Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space

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Frequently-anticipated questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title: Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space
Abstract:
This GIS data layer consists of lands managed for conservation and open space based on multiple source layers. This is a composite inventory that integrates digital depictions of lands from multiple sources and resolves boundary discrepancies among sources. Partners in the creation of this data layer included the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (the Division of Parks and Recreation, the Wildlife Resources Commission, the Division of Coastal Management, and the Conservation Tax Credit program), the State Property Office, the Land Trust for North Carolina and its associated land trusts, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Conservation Fund, the Nature Conservancy, the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the NC GAP Analysis program, and the Triangle J Council of Governments and its associated local governments. The source layers are:
From the NC Corporate Geographic Database:
  State-owned complexes (soc) selected for the following use codes and
  descriptions:
    1 (Arboretums/Botanical Gardens)
    5 (Boat Access Sites)
    12 (Estuarine Sanctuary)
    19 (Forestry)
    21 (Game lands)
    29 (Historic Sites)
    35 (Wildlife Management Areas)
    39 (Natural/Historic Preserves)
    41 (Nursery)
    43 (Parks/Recreational Areas)
    46 (Public Beach Access)
    54 (Submerged Lands)
    61 (Zoo)
    62 (OTHER:  Div-Name = "ENR PARKS AND RECREATION")
  State Parks (stprk)
  Recreation Projects - Land and Water Conservation Fund (rplwcf)
  Game Lands - Wildlife Resources Commission (gmlwrc) selected for
    ownership = public
  Conservation Tax Credit Properties (ctcp)
  Land Trust Conservation Properties (ltcp)
  Coastal Reserves (cresb)
From project files:
  Preserved Farmland - mapped by CGIA from files of the Piedmont
    Land Conservancy, the Triangle Land Conservancy, and the Land
    Trust for Central Carolina
  Triangle Open Space - compiled by the Triangle J Council of
    Governments for properties and easements held by local governments
    and non-profit organizations
  US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Refuges - mapped by CGIA from
    the files of FWS
  Clean Water Management Trust Fund Projects - mapped by CGIA from the
    files of CWMTF Managed Areas - compiled and mapped by the Division
    of Parks and Recreation, including updates to Federal Land Ownership
    (flo) from the NC Corporate Geographic Database
Definitions: "Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space" are a combination of lands that are permanently protected open space and farmland and other lands that are managed as "open space" as defined by North Carolina General Statue §160A-407 (see below). For example, a wildlife conservation area that is owned by a public or non-profit land managing organization would count as permanently protected open space. Farmland that is preserved under the state's Farmland Preservation Trust Fund would count as permanently protected land. Permanently protected lands purchased or brought under an easement beginning in January 1999 count toward the state's goal of protecting one million acres of open space by 2009-the Million Acre Initiative. In addition, the Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space database includes state-owned property that is used for recreational open space including areas reserved for boating access.

§160A-407. Definitions. (a) For the purpose of this Part an "open space" or "open area" is any space or area (i) characterized by great natural scenic beauty or (ii) whose existing openness, natural condition, or present state of use, if retained, would enhance the present or potential value of abutting or surrounding urban development, or would maintain or enhance the conservation of natural or scenic resources. (b) For the purposes of this Part "open space" or "open area" and the "public use and enjoyment" of interests or rights in real property shall also include open space land and open space uses. The term "open space land" means any undeveloped or predominantly undeveloped land in an urban area that has value for one or more of the following purposes: (i) park and recreational purposes, (ii) conservation of land and other natural resources, or (iii) historic or scenic purposes. The term "open space uses" means any use of open space land for (i) park and recreational purposes, (ii) conservation of land and other natural resources, or (iii) historic or scenic purposes. (1963, c. 1129, s. 7; 1969, c. 35, s. 1; 1971, c. 698, s. 1.)

Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space encompass many land categories and purposes: including but not limited to:

Parks and Greenways
Natural Hazard Mitigation ("buy-out" properties)
Watershed Protection
Farmland Preservation
Cultural and Historic Lands
State Park
State Recreation Area
State Natural Area
State Nature Preserve
State Lake
State Historic Site
State Gamelands
State Coastal Reserve
>Submerged Lands
>Public Beach & Coastal Water Access
NC Wetlands Restoration Program
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
National Wildlife Refuge
National Forest, National Park
NRCS Wetlands Reserve
Other Nature Preserves

Exclusions:
Not all land that has recreational, historic, scenic and natural resource value is defined as "open space and preserved farmland" for this project. The Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space database does NOT include privately owned green spaces, homeowner association green spaces, public leases of private land, school yards, university and college campus land, athletic fields, golf courses, utility-owned land, privately owned forests, prison property, university campuses, research farms or military bases. Private land that is leased or managed by the state for gameland reserves is not included in the database and does not count toward the Million Acre goal. These types of property all have value as areas that are free of buildings and parking lots, but they lack the permanency and purposes required for this project's working definitions.
Supplemental_Information:
system filename : lmcos    file size = 10.2 mb

Revisions and updates to this layer include:
1) filename: lmcos801    The 8/30/01 version was the first verion
of this data.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, 20010830, Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space: NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, Raleigh, North Carolina.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: NCCGIA distributes this dataset

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -83.033
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.654
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 36.562
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 34.262

  3. What does it look like?

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

    Beginning_Date: Jul-1993
    Ending_Date: 30-Aug-2001
    Currentness_Reference: Data creation and revision dates

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

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Map

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

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

      Indirect_Spatial_Reference: None
      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Complete chain (7536)
      • GT-polygon composed of chains (4853)
      • Node, planar graph (6104)
      • Area point (4852)

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

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: State Plane Coordinate System 1983
      State_Plane_Coordinate_System:
      SPCS_Zone_Identifier: 3200
      Lambert_Conformal_Conic:
      Standard_Parallel: 34.333
      Standard_Parallel: 36.167
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: 79.000
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 33.750
      False_Easting: 609601.22
      False_Northing: 0.000

      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 1
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 1
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space
    Land parcel boundaries for properties managed for conservation and open space purposes by federal, state, local and private organizations in North Carolina (Source: NCCGIA)

    AREA
    Total area in coverage units (Source: software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.20
    Maximum:113,217,800.00
    Units:meters
    Resolution:.001

    PERIMETER
    Total perimeter in coverage units (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:2.744
    Maximum:19,085,040.000
    Units:meters
    Resolution:0.001

    LMCOS#
    Polygon internal identification number (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:4843

    LMCOS-ID
    Polygon internal identification number (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:4842

    SPOPL
    ID from State Property Preserved Lands Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the State Property Preserved Lands Coverage)

    STPRK
    ID from NC State Parks Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the NC State Parks Coverage)

    COASTAL
    ID from CAMA Coastal Reserves Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the CAMA Coastal Reserves Coverage)

    WRCGMLF
    ID from Federally Owned Lands in the WRC Gamelands Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the Federally Owned Lands in the WRC Gamelands Coverage)

    PRSVFARM
    ID from Preserved Farmlands Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the Preserved Farmlands Coverage)

    LWCFREC
    ID from Land & Water Conservation Fund Recreation Projects Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the Land & Water Conservation Fund Recreation Projects Coverage)

    TJCOGLOC
    ID from Triangle J COG Local Government Open Space coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the Triangle J COG Local Government Open Space coverage)

    TJCOGPRV
    ID from Triangle J COG Private Organizations Open Space Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the Triangle J COG Private Organizations Open Space Coverage)

    LNDTRUST
    ID from CGIA's Land Trust Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the CGIA's Land Trust Coverage)

    TAXCRED
    ID from CGIA's Tax Credits Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the CGIA's Tax Credits Coverage)

    CWMTF
    ID from CGIA's Clean Water Management Trust Fund Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the CGIA's Clean Water Management Trust Fund Coverage)

    FWSEASE
    ID from Fish & Wildlife Service Easements Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the Fish & Wildlife Service Easements Coverage)

    FMA
    ID from Federally Managed Lands Coverage (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    ID's vary (0 indicates that polygon was not incorporated from the Federally Managed Lands Coverage)

    POLY_SOURC
    The abbreviated name of the coverage that the polygon actually came from and whether the boundary was adjusted or not. Ex: 'PRSVFARM', 'PRSVFARM-ADJUSTED'. (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Polygon source varies in number of characters.

