For more information on metadata ("data about data"), please refer to the Federal Geographic Data Committee of the U.S. Geological Survey .
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The 'COUNTY' layer contains county lines and features (usually shorelines). The county outline was digitized from 1:100,000 scale mylar USGS quad sheets. Users can draw this layer instead of using the tile boundary (which is also a county line). Users can display shorelines or legal county lines or both by employing the BAY and DISPLAY items. This is a polygon layer; users should be prepared for counties with multiple polygons.
Detailed meta-data is available.
California Department of Fish and Game data layer:
The coverage dfgreg represents California Department of Fish and Game Region boundaries. Their intended use is for general allocation of Department responsibilities such as environmental review of proposed projects, streambed alteration agreements, threatened and endangered species consultations, law enforcement, and related activities. Jurisdictional assignments of project reviews and Departmental programs may vary from published boundaries. The coverage was derived from Teale GIS Technology Center (Teale) County Library coverages of 1:100,000-scale county boundaries, except for central Solano and eastern Contra Costa Counties. Here, the Region boundaries follow selected (Teale) road and rail lines, respectively, reflecting Fish and Game Warden patrol district delineations. Regions also include bays, inland waters, and offshore islands.
Detailed meta-data is available.
USBR Mid-Pacific Region area office boundaries created in 1994 upon the changes applied to the Regional management scenario. Coverage is not of good positional accuracy.
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The 'ASSEMBLYDIST' layer represents the 1992 Assembly district boundaries as created by the State Supreme Court. District lines were created from 1990 census tract lines which are based on US Census Bureau TIGER/Line files. This ARC/INFO coverage was created from Atlas GIS interchange files supplied by the Supreme Court.
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The 'SENATEDIST' layer represents the 1992 Senate district boundaries as created by the State Supreme Court. District lines were created from 1990 census tract lines which are based on US Census Bureau TIGER/Line files. This ARC/INFO coverage was created from Atlas GIS interchange files supplied by the Supreme Court.
Maps and text descriptions of the districts on the Senate Web server.
Detailed meta-data is available.
California Environmental Resources Evaluation System Bioregions developed by Californial Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF)
Detailed meta-data is available.
CALWATER is a set of standardized watershed boundaries, nested into larger, previously standardized watersheds, meeting standardized delineation criteria. CALWATER is digital and exists as a 1:24000-scale, ARC/INFO GIS coverage (Brandow, 1995).
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The coverage was prepared by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) as a task within an interagency agreement for geographic information system (GIS) support to the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Non-Point Source (NPS) Unit. It is a statewide version of the Teale GIS Technology Center (Teale) County Library data layer for hydrologic basins. DFG performed various corrections to the original data, such as basin coding, sliver polygon removal, and digitizing of missing boundaries. The intended use is as an interim, digital reference map, accurately (but not precisely) corresponding to SWRCB-delineated basins, and as a cross-reference to the following hydrologic basin delineation systems: U.S. Geological Survey, Hydrologic Unit Map--1978, State of California (USGS, 1978), California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Areal Designations map of February 10, 1981, and "Hydrologic Data", Bulletin 130-85 (DWR, May 1988).
Detailed meta-data is available.
This data layer is a subset of the Teale GIS Technology Center Hydrography layer. California Rivers Assessment developed the layer as part of its Professional Judgement Assessment (PJA). The river of greatest arbolet sum was chosen for each USGS Cataloging Unit (unless such river was already selected for a different CU, in which case the water course with the next highest arbolet sum was chosen). Unfortunately at the time of creation, the Teale Hydrography layer contained numerous omission and commission errors. Therefore, this PJA layer contains many river fragments, thus giving a disjunct appearance to many of the streams and rivers.
Detailed meta-data for the Teale Hydrography layer is available.
After selecting out the rivers to be used as part of its Professional Judgement Assessment (PJA), California Rivers Assessment (CARA) staff added an annotation layer with names of the PJA Rivers. This PJA data layer is a subset of the Teale GIS Technology Center Hydrography layer.
Detailed meta-data for the Teale Hydrography layer is available.
