Geodataset Name:       COBRAS_COMBINED_AUG08
Geodataset Type:       SHAPEFILE
Geodataset Feature:    Polygon
Feature Count:         340

DATA SOURCE(S):                    University of Florida GeoPlan Center
SCALE OF ORIGINAL SOURCE MAPS:     Varies
GEODATASET EXTENT:                 State of Florida

PUBLICATION DATE:                  20090429
TIME PERIOD OF CONTENT:            Begin Date: 20010606    End Date: 20080828
DOWNLOAD LINK:                     http://www.fgdl.org/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES:

Datafile Name: COBRAS_COMBINED_AUG08

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES CODES AND VALUES:

Item	Item Description
OBJECTID	Internal feature number.
CBRS_ID	Primary key for table lookup. Assigned by table creator.
CBRS_TYP	CBRS Type. The type code provides details of the types of prohibitions that apply to the area. Normally this would be a CBRS area or Otherwise Protected Area (OPA). Acceptable values for this field are listed in the D_CBRS_Type table. This field is applicable if CBRS_TF is true. Otherwise this field is null.
CBRS_DATE	CBRS Date. Legislative or administrative date on which prohibitions for the CBRS area apply. This must be indicated on the Flood Insurance Rate Map with a note or with a fill pattern indicated on the legend. This field is applicable if CBRS_TF is true. Otherwise this field is null.
CBRS_TF	This field is True if the area is a CBRS (Coastal Barrier Resources System) or an OPA (Other Protected Area). Enter "T" for true or "F" for false. T = True. Area is a Coastal Barrier Resources System F = False. Area is an Other Protected Area
SOURCE_CIT	Source Citation. Abbreviation used in the metadata file when describing the source information for the S_CBRS table.
ACRES	Number of Acres.
COUNTY	The county name.
DESCRIPT	Based on the field CBRS_TYP.
SOURCEDATE	The date the Source created the data.
FGDLAQDATE	The date FGDL acquired the data from the Source.
SOURCE	Source FGDL layer.
SHAPE	Feature geometry.
AUTOID	Unique ID added by GeoPlan
SHAPE.AREA	Area in meters
SHAPE.LEN	Perimeter in meters

The DFIRM Database is made up of several data themes containing both spatial and attribute information. These data together represent the current flood risk for the subject area as identified by FEMA. The attribute tables include SFHA locations, flood zone designations, BFEs, political entities, cross-section locations, FIRM panel information, and other data related to the NFIP.

USER NOTES:

When FEMA revises an FIS, adjacent studies are checked to ensure agreement between flood elevations at the boundaries. Likewise flood elevations at the confluence of streams studied independently are checked to ensure agreement at the confluence. The FIRM and the FIS are developed together and care is taken to ensure that the elevations and other features shown on the flood profiles in the FIS agree with the information shown on the FIRM. However, the elevations as shown on the FIRM are rounded whole-foot elevations. They must be shown so that a profile recreated from the elevations on the FIRM will match the FIS profiles within one half of one foot.

State of Florida with the following counties having DFIRM as source :Bay County, Charlotte County, Dixie County, Escambia County, Flagler County, Gulf County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Monroe County, Okaloosa County, Pinellas County, Santa Rosa County, St. Johns County, and Volusia County. The remainder of data is from COBRAS of FEMA96 Data contained in the DFIRM Database files reflect the content of the source materials. Features may have been eliminated or generalized on the source graphic, due to scale and legibility constraints. With new mapping, FEMA plans to maintain full detail in the spatial data it produces. However, older information is often transferred from existing maps where some generalization has taken place. Flood risk data are developed for communities participating in the NFIP for use in insurance rating and for floodplain management. Flood hazard areas are determined using statistical analyses of records of river flow, storm tides, and rainfall; information obtained through consultation with the communities; floodplain topographic surveys; and hydrological and hydraulic analysis. Both detailed and approximate analyses are employed. Generally, detailed analyses are used to generate flood risk data only for developed or developing areas of communities. For areas where little or no development is expected to occur, FEMA uses approximate analyses to generate flood risk data. Typically, only drainage areas that are greater than one square mile are studied.

GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the attribute information within the original data.

