Metadata for National Wetlands Inventory Historic Data Metadata for National Wetlands Inventory Historic Data

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Identification Information:

Citation:

Originator: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory

Publication date: 2006

Title: National Wetlands Inventory Historic Data

Publication place: Helena, Montana
Publisher: Montana State Library

Online linkage: https://ftpgeoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Data/Spatial/NonMSDI/Shapefiles/NWI_Old.zip

Larger Work Citation:

Title: Montana Wetland and Riparian Framework
Online linkage: http://mslapps.mt.gov/Geographic_Information/Data/DataList/datalist_Details.aspx?did={f57e92f5-a3fa-45b2-9de8-0ba46bbb2d46}

Abstract:

The latest National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) data for Montana is available at http://mtnhp.org/wetlands. These layers contain mostly historic data, digitized from hardcopy maps, that were available from the State Library in 2004-2006. This data is provided by the State Library as a supplement to current NWI data, to provide some wetland information for areas that are not covered by current mapping. The majority of the information in this metadata record came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before 2004 and may contain web links that are out of date.

Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water.

For purposes of this classification wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes:
1) at least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes;
2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and
3) the substrate is non-soil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year.

NWI digital data files are records of wetlands location and classification as developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This dataset contains ground planimetric coordinates of wetlands point, line, and polygon features and wetlands attributes.

The NWI maps do not show all wetlands since the maps are derived from aerial photointerpretation with varying limitations due to scale, photo quality, inventory techniques, and other factors. Consequently, the maps tend to show wetlands that are readily photointerpreted given consideration of photo and map scale. In general, the older NWI maps prepared from 1970s-era black and white photography (1:80,000 scale) tend to be very conservative, with many forested and drier-end emergent wetlands (e.g., wet meadows) not mapped. Maps derived from color infrared photography tend to yield more accurate results except when this photography was captured during a dry year, making wetland identification equally difficult.

This data set represents the extent, approximate location and type of wetlands and deepwater habitats in Montana. These data delineate the areal extent of wetlands and surface waters as defined by Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter, F. Golet, and E. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States. U.S. Fish Wildlife Service. 103 pp.

By policy, the Inventory excludes certain types of "farmed wetlands" as may be defined by the Food Security Act or that do not coincide with the Cowardin et al. definition. Contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Regional Wetland Coordinator for additional information on what types of farmed wetlands are included on wetland maps.

Proper use of NWI maps therefore requires knowledge of the inherent limitations of this mapping. It is suggested that users also consult other information to aid in wetland detection, such as U.S. Department of Agriculture soil survey reports and other wetland maps that may have been produced by state and local governments, and not rely solely on NWI maps.

Purpose:

This data is provided by the State Library as a supplement to current NWI data, to provide some wetland information for areas that are not covered by current mapping.

The data provide consultants, planners, and resource managers with information on wetland location and type. The data were collected to meet U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's mandate to map the wetland and deepwater habitats of the United States. The purpose of this survey was not to map all wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States, but rather to use aerial photointerpretation techniques to produce thematic maps that show, in most cases, the larger ones and types that can be identified by such techniques. The objective was to provide better geospatial information on wetlands than found on the U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps.

It was not the intent of the NWI to produce maps that show exact wetland boundaries comparable to boundaries derived from ground surveys. Boundaries are therefore generalized in most cases. Consequently, the quality of the wetland data is variable mainly due to source photography, ease or difficulty of interpreting specific wetland types, and survey methods (e.g., level of field effort and state-of-the-art of wetland delineation). See section on "Completeness_Report" for more information.

Supplemental information:

The wetland maps were produced as topical overlays using U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps as the base. The hard copy product is a composite map showing topographic and planimetric features from the USGS map base and wetlands and deepwater habitats from the Service's topical overlay. Thus, the data are intended for use in publications, at a scale of 1:24,000 or smaller. Due to the scale, the primary intended use is for regional and watershed data display and analysis, rather than specific project data analysis. The map products were neither designed or intended to represent legal or regulatory products.

