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CITIES: location of U.S. Cities within the Long Island Sound GIS project area.

Metadata also available as: OUTLINE | TEXT

Frequently-anticipated questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title:
CITIES: location of U.S. Cities within the Long Island Sound GIS project area.
Abstract:
U.S. Cities represents locations for cities within United States with populations of 10,000 or greater and all state capitals.
Supplemental_Information:
Largest scale when displaying the data: 1:250,000. This is a subset of the original dataset. It has been clipped to the extent of the Long Island Sound GIS project extent.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Paskevich, Valerie, 2003, CITIES: location of U.S. Cities within the Long Island Sound GIS project area.: Open-File Report 2005-1018, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    McMullen, K.Y., Poppe, L.J., Paskevich, V.F., Doran, E.F., Moser, M.S., Christman, E.B., and Beaver, A.L, 2005, Surficial Geologic Interpretation and Sidescan Sonar Imagery of the Sea Floor in West-Central Long Island Sound: Open-File Report 2005-1018, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 DVD-ROM

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.499817
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -67.987297
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 46.686039
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.269600

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1018/data/basemaps/usa/cities/cities-thumb.gif> (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing extent of data layer coverage overlaid on the NOS80K U.S. area shapefile for the Long Island Sound GIS project extent.
    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1018/data/basemaps/usa/cities/cities.gif> (GIF)
    Overview image showing extent of data layer coverage overlaid on the NOS80K U.S. area shapefile for the Long Island Sound GIS project extent.

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

    Calendar_Date: 2005
    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):

      • Entity point (605)

    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.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    cities
    Shapefile Attribute Table (Source: ESRI)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    CITY_FIPS
    The 5-digit FIPS code of the named populated place (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Codes for Named Populated Places, Primary County Divisions, and Other Locational Entities of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Outlying Areas, FIPS 55-DC3.
    Codeset Source:U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

    CITY_NAME
    Name of the city or town. (Source: Department of Commerce, Census Bureau)

    STATE_FIPS
    The 5-digit FIPS code of the named populated place (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Codes for Named Populated Places, Primary County Divisions, and Other Locational Entities of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Outlying Areas, FIPS 55-DC3.
    Codeset Source:U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

    STATE_NAME
    State Name (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    STATE_CITY
    The FIPS code (seven-digit number) for the city and state. (Source: Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Federal Information Processing Standards Pub 55
    Codeset Source:National Institute of Standards and Technology

    TYPE
    The class of the city or area. (Source: Department of Commerce, Census Bureau)

    ValueDefinition
    boroughIn Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, an incorporated place.
    CDPCensus designated place - A statistical entity, defined for each decennial census according to Census Bureau guidelines, comprising a densely settled concentration of population that is not within an incorporated place, but is locally identified by a name.
    cityAn incorporated place in 49 States and the District of Columbia. In 20 States, some or all cities are not part of any minor civil division, and the Census Bureau also treats these as county subdivisions, statistically equivalent to minor civil divisions.
    city (consolidated, balance)The portion of the consolidated city minus the incorporated places. For statistical purposes, these entities are treated as statistically equivalent to a place and have no legal basis or functions.
    city and boroughunknown
    city and countyunknown
    municipalityunknown
    townAn incorporated place in 30 States. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota, the Census Bureau treats these towns as the equivalent of a minor civil division.
    villageAn incorporated place in 20 States. The Census Bureau treats all villages in New Jersey, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, and some villages in Ohio as county subdivisions.

    CAPITAL
    Identifies the city as the state capital. (Source: Department of Commerce, Census Bureau)

    ValueDefinition
    YThe city is state capital
    NThe city is not a state capital.


Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov


Why was the data set created?

U.S. Cities provides locations and attributes for cities.


How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    Census SF1 (source 1 of 1)
    Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2001, Summary File 1 (SF1): Summary File 1 (SF1) 2000, Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, USA.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    The Summary File 1 (SF1) data is based on the 2000 Census of Population. The geospatial data is calculated from the latitude/longitude coordinate attributes.
    Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM
    Source_Contribution: Attribute and geospatial data

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

    Date: 24-Jan-2002 (process 1 of 2)
    The following steps were performed by ESRI for Data & Maps 2002: Created a data set by extracting state capitals and places of 10,000 or more inhabitants from U.S. Bureau of the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF1). Ran ArcView command Add Event Theme on the data set to create the point location centroids shapefile. Reformatted attributes and finalized attribute order. Created ArcView legend file (.avl), ArcGIS? layer file (.lyr) file, projection file (.prj), and spatial indices.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • Census SF1

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • cities.dbf
    • cities.shp
    • cities.shx

    Date: 29-Dec-2002 (process 2 of 2)
    The ESRI cities shapefile was clipped to fit the USA basemap area for the Long Island Sound GIS project extent

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • cities.dbf
    • cities.shp
    • cities.shx

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • cities.dbf
    • cities.shp
    • cities.shx

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

    Poppe, Larry, Paskevich, Valerie, LTJG Marc S. Moser, NOAA, DiGiacomo-Cohen, Mary, and CDR Emily Christman, NOAA, 200409, Sidescan Sonar Imagery and Surficial Geologic Interpretation of the Sea Floor off Branford, Connecticut: Open-File Report 2004-1003, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 CD-ROM
    Poppe, Larry, Paskevich, Valerie, Lewis, Ralph S. , and DiGiacomo-Cohen, Mary L. , 20020930, Geological Framework Data from Long Island Sound, 1981-1990: A Digital Data Release: Open-File Report 02-002, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 DVD-ROM


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?

    The geospatial part of this data set was calculated from latitude/longitude coordinates from the U.S. Bureau of the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF1). The horizontal positional accuracy is unknown.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    After processing, the data set is checked for drawing display and number of records and file sizes compared with source materials. This is a subset of the original dataset and has been clipped to the extent of the Long Island Sound GIS project extent.

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

    No duplicate features are present.


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:
The redistribution rights for this data set: Public domain data from U.S. government is freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    U.S. Geological Survey
    c/o Valerie Paskevich
    Information Specialist / GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

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

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. 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.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  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 the importing 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: 02-Aug-2005
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Valerie Paskevich
Information Specialist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
vpaskevich@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:


Generated by mp version 2.8.6 on Wed Aug 03 11:07:07 2005