FLORIDA GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION

TITLE: COASTAL BARRIER RESOURCES SYSTEM (COMBINED DFIRM_CBRS_AUG08 and COBRAS)

Geodataset Name:       COBRAS_COMBINED_AUG08
Geodataset Type:       SHAPEFILE
Geodataset Feature:    Polygon
Feature Count:         340
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This dataset contains information about the Coastal Barrier Resources System Boundaries (CBRS) within the state of Florida. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) of 1982 established the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS), comprised of undeveloped coastal barriers along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Great Lakes coasts. This layer represents Coastal Barrier Resources System Boundaries from a combination of source layers: COBRAS and DFIRM_COBRAS.
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
ITEM NAME WIDTH TYPE
OBJECTID
4 OID
CBRS_ID
11 String
CBRS_TYP
35 String
CBRS_DATE
36 Date
CBRS_TF
1 String
SOURCE_CIT
11 String
ACRES
8 Double
COUNTY
20 String
DESCRIPT
35 String
SOURCEDATE
36 Date
FGDLAQDATE
36 Date
SOURCE
25 String
SHAPE
4 Geometry
AUTOID
4 Integer
SHAPE.AREA
0 Double
SHAPE.LEN
0 Double

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES CODES AND VALUES:

Item
Item Description
OBJECTID Internal feature number.

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):

Name:
Abbr. Name:
Address:


Phone:

Web site:
E-mail:
Contact Person:
         Phone:
        E-mail:
GeoPlan Center
GeoPlan
431 architecture building
Gainesville, Fl
32611


http://www.fgdl.org/ www.fgdl.org

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

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