    HOLE
    Identifier of hole and water polygons (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: As needed

    ValueDefinition
    HHole polygons
    WWater polygons
    (blank)All other polygons

    LAND_ID
    Unique identifier for each property, generated from alternating digits of the state plane coordinates (meters) of the centroid of the property (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Land ID varies in number of characters.

    MANAGEMENT
    The organization that manages the land for conservation and open space purposes, not necessarily the property owner (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Management organization varies in number of words.

    MA_CONTACT
    Contact person for the managing organization (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Management contact varies in number of characters.

    MA_TYPE
    Type of managing organization: federal, state, county , municipal, city/county, other public, land trust, conservation group, or other non-profit (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Management type varies in number of words.

    MA_PHONE
    Managing organization phone number (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Management phone number varies in number of characters.

    MA_EMAIL
    Managing organization contact email (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Management email varies in number of characters.

    OWNER
    Owner name, the organization that owns the property or is responsible for the conservation easement of a privately held property (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Owner name varies in number of words.

    OWNER_TYPE
    Type of owner: federal, state, county , municipal, city/county, other public, land trust, conservation group, or other non-profit (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Owner type varies in number of characters.

    TRANS_TYPE
    Transaction type that brought the property into public ownership or responsibility: permanent easement, fee simple purchase, donation or not sure (many public properties have been held by the public for many years and would require research to determine the transaction type) (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Transaction type varies in number of words.

    AREA_NAME
    The common name for the property such as "Lake Logan" or "WRC Sandhills Gameland" or simply "Farm" (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Area name varies in number of words.

    MAP_SCALE
    Base scale used for creating polygons, or the scale of the map source(s) (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Map scale varies in number of characters.

    MAP_SOURCE
    Source materials or source agency for polygons (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Map source varies in number of words.

    TRANS_YR
    Year of transaction (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Year varies in number of characters.

    MILLION_AC
    Qualifies toward the goal of one million acres of additional open space 1999-2009 - Determined by the year of transaction (starting in January 1999) (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Qualifier varies in number of words.

    PUB_ACCESS
    Public access to the property: yes, no or conditional (Source: NCCGIA)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Public access in number of characters.

    ACRES
    Acres per polygon (this is recalculated after the file is changed) (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: As needed

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.003491
    Maximum:279,766.281250

    COUNTY
    Name of county containing the center point of the land parcel (Source: The State of North Carolina)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    County name varies in number of characters.

    HECTARES
    Hectares per polygon (this is recalculated after the file is changed) (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: As needed

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.001413
    Maximum:113,217.859375

    RIV_BASIN
    Name of the major river basin containing the center point of the parcel (Source: NC DENR-Div of Water Quality, Water Quality Planning Section)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    River basin names vary in length and number of words.

    DENR_REG
    Regions in North Carolina used by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for management and operations, based on counties (Source: The State of North Carolina)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Region name varies in number of characters.

    COG
    Regions defined by lead regional organizations (Councils of Government) in North Carolina, based on counties (regions have letter designations, L, J, B, etc (Source: The State of North Carolina)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    COG region varies in number of characters.

    USGS_QUAD
    Name of the 1:24,000-scale quad containing the center point of the parcel (Source: USGS)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Quad names vary in length and number of words.

    Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space
    Land parcel boundaries for properties managed for conservation and open space (Source: NCCGIA)

    FNODE#
    From-node identifier of linear feature (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:6,104

    TNODE#
    To-node identifier of linear feature (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:6,104

    LPOLY#
    Internal number of poly to left of arc (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:4,851

    RPOLY#
    Internal number of poly to right of arc (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: None planned

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:4,853

    LENGTH
    Length of arc in coverage units (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: As needed

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.789
    Maximum:153,307.937
    Units:meters
    Resolution:10.0

    LMCOS#
    Internal feature number (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: As needed

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:7,522

    LMCOS-ID
    Internal identification number (Source: Software computed)

    Frequency of measurement: As needed

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:7,522

    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    One coverage, with a polygon attribute table (PAT) and an arc attribute table (AAT), depicting lands managed for conservation and open space. The coverage has the attributes listed in the following two tables.