Comments regarding the interpretation or classification of wetlands or deepwater habitats can be directed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Program Activities, Branch of Habitat Assessment http://www.fws.gov/duspit/contactus.htm

These data were developed in conjunction with the publication Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter, F.C. Golet, and E.T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC. FWS/OBS-79/31. Alpha-numeric map codes have been developed to correspond to the wetland and deepwater classifications described.

These spatial data are not designed to stand alone. They form topical overlays to the U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000 or 1:25,000 scale topographic quadrangles. Note that coastline delineations were drawn to follow the extent of wetland or deepwater features as described by this project and may not match the coastline shown in other base maps.

Additional information about the creation of various National Wetlands Inventory maps is available in the following documents on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web site:
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/E_Central_Montana.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/Eastern_Montana.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/W_Central_Montana.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/Western_Montana.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/ashton-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/ashton_ne_ashton_se.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/cut bank-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/cut_bank_se.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/dubois-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/ekalaka-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/flathead_valley_montana.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/glasgow-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/glasgow-b.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/hardin-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/havre-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/williston_nw.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/wolf point-a.pdf
http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/wtlnds/MapReports/wolf point-b.pdf

Time period of content:

Beginning date: 1973
Ending date: 2005
Currentness reference: Source photography date

Status:

Progress: Complete
Maintenance and update frequency:: None -- See http://mtnhp.org/wetlands for information on current wetland data.

Access constraints: None

Use constraints:

The Montana State Library provides this product/service for informational purposes only. The Library did not produce it for, nor is it suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. Consumers of this information should review or consult the primary data and information sources to ascertain the viability of the information for their purposes. The Library provides these data in good faith but does not represent or warrant its accuracy, adequacy, or completeness. In no event shall the Library be liable for any incorrect results or analysis; any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages to any party; or any lost profits arising out of or in connection with the use or the inability to use the data or the services provided. The Library makes these data and services available as a convenience to the public, and for no other purpose. The Library reserves the right to change or revise published data and/or services at any time.

Federal, State, and local regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over wetlands may define and describe wetlands in a different manner than that used in this inventory. There is no attempt, in either the design or products of this inventory, to define the limits of proprietary jurisdiction of any Federal, State, or local government or to establish the geographical scope of the regulatory programs of government agencies. Persons intending to engage in activities involving modifications within or adjacent to wetland areas should seek the advice of appropriate Federal, State, or local agencies concerning specified agency regulatory programs and proprietary jurisdictions that may affect such activities.

Point of contact:

Cartographer
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory Center
9720 Executive Center Drive
St. Petersburg, Florida 33702
Telephone: 727-570-5400

Data Quality Information:

Attribute accuracy report:

The attribute accuracy is tested by manual comparison of the source with hard copy printouts and/or symbolized display of the digital wetlands data on an interactive computer graphic system. In addition, quality control verification software (USFWS-NWI) tests the attributes against a master set of valid wetland
attributes.

Completeness report:

This historic National Wetlands Inventory data covers approximately 30 percent of the state of Montana.

This data set represents the extent of wetlands and deepwater habitats that can be determined with the use of remotely sensed data and within the timeframe for which the maps were produced. The accuracy of image interpretation depends on the quality of the imagery, the experience of the image analysts, the amount and quality of the collateral data, and the amount of ground truth verification work conducted.

There is a margin error inherent in the use of imagery, thus detailed on-the-ground inspection of any particular site, may result in revision of the wetland boundaries or classification, established through image analysis.

Wetlands or other mapped features may have changed since the date or the imagery and/or field work. There may be occasional differences in polygon boundaries or classifications between the information depicted on the map and the actual conditions on site.

