National Wetlands Inventory

Metadata also available as

Metadata:


Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Publication_Date: January 22, 2010
Title: WETDBA.CONUS_wet_poly
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Series_Information:
Series_Name:
Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC. FWS/OBS-79/31.
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Habitat and Resouce Conservation
Online_Linkage: <http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/>
Description:
Abstract:
This data set represents the extent, approximate location and type of wetlands and deepwater habitats in the conterminous United States. These data delineate the areal extent of wetlands and surface waters as defined by Cowardin et al. (1979).
Certain wetland habitats are excluded from the National mapping program because of the limitations of aerial imagery as the primary data source used to detect wetlands. These habitats include seagrasses or submerged aquatic vegetation that are found in the intertidal and subtidal zones of estuaries and near shore coastal waters. Some deepwater reef communities (coral or tuberficid worm reefs) have also been excluded from the inventory. These habitats, because of their depth, go undetected by aerial imagery.
By policy, the Service also excludes certain types of "farmed wetlands" as may be defined by the Food Security Act or that do not coincide with the Cowardin et al. definition. Contact the Service's Regional Wetland Coordinator for additional information on what types of farmed wetlands are included on wetland maps.
Purpose:
The present goal of the Service is to provide the citizens of the United States and its Trust Territories with current geospatially referenced information on the status, extent, characteristics and functions of wetlands, riparian, deepwater and related aquatic habitats in priority areas to promote the understanding and conservation of these resources.
Supplemental_Information:
The wetland maps were produced as topical overlays using U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps as the base. The hard copy product is a composite map showing topographic and planimetric features from the USGS map base and wetlands and deepwater habitats from the Service's topical overlay. Thus, the data are intended for use in publications, at a scale of 1:24,000 or smaller. Due to the scale, the primary intended use is for regional and watershed data display and analysis, rather than specific project data analysis. The map products were neither designed or intended to represent legal or regulatory products.
Questions or comments regarding the interpretation or classification of wetlands or deepwater habitats can be addressed by visiting <http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/FAQs.html>
These data were developed in conjunction with the publication Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter, F.C. Golet, and E.T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC. FWS/OBS-79/31. Alpha-numeric map codes have been developed to correspond to the wetland and deepwater classifications described.
These spatial data are not designed to stand alone. They form topical overlays to the U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000 or 1:25,000 scale topographic quadrangles. Note that coastline delineations were drawn to follow the extent of wetland or deepwater features as described by this project and may not match the coastline shown in other base maps.
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Although this Federal Geographic Data Committee-compliant metadata file is intended to document the data set in nonproprietary form, as well as in Arc/INFO format, this metadata file may include some Arc/INFO-specific terminology.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 1977
Ending_Date: present
Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Ongoing
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: In Continuous Increments
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -127.982503
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -65.272195
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 51.611788
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 22.725718
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:
REQUIRED: Reference to a formally registered thesaurus or a similar authoritative source of theme keywords.
Theme_Keyword: Wetlands
Theme_Keyword: Deepwater habitats
Theme_Keyword: Hydrography
Theme_Keyword: Surface water
Theme_Keyword: Swamps, marshes, bogs, fens
Place:
Place_Keyword: Conterminous United States
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: Conterminous 48 states
Place_Keyword: Lower 48 states
Place_Keyword: Maine
Place_Keyword: Vermont
Place_Keyword: New Hampshire
Place_Keyword: Connecticut
Place_Keyword: Massachusetts
Place_Keyword: Delaware
Place_Keyword: Rhode Island
Place_Keyword: New York
Place_Keyword: New Jersey
Place_Keyword: Pennsylvania
Place_Keyword: West Virginia
Place_Keyword: District of Columbia
Place_Keyword: Virginia
Place_Keyword: Maryland
Place_Keyword: Ohio
Place_Keyword: Indiana
Place_Keyword: Michigan
Place_Keyword: Illinois
Place_Keyword: Wisconsin
Place_Keyword: Iowa
Place_Keyword: Missouri
Place_Keyword: Minnesota
Place_Keyword: Kansas
Place_Keyword: Nebraska
Place_Keyword: South Dakota
Place_Keyword: North Dakota
Place_Keyword: Montana
Place_Keyword: Colorado
Place_Keyword: Utah
Place_Keyword: Wyoming
Place_Keyword: Texas
Place_Keyword: Oklahoma
Place_Keyword: New Mexico