** The following FEMA DFIRM information is from the frm_gsalb.pdf ** Table: S_CBRS This table only applies to coastal areas that have specially protected areas designated by Congress on John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) maps. Authoritative CBRS boundary locations are shown on these maps administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Normally these areas are already shown on existing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps for the area. CBRS areas have restrictions on Federal funding (including flood insurance coverage) after specified dates for new or substantially improved structures. See Section 2.2 and Appendix K of these Guidelines for more detailed information about CBRS areas. The S_CBRS table contains information about the CBRS areas within the study area, if applicable. A spatial file with locational information also corresponds with this data table. The spatial elements representing CBRS features are closed polygons. Each contiguous CBRS area of the same CBRS_TYP and same CBRS_DATE must be a single polygon. This is a Standard DFIRM Database table. What are Coastal Barriers? Coastal barriers are unique land forms that provide protection for diverse aquatic habitats and serve as the mainland's first line of defense against the impacts of severe coastal storms and erosion. Located at the interface of land and sea, the dominant physical factors responsible for shaping coastal land forms are tidal range, wave energy, and sediment supply from rivers and older, pre-existing coastal sand bodies. Relative changes in local sea level also profoundly affect coastal barrier diversity. Coastal barriers: * Consist primarily of unconsolidated sediments (sand, gravel, etc.); * are subject to wind, wave, and tidal energies; * are subject to the impacts of coastal storms and sea-level rise; * buffer the mainland from the impact of storms; * include associated landward aquatic habitats that are protected from direct wave attack by the fastland (non-wetland) portion of the coastal barrier; and * protect and maintain productive estuarine systems which support the Nation's fishing and shell fishing industries; Types of Coastal Barriers Coastal barriers may be described by their relationships to the mainland as bay barriers, tombolos, barrier spits, and barrier islands. Additional areas which function as coastal barriers include dune and beach barriers, and fringing mangroves. The term "mainland" includes the continental land mass as well as large islands such as Long Island, New York and the Hawaiian Islands. Definitions of the various kinds of coastal barriers follow. * Bay barriers - coastal barriers that connect two headlands, and enclose a pond, marsh, or other aquatic habitat. The terms bay mount bar and bay bar are synonymous. * Tombolos - sand or gravel beaches which connect one or more offshore islands to each other or to the mainland. The terms connecting bar, tie bar, and tying bar are synonymous. * Barrier spits - coastal barriers that extend into open water and are attached to the mainland at only one end. They can develop into a bay barrier if they grow completely across a bay or other aquatic habitat. On the other hand, bay barriers can become spits if an inlet is created. * Barrier islands - coastal barriers completely detached from the mainland. Barrier spits may become barrier islands if their connection to the mainland is severed by creation of a permanent inlet. The barrier island represents a broad barrier beach, commonly sufficiently above high tide to have dunes, vegetated zones, and wetland areas. * Dune or beach barriers - broad sandy barrier beaches, with hills or ridges of sand formed by winds, which protect landward aquatic habitats. * Fringing mangroves - bands of mangrove along subtropical or tropical mainland shores in areas of low wave energy. Many of these areas are located behind coral reefs, which together with the mangroves themselves, provide significant protection for the mainland from storm impact. Location of Coastal Barriers Coastal barriers occur on all the coastlines of the United States. One of the longest and best defined chains of coastal barriers in the world occurs along the United States shoreline bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This chain contains over 400 barriers and totals about 2,700 miles of shoreline. The coastal barriers from Maine to Texas show a high degree of regional diversity, controlled by differences in climate and in the physical processes shaping barrier shorelines. Long, continuous barriers with small ebb-tidal deltas are produced by longshore currents along wave-dominated coasts. These barriers are typified by the coastal barrier islands along the south Texas coast which are long, generally narrow, and cut by widely separated tidal inlets with large sand accumulations in the back-barrier bays, and small or nonexistent seaward shoals. Similar barrier islands are also found in parts of Louisiana, the Florida panhandle, southeast Florida, North Carolina's