NWI maps do not show all wetlands, but attempt to show most photointerpretable wetlands given considerations of map/photo scale and wetland delineation practices. A target mapping unit (tmu) is an estimate of the size class of the smallest group of wetlands that NWI attempts to map consistently; it is not the smallest wetland mapped.

Recognize that some wetland types are conspicuous and readily mapped (e.g., marshes and ponds) and smaller ones may be mapped. Drier wetlands and forested wetlands (especially evergreen) are more difficult to photointerpret and larger ones may be missed. The tmu also varies with photo scale; in forested regions, the tmu may be 3-5 acres (1:80K photos), 1-3 acres (1:58K), or 1 acre (1:40K). NWI maps should show most wetlands larger than the tmu. In the treeless prairies, a 1/4 acre tmu is possible due to the openness of terrain and occurrence of wetlands in distinct depressions.

Take notice of the photo scale/type used to make the maps (see legend) and realize that black and white photos tend to yield more conservative interpretations than color infrared film. Most farmed wetlands (e.g., mucklands) are usually not mapped, except for pothole-type wetlands, cranberry bogs, and diked former tidelands (Sacramento Valley). Partly drained wetlands are conservatively mapped due to photointerpretation limitations.

No attempt was made to identify regulated wetlands from other wetlands. Recognize that maps produced through photointerpretation are not as accurate as one prepared from on-the-ground surveys, so NWI boundaries are generalized.

Lineage:

Source information:

Originator:: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), or special projects.
Title:: Aerial photography from the National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP), National High Altitude Photography (NHAP), USDA, Farm Service Agency, Aerial Photography Field Office, NASA, or special project photography.
Source scale denominator: 58000
Type of source media: Air photo
Source contribution: Wetlands spatial and attribute information
Beginning date: 1980
Ending date: 1989

Source information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
Title: USGS Topographic Maps
Source scale denominator: 24000
Type of source media: stable-base material
Source contribution: base cartographic data
Beginning date: 1902
Ending date: 1998

Source information:

Originator: U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service
Title: County Soil Surveys
Source scale denominator: Varies
Type of source media: paper
Source contribution: wetlands location and classification

Process step:

NWI maps are compiled through manual photointerpretation of NHAP or NAPP aerial photography supplemented by Soil Surveys and field checking of wetland photo signatures. Delineated wetland boundaries are manually transferred from interpreted photos to USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle maps and then manually labeled. Quality control steps occur throughout the photointerpretation, map compilation, and map reproduction processes.

Digital wetlands data are either manually digitized or scanned from stable-base copies of the 1:24,000 scale wetlands overlays registered to the standard U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5 minute quadrangles into topologically correct data files using Arc/Info software.

Files contain ground planimetric coordinates and wetland attributes. The quadrangles were referenced to the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD27) horizontal datum. The scanning process captured the digital data at a scanning resolution of at least 0.001 inches; the resulting raster data were vectorized and then attributed on an interactive editing station.

Manual digitizing used a digitizing table to capture the digital data at a resolution of at least 0.005 inches; attribution was performed as the data were digitized.

The determination of scanning versus manual digitizing production method was based on feature density, source map quality, feature symbology, and availability of production systems. The data were checked for position by comparing plots of the digital data to the source material.

Process step:

Original stable base hard copy maps of wetland and deepwater habitats were created based on USGS state and quadrangle boundaries. These maps were converted to digital files using various software packages (WAMS, ARC and others). The digital files were stored as ESRI Import/Export files corresponding to a single 1:24,000 USGS quadrangle. These digital files were imported and converted to ESRI Coverage format and checked for topological and attribute errors. All coverages were converted from a UTM map projection to an Alber's Equal Area map projection and the horizontal datum was converted from NAD27 to NAD83 were necessary. Polygons attributed as "Uplands" were removed from the dataset and polygons were merged at quadrangle boundaries where the quadrangle line divided polygons with the same attribute. The data was loaded into a seamless SDE geodatabase for the conterminous United States. These steps were conducted using both Arc Macro Language (AML) and ArcMap editing tools. All point data from the original ESRI Coverages were buffered by 11.28 meters (1/10 of an acre) and incorporated into this polygon feature class. Linear features from the original ESRI Coverages were merged at quadrangle boundaries where the quadrangle line divided lines with the same attribute. Linear data is stored in a separate feature class.

