending on whether or not any adult males were observed at the site.

ADULT_FEM, ADULT_UNK, YOUNG_MALE, YOUNG_FEM, YOUNG_UNK, UNK_MALE, 
UNK_FEM - see ADULT_MALE for format.  Count of adult, young, or unknown, male, female 
or unknown sex. 

UNK_UNK - the number of individuals whose age and sex were not determined or the number 
of signs (e.g., tracks, etc.) observed.  See ADULT_MALE for format.

AMESTIMATE, AFESTIMATE, AUESTIMATE, YMESTIMATE, YFESTIMATE, YUESTIMATE, 
UMESTIMATE, UFESTIMATE, UUESTIMATE  - the estimate code (i.e., E=Exact count or 
census, G=Best guess, P=Incomplete or partial count, S=Estimated total count based upon a 
sample) for the Adult_male count, the Adult_female count, adult unknown sex count, young 
male count, young female count, young unknown sex count, unknown age male count, unknown 
age female county, and unknown age and sex count.   

ICOUNTTYPE - the count type for the counts of individuals (i.e., I=count of individuals, 
Y=count of young in nest, N= counts of adults & young at nests, S= count of signs, for 
example track sets. A code for what the numbers in fields ADULT_MALE, ADULT_FEM, ADULT_UNK,
YOUNG_MALE, YOUNG_FEM, YOUNG_UNK, UNK_MALE, UNK_FEM, UNK_UNK) (see Appendix 3).  

NESTS - the number of nests recorded at the given location on the given date. The number 
should be left justified within the character field.  For example, the number 1 would be 
listed as 1, followed by 4 blank spaces.  Of course, this is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending 
on whether or not any nests were observed at the location.  Be sure to distinguish this 
from the number of pairs. 

NESTIMATE - Method of estimating nest numbers. Namely: E=Exact count or census, G=Best 
guess, P=Incomplete or partial count, S=Estimated total count based upon a sample

OCCUPIED - basically, the count type for the nest count, which used to be a choice between 
occupied nests and Asuccessful@ nests.  Y = yes (the nests were occupied), N = no, P = 
partially (for counts of many nests), or U = unknown.  

SURVEYTYPE - the type of survey/census performed (see Appendix 3 for a list of current 
codes). For example, an aerial survey observation is recorded as AS.

STUDYID - a study id code if the record was part of an organized project. See the 
description under the SITES table.  This allows linking to a metadata table (within the 
Commission)(http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/datacat/) to allow obtaining more information 
about the project, or reports from the data.

SITENUMBER - The link to the description of the site in the SITES table.  See the 
description there. 

ACTIVITY1 - the activity being displayed by the species when it was observed (see Appendix 
8). Activity codes should also be left-justified within the field and should be listed as, 
for example, 02, PO, 25, 25.13, 
or 25.13.4. This is generally the most prevalent activity, or perhaps the most noteworthy 
activity. 

ACTIVITY2 - a second activity code for the given observation, if applicable. Record as 
shown under ACTIVITY1. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on whether or not the species 
was exhibiting a second type of activity. 

SPP_NOTES - notes pertaining to the observation. May include a further explanation of the 
activities observed, etc. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD.  Note any factors that may influence 
the count of this species, or unusual behaviors. 

QCCONTENT - the initials of the person who quality-checked the given record, if any.

QCDATE - the date on which the above person quality-checked the given record.

KEY - Text field that indicates record number. 

KEYER - Automatically assigned numeric record number used for web linking.

Appendix 7: Habitat Type Codes

1	Central or core urban area

1.1	Commercial, light industrial development
1.2	Institutional development
1.3	Multiple family dwellings
1.4	Single, or mixed, family dwellings
1.5	Transportation corridor
1.6	Heavy industrial development
1.7	Utility right of way
1.8	Open space within core urban area
1.8.1	Golf course, park
1.8.2	Zoo, tourist attraction, race track, fairground
1.8.3	Marina, beach, pier
1.8.4	Surface water runoff management pond
1.8.5	Undeveloped area within urban area
1.8.6	Vacant cleared lots
1.8.7	Rooftop

2	Low density suburban development, areas peripheral to core urban areas, 
and small towns	

2.1	Commercial, light industrial development	0
2.10	Utility right of ways	
2.11	Open space within suburban area	
2.11.1	Golf course, park	
2.11.2	Zoo, tourist attraction, race track, fairground	
2.11.3	Marina, beach, pier	
2.11.4	Surface water runoff management pond
2.11.5	Undeveloped area within suburban area	
2.11.6	Vacant cleared lots	
2.11.7	Rooftop	
2.2	Institutional development	
2.3	Multiple family dwellings	
2.4	Single, or mixed, family dwellings	
2.5	Low density residential	
2.6	Landfill, sewage treatment area	
2.7	Airport, seaport	
2.8	Transportation corridor		
2.9	Heavy industrial development		