    LMCOS.PAT  Arc Attribute Table
    COLUMN   ITEM NAME        WIDTH OUTPUT  TYPE N.DEC  DESCRIPTION
    1    AREA                   4    12     F      3   Total area in meters
    5    PERIMETER              4    12     F      3   Total perimeter in meters
    9    LMCOS#                 4     5     B      -   Poly internal id number
    13   LMCOS-ID               4     5     B      -   Poly user id number
    17   SPOPL                  4     4     B      -   ID from State Property Preserved
    Lands Coverage
    21   STPRK                  4     4     B      -   ID from NC State Parks Coverage
    25   COASTAL                4     4     B      -   ID from CAMA Coastal Reserves
    Coverage
    29   WRCGMLF                4     4     B      -   ID from Federally Owned Lands
    in the WRC Gamelands Coverage
    33   PRSVFARM               4     4     B      -   ID from Preserved Farmlands
    Coverage
    37   LWCFREC                4     4     B      -   ID from Land & Water
    Conservation Fund Recreation Projects Coverage
    41   TJCOGLOC               4     4     B      -   ID from Triangle J COG
    Local Government Open Space coverage
    45   TJCOGPRV               4     4     B      -   ID from Triangle J COG
    Private Organizations Open Space Coverage
    49   LNDTRUST               4     4     B      -   ID from CGIA's Land Trust
    Coverage
    53   TAXCRED                4     4     B      -   ID from CGIA's Tax Credits
    Coverage
    57   CWMTF                  4     4     B      -   ID from CGIA's Clean Water
    Management Trust Fund Coverage
    61   FWSEASE                4     4     B      -   ID from Fish & Wildlife Service
    Easements Coverage
    65   FMA                    4     4     B      -   ID from Federally Managed Lands
    Coverage
    69   POLY_SOURC            50    50     C      -   Polygon source
    119  HOLE                   1     1     C      -   Identifier of hole and water
    polygons
    120  LAND_ID               12    12     C      -   Unique identifier for each property
    132  MANAGEMENT            75    75     C      -   Management organization
    207  MA_CONTACT            25    25     C      -   Management contact
    232  MA_TYPE               30    30     C      -   Management type
    262  MA_PHONE              30    30     C      -   Management phone
    292  MA_EMAIL              50    50     C      -   Management email
    342  OWNER                 75    75     C      -   Owner name
    417  OWNER_TYPE            30    30     C      -   Owner type
    447  TRANS_TYPE            20    20     C      -   Transaction type
    467  AREA_NAME             50    50     C      -   Area name
    517  MAP_SCALE             80    80     C      -   Map scale
    597  MAP_SOURCE            35    35     C      -   Map source
    632  TRANS_YR               8     8     C      -   Year of transaction
    640  MILLION_AC            50    50     C      -   Million acre qualifier
    690  PUB_ACCESS            15    15     C      -   Public access
    705  ACRES                  8    16     F      6   Acres per polygon
    713  COUNTY                50    50     C      -   County name
    763  HECTARES               8    16     F      6   Hectares per polygon
    771  RIV_BASIN             50    50     C      -   River basin name
    821  DENR_REG              50    50     C      -   DENR region
    871  COG                   50    50     C      -   Council of Governments region
    921  USGS_QUAD             80    80     C      -   USGS 1:24,000-scale quad name
    
    MILACRE.AAT  Arc Attribute Table
    COLUMN  ITEM NAME   WIDTH OUTPUT TYPE  DEC  DESCRIPTION
    1    FNODE#        4      5    B     -   From-node id of linear feature
    5    TNODE#        4      5    B     -   To-node id of linear feature
    9    LPOLY#        4      5    B     -   Left-side polygon id of linear feature
    13   RPOLY#        4      5    B     -   Right-side polygon id of linear feature
    17   LENGTH        4     12    F     3   Length of linear feature in meters
    21   LMCOS#        4      5    B     -   Internal id number
    25   LMCOS-ID      4      5    B     -   Internal id number
    
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: None


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?