Outer Banks, the south shore of Long Island, and the Cape Cod segment of the Massachusetts coast. Tide-dominated coastlines support large ebb-tidal deltas. The Georgia coastal barrier islands typify a tide-dominated coastline: they are relatively short and stubby and are separated by stable tidal inlets with an average spacing of 9 miles. Tide-dominated barriers also occur in northeast Florida, most of South Carolina's coast, along the Delmarva Peninsula, Massachusetts, and in some areas of Louisiana and Texas. Secondary Barriers If a suitable sediment source and sufficient wind, waves, and tidal energy exist, a secondary barrier may occasionally form behind the seaward coastal barrier. Secondary barriers are located in large, well-defined bays or in lagoons on the mainland side of coastal barrier systems. These barriers are maintained primarily by internally generated wind waves rather than open ocean waves. Consequently, secondary barriers are generally smaller and more ephemeral than barriers along the open coast. Nonetheless, these barriers are formed of unconsolidated sediments just like most oceanic barriers and, more importantly, they also protect vital fish and wildlife habitat and provide substantial protection for the mainland during major storms. Value of Coastal Barriers Coastal barriers provide invaluable services that are the foundations of a strong economy and healthy environment. They offer habitats that support a variety of fish and wildlife, protect mainland communities from severe storms, serve as popular vacation destinations, and support local economies. Coastal Barriers and Natural Resources Coastal barriers protect the aquatic habitats between the barrier and the mainland which contain resources of extraordinary scenic, scientific, recreational, natural, historic, and economic value. Together with their adjacent wetland, marsh, estuarine, inlet, and nearshore water habitats, coastal barriers support a tremendous variety of organisms. Millions of fish, shellfish, birds, mammals, and other wildlife depend on barriers and their associated wetlands for vital feeding, spawning, nesting, nursery, and resting habitat. These habitats are also critically important for many species harvested in the Nation's commercial fish and shellfish industries. The barrier and its associated habitats are one ecological system, and the health and productivity of the entire system depend on the rational use of all the component parts. Coastal Barriers and Severe Storms Under normal weather conditions, only aquatic habitats immediately adjacent to coastal barriers are exposed to direct wave attack. However, major coastal storms routinely affect the entire landward aquatic habitat. This habitat survives major storms because coastal barriers receive the brunt of the ocean's energies. Storm waves break on the barrier beach, leaving a diminished wave to travel into the wetland. At the same time, the wetland stores storm flood waters, easing the flood pressure on the mainland. Without extensive sand beaches protecting many bluffs and terraces, damages from violent storms would be much greater. Sand acts as a brake or drag on waves. Where there are barrier beaches fronting embayments, the sand absorbs the energy much as it does at the base of cliffs. The principal danger to beaches and barriers is not intense storms but a steady reduction in the sand supply caused by dams on tributary streams and the diversion or interruption of littoral transport along the seaward edge of beaches and barriers by bulkheads, groins, and jetties. In some situations, mining of beach sand has contributed to the problem. Spits and low-lying barrier beaches survive severe storms with relatively slight effects as long as there is a supply of sand available to restore the beach. A severe storm is a short-term phenomenon, repeating the annual cycle of changing width and slope of the beach within a few hours. Sometimes a spit is eroded back or shortened and the dunes reduced or moved, but the sand begins to build up again towards its equilibrium condition almost as soon as the storm ends. The entrance to a bay and/or river mouth may be relocated or shoaled, but this sometimes also happens without storms. Shoaling of harbor entrances may be dangerous to navigation and require dredging to restore an entrance channel. Development of Coastal Barriers Besides bearing the brunt of impacts from storms and erosion, most coastal barriers are made of unconsolidated sediments (sand, gravel, etc.). This geological composition alone makes them highly unstable areas on which to build. Despite their instability, many coastal barriers have been developed. In the past, this development was encouraged by the availability of Federal flood insurance and other types of Federal financial assistance. Through its unique free-market approach to conservation, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has been instrumental in ensuring that the Federal government does not encourage the development of these coastal barrier habitats.