3	Agricultural habitat	

3.1	Cropland		
3.1.1	Freshly plowed or planted field		
3.1.2	Standing crop field		
3.1.3	Fallow or flooded field		
3.2	Improved pasture, or sod farm		
3.2.1	Overgrazed pasture	
3.2.2	Overgrown pasture (old field)		
3.2.3	Mowed pasture		
3.3	Orchard, grove, pine plantation or nursery stock		
3.3.1	Recently (re)planted grove, orchard, pine plantation		
3.3.2	Young or mature stock: sapling or larger		
3.4	Confined feeding operation: poultry, pork, beef, etc.		
3.5	Agricultural runoff containment pond		
3.6	Aquacultural pond		
3.7	Other agricultural habitat	

4	Recently disturbed, early successional community		

4.1	Recent clearcut		
4.2	Old field community		
4.2.1	Herbaceous stage (old field community)		
4.2.2	Shrub/sapling stage (old field community)		

5	Upland forest or woodland	

5.2.1	Prairie hammock		
5.3	Rockland hammock	
5.4	Sandhill/Upland pine forest		
5.4.1	Sandhill		
5.4.2	Upland pine forest		

5.5	Scrub		

5.5.1	Sand pine scrub		
5.5.2	Oak scrub		
5.5.3	Interior rosemary-palmetto scrub		
5.6	Mesic flatwood		
5.6.1	Scrubby flatwood		
5.6.2	Pine rockland		

5.7	Upland mixed forest		

5.7.1	Slope forest		
5.7.2	Upland glade		

5.8	Old field or other mixed forest		

6	Dry prairie

6.1	Palm savannah
6.2	Palmetto prairie

7	Lowland forest or swamp

7.1	Bottomland forest	
7.2	Floodplain forest		
7.3	Floodplain swamp		
7.4	Hydric hammock		

7.5	Cypress swamp		

7.5.1	Strand swamp		
7.5.2	Marl prairie		
7.5.3	Dome swamp		

7.6	Seepage community		
7.6.1	Baygall		
7.6.2.	Shrub swamp 
(Synonym: titi swamp, titi thicket).  Fire subclimax of bay swamp dominated by black titi, 
swamp cyrilla, fetterbush, sweet pepperbush, doghobble, large gallberry, and myrtle-leaf 
holly.  In absence of fire, spreads both downslope into bogs and upslope into mesic 
flatwoods.

7.6.3.	Bog (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: bog swamp, pocosin, evergreen shrub bog, wet scrub/shrub, peat islands, 
teardrop islands). Wetland with deep peat substrate and saturated, occasionally inundated, 
soil. Highly variable structurally: sphagnum moss and dense evergreen forest, thickets of 
hydrophytic shrubs, or marshy prairie.

7.6.4.	Seepage slope (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: pitcher plant bog, herb bog, grass-sedge bog, seep, shrub bog).  Small shrub 
thicket or boggy meadow at base of shallow slope.  Often with orchids and insectivorous 
plants.  Most common in north Florida on frequently saturated, but also sandy, soils.

7.7.	Wet flatwoods (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: low flatwoods, moist pine barren, hydric flatwoods, pond-pine flatwoods, 
pocosin, cabbage palm - pine savannah or flatwoods).  Seasonally flooded, relatively 
open-canopied woods of slash or pond pines and cabbage palms.  Sparse to dense 
understory and ground cover depending upon recent fire history.  Associated with and
 grades into mesic flatwoods, wet prairie, basin swamp, and dome or strand swamp (often 
with wet prairie ecotone).

8.	  Wet prairie (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: sand marsh, savannah, coastal savannah or prairie, pitcher plant prairie).  
Seasonally flooded treeless plain with herbaceous ground cover that may be invaded 
by melaleuca in south Florida and/or wax myrtle in absence of fire.  Associated with 
and may grade into wet flatwoods,depression marsh, or dry prairie.  Plant species similar
to fresh water marshes and seepage slopes.

8.1.	Grazed wet prairie
8.2.	Ungrazed wet prairie  

9.  Freshwater marsh: wetland dominated by emergent and floating aquatic plants.

9.1.	Floodplain marsh (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonym: river marsh).  Emergent grass, herb, and shrub dominated wetlands along central 
Florida rivers. Characterized by maidencane, pickerel weed, sagittaria, buttonbush and mixed 
emergent.  Grades into wet prairie and riverine habitats.

9.2.	Slough (FNAI and DNR 1990)  
Broad, shallow channels with flowing water within swamps and swales.  Vegetation structure 
variable but often characterized by pop ash, pond apple, water elm, and large emergent and 
floating aquatics.  Canopied sloughs in south Florida support diverse epiphytes and a Caribbean 
flora.  Often grades into swale and strand swamp; may occur in floodplain, dome, or basin swamp.

9.3.	Basin marsh (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: prairie, freshwater marsh).  Wetland in large irregular shaped basin with an often mucky 
peat bottom.  May develop from lakes and often grade into lakes and wet prairies.  Similar to 
depression marsh and floodplain marsh.  Typical plants include common reed, panicum, cutgrass, 
pennywort, lotus, arrowhead, willow, saltbush, spikerush, buttonbush, and dog fennel.