Place_Keyword: Arizona
Place_Keyword: Nevada
Place_Keyword: California
Place_Keyword: Oregon
Place_Keyword: Washington
Place_Keyword: Idaho
Place_Keyword: North Carolina
Place_Keyword: South Carolina
Place_Keyword: Georgia
Place_Keyword: Alabama
Place_Keyword: Florida
Place_Keyword: Mississippi
Place_Keyword: Louisiana
Place_Keyword: Arkansas
Place_Keyword: Kentucky
Place_Keyword: Tennessee
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
None. Acknowledgement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and (or) the National Wetlands Inventory would be appreciated in products derived from these data
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Contact_Person: Wetlands Database Administrator
Contact_Position: Divison of Habitat and Resouce Conservation
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing address
Address: 555 Lester Ave.
City: Onalaska
State_or_Province: WI
Postal_Code: 54650
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 608-238-9333
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 608-238-9334
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: wetlands_team@fws.gov
Browse_Graphic:
Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
Topical overlay showing the extent and type of wetland and deepwater habitats.
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.3000
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serivce, National Wetlands Inventory
Publication_Date: Various
Title:
Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the Conterminous United States
Edition: Version 1.0
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C. USA
Publisher: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
The source data was checked using standard review procedures. Attributes were checked by using visual inspection as well as automated verification routines. Quality of the attribute information varies with age and mapping protocols used when individual maps were prepared
Quantitative_Attribute_Accuracy_Assessment:
Attribute_Accuracy_Value: All polygons are attributed.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
Polygon and chain-node topology are present. Every polygon has a label.
Completeness_Report:
This data set represents the extent of wetlands and deepwater habitats that can be determined with the use of remotely sensed data and within the timeframe for which the maps were produced. Wetlands are shown in all of the conterminous 48 states and the District of Columbia. The accuracy of image interpretation depends on the quality of the imagery, the experience of the image analysts, the amount and quality of the collateral data, and the amount of ground truth verification work conducted.
There is a margin error inherent in the use of imagery, thus detailed on-the-ground inspection of any particular site, may result in revision of the wetland boundaries or classification, established through image analysis.
Wetlands or other mapped features may have changed since the date or the imagery and/or field work. There may be occasional differences in polygon boundaries or classifications between the information depicted on the map and the actual conditions on site.
Lineage:
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Publication_Date: 1977 to present
Title:
Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the Conterminous United States
Series_Information:
Series_Name: National Wetlands Inventory Maps
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Source_Scale_Denominator: 1:24,000 and 1:25,000
Type_of_Source_Media: Digital file and hard copy paper
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 1977
Ending_Date: present
Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Source_Contribution: Spatial information
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Original stable base hard copy maps of wetland and deepwater habitats were created based on USGS state and quadrangle boundaries. These maps were converted to digital files using various software packages (WAMS, ARC and others). The digital files were stored as ESRI Import/Export files corresponding to a single 1:24,000 USGS quadrangle. These digital files were imported and converted to ESRI Coverage format and checked for topological and attribute errors. All coverages were converted from a UTM map projection to an Alber's Equal Area map projection and the horizontal datum was converted from NAD27 to NAD83 were necessary. Polygons attributed as "Uplands" were removed from the dataset and polygons were merged at quadrangle boundaries where the quadrangle line divided polygons with the same attribute. The data was loaded into a seamless SDE geodatabase for the conterminous United States. These steps were conducted using both Arc Macro Language (AML) and ArcMap editing tools. All point data from the original ESRI Coverages were buffered by 11.28 meters (1/10 of an acre) and incorporated into this polygon feature class. Linear features from the original ESRI Coverages were merged at quadrangle boundaries where the quadrangle line divided lines with the same attribute. Linear data is stored in a separate feature class.
Further data improvements included the conversion of all old wetland codes that contained 'OW' to the new code containing 'UB'. All polygons labeled as 'OUT', 'No Data' and 'NP' were removed from the database.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: NWI
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The file was converted to NAD83 in geographic coordinates, and saved in geodatabase format.
Process_Date: 200401

