U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Data Element:  GEOGRAPHIC AREA NAME

You are invited to read the definitions of terms used in this data standard.

Name
 Geographic Area Name
Description
 Official names used to identify geographic areas created by the Service to support and implement the Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation.
Type
 Character Field
Syntax
 Geographic area name, up to a maximum of  100 characters, including the letters A-Z, the numbers 1-9, Roman numerals, punctuation marks, and the forward slash (/) character. 
Recommended Field Name GEONAME
Values
 The official values to be used for this data element are provided in the Source section. 
Source
 An electronic copy of the official values to be used for this data element is available here. These values are current as of March 14, 2000. The source files include Region numbers to identify the geographic areas associated with each Region.   
Reference(s)

Part 052, FW 1,  Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation, dated April 19, 1996

Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation - Original Document

Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation: An Assessment by Ohio State University - an evaluation of the above document and results.
Use Instructions
 As of the approval date, this data element will be used in any new automated system, data set, database, or information application, including new Geographic Information System (GIS) data and applications. This data element will also be used in any major modifications to existing systems or versions of these data-related items that use the official names of the geographic areas managed by the Service. The "Not Applicable" designation should be assigned to Service organizations that do not have a geographic area association, such as the Regional Directorate and Regional administration offices. Further guidance on using the "Not Applicable" designation will be provided in the future.

To ensure compliance with the Service Information and Technology Architecture (SITA), Service staff are strongly encouraged to utilize this data element in existing systems, data sets, databases, and information applications. Where existing systems and data-related items are not in compliance, they should be modified to achieve compatibility and implement this data standard.

Phase
 Adopted
Approval Date
 March 21, 2000
Validation Date
 March 14, 2000
Data Steward Pending
Point of Contact
 Barbara White, National Data Administrator, Branch of Data and Systems Services, Division of Information Technology Management

Return to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Data Standards Page.
Visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home Page.

These pages are maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Information Resources and Technology Management. Please feel free to contact Barb White with any questions and comments.

Keywords=geographic, area, ecosystem, unit, watershed, boundary, data, standards, elements
Last Modified