9.3.1.	Depression marsh (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: isolated wetland, flatwoods pond, St. John's wort pond, pineland depression, ephemeral 
pond, seasonal marsh).  Small (cp. to basin marsh), usually rounded depression seasonally inundated 
(hydroperiod generally shorter than basin marsh).  Aquatic plants in concentric bands including St. 
John's wort, spikerush, maidencane, fire flag, arrowhead, pickerel weed, buttonbush, wax myrtle, 
and willows.  Associated with wet prairie, seepage slope, dome swamp, bog, and flatwoods or sandhill 
lakes.  May occur as isolated wetlands within karst uplands.

9.3.2.	Dry depression marsh

9.4.	Swale (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: sawgrass marsh, slough, river of grass, glades).  South Florida marshes in broad shallow 
channels with perceptible flowing water characterized by emergent grasses, sedges and tall herbs.  
Dominated by sawgrass with buttonbush, coastal plain willow, arrowhead, pickerel weed, waterlily,
 muhly grass, etc.  Grades into wet prairie and marl prairies, which rarely have perceptible flowing water.

10 Lake 

10.1.  Clastic upland lake (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: clay- or silt-bottomed lake, fluctuating or disappearing lake, deep water lake, limesink). 
Lakes with irregularly shaped basins located in clay hills or uplands.  Surface water inflows frequent
but surface outflows frequently lacking.  Water usually dark; extensive and highly variable shoreline 
vegetation.

10.2.  Sandhill upland lake (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: sand- and silt-bottomed lake, fluctuating pond, oligotrophic lake, sandhill lake).  Shallow,
rounded solution depressions in sandy uplands.  No significant surface water inflow or outflows; fed
by seepage and/or artesian flow.  Seasonally fluctuating water levels.  Water clear, shoreline vegetation 
often limited.

10.3.  Flatwoods/prairie lake (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: flatwoods pond, ephemeral pond, grass pond, St. John's wort pond, freshwater lake, pineland 
depression, swale, prairie pond).  Lakes surrounded by flatwoods, prairie, or freshwater marsh.  Surface
inflows via runoff.  Water clear or colored, shoreline vegetation variable: wet prairie, or dense shrub.

10.4.  Marsh lake (FNAI and DNR 1990)  
Small (relative to surrounding marsh) zone of still, colored, open water within depression marsh.

10.5.  Swamp/river floodplain lake (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: cypress pond, gum pond, oxbow lake, backwater, blackwater lake or pond).  Shallow, but 
usually permanent, open water surrounded by basin or floodplain swamps (if dominated by emergents 
then called depression or floodplain marsh).  Colored waters may be still or flow through and fluctuate
greatly.  

10.6.  Coastal dune lake (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: lagoon, sand- and silt-bottomed lake, fluctuating pond, oligotrophic lake, coastal lake).  
Shallowdepressions without significant surface outflow or inflows.  Filled by seepage from coastal 
sands and/or overwash from storms.  Shoreline vegetation varies from herbaceous to dense shrubs. 

10.7.  Coastal rockland lake (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
Shallow oolitic or limestone basins in Monroe Co.

10.8.  Sinkhole lake (FNAI and DNR 1990)  
Deep funnel-shaped limestone depressions lacking surficial inflows or outflows.  Water clear, vegetation 
may be absent or limited to narrow fringe of emergents, or covered with floating plants.

10.9.  Artificial lake, pond, or borrow pit


11.	Freshwater river or stream

11.1.  Seepage stream (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: steephead stream, clear brook, swift brook, hammock stream).  Small watercourses 
originating from shallow ground water percolation in sandy uplands.  Usually short, shallow and 
narrow streams under slope forest canopy with clear to lightly-colored cool waters.  Headwaters 
of alluvial and blackwater streams.

11.2.  Alluvial river or stream (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: slow flowing river, deep river, muddy stream).  Watercourses originating in high 
uplands with surface runoff feeding the river and causing high turbidity.  Depth, flow rate, 
and sediment loads vary widely.  Flooding in winter or early spring and occasionally in summer.  
Distinct floodplain with natural levee present.  Found in panhandle Florida (e.g., Apalachicola, 
Choctawhatchee rivers). 

11.3.  Blackwater river or stream (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: blackwater creek).  Watercourses originating in sandy lowlands with extensive 
organic soil wetlands. Characterized by dark, unproductive but clear water; steep banks 
with limestone outcrops; sandy bottoms; and absence of alluvial floodplain and natural levee.

11.4.  Spring-run stream (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: calcareous stream, spring, or creek).  Watercourses originating from artesian flows 
from deep aquifers.  Clear, cool and productive water with exposed limestone or sand bottom.  
Headwaters and tributaries of alluvial and blackwater streams.

