Metadata for Montana Gap Analysis - Land Cover

- Identification Information
- Data Quality Information
- Spatial Data Organization Information
- Spatial Reference Information
- Entity and Attribute Information
- Distribution Information
- Metadata Reference Information
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Identification Information:

Citation:
  Originator: Wildlife Spatial Analysis Lab, The University of Montana
  Publication date: 09/30/1998
  Title: Montana Gap Analysis - Land Cover
  Publication place: Helena, MT
  Publisher: Montana State Library
  Online linkage: ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Data/Spatial/NonMSDI/Raster/Gap1998.zip
  Browse graphic file name: ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Documents/Maps/Thumbnails/19980528_580_thumb.jpg
  Browse graphic file description: Thumbnail image of Montana Land Cover Type map
  Browse graphic file name: ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Documents/Maps/Individual/19980528_580_1998_MTLandCover.gif
  Browse graphic file description: Montana Land Cover Type map
Abstract:
  This data set is a 90 meter land cover grid (raster file) covering the state of Montana, including a 10 km buffer around the state border as required by the National Gap Analysis Program for edge-matching with adjacent states. Parts of the following 33 Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) scenes are included: path 34, rows 27-29; path 35, rows 26-29; path 36, rows 27-29; path 37, rows 26-29; path 38, rows 26-29; path 39, rows 26-29; path 40, rows 26-29; path 41, rows 26-28; path 42, rows 26-27; and path 43, row 26.
  Land cover was classified in a two-step process: unsupervised classification to define patch boundaries and spectral classes, followed by a supervised classification to assign cover type labels. TM bands 1 - 7, elevation, slope, and aspect attributes were used in the supervised classification. In all scenes, irrigated and non-irrigated agriculture, clouds, cloud shadow, urban areas, surface mines, and fires were manually labeled.
  Parts of this grid were produced in four separate projects. Western Montana and northern Idaho were classified for the U.S. Forest Service, Region One, in a project (FSR1) completed in June 1996. The FSR1 project produced a separate riparian layer, unlike the other three projects where riparian vegetation was included in the overall supervised classification.
  This separate riparian grid was combined with the other FSR1 grids in order to match the later projects. The Little Missouri and Sheyenne National Grasslands were classified for the Custer National Forest as part of a project (CUSTER) completed in July 1997. The central Idaho project (CICP) was contracted by the U.S. Forest Service, Region Four, and was completed in August 1997. Finally, the eastern Montana project (EMT) was contracted by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and was completed in November 1997.
  All individual grids within the state of Montana have undergone updates and standardization since the project completion dates in order to have as congruous a coverage throughout the state as possible. Cover types were combined and reduced to 50 types from a total of 94 for use with Gap Analysis. The grid was merged to a 2 ha minimum mapping unit (MMU) for upland cover types and a 90 meter MMU for riparian cover types. Cloud and cloud shadow were merged to 100 ha. Ground-truth data were provided by a variety of organizations for use in the classification process.
  For more information, please refer to the project's final report:
  Redmond, R.L., M.M. Hart, J.C. Winne, W.A. Williams, P.C. Thornton, Z. Ma, C.M. Tobalske, M.M. Thornton, K.P. McLaughlin, T.P. Tady, F.B. Fisher, S.W. Running. 1998.
  The Montana Gap Analysis Project: final report.
  Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, The University of Montana, Missoula. xiii + 136 pp. + appendices.
  This is on-line at ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Documents/Metadata/MtGap1998Report.pdf.
  An atlas of land cover for the state also is available:
  Fisher, F.B., J.C. Winne, M.M. Thornton, T.P. Tady, Z. Ma, M.M. Hart, and R.L. Redmond. 1998.
  Montana land cover atlas.
  Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, The University of Montana, Missoula. viii + 50 pp.
  This is on-line at ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Documents/Metadata/MtGap1998Atlas.pdf
  The following metadata elements are required by GAP, but do not parse using the FGDC mp parser (although similar elements can be found later in this document for several of these). For the convenience of GAP users, these elements are listed here.
  Data Set Identity: MTGAPVEG;
  Raster File Format: ARC/INFO GRID;
  Raster File Sensor: NA;
  Vector File Format: NA;
  Nonspatial File Format: NA;
  Source Distance Resolution: 90 meters;
  Raster File Number of Bytes per Pixel: 4;
  Native Data Structure: Raster.
Purpose:
  These data were produced to map existing land cover in a standardized, consistent manner across the state for use in Montana Gap Analysis (MT-GAP). This land cover grid is suited for analysis at the regional, sub-regional, and landscape levels; it can also provide support for many management disciplines, including timber, wildlife, fisheries, and recreation.
Time period of content:
  Beginning date: 04/01/1994
  Ending date: 09/30/1998
  Currentness reference: calendar date
Status:
  Progress: Complete
Access constraints:
  This data set is in the public domain, and the recipient may not assert any proprietary rights thereto nor represent it to anyone as other than a data set produced by the Wildlife Spatial Analysis Lab at the University of Montana.
Use constraints:
  This data set is provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The user assumes all responsibility for the accuracy and suitability of this data set for a specific application. In no event will the creators, The University of Montana, or the US Geological Survey be liable for any damages, including lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising from the use of or inability to use this data set. Users must assume responsibility for determining the suitability of these data for their purposes. Not for use at scales greater than 1:100000.
  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.
Point of contact:
  Roland L. Redmond
  Principal Investigator
  Wildlife Spatial Analysis Lab, The University of Montana
  Wildlife Spatial Analysis Lab, The University of Montana
  Missoula, MT 59812-1063
  Telephone: 406-243-5208 (email preferred)
  Fax: 406-243-6064
  E-Mail: red@wru.umt.edu
Data set credit:
  The Wildlife Spatial Analysis Lab for creation of the geospatial data set.