California Department of Fish and Game data layer:
Watershed boundaries for use with US EPA River Reach File, version 3 (RF3). Prepared by the California Department of Fish and Game, Inland Fisheries Division GIS Staff to assist in the correction of RF3 data. The coverage HUC2M.A was originally obtained with the help of Joann Gronberg, USGS Water Resources Division, Menlo Park, CA, from the USGS WRD offices in Sacramento. The edited portion of the coverage is compatible with the 1:100K USGS DLG hydrography maintained by California Teale GIS Technology Center (see Teale metadata file hydrogra.txt).
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The 'PLACES' layer contains the locations and names of populated places in California. The source of this point coverage is the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) datafile. These text files are compiled mainly from USGS map products such as the 7.5' 1:24,000 quads. The places layer is very useful in plotting. Place names help orient the viewer and give a sense of scale to the plot. Use TOTPOP (total population) to weed out unwanted place names and to draw the name in different sizes of text. Most of the places have a zero value for TOTPOP. There are approximately 450 places that have a population figure greater than zero. Reselecting these and then plotting the name based on the population size results in an attractive plot layer.
Detailed meta-data is available.
An ARC coverage describing major roads extracted from USGS DLG CDROM. The road number is identified and the extraction was done for major roads only.
Detailed meta-data is available.
An ARC coverage describing major roads extracted from USGS DLG CDROM. The road number is identified and the extraction was done for major roads only.
Detailed meta-data is available.
The Longitude/Latitude Grid was produced using the ARC/INFO generate grid command. It is simply a series of 1-degree cells generated for the State of California.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The MAPGRID layer contains polygons representing 7.5 minute USGS quads. It was mathematically generated as a decimal degree grid and projected into the Albers projection. Longitude and latitude values in both decimal degree and degrees-minutes-seconds, mapnames, and USGS codes are present as polygon attributes. Tics contain decimal degree longitude and latitude values, and are present at all quad corners. This coverage now extends further into the border areas of Oregon, Nevada and Arizona, and includes the irregular quads that occur along the coast.
Detailed meta-data is available.
A UC Santa Barbara Biogeography Lab data layer:
This layer includes boundaries of the 100k quadrangles of California to be used for geographic reference. Quad names were assigned from the Index to topographic and other Map Coverage: California, published by USGS and therefore should contain the correct official names.
Detailed meta-data is available.
The California Watershed Projects Inventory (CWPI) is a non-profit cooperative effort to establish a database and geographic information system (GIS) to improve statewide access to information on watershed projects and associated data in California. The database provides a means to group projects and associated data by region and is a tool for ecosystem planning and management efforts. The results of this project will be available through Internet and upon request from UCD staff. For example, queries based on cooperators and resource issues have already been provided to interested parties.
A GIS layer of project centroids has been developed so that the projects can be spatially searched and located on a map. This layer, developed by Information Center for the Environment staff at UC Davis, has a CWPI project number and CWPI project name attribute for each project location. ICEMAPS will produce a list of "project number, project name" that the user can then use to look up a particular project description from the CWPI Home Page .
See the description above for the CWPI layer. The labels are simply the CWPI project number that can be used to look up detailed information about that particular project (from the CWPI Home Page ).
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The 'VEGETATION' layer is a polygon coverage which shows 73 dominant vegetation types for California. The coverage was developed from scanned 1:250,000 scale paper source maps. The minimum mapping unit is 400 acres. This is not a coverage to be used in conjunction with large-scale data. This layer is a two-level hierarchical classification system of actual vegetation designed to assess broad scale resources throughout California (Parker and Matyas 1979). Approximately 125 vegetation series were identified but only 73 series were actually mapped. Each series is defined by the dominant overstory species of the community (e.g., Ponderosa Pine series). Structural information (e.g., tree size or canopy closure) was not mapped. The source mapping was done between 1979 and 1981 by U. S. Forest Service ecologists. The mapping process involved photo-interpretation of 1:250,000 scale color infra-red prints of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) imagery acquired between 1977 and 1979. The average polygon size is 38,000 acres for the entire state (excluding polygons along map edges). Consequently, many important vegetation communities that occur in smaller units are not distinguished. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection created the digital 'VEG' coverage by scanning the source maps.
