FLORIDA GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION

TITLE: NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE CRITICAL HABITAT - JANUARY 2016

Geodataset Name:       CH_RIGHTWHALE_JAN16
Geodataset Type:       SHAPEFILE
Geodataset Feature:    Polygon
Feature Count:         2
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This dataset depicts the boundaries of the North Atlantic Right Whale Critical Habitat in ESRI shapefile format for the NOAA Fisheries Service s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). This shapefile includes boundaries for the following Regulated Areas: - Critical Habitat for North Atlantic Right Whale Unit 1 - Critical Habitat for North Atlantic Right Whale Unit 2 Please Note: Unit 1, in the Gulf of Maine, falls under the jurisdiction of the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region. Unit 2, off the southeastern US coast, falls under the jurisdiction of the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Region. Because GIS projection and topology functions can change or generalize coordinates, these GIS files are considered to be approximate representations and are NOT an OFFICIAL record for the exact regulated area boundaries.
DATA SOURCE(S):                    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
SCALE OF ORIGINAL SOURCE MAPS:     Varies
GEODATASET EXTENT:                 North Atlantic
PUBLICATION DATE: 20160126 TIME PERIOD OF CONTENT: 20160126 DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.fgdl.org/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES:

Datafile Name: CH_RIGHTWHALE_JAN16.DBF
ITEM NAME WIDTH TYPE
OBJECTID
4 OID
Shape
4 Geometry
GARFO_ID
254 String
AREANAME
254 String
COMMNAME
254 String
AREAGROUP
254 String
DESCRIBE
254 String
CFRTITLE
8 Double
CFRPT
8 Double
CFRPTTXT
254 String
CFRSUB
254 String
CFRSUBTXT
254 String
CFRSXN
8 Double
CFRSXNTXT
254 String
CFRPARA
254 String
CFRPARATXT
254 String
FRCITE
254 String
FRDATE
254 String
EFFECTDATE
254 String
SOURCE
254 String
RECURST
254 String
RECUREND
254 String
GISAUTHOR
254 String
CREATED
254 String
AREANOTES
254 String
DESCRIPT
48 String
FGDLAQDATE
36 Date
AUTOID
4 Integer
SHAPE.AREA
0 Double
SHAPE.LEN
0 Double

FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES CODES AND VALUES:

Item
Item Description
OBJECTID Internal feature number.

Shape Feature geometry.

GARFO_ID A unique identifier used to identify and track this feature; a new GARFO_ID is generated for each version of a Regulated Area (i.e. whenever boundaries or attributes are changed, edited or updated)

AREANAME Official name of the Regulated Area, usually the area name as printed in the CFR

COMMNAME Most commonly used name. May be identical to AREANAME, an abbreviation of AREANAME, or a different name altogether.

AREAGROUP Specifies if the Regulated Area is part of a group of related areas

DESCRIBE A brief description of the purpose of the Regulated Area

CFRTITLE CFR Title citation where the Regulated Area is legally defined

CFRPT CFR Part citation where the Regulated Area is legally defined

CFRPTTXT CFR Part citation header text

CFRSUB CFR Subpart citation where the Regulated Area is legally defined

CFRSUBTXT CFR Subpart citation header text

CFRSXN CFR Section citation where the Regulated Area is legally defined

CFRSXNTXT CFR Section citation header text

CFRPARA CFR Paragraph citation where the Regulated Area is legally defined

CFRPARATXT CFR Paragraph citation header text

FRCITE Federal Register citation of original Regulated Area spatial definition, or last modification to the spatial definition, whichever is most recent. Refers to SPATIAL DEFINITION ONLY. Subsequent FR notices may have modified the requirements affecting waters within or outside this Regulated Area.

FRDATE Federal Register citation date of original Regulated Area spatial definition, or the last modification to the spatial definition, whichever is most recent. Refers to SPATIAL DEFINITION ONLY. Subsequent FR notices may have modified the requirements affecting waters within or outside this Regulated Area.

EFFECTDATE Date Regulated Area officially became law, or most recent modification

SOURCE If Regulated Area is defined in the CFR, this is the citation for the Amendment/Framework/etc. that established the area. If the Regulated Area is not defined in the CFR, this is the alternative source citation establishing the Regulated Area.

RECURST Annually recurring date Regulated Area becomes active

RECUREND Annually recurring date Regulated Area becomes inactive

GISAUTHOR Name of the NOAA staff person who created the GIS feature

CREATED Creation date of the GIS feature

AREANOTES Miscellaneous notes regarding the Regulated Area or feature

DESCRIPT FGDL added field based on AREAGROUP

FGDLAQDATE FGDL added field based on date downloaded from source

AUTOID Unique ID added by GeoPlan

SHAPE.AREA Area in meters

SHAPE.LEN Perimeter in meters


USER NOTES:
Check Geometry test has been performed in ArcGIS.
Features represented are valid.  No geometry problems were detected.
GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the attribute information within
the original data.
Unit 1, in the Gulf of Maine, falls under the jurisdiction of the NOAA Fisheries 
Greater Atlantic Region.  Unit 2, off the southeastern US coast, falls under the 
jurisdiction of the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Region.

