Congaree Swamp National Monument Spatial Vegetation Data; Cover Type/Association Level of the National Vegetation Classification System
Entry ID:
usgs_nps_congareeswampspatial
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Summary
Abstract:
The National Park Service (NPS), in conjunction with the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has implemented a program to "develop a uniform hierarchical vegetation methodology" at a national level. The program will also create a geographic information system (GIS) database for the parks under its management. The purpose of the data is ... to document the state of vegetation within the NPS service area during the 1990's, thereby providing a baseline study for further analysis at the Regional or Service-wide level. The vegetation units of this map were determined through stereoscopic interpretation of aerial photographs supported by field sampling and ecological analysis. The vegetation boundaries were identified on the photographs by means of the photographic signatures and collateral information on slope, hydrology, geography, and vegetation in accordance with the Standardized National Vegetation Classification System (October 1995). The mapped vegetation reflects conditions that existed during the specific year and season that the aerial photographs were taken (April, 1996). There is an inherent margin of error in the use of aerial photography for vegetation delineation and classification. The purpose of this spatial data is to provide the National Park Service the necessary tools to manage the natural resources within this park system. Several parks, representing different regions, environmental conditions, and vegetation types, were chosen by BRD to be part of the prototype phase of the program. The initial goal of the prototype phase is to "develop, test, refine, and finalize the standards and protocols" to be used during the production phase of the project. This includes the development of a standardized vegetation classification system for each park and the establishment of photointerpretation, field, and accuracy assessment procedures. Congaree Swamp National Monument was designated as one of the prototype parks. Congaree Swamp National Monument, established in 1976, was designated as one of the prototypes within the National Park System. The park contains approximately 22,200 acres (34 square miles). Congaree Swamp National Monument is located approximately 15 miles southeast of Columbia, the state capitol of South Carolina. The Congaree River, draining over 8,000 square miles of Piedmont land to the northwest, forms the southern border. On June 30, 1983, Congaree Swamp National Monument became an International Biosphere Reserve. Congaree is noted for containing one of the last significant stands of old growth bottomland hardwood forest, over 11,000 acres in all. The Monument contains over 90 species of trees, 16 of which hold state records for size. Included in this list of records is a national record sweet gum with a basal circumference of nearly 20 feet. Congaree Swamp National Monument is located approximately 15 miles southeast of Columbia, the state capitol of South Carolina. Old Bluff Highway (old Highway 48) lies just north of the Monument boundary. The eastern boundary is located just northwest of the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree Rivers. The Monument extends west to where Cedar Creek and Myers Creek join. The normal process in vegetation mapping is to conduct an initial field reconnaissance, map the vegetation units through photointerpretation, and then conduct a field verification. The field reconnaissance visit serves two major functions. First, the photointerpreter keys the signature on the aerial photos to the vegetation on the ground at each signature site. Second, the photointerpreter becomes familiar with the flora, vegetation communities and local ecology that occur in the study area. Park and/or TNC field biologists that are familiar with the local vegetation and ecology of the park are present to help the photointerpreter understand these elements and their relationship with the geography of the park. Upon completion of the field reconnaissance, photo interpreters delineate vegetation units on mylar that overlay the 9x9 aerial photos. This effort is conducted in accordance with the TNC vegetation classification and criteria for defining each community or alliance. The initial mapping is then followed by a field verification session, whose purpose is to verify that the vegetation units were mapped correctly. Any PI related questions are also addressed during the visit. The vegetation mapping at Congaree Swamp National Monument in general followed the normal mapping procedure as described in the above paragraph with two major exceptions: 1) Preliminary delineations for most of the park, including a set of Focused Transect overlays that were labeled with an initial PI signature commenced prior to the field reconnaissance visit. 2) A TNC classification did not exist at the time the initial delineations began. TNC ecologist and AIS photo interpreters worked together to develop an interim signature key which addressed what was known at the time. At that time, no comprehensive study containing plot data was available to create an interim classification. From the onset of the Vegetation Inventory and Mapping Program, a standardized program-wide mapping criteria has been used. The mapping criteria contains a set of documented working decision rules used to facilitate the maintenance of accuracy and consistency of the photointerpretation. This criteria assists the user in understanding the characteristics, definition and context for each vegetation community. The mapping criteria for Congaree Swamp National Monument was composed of four parts: The standardized program-wide general mapping criteria A park specific mapping criteria A working photo signature key The TNC classification, key and descriptions The following sections detail the mapping criteria used during the photointerpretation of Congaree Swamp. General Mapping Criteria The mapping criteria at Congaree Swamp are a modified version from previously mapped parks. The criteria differs primarily in that the height and density variables were not mapped at Congaree Swamp. Instead, two additional variables were addressed: pre-hurricane Hugo community types and areas of pine that have been logged since the time of the 1976 aerial photography. These two categories will be addressed in the Park Specific Mapping Criteria section of this report. Since forest densities within the Monument are nearly always greater than 60%, it served little or no purpose in addressing this element as a separate attribute in the database. In addition it was also determined that height categories are extremely difficult to map in the Monument due to variability of the tree emergent layer, and lack of any significant reference points that help in determining canopy heights. Alliance / Community Associations The assignment of alliance and community association to the vegetation is based on criteria formulated by the field effort and classification development. In the case of Congaree Swamp National Monument, TNC provided AIS with a tentative community classification in April 1998. A final vegetation classification, key, and descriptions of each alliance and community, was provided in October 1998. In addition, TNC provided AIS with detailed plot data showing how the communities were developed in the Monument. The information for the metadata came from http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/cosw/metacoswspatial.html and was converted to the NASA Directory Interchange Format.