The FIRM is the basis for floodplain management, mitigation, and insurance activities for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Insurance applications include enforcement of the mandatory purchase requirement of the Flood Disaster Protection Act, which "... requires the purchase of flood insurance by property owners who are being assisted by Federal programs or by Federally supervised, regulated or insured agencies or institutions in the acquisition or improvement of land facilities located or to be located in identified areas having special flood hazards," Section 2 (b) (4) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973. In addition to the identification of Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), the risk zones shown on the FIRMs are the basis for the establishment of premium rates for flood coverage offered through the NFIP. The DFIRM Database presents the flood risk information depicted on the FIRM in a digital format suitable for use in electronic mapping applications. The DFIRM database is a subset of the Digital FIS database that serves to archive the information collected during the FIS.

The DFIRM Database consists of countywide vector files and associated attributes produced in conjunction with the hardcopy FEMA FIRM. The published effective FIRM and DFIRM are issued as the official designation of the SFHAs. As such they are adopted by local communities and form the basis for administration of the NFIP. For these purposes they are authoritative. Provisions exist in the regulations for public review, appeals and corrections of the flood risk information shown to better match real world conditions. As with any engineering analysis of this type, variation from the estimated flood heights and floodplain boundaries is possible. Details of FEMA's requirements for the FISs and flood mapping process that produces these data are available in the Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners. Horizontal accuracy was tested by manual comparison of source graphics with hardcopy plots and a symbolized display on an interactive computer graphic system. Independent quality control testing of FEMA's DFIRM database was also performed.

The DFIRM Database consists of countywide vector files and associated attributes produced in conjunction with the hardcopy FEMA FIRM. The published effective FIRM and DFIRM maps are issued as the official designation of the SFHAs. As such they are adopted by local communities and form the basis for administration of the NFIP. For these purposes they are authoritative. Provisions exist in the regulations for public review, appeals and corrections of the flood risk information shown to better match real world conditions. As with any engineering analysis of this type, variation from the estimated flood heights and floodplain boundaries is possible. Details of FEMA's requirements for the FISs and flood mapping process that produces these data are available in the Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners. Vertical accuracy was tested by manual comparison of source graphics with hardcopy plots and a symbolized display on an interactive computer graphic system. Independent quality control testing of FEMA's DFIRM database was also performed.

NONE

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:

FEMA Map Service Center http://msc.fema.gov ** What are you looking for? **** DFIRM Databases Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2206 ** Appendix L: Guidance for Preparing Draft Digital Data and DFIRM Database ** Appendix L: Part 1 ** Appendix L: Part 2 US Fish and Wildlife Service John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System http://www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/coastal_barrier.htm

DATA LINEAGE SUMMARY:

The DFIRM Database is compiled in conjunction with the hardcopy FIRM and the final FIS report. The specifics of the hydrologic and hydraulic analyses performed are detailed in the FIS report. The results of these studies are submitted in digital format to FEMA. These data and unrevised data from effective FIRMs are compiled onto the base map used for DFIRM publication and checked for accuracy and compliance with FEMA standards. Process Date: 20060616 GeoPlan Center ordered the DFIRM database for the 12 available Florida Counties on 20071210. Data ordered contained both Unincorporated and Incorporated Areas. http://msc.fema.gov The data arrived on DVD for the following 12-counties; Bay County Charlotte County Dixie County Escambia County Flagler County Gulf County Monroe County Okaloosa County Pinellas County Santa Rosa County St. Johns County Volusia County The countywide Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) Databases were originally called: S_CBRS.shp The data was reprojected from various UTM projections to the FGDL Albers HPGN NAD83 projection. GeoPlan then added the following fields. ACRES COUNTY DESCRIPT SOURCEDATE FGDLAQDATE AUTOID The final process step involved the merging of the 12 counties to create one partial coverage statewide layer. Process Date: 20071210 GeoPlan Center downloaded the DFIRM database for the following two Florida counties on 20090415. Hillsborough County Record Count: 4 NAD_1983_StatePlane_Florida_West_FIPS_0902_Feet Lee County Record Count: 66 NAD_1983_StatePlane_Florida_West_FIPS_0902_Feet The downloaded data contained both Unincorporated and Incorporated Areas. http://msc.fema.gov The countywide Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) Database was originally called: S_CBRS.shp The data was reprojected to the FGDL Albers HPGN NAD83 HARN projection. GeoPlan then added the following fields. ACRES COUNTY DESCRIPT SOURCEDATE FGDLAQDATE AUTOID The final process step involved the merging the information for the two counties with the existing SDE layer DFIRM_CBRS_DEC07, creating a partial coverage statewide layer consisting of 14 counties. Process Date: 20090415 Data imported to ArcSDE and exported as a shapefile. Process Date: 20090421 This layer was created based on two different existing FGDL layers. The two layers used were COBRAS - derived from FEMA96 data and DFIRM_CBRS_AUG08. The data from DFIRM_CBRS_AUG08 took precedence over the COBRAS layer. If a county had data within the COBRAS layer and the same county had data from DFIRM_CBRS, the data from COBRAS was deleted and the data from DFIRM_CBRS was kept. Added SOURCE field and calculated based on which shapefile the data came from. Only options were COBRAS or DFIRM_CBRS_AUG08. Process Date: 20090429 Data imported to ArcSDE and exported as a shapefile. Process Date: 20090430

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):

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GeoPlan Center
GeoPlan
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