Beginning in 2010 and in response to mounting requests for digital depictions 
of NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters (Regulated Areas), 
the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) Geographic 
Information Systems (GIS) Committee launched a project to standardize the 
development, publication and regular updating of GIS files depicting Regulated 
Area boundaries.  This dataset is a product of that initiative. 

This dataset was created to depict the boundaries of NMFS Regulated 
Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters (Regulated Areas) only. For 
information on the proper use of the dataset refer to the Use Constraints 
metadata section.

Data were collected using methods that are accurate to within 2-5 meters 
(EPA National Geospatial Data Policy [NGDP] Accuracy Tier 2). For more 
information, please see EPA's NGDP at http://epa.gov/geospatial/policies

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

*** Attribution 
*** Whenever NMFS material is reproduced and re-disseminated, 
we request that users attribute the material appropriately.  Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 
403, parties who produce copyrighted works consisting predominantly of material 
created by the Federal Government are encouraged to provide notice with such 
work(s) identifying the U.S. Government material incorporated and stating that 
such material is not subject to copyright protection. Please cite Regulated Area 
datasets as follows, with the appropriate information substituted for all text in 
{CURLY BRACKETS}: NOAA Fisheries Service. NMFS Regulated Areas 
in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters.  {SHAPEFILE TITLE} [Shapefile]. 
Gloucester, MA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries 
Office (GARFO) [producer] {SHAPEFILE PUBLICATION DATE}. 
http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/gis.

*** No Warranty
*** The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of 
these data. NMFS is providing these data "as is," and NMFS disclaims 
any and all warranties, whether express or implied, including (without limitation) 
any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. 
No warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility 
of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor 
shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. It is strongly 
recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata 
file associated with these data to evaluate dataset limitations, restrictions or 
intended use.  In no event will NMFS be liable to you or to any third party for 
any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages 
or lost profit resulting from any use or misuse of this data.

*** Proper Usage 
*** The information on government servers are in the 
public domain, unless specifically annotated otherwise, and may be used 
freely by the public. Before using information obtained from this server, 
special attention should be given to the date and time of the data and 
products being displayed. This information shall not be modified in content 
and then presented as official government material. This dataset was 
created to depict the boundaries of NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast 
and Mid-Atlantic Waters (Regulated Areas) only.  The dataset should not 
be used for a legal definition.  The dataset should not be used to infer 
information regarding the existence or details of other marine features or 
resources, including, but not limited to, navigable waters, coastlines, 
bathymetry, submerged features, or man-made structures.  Users assume 
responsibility for determining the appropriate use of this dataset.

*** Not the Legal Definition 
*** This Geographic Information System 
(GIS) dataset is not the legal definition of the Regulated Area. The 
description published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations is the 
only legal definition.  This dataset and metadata document provide a 
broad overview of a subset of applicable fishing regulations, restrictions 
and requirements; it is not a substitute for the actual regulations. Users 
are encouraged to read the applicable regulations in conjunction with 
use of this dataset.

*** Temporal Considerations 
*** Regulated Area boundary definitions are 
subject to change or modification.  Published datasets may represent 
historic, current, or future Regulated Areas.  When changes to fishing 
regulations affect this dataset, it will be archived and replaced by an 
updated version as soon as feasible.  Approved Regulated Area boundaries 
may also be published prior to their effective date.  It is the user s responsibility 
to ensure the applicable Regulated Area boundaries are being used.

*** Shorelines/Base Layers 
*** The accuracy of this dataset is dependent 
upon the accuracy and resolution of the datasets (e.g., shoreline, bathymetry, 
shared administrative boundaries) used in the creation process. Source 
datasets used are specified in the metadata.  These data sources were 
selected for their suitability to a broad audience, and may not be suitable 
for specific uses requiring higher-resolution information. Coastlines change.
Unless otherwise noted, where the NOAA Medium Resolution Shoreline is 
used, assume the regulatory boundary reaches the most current coastline 
delineation available.