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Data Quality Information:

Attribute accuracy report:
  Thematic accuracy of the land cover map was assessed using a bootstrap method which did not require the collection of an independent set of reference data. Cover type classification accuracies were estimated for 45 types; these averaged 61.4%, and ranged from 4.4% for Western Hemlock to 93.2% for Missouri Breaks. Interpolation of the mean error estimates at each ground reference point allowed us to map the land cover accuracy across the state. Estimated mean accuracy exceeded 80% in the southwest corner (Beaverhead and Madison Counties) and in the western portion of the Highline in Glacier, Toole, and Pondera Counties; lower estimated accuracies were associated with some of the insular mountain ranges in central Montana from Gallatin County north through Cascade and Judith Basin Counties. For more information on accuracy of vegetation attributes, please refer to the project's final report: Redmond, R.L., M.M. Hart, J.C. Winne, W.A. Williams, P.C. Thornton, Z. Ma, C.M. Tobalske, M.M. Thornton, K.P. McLaughlin, T.P. Tady, F.B. Fisher, S.W. Running. 1998. The Montana Gap Analysis Project: final report. Unpublished report. Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, The University of Montana, Missoula. xii + 136 pp. + appendices. This is on-line at ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Documents/Metadata/MtGap1998Report.pdf.
Logical consistency report:
  All grid attributes were checked for consistency of appropriate range values.
Completeness report:
  All areas in Montana and the surrounding 10km buffer are included in this map.
Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report:
  Claimed root-mean square error for horizontal position of the terrain- corrected Landsat TM images is 18 meters in the x direction (WNW-ESE) and 30 meters in the y direction (NNE-SSW).
Lineage:
  Source information:
    Originator: Hughes STX Corporation
    Publication date: 1991, 1992, 1993
    Title:
      Terrain-corrected Landsat Thematic Mapper Images p34r29, p35r26-28, p36r26-29, p37r26-29, p38r26-29, p39r26-29, p40r26-29, p41r26-28, p42r26-27
    Publication place: Lanham, Maryland
    Publisher: Hughes STX Corporation
    Source scale denominator: 60000
    Source contribution: Provided base imagery for classification.
    Beginning date: 06/15/1991
    Ending date: 08/05/1993
  Source information:
    Originator: Multi-Resolution Land Cover Consortium (MRLC)
    Publication date: 1994, 1996
    Title:
      Terrain-corrected Landsat Thematic Mapper Images p34r28, p35r29, p43r26
    Publication place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
    Publisher: Multi-Resolution Land Cover Consortium (MRLC)
    Source scale denominator: 60000
    Source contribution: Provided base imagery for classification.
    Beginning date: 08/29/1994
    Ending date: 05/15/1996
  Source information:
    Originator: EOSAT Corporation
    Publication date: 06/17/1995
    Title: Terrain-corrected Landsat Thematic Mapper Image p34r27
    Publication place: Lanham, Maryland
    Publisher: EOSAT Corporation
    Source scale denominator: 60000
    Source contribution: Provided base imagery for classification.
    Calendar date: 06/17/1995
  Source information:
    Originator: U.S. Forest Service, Region 1
    Publication date: 04/1995
    Title: Existing Ground-Truth Databases
    Publication place: Montana
    Publisher: U.S. Forest Service
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution: Provided training data for assigning cover type labels.
    Beginning date: 04/1995
    Ending date: 10/1995
  Source information:
    Originator: U.S. Forest Service, Region 4
    Publication date: 04/1995
    Title: Existing Ground-Truth Databases
    Publication place: Montana
    Publisher: U.S. Forest Service
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution: Provided training data for assigning cover type labels.
    Beginning date: 09/1996
    Ending date: 05/1997
  Source information:
    Originator: U.S. Bureau of Land Management
    Publication date: 04/1997
    Title: Existing Ground-Truth Databases
    Publication place: Montana
    Publisher: U.S. Bureau of Land Management
    Source scale denominator: 60000
    Source contribution: Provided training data for assigning cover type labels.
    Calendar date: 04/1997
  Source information:
    Originator: Natural Resource Conservation Service
    Publication date: 06/1997
    Title: Existing Ground-Truth Soil Survey Databases
    Publication place: Montana