11.5.  Channelized, dredged, altered freshwater stream, or canal.


12.	Coastal upland

12.1.  Coastal scrub 
Sand pine, slash pine, rosemary, palmetto, Spanish bayonet, yaupon holly and scrub oaks 
community on stabilized coastal dunes.

12.2.  Beach dune (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: sand dunes, pioneer zone, upper beach, sea oats zone, coastal strand).  Active 
beachfront dunes dominated by sea oats with sand spur, dune panic grass, railroad vine, 
beach morning glory, sea purslane, etc.

12.3.  Coastal strand or berm (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: shrub zone, maritime thicket, coastal scrub, coastal levee, or coastal forest, 
shell ridge, buttonwood embankment, mangrove hammock).  Salt-tolerant shrubs, yaupon 
holly, seagrape, lantana, cactus, yucca, cocoplum etc. on stabilized coastal dunes or storm 
deposited material.  Shrubs often wind pruned to produce a smooth canopy.  An ecotone 
between beach dune and maritime hammock; may grade into tidal swamp or coastal 
grassland.


12.4.  Maritime hammock (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: coastal hammock, maritime forest, tropical hammock, salt-spray climax).  Narrow 
band of hardwood forest on stabilized dunes inland from coastal strand habitat.  Dense 
closed-canopy forest of wind pruned live oak, cabbage palm and redbay along with holly, 
magnolia, juniper, gumbo-limbo, strangler fig, palmetto, etc. depending upon latitude.

12.5.  Coastal grassland (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: overwash plain, deflation plain, salt flat, coastal savannah).  Low flat area 
restricted to barrier islands, spits etc. where storm waves push inland.  Recent overwash
areas are sand or salt barrens, but older sites may include slash pine, and/or cabbage 
palm or buttonwood, and halophytic herbs and shrubs.

12.6.  Coastal rock barren (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: littoral rock pavement, algal barren, cactus barren, rocky flat).  Ecotone 
(between marine and rockland communities) on rocky coasts of the Keys.

13.      Estuarine community: Primarily supra- and/or inter-tidal zones.

13.1.  Open water: bay, lagoon, tidal creek or river, including	intracoastal waterways.

13.2.  Tidal marsh (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: saltmarsh, brackish marsh, coastal wetlands, coastal marsh, tidal wetlands).  
Expanses of grasses, rushes and sedges along low energy coastlines and river mouths.  

13.2.1.	Cordgrass salt marsh  
Deep brackish marsh dominated by smooth cordgrass.

13.2.2.	Needlerush salt marsh  
Shallow brackish marsh dominated by black needlerush.

13.2.3.	Transitional salt marsh  
Herbaceous or shrubby marsh dominated by glasswort, salt wort, salt grass, sea ox-eye, 
marsh elder, and groundsel-tree.

13.3.	Tidal swamp (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: mangrove swamp or forest, mangrove islands).  Dense, low forests along flat, 
low energy, south Florida coasts. Dominated by mangroves and buttonbush, mixed with 
salt grass, rushes, cord grass. etc.

13.4.	Consolidated substrate (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: hard bottom, rock bottom, lime rock bottom, coquina bottom, relic reef).  Open 
areas of solidified rock or shell in sub-, inter-, or supratidal zones and lacking dense 
populations of sessile taxa.

13.5.	Unconsolidated substrate (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: beach, shore, sand or shell bottom, sand bar, mud flat, tidal flat, soft bottom, 
calcareous clay, marl, gravel, pebble).  Unsolidified substrates often associated with and 
grading into beach dunes, tidal marshes, or tidal swamps above and grass beds, 
or reefs, below.

13.5.1.	Sandy beach

13.5.2.	Muddy beach

13.5.3.	Sandy flats

13.5.4.	Muddy flats

13.5.5.	Mixed sand/mud flats

13.6.	Composite substrate (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
May be marine or estuarine; diverse areas dominated by any combination of sessile flora or 
fauna on hard or soft mineral substrates.

14.	Marine community: primarily inter- and/or sub-tidal zones.

14.1.	Open ocean or gulf

14.2.	Octocoral bed (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: soft corals, sea fans, sea feathers, sea whips, gorgonians, etc.).  Characterized by 
concentrations of sessile anthozoans in subtidal zones on consolidated substrates.

14.3.	Sponge bed (FNAI and DNR 1990)  
(Synonyms: branching candle sponge, Florida loggerhead sponge, sheepswool sponge). 
Characterized by concentrations of sessile poriferans in subtidal zones on consolidated substrates.

14.4.	Algal bed (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: algal mats, periphyton mats).  Large populations of nondrift algae found in all tidal 
zones on hard or soft substrates.

14.5         Worm reef (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonym: Sabellariid reef).  Large conglomerates of rigid marine worm tubes on bare 
substrates (hard or soft).  Limited to southern coast.

14.5.	Coral reef (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: barrier, patch, transitional or bank reef, live bottom community, hard bottom
 community, Hawk Channel reef).  Conglomerates of coral in warm subtidal waters.