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The 'GOVOWNERSHIP' layer shows classifications of land ownership and was originally digitized by the Forest and Rangeland Resources Assessment Program of the California Department of Forestry. It was then registered to the Public Land Survey coverage at Teale Data Center to ensure that coincident lines would overlay properly. It is derived from 1:100,000 Bureau of Land Management Surface Management Status Maps. Some of these maps date back to the 1970's. The most recent national forest maps and other sources were used to update the BLM maps prior to digitizing. The coverage was developed with state, regional, or county level analysis in mind. It does not included parcel level data and may not address the needs of users interested in small areas. Changes to the government ownership coverage (1995): - Change of coding attribute from 3 integer to 5 character. - Addition of accuracy level, source, and update items in both polygon and arc attribute tables. - Accompanying look-up table with specific ownership names. Updates to the government ownership coverage (1995): - Expansion of National Park Service lands in Death Valley, East Mojave and Joshua Tree. - Inclusion of ownership updates in Southern California from UC Santa Barbara GAP analysis program. - Addition of many Bureau of Indian Affairs reservations. - Updates in Santa Monica Mountains from NPS, UCSB. - State and county parks in San Mateo County. - Changes in Mono Lake, Salton Sea and Chocolate Mountain areas. If the user is aware of further updates or corrections, please contact us. Along with improvements to the coverage come improvements to the updating process which allows changes to be incorporated into the coverage more quickly.
Detailed meta-data is available.
A UC Santa Barbara Biogeography Lab data layer:
This layer have been resampled to 100m resolution and includes bands 3, 4 and 5 from the Thematic Mapper satellite. The date of the image is summer 1990.
Detailed meta-data is not available at this time.
A UC Santa Barbara Biogeography Lab data layer:
This layer contains vegation attributes for landscape scale map units, including canopy dominant species, canopy density, presence of regional endemic species, inclusion of wetland habitats, type of disturbance, and general narritive comments. The layer was developed for the California gap analysis project to determine the distribution and current management status of the state's vegetations habitats. Wildlife Habitat Relations (WHR) types are drawn in ICE MAPS.
Detailed meta-data in PostScript format is available.
This data set was derived from the USGS 1:250,000 scale DEM. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) consists of a sampled array of elevations for ground positions that are normally at regularly spaced intervals. The 1-Degree DEM (3- by 3-arc-second data spacing) provides coverage in 1- by 1-degree blocks for all of the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and limited portions of Alaska. The basic elevation model is produced by or for the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), but is distributed by the USGS, EROS Data Center, in the DEM data record format. In reformatting the product the USGS does not change the basic elevation information. 1-degree DEM's are also referred to as "3-arc second" or "1:250,000 scale" DEM data.
Detailed meta-data is available.
The Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data files describe the vegetation, water, na tural surface, and cultural features on the land surface. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) provide s these data sets and associated maps as a part of its National Mapping Program. The LULC mapping prog ram is designed so that standard topographic maps of a scale of 1:250,000 can be used for compilation an d organization of the land use and land cover data. In some cases, such as Hawaii, 1:100,000 scale maps are also used.
Detailed meta-data is available.
A UC Santa Barbara Biogeography Lab data layer:
This layer depicts land ownership and management of California, distinguishing local, state, and federal jurisdictions from private lands and delineating areas managed for the long-term maintenance of natural ecological processes and biodiversity. This layer therefore contains attributes both for ownership and for the level of biodiversity protection.
Detailed meta-data in PostScript format and in text format are available.
California Department of Fish and Game data layer:
Point coverage of "Dams within the jurisdiction of the State of California" (Bulletin 17-93, California Department of Water Resources (DWR), Division of Safety of Dams, Sacramento). Jurisdictional Dams are defined as "artificial barriers, together with appurtenant works, which are 25 feet or more in height or have an impounding capacity of 50 acre-feet or more. Any artificial barrier not in excess of 6 feet in height, regardless of storage capacity, or that has a storage capacity not in excess of 15 acre-feet, regardless of height, is not considered jurisdictional." (DWR Bulletin 17-93). The coverage was prepared by the California Department of Fish and Game, Inland Fisheries Division GIS Staff from a database file provided by Floyd Brooks, DWR, containing latitude/longitude coordinates and descriptive data for each dam.
Detailed meta-data is available.
California Department of Fish and Game, Natural Heritage Division data layer:
Significant Natural Areas are identified using biological criteria only. They may occur on public or private land and may be under different levels of protection.