    Publisher: Natural Resource Conservation Service
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution:
      Provided training data for assigning cover type labels. To protect private landowners, NRCS overlaid WSAL polygons with their points and identified polygons containing ground truth plots; source scale is 1:24,000 or finer.
    Calendar date: 06/1997
  Source information:
    Originator: U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
    Publication date: 06/1997
    Title: Existing Ground-Truth Databases
    Publication place: Montana
    Publisher: U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution: Provided training data for assigning cover type labels.
    Calendar date: 06/1997
  Source information:
    Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
    Publication date: 03/1996
    Title: 1:100,000-scale Digital Line Graphs
    Publication place: Reston, VA
    Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
    Source scale denominator: 100000
    Source contribution: Provided hydrography layer.
    Beginning date: 03/1996
    Ending date: 04/1997
  Source information:
    Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
    Publication date: 07/1995
    Title: 7.5-minute Digital Elevation Models
    Publication place: Reston, VA
    Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution: Provided majority of topography layer.
    Beginning date: 07/1995
    Ending date: 09/1996
  Source information:
    Originator: Defense Mapping Agency
    Publication date: 07/1995
    Title: 1-degree Digital Elevation Models
    Publication place: Bethesda, MD
    Publisher: Defense Mapping Agency
    Source scale denominator: 250000
    Source contribution:
      Provided topography layer where 7.5-minute DEM data were unavailable.
    Beginning date: 07/1995
    Ending date: 09/1996
  Source information:
    Originator: U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Program
    Publication date: 1997
    Title: Northwest GAP Analysis Land Cover
    Publication place: Moscow, ID
    Publisher: Northwest GAP Analysis Project
    Online linkage: http://www.gap.uidaho.edu
  Process step:
    Classify: unsupervised classification was performed on the input image.
  Process date: 06/01/1996
  Process step:
    Merge: using customized software, merged all raster polygons below a specified minimum mapping unit (mmu) with most similar neighbor larger than the mmu. Makedem: extracted a digital elevation model (DEM) from the WSAL dem database for use during labeling.
    Makehydrography: extracted a hydrography coverage from the WSAL hydrography database for use during labeling.
    Buildvat: built an Arc/Info value attribute table (VAT) to hold all items (fields) for which descriptive data could be developed for each region.
  Process date: 09/01/1996
  Process step:
    Processgt: filled in spectral, topographic, and hydrologic information in ground-truth training data for use in supervised classification.
  Process date: 02/01/1997
  Process step:
    Labelagurbcloud and Labelother: manually labeled agricultural, urban, and cloud areas, as well as mines and areas burned in fires.
  Process date: 08/1997
  Process step:
    Labelveg: performed supervised classification, labelling each region with its vegetation attributes: cover_code, cov_code_1, cov_code_2, cov_code_3, and cov_prob_1.
  Process date: 03/01/1997
  Process step:
    Edgematch: for each scene, identified and labeled regions to be retained where overlap occurs among scenes to make a seamless image for the entire state.
  Process date: 10/31/1997
  Process step: Validate: validation was performed for all items in the VAT.
  Process date: 11/25/1997
  Process step:
    TrimDatabase: when appropriate, key veg item values were set to zero (null) outside the Montana state border (with a 10 km border).
  Process date: 12/01/1997
  Process step: LandCover: create 30m ARC/INFO grid of land cover.
  Process date: 11/1997
  Process step:
    RecodeVeg: Recombined the 94 land cover types to 50 for Gap Analysis.
  Process date: 12/1997
  Process step:
    MergeFinal: Merged all land cover types except cloud and cloud shadow to a 2 hectare MMU. Merged cloud and cloud shadow to 100 ha MMU. (Uses customized software)
  Process date: 02/23/1998
  Process step: Grid: Resampled 30m land cover grid to 90m.
  Process date: 02/27/1998
  Process step:
    Riparian: Extracted water and riparian cover types (5000 - 6400) from 30m land cover grid. Resampled to 90m, and merged with the 90m land cover grid, LDGD (giving the riparian grid priority in the merge).
  Process date: 02/29/1998