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector
Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
SDTS_Terms_Description:
SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: G-polygon
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 15154485

Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Planar:
Map_Projection:
Map_Projection_Name: Albers Conical Equal Area
Albers_Conical_Equal_Area:
Standard_Parallel: 29.500000
Standard_Parallel: 45.500000
Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -96.000000
Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 23.000000
False_Easting: 0.000000
False_Northing: 0.000000
Planar_Coordinate_Information:
Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair
Coordinate_Representation:
Abscissa_Resolution: 0.000156
Ordinate_Resolution: 0.000156
Planar_Distance_Units: meters
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222
Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Altitude_System_Definition:
Altitude_Resolution: 1.000000
Altitude_Encoding_Method:
Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: WETDBA.CONUS_wet_poly
Entity_Type_Definition: Reference: Cowardin et al. 1979
Entity_Type_Definition_Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: OBJECTID
Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.
Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: Polygon
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: 2-dimensional element.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: ESRI GIS software
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: ATTRIBUTE
Attribute_Definition:
Alphanumeric code identifying the wetland classification of the polygon.
Attribute_Definition_Source: <http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/wetlandcodes.html>
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: HGM_CODE
Attribute_Definition: Hydrogeomorphic code
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: QAQC_CODE
Attribute_Definition: Results of a test for data quality
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: SHAPE
Attribute_Definition: Feature geometry.
Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Coordinates defining the features.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: WETLAND_TYPE
Attribute_Definition: General description of the wetland classification.
Attribute_Definition_Source: <http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/MapperTips.html>
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: ACRES
Attribute_Definition: Area of the polygon in acres.
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Calculated in an Albers Equal Area projection using ESRI's geometry calculator.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: DECODE
Attribute_Definition: URL to the wetlands code interpreter
Attribute_Definition_Source: <http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/WetlandCodes.html>
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: GLOBALID
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: SHAPE.AREA
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: SHAPE.LEN

Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Contact_Position: Wetlands Database Administrator
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing address
Address: 555 Lester Ave.
City: Onalaska
State_or_Province: WI
Postal_Code: 54650
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 608-268-9333
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 608-238-9334
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: wetlands_team@fws.gov
Contact_Instructions:
Hard copy maps can be purchased through Cooperator-Run Distribution Centers. Each Center establishes its own pricing structure, product types and order procedures. View Cooperator-Run Distribution Centers. The wetlands data can also be viewed by accessing The National Map.
Resource_Description: Downloadable Data
Distribution_Liability:
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the use of these data.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: Shapefile or File Geodatabase
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: <http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/data/DataDownload.html>
Offline_Option:
Offline_Media: CD-ROM or DVD
Recording_Format: tar
Fees:
There is no charge for the online option. Requests for large amounts of data are handled on a cost reimbursable basis.

Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: January 22, 2010
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Contact_Position: Wetlands Database Administrator
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 505 Science Drive
City: Madison
State_or_Province: WI
Postal_Code: 53711
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 608-238-9333
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 608-238-9334
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: wetlands_team@fws.gov
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Metadata_Time_Convention: local time
Metadata_Security_Information:
Metadata_Security_Classification_System: None
Metadata_Security_Classification: Unclassified
Metadata_Security_Handling_Description: None
Metadata_Extensions:
Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>
Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile
Metadata_Extensions:
Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>
Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile

Generated by mp version 2.9.6 on Tue Feb 09 13:23:12 2010