14.6.	Mollusk reef (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: oyster bar, oyster reef, oyster bed, oyster grounds or plantings, mussel reef, 
worm shell reef, Vermetid reef). Concentrations of sessile mollusks in inter- or subtidal zones.

14.7.	Seagrass bed (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: seagrass meadows, grass beds, grass flats).  Expansive stands of broad-leaved 
vascular flowering plants in clear, coastal waters. Dominated by turtle grass, manatee grass 
and/or shoal grass.  Located on unconsolidated substrates in subtidal 
(rarely intertidal) zones.

15.	Exotic plant community: habitat dominated by exotic plants.

15.1.	Australian pine 
15.2.	Brazilian pepper 
15.3.	Melaleuca 
15.4.	Other exotic plant community

16.	 Special features

16.1.	Shell mound (FNAI and DNR 1990) 
(Synonyms: midden, Indian mound, tropical hammock, maritime hammock, coastal hammock).  
Elevated mound of mollusk shells on which a hardwood forest has developed.

16.2.	Cave
(Synonyms: cavern, grotto, chimney, sink, swallow hole, spring rise, chamber).

16.2.1.	Aquatic cave (FNAI and DNR 1990)  
Permanently or periodically submerged caves.

16.2.2.	Terrestrial cave (FNAI and DNR 1990)  
Caves or portions of caves lacking standing water.

16.3.	Bluff (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: cliff face, cliff, slope, bank).  Exposed unstable slopes along rivers or streams.

16.4.	Sinkhole (FNAI and DNR 1990)
(Synonyms: lime sink, sink, solution pit, cenote, grotto, doline, chimney hole).  Depression with 
steep limestone walls covered with mosses, liverworts, ferns, etc. with often well-developed forest 
around the rim.

17.  Barren land
17.1.  Mine, rock quarry
17.2.  Dredge spoil (unvegetated)
 

Appendix 8. Wildlife Activity and Mortality Codes

00	  Or blank if undetermined
01        Reproductive:  Use alphabetic Breeding Bird Atlas Codes for birds.  Enter the level of 
confirmation (O, PO, PR, or CO) and the criteria code for each observation.
O	Species Observed during its breeding season (but no further evidence of breeding).
PO	Possible Breeding  There are 2 criteria codes here: SH if species was observed in 
suitable nesting habitat during its breeding season; or SM if singing males were heard in 
suitable nesting habitat during the breeding season.
PR	Probable Breeding  There are several criteria here:
P	Pair observed in suitable habitat in breeding season.
T	Evidence of territorial behavior observed at least twice, a week or more apart, in 
the same place.
C	Courtship behavior, or copulation observed.
V	Birds seen visiting probable nest site, carrying nest material, building nest (e.g., by 
wrens), or excavating cavity (e.g., woodpeckers).
A	Adults observed in agitated behavior, or giving anxiety calls suggestive of the 
presence of nearby nest or young.
N	Adults observed nest-building, excavating a nest cavity, or carrying nesting material.
CO	Confirmed Breeding  There are several criteria here:
SE	Seven or more territorial males observed singing on at least 2 days a week or more apart.
DD	Distraction display or feigned injury observed.
NU	Used nest or egg shells found and species verified.
FY	Recently fledged young or downy young incapable of sustained flight.
ON	Adults seen on nest, or entering/leaving a nest site.
FS	Adults seen carrying fecal sac or food.
NE	Nest with eggs found and species verified.
NY	Nest with young seen or heard.
02	Loafing or roosting
03	Migration
04	Feeding
05	Disturbed
06	Injured *
07	Sign *
08	Calling
09	Drinking
10	Escape
11	Territorial
12	Hunting
13	Standing/perching
14	Walking
15	Running
16	Hiding
17	Flying
18	Swimming
19	Accidentally entrapped *
20	Captured and released *
21	Captured and held (specify disposition)*
22	Captured for transplant (specify capture location)*
23	Released from transplant (specify release location)*
24	Hibernation
25	Mortality Codes
25.1 	Cause undetermined
25.2	Legal harvest
25.3	Illegal harvest	
25.4	Cripple loss
25.5	Depredation or nuisance harvest
25.6	Commercial harvest
25.7	Scientific collection * (specify disposition)
25.8	Road or railroad kill
25.9	Electrocution, tower, or wire strike
25.10 	Drowning
25.11 	Trapping mortality
25.12 	Tangled in fence
25.13 	Physiological stress
25.13.1 Starvation
25.13.2 Parasitism
25.13.3 Exposure
25.13.4 Migration related stress
25.14 	Disease
25.15 	Predation
25.15.1 Wild mammalian predator
25.15.2 Feral mammalian predator
25.15.3 Wild avian predator  	

* Include details in Notes
 
Appendix 9.  Accepted COUNTYNAME spellings and 4-digit county codes.

