MA State Outline (25k coast) (Polygons) - Geographic Coordinate System

Frequently-anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How should this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How should this data set be cited?

   Office of Geographic and Enviro, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Offi, March 1991, MA State Outline (25k coast) (Polygons) - Geographic Coordinate System: Open-File Report 2006-1169, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

   Online Links:

   • <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1169/data/gis/basemap/outline25k.zip>
   • <http://www.mass.gov/mgis/outline.htm>
   • <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1169/htmldocs/catalog.htm>

   This is part of the following larger work.

   Cross, VeeAnn A. , Bratton, John F. , Crusius, John, Colman, John A. , and McCobb, Timothy D. , 2008, Submarine Hydrogeological Data from Cape Cod National Seashore: Open-File Report 2006-1169, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

   Online Links:

   • <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1169/>

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -73.508240

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -69.927977

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.886818

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.238237

3. What does it look like?

4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Calendar_Date: March 1991

   Currentness_Reference: publication date

5. What is the general form of this data set?

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • G-polygon (918)

   2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000000. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000000. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.
      

      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:

      Altitude_System_Definition:

      Altitude_Resolution: 1.000000

      Altitude_Encoding_Method:

      Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   outline25k_polygeog

   SHAPE

   Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

   Coordinates defining the features.

   Shape

   Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

   Coordinates defining the features.

   FID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   AREA_ACRES

   Area of polygon in acres

   OBJECTID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   SHAPE_AREA

   Area of feature in internal units squared. (Source: ESRI)

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   SHAPE_LEN

   Length of feature in internal units. (Source: ESRI)

   Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

   The dataset was acquired from MassGIS with these existing attributes. Since the projection of the dataset from the MassGIS was Massachusetts State Plane (NAD83), Mainland Zone (Fipszone 2001), it is assumed that the Shape_area and Shape_len values are in meters.

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   EOEA - MassGIS
   c/o Michael Trust
   Sr. Database Administrator
   251 Causeway Street
   Boston, MA 02114
   USA
   

   (617) 626-1000 (voice)
   (617) 626-1249 (FAX)
   michael.trust@state.ma.us
   

   Hours_of_Service: 9 AM - 5 PM

Why was the data set created?

Planning and analysis.

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   (process 1 of 4)

   Dataset copied.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • Server=sun420.env.state.ma.us; Service=esri_sde; User=gisdata; Version=SDE.DEFAULT

   (process 2 of 4)

   Dataset copied.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • Server=sun420.env.state.ma.us; Service=esri_sde; User=massgis; Version=SDE.DEFAULT

   Date: 2006 (process 3 of 4)

   The downloaded dataset was reprojected from the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System (NAD83), Mainland Zone (Fipszone 2001) to geographic NAD83.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   VeeAnn A. Cross
   U.S. Geological Survey
   Marine Geologist
   384 Woods Hole Rd.
   Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
   

   (508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
   (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
   vatnipp@usgs.gov
   

   (process 4 of 4)

   Metadata imported.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • c:\temp\xml38.tmp

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

1. How well have the observations been checked?

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

   This dataset is assumed to accurately represent the Massachusetts state outline.

5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

   No additional checks for topological consistency other than visual inspection were performed on the data.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints: None

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
   EOEA - MassGIS
   c/o Michael Trust
   Sr. Database Administrator
   251 Causeway Street
   Boston, MA 02114
   USA
   

   (617) 626-1000 (voice)
   (617) 626-1249 (FAX)
   michael.trust@state.ma.us
   

   Hours_of_Service: 9 AM - 5 PM

2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

   Downloadable Data

3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

   Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	Size: 3.005

   • Cost to order the data: None.

5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

   These data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) shapefile format. The user must have ArcGIS or ArcView 3.0 or greater software to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView or ArcGIS, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of importing the data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from ESRI at www.esri.com.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 11-Feb-2008

Metadata author:

EOEA - MassGIS
c/o Michael Trust
Sr. Database Administrator
251 Causeway Street
Boston, MA 02114
USA

(617) 626-1000 (voice)
(617) 626-1249 (FAX)
michael.trust@state.ma.us

Hours_of_Service: 9 AM - 5 PM

Metadata standard:

FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Metadata extensions used:

• <http://www.mass.gov/mgis/outline.htm>
• <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>
• <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>