Further data improvements included the conversion of all old wetland codes that contained 'OW' to the new code containing 'UB'. All polygons labeled as 'OUT', 'No Data' and 'NP' were removed from the database.

Spatial Data Organization Information:

Point and vector object information:

SDTS object type: String

SDTS object count: 112183

SDTS object type: G-polygon

SDTS object count: 350440

SDTS object type: Point

SDTS object count: 32246

Spatial Reference Information:

Horizontal coordinate system definition:

Grid coordinate system name: State Plane Coordinate System 1983

SPCS zone identifier: 2500

Lambert conformal conic:

Standard parallel: 45
Standard parallel: 49
Longitude of central meridian: -109.5
Latitude of projection origin: 44.25
False easting: 600000.00000
False northing: 0.00000

Planar distance units: meters

Geodetic model:

Horizontal datum name: North American Datum of 1983
Ellipsoid name: Geodetic Reference System 80
Semi-major axis: 6378137.0
Denominator of flattening ratio: 298.257

Entity and Attribute Information:

Entity type label: Wetlands

Attribute label: ATTRIBUTE

Attribute definition:: This field contains a series of codes that describe the wetland type. The "FullClass" field contains an explanation of the codes, and they may also be looked up on the National Wetland Inventory web site at http://www.fws.gov/nwi/mapcodes.htm

Attribute label: MAJCLASS

Attribute definition: This is the first character of the Attribute field

Attribute label: WETLAND_TY

Attribute definition: Brief description of the wetland type.

Attribute label: FULLCLASS

Attribute definition:: Full textual description of the wetland type, depth, bottom type, standing water status, and artificial constraints

Attribute label: HGM_CODE

Attribute definition:: Some wetland studies assign a hydro-geomorphic code to the wetlands. These codes are described in "Dichotomous Keys and Mapping Codes for Wetland Landscape Position, Landform, Water Flow Path, and Waterbody Type Descriptors", available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at http://library.fws.gov/wetlands/dichotomouskeys0903.pdf. Some of the more common codes used in the Montana NWI file are shown below

Attribute label: NWI_ACRES

Attribute definition:: Size of the wetland in arces, as calculated by the Fish and Widlife Service. Subsequent processing of NWI data may have resulted in polygon splitting or clipping, and this attribute may refer to a larger area than what is shown in specific copies of the database.

Attribute label: GLOBALID

Attribute definition:: Unique identifier of the polygon assigned by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Attribute label: AREA

Attribute definition:: Area of the polygon in square meters. This is the area of the polygon calculated at the State Library when the data was loaded. Subsequent processing of the data may have resulted in polygon splitting or clipping, and this attribute may refer to a larger area than what is shown in specific copies of the database.

Distribution Information:

Distributor:

Montana State Library
PO Box 201800
Helena, MT 59620-1800
Telephone: 406-444-5354
Telephone: 406-444-5354
TDD/TTY telephone: Montana Relay 711
Fax: 406-444-0266
E-Mail: geoinfo@mt.gov
E-Mail: geoinfo@mt.gov

Resource description: Downloadable Data

Distribution liability:

Standard order process:

Digital form:

Metadata Reference Information:

Metadata date: 01/21/2014

Metadata review date: 11/05/2012

Metadata review date: 11/09/2007

Metadata review date: 09/29/2004

Metadata review date: 2001

Metadata contact:

Montana State Library
PO Box 201800
Helena, Montana 59620-1800
Telephone: 406-444-5354
TDD/TTY telephone: Montana Relay 711
Fax: 406-444-0266
E-Mail: geoinfo@mt.gov