The Significant Natural Areas Program analyses data from the Department's Natural Diversity Data Base. The Natural Diversity Data Base is a statewide Geographic Information System (GIS) that contains over 22,000 locational records of over 1200 sensitive natural communities and species. The Natural Diversity Data Base receives biological data from field biologists in public agencies, universities, private consulting firms, private utility companies and other organizations.
Detailed meta-data is available.
California Department of Fish and Game data layer:
This lakes coverage was created by integrating the USGS 100,000 scale Digital Line Graph hydrogrpahy polygons of standing water with a Department of Fish and Game internal document describing lake characteristics and the USGS Geogrpahich Names Information System data base. This is the most comprehensive lake coverage of the entire state, at 100,000.
Detailed meta-data is available.
California Department of Fish and Game, Natural Heritage Division data layer:
The coverage NDDB is an ARC/INFO prototype representation of the California Natural Diversity Data Base (NDDB), an inventory of recorded sightings of rare and endangered plant and animal species and natural communities in California. The data are depicted using the new ARC/INFO feature class REGIONS. Regions are complex features composed of one or many polygons, grouped together to represent one NDDB feature each. This coverage is primarily intended for internal use by the Department of Fish and Game and its co-operators.
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The hydrography layer originally came from the USGS in digital line graph (DLG-3) data format. DLG-3 data were captured from 1:100,000-scale maps by manual digitizing and raster scanning. There are approximately 3200 DLG files represented in the statewide hydrography data layer. The hydrography layer consists of all flowing waters, standing waters, and wetlands---both natural and manmade. The coverages contain two separate feature types: polygons (areas) and lines. Polygon features have attribute codes that identify water bodies such as lakes, wide river segments, or swamps. Line features have attribute codes that represent streams or shorelines. The major watercourses of the State are designated as RF1 Rivers.
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The hydrography layer originally came from the USGS in digital line graph (DLG-3) data format. DLG-3 data were captured from 1:100,000-scale maps by manual digitizing and raster scanning. There are approximately 3200 DLG files represented in the statewide hydrography data layer. The hydrography layer consists of all flowing waters, standing waters, and wetlands---both natural and manmade. The coverages contain two separate feature types: polygons (areas) and lines. Polygon features have attribute codes that identify water bodies such as lakes, wide river segments, or swamps. Line features have attribute codes that represent streams or shorelines. The tributaries to the major watercourses of the state are designated as RF2 Rivers.
Detailed meta-data is available.
Teale GIS Technology Center data layer:
The hydrography layer originally came from the USGS in digital line graph (DLG-3) data format. DLG-3 data were captured from 1:100,000-scale maps by manual digitizing and raster scanning. There are approximately 3200 DLG files represented in the statewide hydrography data layer. The hydrography layer consists of all flowing waters, standing waters, and wetlands---both natural and manmade. The coverages contain two separate feature types: polygons (areas) and lines. Polygon features have attribute codes that identify water bodies such as lakes, wide river segments, or swamps. Line features have attribute codes that represent streams or shorelines. RF3 Rivers are those watercourses included on 1:100,000K quads excluding the major rivers (RF1) and the major tributaries to these rivers (RF2).
Detailed meta-data is available.
Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program data layer:
Statewide land use inventory conducted on a regular basis which identifies agricultural and urban land conversion statistics.
Detailed meta-data is available.
California Department of Fish and Game, Natural Heritage Division data layer:
The Wetlands and Riparian GIS database was developed to inventory wetlands, riparian woody areas, and surrounding landcover in three key regions in California: 1) the Sacramento Valley, 2) the San Francisco Bay/Delta, and 3)the San Joaquin Valley to support cooperative conservation planning and wetland resource protection efforts of state, federal, and local agencies and private organizations. This database was produced using image processing techniques to classify satellite imagery. For the three regions, Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery was processed to map land cover classes from three broad categories: wetlands, agriculture, and uplands.
A cooperative grant from the Department of Fish and Game (using funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), the Wildlife Conservation Board, the Resources Agency of California, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation funded the development of this GIS database by Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and their subcontractor Pacific Meridian Resources in cooperation with DFG, WCB, and BOR staff.
Detailed meta-data is available.