    Project funding provided through the North Carolina Department
    of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
    Technical assistance provided by the North Carolina Department
    of Environment and Natural Resources and project partners
    listed below:
    
    North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
    301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700
    Raleigh, NC 27601-2825
    
    Project Partners:
    The following agencies directly participated in the design,
    creation, and review of this data layer:
    NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
      Division of Parks and Recreation
      Division of Coastal Management
      Wildlife Resources Commission
      Clean Water Management Trust Fund
    NC Department of Administration
      State Property Office
    Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
    NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
    NC GAP Analysis, NC State University
    Conservation Trust for North Carolina
    Triangle J Council of Governments
    US Fish and Wildlife Service
    

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

    Jeffrey Brown
    NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
    301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700
    Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
    U.S.A.

    (919)733-2090 (voice)
    (919)715-0725 (FAX)
    jeff@cgia.state.nc.us

    Hours_of_Service: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
    Contact_Instructions: Preferred contact is by Electronic_Mail


Why was the data set created?

These data were created for the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund and the Million Acre Initiative to establish an inventory of protected lands, open space, and preserved farmland. The goal was to create a database and GIS layer for consistency and completeness. The intended users of these data are state and federal agencies, local governments, land trusts, and other private entities that have an interest in land conservation, open space and farmland preservation. Planners, land managers, and trust funds, in particular, are in need of comprehensive data for decision-making.


How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    None (source 1 of 1)
    Survey, US Geological , Unknown, USGS 7.5 Minute series paper maps: US Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

    Other_Citation_Details: Published map series
    Type_of_Source_Media: Paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 24000
    Source_Contribution:
    In some cases, paper maps were used to delineate land trust boundaries

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

    Date: 2001 (process 1 of 1)
    CGIA created digital spatial data for properties funded by the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, and for Wildlife Refuge Area easements based on source materials including manually digitized the paper 1:24,000 USGS quadrangles creating digital files. Processing of these files included: editing linework, edgematching, map-joining, labeling, attributing, running checkplots, submitting questions to source agencies, correcting discrepancies, and creating metadata. The integration of these new sources and existing sources followed the following procedure: Using the 13 source files noted above, analysts integrated the polygon coverages into a single coverage, while retaining the original attributes of the sources with source ids retained in the integrated coverage. In many cases, a single property was included in multiple sources owing to multiple funding sources, management that differs from ownership, and different purposes among sources. Where a property was depicted by multiple sources, analysts selected the most reliable polygon to represent the property based on a rule set that reflected the scale and methods used for mapping each of the sources. In some cases, analysts created additional polygons or deleted small portions of polygons to resolve discrepancies between sources. In many cases, slivers representing the difference between sources were eliminated. The integrated coverage represented each property once with source ids to which source attributes could be joined. More detail on the process is available from CGIA. The integrated coverage is not fully consistent with any one source, but it represents a composite of the various sources.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Jeffrey Brown
    NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
    Project Manager
    301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700
    Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
    U.S.A.

    (919) 733-2090 (voice)
    (919)715-0725 (FAX)
    jeff@cgia.state.nc.us

    Hours_of_Service: 8:30AM - 5:30PM
    Contact_Instructions: Phone or electronic mail
  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?

    This composite data layer relies on the attribute accuracy of the source files. Attributes were checked for spelling consistency (e.g., managing agency name). Five locational attributes (quad name, county, river basin, DENR region, COG region) were computed by the GIS based on the centroid of each polygon (one-to-one relationship). Acres were computed by the GIS and converted to hectares. All polygons have a unique "land_id" computed by the GIS from the metric state plane coordinates (x,y) of the center point (centroid) of the polygon. Land_id is 12-character string made up of alternating digits from each of six non-decimal x and y characters (with leading zero in y string if necessary to fill six places).

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Boundaries in source files were created at a scale of 1:24,000 in most cases. Local government properties in the Triangle J region were derived from larger scale parcel boundaries in many instances. State property boundaries were created at a scale of 1:24,000 or from multiple sources on a base of 1:24,000.

    In some cases, state properties were mapped at a scale of 1:100,000 and not yet edited for a base of 1:24,000. Federal properties vary in scale, from the wildlife refuge areas (1:24,000) to some of the national forest boundaries that were mapped at a scale of 1:100,000 or smaller.