Alachua	       ALAC	Hernando	 HERN	Polk	        POLK
Baker	       BAKE	Highlands	 HIGH	Putnam	        PUTN
Bay	       BAY_	Hillsborough     HILL	St. Johns	STJO
Bradford       BRAD	Holmes	         HOLM	St. Lucie	STLU
Brevard	       BREV	Indian River     INDI	Santa Rosa 	SANT
Broward	       BROW	Jackson	         JACK	Sarasota	SARA
Calhoun	       CALH	Jefferson	 JEFF	Seminole	SEMI
Charlotte      CHAR	Lafayette	 LAFA	Sumter		SUMT
Citrus	       CITR	Lake	         LAKE	Suwannee	SUWA
Clay	       CLAY	Lee	         LEE_	Taylor		TAYL
Collier	       COLL	Leon	         LEON	Union		UNIO
Columbia       COLU	Levy	         LEVY	Volusia		VOLU
Dade	       DADE	Liberty	         LIBE	Wakulla		WAKU
DeSoto	       DESO	Madison	         MADI	Walton		WALT
Dixie	       DIXI	Manatee	         MANA	Washington	WASH
Duval	       DUVA	Marion	         MARI		
Escambia       ESCA	Martin	         MART
Flagler	       FLAG	Monroe	         MONR
Franklin       FRAN   	Nassau	         NASS
Gadsden	       GADS	Okaloosa	 OKAL
Gilchrist      GILC     Okeechobee	 OKEE
Glades	       GLAD	Orange	         ORAN
Gulf	       GULF	Osceola	         OSCE
Hamilton       HAMI	Palm Beach	 PALM
Hardee	       HARD	Pasco	         PASC
Hendry	       HEND	Pinellas	 PINE

Appendix 10.  PROPOSED required elements of the Florida Wildlife Occurrence Database 
System for Incidental Observations vs. data collected during the course of an approved, Formal Project.  
The following is the key:
"R" - Required fields
"D" - desirable (but optional) fields
"G" - Fields entered by Database Analyst
 Additional fields may be required dependant upon the project at hand. 
Elements in the Sites Table


 	 Incidental Observation  Formal Contracted    Contracted Project

Field name______________________________________________________________
SITENAME	     R		      R			R
SITENUMBER	     G		      R			G
ALTNUMBER	     		     
CONFIRMED	     		      R
RANK				        		     
RANKBASIS	     		      
RANKDATE	     		      
OBSERVER	     R		      R			R
AFFILTION	     R		      R			R
SITEDATE	     R		      R			R
LAT_DEG	             R		      R			R
LAT_MIN	             R		      R			R
LAT_SEC	     		     		
LON_DEG	             R		      R			R
LON_MIN	             R		      R			R
LON_SEC	     		     
ACCURACY	     		       
ACCTABLE	     		       
MAPMETHOD	     		      R			R
MAPNAME	     		     
MAPDATE	     		     
DATUM	     		              R			R
TOWNSHIP	     		      
RANGE	     		      
SECTION	     		      
QSECTION	     		      
COUNTYNAME	     R		      R			R
MANAGEAREA	     		      R
HABITAT1	     D		      R			R
HABITAT2	     		     
LOC_NOTES	     D		      R			D
QCMAP	      		              G			G
QCDATE	      		              G			G
MAP_ID	     		      
LAT	             G		      G			G
LON	             G		      G			G
SITETYPE	                      R	                G
STUDYID				      R			G		
_________________________________________________________________________
 

R
	 		   

	 		   
Required Elements in the Counts Table

Field name	Incidental 		Formal		Contacted
		Observation		Project		Project
 _____________________________________________________________________________
OBSERVER	      R		      R			R
AFFILTION	      R		      R			R
DATE	              R		      R			R
STARTTIME	      D		      D			D	     
ENDTIME	              D		      D			D
COMNAME	              R		      R			R
SUBSPECIES
	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  
          at least one of the following count and estimate pairs is required 
ADULT_MALE	
AMESTIMATE					
ADULT_FEM	     		     
AFESTIMATE	     		     
ADULT_UNK	     		     
AUESTIMATE	     		     
YOUNG_MALE	     		     
YMESTIMATE	     		     
YOUNG_FEM	     		     
YFESTIMATE	     		     
YOUNG_UNK	     		     
YUESTIMATE	     		     
UNK_MALE	     		     
UMESTIMATE	     		     
UNK_FEM	     		     
UFESTIMATE	     		     
UNK_UNK	              D     		     
UUESTIMATE	     		     
ICOUNTTYPE	     		      D			 D
NESTS	     		     
NESTIMATE	     		     
   -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
ACTIVITY1	      D 	      R	                 R
OCCUPIED	     		     
SURVEYTYPE	      G  	      R			 R
STUDYID		      R		      G
SITENUMBER	      G (numeric)     R			 G					
ACTIVITY2	          
SPP_NOTES		              D	     		 D     
QCCONTENT	       		      G			 G
QCDATE	       		              G			 G	
KEY	             G		      G			 G
  

Appendix 11.  Examples of correct latitude and longitude coordinates determined from
the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer.

