U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Data Layer: ECOSYSTEM UNIT BOUNDARIES
You are invited to read the definitions of terms used in this data standard.
| Name |
Ecosystem Unit Boundaries |
| Description |
Digital ecosystem information portraying the location and boundaries of the
ecosystem units in several file formats. The data are available in two geographic
information system (GIS) formats (Shapefile and .E00) that can be used for analysis, and
in a graphic format (JPEG) for display purposes only. The Service originally chose
the U.S. Geological Survey's Hydrologic Unit Map as the foundation for delineating
ecosystem unit boundaries on a national scale. Since that time, boundaries in some of the
regions have been moved to the closest county boundaries to simplify management
responsibilities. The current unit boundaries reflect this combination. Regional files will be called RNeco.extension, where N is the Region number and the extension will depend on the file type. The national coverage will be called FWSeco.extension. Any individual state or area coverage should be named using the two-letter state code, plus 'eco', plus the extension (for example, hieco.jpg for the Hawaii JPEG file). |
| Source |
The source information provided here should be considered 'final' draft, although most
of the known discrepancies have been resolved through the review process. There are
still a number of data slivers that need to be processed and cleaned up. The final
products will be a national coverage, as well as the regional coverages; the final
draft ecosystem unit boundaries are only available by Fish and Wildlife Service Region. -
GIS files in Shapefile format
(updated 3/14/2000, but not yet finalized) - Graphic files in JPEG format illustrating the ecosystems (use the Back button on the browser to return to this page from the graphics):
|
| Historical Data | Earlier versions of this data standard are available here: Ecosystem Unit Boundaries |
| Reference(s) |
Part 052, FW 1, Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation, dated April 19, 1996. Part 052, FW 1, Exhibit 1, Watershed Based Units, is a PDF of the FWS ecosystem boundaries, names, and numbers as of April 19, 1996. NOTE: Two ecosystems have been renamed to coincide with FWS ecoregion names in the Southeast (Region 4): 30 - Northeast Gulf Watersheds (formerly Florida Panhandle Watersheds); and 32 - North Florida (formerly Peninsular Florida). Part 270, FW 6, Data Management and Standards, dated September 30, 2002. 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 the Directorate decision. |
| Use Instructions |
As of the approval date, this data standard will be used whenever
spatial data for the Ecosystem Unit Boundaries are required for any
application, display, or analysis that references the official U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Ecosystem Units. It replaces the maps currently delineated
on the "U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service Ecosystem Approach Watershed Based Unit Map."
To ensure compliance with the Service Information and Technology Architecture (SITA), Service staff are strongly encouraged to utilize this data layer 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. This data standard also needs to be used in conjunction with the Ecosystem Unit Name and Ecosystem Unit Number Data Element Standards. |
| Tools |
None at this time. |
| Phase |
Adopted |
| Approval Date |
March 21, 2000 |
| Validation Date |
October 18, 2005 |
| Data Steward | Kurt Snider, Cartographer, Cookeville Ecological Services Field Office, FWS Region 4 |
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These pages are maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Information Resources and Technology Management. Please feel free to contact Deb Southworth Green with any questions and comments.
Keywords= ecosystem, unit, boundary, watershed, hydrologic,
regional, GIS, data, standards, layers
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