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Spatial Data Organization Information:

Raster object information:
  Raster object type: Grid cell
  Row count: 6115
  Column count: 10430

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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
    Denominator of flattening ratio: 298.257

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Entity and Attribute Information:

Entity type label: MTGAPVEG.VAT
Entity type definition: Grid Cell Value Attribute Table
  Attribute label: VALUE
    Attribute definition:
      Land cover class assigned in supervised classification, then recoded to GAP land cover types.

    Attribute Value | Definition of Attribute Value
    1100 | Urban or Developed Lands
    2010 | Agricultural Lands - Dry
    2020 | Agricultural Lands - Irrigated
    3110 | Altered Herbaceous
    3130 | Very Low Cover Grasslands
    3150 | Low/Moderate Cover Grasslands
    3170 | Moderate/High Cover Grasslands
    3180 | Montane Parklands and Subalpine Meadows
    3200 | Mixed Mesic Shrubs
    3300 | Mixed Xeric Shrubs
    3309 | Silver Sage
    3310 | Salt-Desert Shrub/Dry Salt Flats
    3350 | Sagebrush
    3510 | Mesic Shrub-Grassland Associations
    3520 | Xeric Shrub-Grassland Associations
    4000 | Low Density Xeric Forest
    4140 | Mixed Broadleaf Forest
    4203 | Lodgepole Pine
    4205 | Limber Pine
    4206 | Ponderosa Pine
    4207 | Grand Fir
    4210 | Western Red Cedar
    4211 | Western Hemlock
    4212 | Douglas-fir
    4214 | Rocky Mountain Juniper
    4215 | Western Larch
    4216 | Utah Juniper
    4223 | Douglas-fir/Lodgepole Pine
    4260 | Mixed Whitebark Pine Forest
    4270 | Mixed Subalpine Forest
    4280 | Mixed Mesic Forest
    4290 | Mixed Xeric Forest
    4300 | Mixed Broadleaf and Conifer Forest
    4400 | Standing Burnt Forest
    5000 | Water
    6110 | Conifer Riparian
    6120 | Broadleaf Riparian
    6130 | Mixed Broadleaf and Conifer Riparian
    6200 | Graminoid and Forb Riparian
    6300 | Shrub Riparian
    6400 | Mixed Riparian
    7300 | Rock
    7500 | Mines, Quarries, Gravel Pits
    7600 | Badlands
    7604 | Missouri Breaks
    7800 | Mixed Barren Sites
    8100 | Alpine Meadows
    9100 | Snowfields or Ice
    9800 | Clouds
    9900 | Cloud Shadows

  Attribute label: COUNT
    Attribute definition: Number of 90m x 90m pixels for each land cover type.
  Attribute label: LandCover
    Attribute definition:
      The descriptive name of each land cover type assigned in the supervised classification (see Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definitions for VALUE attribute, above).

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Distribution Information:

Distributor:
  Montana State Library
  PO Box 201800
  Helena, MT 59620-1800
  Telephone: 406-444-5354
  TDD/TTY telephone: 406-444-4799
  Fax: 406-444-0266
  E-Mail: geoinfo@mt.gov
Resource description: Downloadable Data
Distribution liability:
  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.
Standard order process:
  Digital form:
    Format name: TIFF
    Online option:
    ftp://ftp.geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/Data/Spatial/NonMSDI/Raster/Gap1998.zip

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Metadata Reference Information:

Metadata date: 11/04/2013
Metadata review date: 04/17/2013
Metadata review date: 09/29/2004
Metadata review date: 01/20/2000
Metadata review date: 01/08/1998
Metadata contact:
  Michele Thornton or Melissa Hart
  Image Analyst; MT-GAP Coordinator
  Wildlife Spatial Analysis Lab
  Wildlife Spatial Analysis Lab, The University of Montana
  Missoula, Montana 59812-1063
  Telephone: 406-243-5208 (email preferred)
  Fax: 406-243-6064
  E-Mail: mhart@wru.umt.edu

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