North Florida

Page 31 	"Black Spring"

30o 41.5'		85o 17.5'

Page 31	"Lookout" southeast of Campbellton

30o 56.0'		85o 23.5'

Central Florida

Page 87	Boat Landing on Route 520, northwest of Lake Poinsett

28o 22.0'		80o 52.0'

Page 87	Jct. of Route 192/500 and 419 north of Deer Park

28o 06.0'		80o 53.0'

South Florida

Page 112	Jct. of Route 29 and 858 north of Sunniland

26o 18.0'		81o 20.5'

Page 114	"Andytown"

26o 08.5'		80o 26.5'
 

Appendix 12. Determining Latitude/Longitude Coordinates from Gazetteer: 
To determine latitude/longitude coordinates, first select the appropriate 
transparent grid for your area: 

North Florida - from the state line south to 29o N latitude (i.e., north of a line 
from New Smyrna Beach to Yankeetown); 
Central Florida - 29o N latitude south to 27o N latitude (i.e., a line from Jupiter 
to Port Charlotte); 
South Florida - 27o N latitude to 25o N latitude (i.e., Tavernier).  

Next, align the corners of the grid with the tic marks and corners of the DeLorme 
map to cover your location on the map.  Determine the correct coordinates by adding 
or subtracting from the known coordinates on the map. Record the latitude and 
longitude (i.e., 30 seconds) using the coordinates to the southeast of the sighting.
(Recall that latitude increases from south to north while longitude increases from 
east to west.)  As tic marks on the DeLorme maps are 7.5 minutes apart, it is easiest 
to align the transparent grid using map corners and tic marks near the center of each 
page.  This is much easier if the tic marks corresponding to 15-minute intervals are 
highlighted in orange.  Coordinates are most accurate if you work close to the origin
 of the grid.  With practice this is quick and fairly accurate, please perfect your 
technique by practicing with the examples in Appendix 11.

For the record, and for those interested in the level of accuracy available from the 
DeLorme maps, the grids were developed using the following information and measurements.
Scale = 1:150,000 (i.e., 1" = 2.3 miles, ca. 7/16" = 1 mile, 1 cm = 1.5 km, 1 mm = 
150 m, 11.25 mm = 1 mile, ad nauseum).  Similarly in terms of minutes of latitude and 
longitude relative to map distance: 1' Latitude = 12.3 mm across the whole state, but 
1' of longitude ranges from 10.5 mm in north Florida to 11.2 mm in the Keys.
In terms of estimated ground distance 1' of latitude = ca. 1840 m (1.84 km), across the 
state (but on the maps in 1986 edition I noticed variation of from 1.83 to 1.85 km); 
while 1' of longitude = ca. 1.7 km (at 26o N), ca. 1.6 km (at 28o N), and ca. 1.5 km 
(at 30o N).  Read the inside front cover of the DeLorme maps for more information.

In our experience comparing locations on DeLorme maps and the topographic quadrangles
upon which they are based, our transparent grids are reliably accurate to the nearest 
0.5 minute of latitude or longitude.  This is roughly equivalent to locating a point 
to the nearest 1/4 section.  If more accuracy is needed use topographic maps or (Most
preferable!) Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) units set to a datum of WGS84. 


 


Appendix 13. Data Included in Wildobs COUNTS table
Record #'s		Data & References

1-5497	
All the data from the first major wildobs update (dated 7/21/92) except the
bald eagle nest survey data (please refer to the most current bald eagle nest survey
databases for bald eagle nest locations).  These records include the 1986-89 wading
bird survey data, 1987-1990 shorebird data (mostly least terns), caracara data 
summarized by Brian Millsap, and Steve Christman's scrub sites where he recorded at 
least one of five vertebrate species (thus, not all of Christman's sites).

Related references:
Runde, D. E., J. A. Gore, J. A. Hovis, M. S. Robson, and P. D. Southall.  1991.  
Florida atlas of breeding sites for herons and their allies.  Update 1986-89.  Fla. 
Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Tech. Rep. No. 10.  147pp. 
StudyId=WADE1989
Hovis, J. A., and M. S. Robson.  1989.  Breeding status and distribution of the least
tern in the Florida Keys.  Fla. Field Nat. 17:61-66.
Gore, J. A.  1987.  Black skimmers nesting on roofs in northwestern Florida.  Fla. Field 
Nat. 15:77-79.
Gore, J. A.  1991.  Distribution and abundance of nesting least terns and black skimmers 
in northwest Florida.  Fla. Field Nat. 19:65-96.
Gore, J. A., and M. J. Kinnison.  1991. Hatching success in roof and ground colonies of 
least terns.  Condor 93:759-762.
None for caracara data (unpublished).
Christman, S. P.  1988.  Endemism and Florida interior sand pine scrub.  Fla. Game and 
Fresh Water Fish Comm., Draft Nongame Wildl. Program Final Rep., GFC-84-010, Tallahassee, 
Fla.(with Element Occurrence data provided by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 
Tallahassee, Fla.)