    Some land trust and Fish and Wildlife Service property boundaries were hand-drawn on USGS 1:24,000 scale quadrangles and then manually digitized. Easements funded by the Farmland Preservation Trust fund and Conservation Tax Credit properties were generated from deed descriptions and/or survey plats. Unique land identification numbers were created for each property and data attributes were managed in a Microsoft Access database to take advantage of relational database features and accommodate one-to-many relationships. For example, a single property may have multiple funding sources and multiple land categories. Attributes were related to the spatial data by the unique land_id.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    Polygons identified as "in-holdings"-privately held property that is not protected for conservation but is surrounded by protected land-are not included in the final data layer, nor are water areas within protected areas. Some public lands are not included as open space: military bases and facilities, state university campuses, research farms, and highway corridors.

    Nearly all of the state-owned lands managed for conservation and open space are included in this dataset. A few properties may have been missed because of coding anomalies in the state-owned complexes file (i.e., this project selected properties based on complex use code and would have missed properties that were not coded as one of the selected code values). For the most part, the state properties are accurate, up-to-date, and complete. Federal lands are mostly complete in this dataset, including recently mapped properties that have permanent wildlife refuge easements. Recent boundary changes may not have been included in this dataset. Note that, like state properties, a selected set of federal properties was consistent with the definition of lands managed for conservation and open space.

    The Local government lands managed for conservation and open space are most complete in the Triangle region where the Triangle J Council of Governments has an active "green space" mapping program. In other parts of the state, local government recreation projects and greenways may have been missed in the absence of an intensive local data collection effort.

    Private lands are incomplete owing to inconsistent mapping capability among private organizations, though the majority of properties are included in this inventory with credit to the Conservation Fund and the Land Trust for North Carolina.

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

    Using ESRI's ARC/INFO GIS software, the data set was built for arc and polygon topology using the "build" command. The data set was then cleaned with a fuzzy tolerance of (1 meter.) Topology has not been edited since the last build or clean.


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:
Acknowledgement of products derived from this data set should cite the following: The boundaries of polygons in this data layer may not be consistent with the source data layers, particularly where multiple sources depicted the same property from different primary or secondary sources. Efforts have been made and will continue to be made to improve the boundaries in areas where multiple sources differ. Sources of the Lands for Conservation and Open Space data include data layers in the North Carolina Corporate Geographic Database. Earlier versions of source data sets may exist. The user must be sure to use the appropriate data set for the time period of interest. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the state of the art, CGIA cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentation caused by any inaccuracies in the data or as a result of changes to the data caused by system transfers.

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

    NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
    Production Services
    301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700
    Raleigh, North Carolina 27601-2825
    USA

    (919) 733-2090 (voice)
    (919) 715-0725 (FAX)
    dataq@cgia.state.nc.us

    Hours_of_Service: 8:30AM - 5:30PM
    Contact_Instructions:
    Phone and electronic mail preferred For current price information use a web browser: COST INFORMATION - <http://www.cgia.state.nc.us/cost.html>
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    NCCGIA is charged with the development and maintenance of the State's corporate geographic database and, in cooperation with other mapping organizations, is committed to offering its users accurate, useful, and current information about the state. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, errors and conditions originating from physical sources used to develop the corporate database may be reflected in the data supplied. The client must be aware of data conditions and bear responsibility for the appropriate use of the information with respect to possible errors, original map scale, collection methodology, currency of data, and other conditions specific to certain data. NCCGIA does not support secondary distribution of this data. The use of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the NCCGIA or North Carolina State Government.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. Is there some other way to get the data?

    Data creation and large data analysis jobs contact Database Administration P:(919)733-2090. All data is available through standard ordering procedures on a cost recovery basis.

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

    All formats supplied are created using ARC/INFO GIS software on Unix workstations. Other formats are available. Format compatibility is the user's responsibility. For more information on formats and media, use a web browser: FORMAT/MEDIA INFORMATION - <http://www.cgia.state.nc.us/cost.html>


Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 25-Sep-2001
Metadata author:
North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
Database Management
301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601-2825
USA

(919) 733-2090 (voice)
(919) 715-0725 (FAX)
dataq@cgia.state.nc.us

Hours_of_Service: 8:30AM - 5:30PM
Contact_Instructions: Phone and electronic mail preferred
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)


Generated by mp version 2.8.11 on Thu Apr 15 11:07:20 2004