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:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/gis
http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/maps_gis_data/
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/

DATA LINEAGE SUMMARY:
[Template Generation] Many NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic 
Waters (Regulated Areas) share boundaries that are partially coincident with any 
combination of the following: 1) the U.S. Atlantic coastline; 2) the Submerged Lands 
Act boundary; 3) the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine; 4) the 
outward extent of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (a.k.a. the "200-nautical mile 
line"). To standardize Regulated Area features sharing these boundaries, published 
shapefiles of the shared administrative boundaries were obtained from the authoritative 
agencies. A shoreline was selected that was suitable for general mapping purposes, 
freely and publicly available, of medium-resolution, and covering the extent of the U.S..
When necessary, the boundaries were transformed to NAD83. A series of template 
polygon shapefiles were then generated, using these authoritative boundaries as the 
outward extents of the polygon. All templates were generated in NAD83 geographic 
coordinate system. The templates created are: 1) Coast-to-EEZ: bounded by the 
coastline, the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, the U.S. EEZ, and 81W longitude 
off the southern extent of Florida (an arbitrary cut-off for the Atlantic); 2) Coast-to-SLA: 
bounded by the coastline, the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, the Submerged Lands 
Act boundary, and 81W longitude off the southern extent of Florida; 3) SLA-to-EEZ: 
bounded by the Submerged Lands Act boundary, the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, 
the U.S. EEZ, and 81W longitude off the southern extent of Florida. These templates 
were subsequently copied and edited, as needed by the Regulated Area spatial definitions.
Process Date: 2013

[Get Definition Text] The current legal spatial definition for the Regulated Area was copied from the e-CFR website. Process Date: 2016
[Features From Templates] The Coast-to-EEZ template shapefile was copied and projected to NAD83 Mercator Projection. The coordinates of the Regulated Area definition were transferred to a spreadsheet, converted to Decimal Degrees, plotted as a point shapefile in NAD83, and then projected to NAD83 Mercator Projection. To generate the Regulated Area boundary in ArcGIS, the template polygon was split by connecting these points in the order specified in the spatial definition. When the spatial definition specified that points were connected by following the Coastline, the coinciding outward extent of the template polygon was used. When the spatial definition specified that points were connected by following a straight line, rhumb lines were constructed. As an exception, points intended to fall along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary were connected by following the geodesic line that legally defines that international boundary. After all points were appropriately connected, any portions of the template outside the defined Regulated Area were discarded. When multiple Regulated Areas are a part of a larger grouping of related Regulated Areas, these steps were repeated to generate a unique feature for each Regulated Area and the features were then combined into a single shapefile. The boundaries were densified with consecutive vertices spaced no more than 10 nautical miles apart, to preserve rhumb line paths in other coordinate systems. The file was projected back to the un-projected NAD83 coordinate system. Process Date: 2016
[COLREGS] Where specified in the Regulated Area definition, inshore and offshore waters were separated following COLREGS lines. These inlet/bay crossings were drawn after consulting a combination of a) the COLREGS definitions in 33 CFR 80, b) the NOAA Coastal Services Center COLREGS shapefile, and c) the NOAA Medium Resolution Shoreline shapefile because COLREGS lines described by a single source may not always fully cross the specified waterway as depicted by the source shoreline data set. Process Date: 2016
[Combine Features] The Unit 1 (produced by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office) and Unit 2 (produced by the Southeast Regional Office) boundaries were merged into a single shapefile. Process Date: 2016
[Add Attributes] The standardized attribute schema was applied to the shapefile, and the fields were defined. Process Date: 2016
[Check Geometry] The ESRI ArcGIS Check Geometry tool was run on the shapefile to identify any geometry problems. If problems were encountered, they were reviewed and corrected. Process Date: 2016
[Final Review] The shapefile was reviewed by members of the GARFO GIS Committee, policy experts from the GARFO Division responsible for the Regulated Area, and General Counsel, according to the GARFO GIS Data Distribution Policy. Process Date: 2016
[Publication] The shapefile, with accompanying metadata, was uploaded for public download on the NOAA NMFS GARFO GIS website. Process Date: 20160126
GeoPlan downloaded this data in shapefile format from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website: (https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/maps_gis_data/protected_resources/critical_habitat/index.html) on June 28, 2019. When received, the data was in Geographic projection Albers NAD 83, Spheroid: GRS 80. The file was projected to FGDL Albers HARN. - Reprojected data to FGDL Albers HPGN - Added DESCRIPT field base on field AREAGROUP - Added a FGDLAQDATE field based on date received from source - Renamed shapefile from North_Atlantic_Right_Whale_Critical_Habitat to ch_rightwhale_jan16 - Upcased all records in the attribute table Process Date: 20190628
Dataset copied. Process Date: 20190705
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:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, GIS Committee
NOAA
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA
01930
978-282-8479

https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/maps_gis_data/protected_resources/critical_habitat/index.html dean.szumylo@noaa.gov Dean-Lorenz Szumylo

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: 

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