5498-5735	
Brian Millsap's original OCCUR.DBF file minus data for projects 1.1 and 1.8 (i.e., the 
wading bird and caracara data inclu

This system is defined to be useful to biologists to maintain species lists 
or to track wildlife populations in protected or managed areas.  Our goal is
to provide a standardized format for recording and managing incidental, casual, 
or short-term systematic observations of wildlife.  Additionally this can be a 
repository for longer-term studies, or data from other sources, such as literature 
and contracted research projects.  The Wildlife Observation Forms and web site are 
not intended to replace formal, more detailed, data forms developed for formal 
systematic survey projects; but such data forms developed by BWDC staff should 
contain the data fields included here (Appendix 1).  The observation forms included 
here can be used to record data from ad hoc or short-term surveys, local 
inventories, and pilot studies.  Additionally a web site 
http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/wildobs on the Division of Wildlife's intranet 
(within the Commission only) provides for entering "casual observations" into a 
spreadsheet-like list or a check list. For casual observations within the Commission, 
BWDC biologists, Wildlife Management Area (WMA) biologists or Law enforcement 
officers should use the web site.  For systematic studies, the Division's Database 
analyst should be contacted before the project starts to assist with database design.  
After either a BWDC project or Contracted Project is completed, the division's 
database analyst should be contacted to insure that the data is entered into this 
system (Fig 1) and metadata collected (Appendix 16).  

A database management system (Microsoft Access 2000, dBase IV, and Arc/View 
compatible) is available if you wish to manage your own data. This database 
contains forms for searching records and exporting records to a GIS package like 
ArcView.  Copies of the database structure and programs are available from the 
Division's database and downloadable from http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/wildobs/  
(within the Commission only)

For details see Appendix 1.

The BWDC is interested in maintaining current records of species' distributions within 
the state.  To facilitate this, location information can be recorded at several levels 
of accuracy on the field forms.  Space is provided to record numbers of animals observed 
and to classify them according to age and sex.  In addition, you can record 1 or 2 types 
of habitats occupied and activities observed.  Details of the type of survey and type of 
count or estimation method used may also be recorded.  Optionally, information on the 
type of managed area where the sighting was made can be noted, and provision is made 
to identify important wildlife use areas.  Finally, space is provided for detailed notes 
on behavior, location, and survey type information.

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

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

This data set is in the public domain, and the recipient may not assert 
any proprietary rights thereto nor represent it to anyone as other than 
a FWC-Habitat Planning Unit produced data set; it is provided "as-is" 
without warranty of any kind, including, but not limited to, the implied 
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The 
user assumes all responsibility for the accuracy and suitability of this 
data set for a specific application. In no event will the staff of the 
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission be liable for any 
damages, including lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or 
consequential damages arising from the use of or the inability 
to use this data set.

The Florida Geographic Data Library is a collection of Geospatial Data
compiled by the University of Florida GeoPlan Center with support from
the Florida Department of Transportation. GIS data available in FGDL is
collected from various state, federal, and other agencies (data sources)
who are data stewards, producers, or publishers. The data available in
FGDL may not be the most current version of the data offered by the
data source. University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no guarantees
about the currentness of the data and suggests that data users check
with the data source to see if more recent versions of the data exist.

Furthermore, the GIS data available in the FGDL are provided 'as is'.
The University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no warranties, guaranties
or representations as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the data
provided by the data sources. The University of Florida GeoPlan Center
makes no representations or warranties about the quality or suitability
of the materials, either expressly or implied, including but not limited
to any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular
purpose, or non-infringement. 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:
G.E. Reynolds, G. L. Sprandel, and D. E. Runde. 2002. Florida Fish and 
Wildlife Conservation Commission. Tallahassee, Florida

FWC - Wildlife and Habitat:
http://myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/index.htm

DATA LINEAGE SUMMARY:
GeoPlan received the data via CD-ROM in the 
Florida Modified Albers, D_North_American_1983_HARN

- Reprojected to the FGDL Albers HPGN Projection.
- Added SITETYPDEC field based on the SITETYPE code  
- Added a DESCRIPT field based on COMNAME.
- Added FGDLAQDATE based on date FGDL acquired the data.
- Upcased fields.
- Added missing information in appendix 7 in the metadata. Habitat
 definitions taken from habitat table in the WildObs database
Process Date: 20091020

Data imported to ArcSDE and exported as a shapefile. Process Date: 20100301
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
FFWCC
620 S. Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL
32399-1847
850-488-3831

http://myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/index.htm gary.sprandel@fwc.state.fl.us Gary Sprandel

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

Contact FGDL: 

      Technical Support:	        http://www.fgdl.org/fgdlfeed.html
      FGDL Frequently Asked Questions:  http://www.fgdl.org/fgdlfaq.html
      FGDL Mailing Lists:		http://www.fgdl.org/fgdl-l.html
      For FGDL Software:                http://www.fgdl.org/software.html