Related URL
Description:
Congaree Swamp National Monument, USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Products
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Multimedia Sample
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Caption:
Congaree Swamp National Monument
Description:
Congaree Swamp National Monument Vegetation listed with color key.
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Geographic Coverage
(Click for Interactive Map)
Spatial coordinates
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N: 33.84
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S: 33.75
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E: -80.67
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W: -80.85
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Data Set Citation
Dataset Originator/Creator:
American Geographic Data, Inc.
Dataset Title:
Congaree Swamp National Monument Spatial Vegetation Data; Cover Type /Association level of the National Vegetation Classification System
Dataset Release Date:
2001-10
Dataset Release Place:
Denver, Colorado
Dataset Publisher:
U.S.G.S. Biological Resources Division
Data Presentation Form:
map
Other Citation Details:
Created under contract to the USGS/BRD/CBI
Online Resource:
http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/cosw/
Temporal Coverage
Start Date:
1996-04-27
Stop Date:
1996-04-27
Data Resolution
Latitude Resolution:
1 meter
Longitude Resolution:
1 meter
Quality
Code verification involved running each coverage attribute file through a series of ARC/INFO commands that checked for invalid codes. These commands produced listings that aided in identifying abnormal codes. The errors were checked against the vegetation delineation and attribute overlays. Corrections were made to the ... listings and input into the database. ESRI produced a plot of the converted spatial data and sequence numbers (label I.D.s) for the manuscript. The plot was checked by AIS for cartographic quality of the arcs defining the polygon features and the accuracy of the label I.D. assignments. The plot was overlaid to the manuscript map to verify that the scanned data was not distorted beyond .02 map inches. Other problems were noted on the plots, such as overshoots and undershoots, missing lines, premature convergence of polygon boundary lines that intersected arcs at acute angles, and incorrect sequence number assignments. ESRI produced code verification plots of the community association codes, height and density codes, and land use code attributes. The plots were checked for coding errors that may have occurred during the polygon attribute encoding step. The plots were overlaid on the manuscript map with attached corresponding code attribute overlay created in the manual rectification step. Code changes were noted on the plot. The edited plots were delivered back to ESRI for correction of the attribute files. Processors conducted interactive ARCEDIT sessions to make the necessary corrections to the coverages. For accuracy assessment, a field visit was made to 585 points between October, 1999 and May 2000. Points were located through the use of a PLGR GPS unit and false-color infrared photographs. At each point dominant vegetation types were recorded and a field key was used to determine the plant community / cover type present. Over 85 percent of the points were reached on foot, the remainder were located by boat. When all of the points were visited, two tables were generated comparing the field interpretation of the polygons with that of the photointerpreters. The final accuracy assessment was performed through a statistical analysis of the data using contingency tables and statistical tests. Most of the problems noted were related to map class definition and terminology and did not involve map accuracy per se. Through the use of contingency tables and other statistics, the overall accuracy of the provisional map was calculated as 87 percent. The statistics from only one class, the &Celtis laevigata - Liquidambar styraciflua - Quercus laurifolia / Carpinus caroliniana / Arundinaria gigantea / Carex lupulina Forest-Sweetgum component& failed to meet the NPS 80 percent accuracy standards. Data indicates that this class may be undermapped, being more widespread than was actually mapped. See &Summary Report on the Results of an Accuracy Assessment of the National Park Service's Provisional Vegetation Map of Congaree Swamp National Monument& at http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/ for further details. All data that can be photointerpreted are also digitized. This includes association/community classes, surface water, and unvegetated/landuse. 
Access Constraints
None
Use Constraints
Any person using the information presented here should fully understand the data collection and compilation procedures, as described in these metadata, before beginning analyses. The burden for determining fitness for use lies entirely with the user. For purposes of publication or dissemination, citations or credit should be given to the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service.
Data Set Progress
COMPLETE
Distribution
Distribution Size:
Excel, MS Access Database, text
Distribution Format:
HTML
Personnel
Role:
TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone:
(303) 202-4220
Fax:
(303) 202-4229
Email:
gs-b-npsveg at usgs.gov
Contact Address:
U.S. Geological Survey
Center for Biological Informatics
Denver Federal Center, Building 810
City:
Denver
Province or State:
CO
Postal Code:
80225-0046
Country:
USA
Role:
DIF AUTHOR
Phone:
(301) 614-6898
Fax:
301-614-5268
Email:
Tyler.B.Stevens at nasa.gov
Contact Address:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Global Change Master Directory
City:
Greenbelt
Province or State:
MD
Postal Code:
20771
Country:
USA
Extended Metadata Properties
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Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date:
2002-03-27
Last DIF Revision Date:
2012-12-21
Future DIF Review Date:
2003-03-27
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