GARFOGIS_DATA_TRACKING.xlsm
Data Set (DS) | Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:29707 | Updated: October 17, 2023 | Published / External
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Summary
Short Citation
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 2025: GARFOGIS_DATA_TRACKING.xlsm, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/29707.
Full Citation Examples
This spreadsheet is the central tracking document and inventory of "official" GIS datasets in development, published, or archived at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). All shapefiles, data templates and other documents are described here.
Distribution Information
-
Shapefile
This web page contains download links for all "official" GIS data that is identified as "published" in the GIS Tracking Spreadsheet. In the future, the web page may also contain links to archived (historic) GIS data.
None.
*** Attribution ***
Whenever NMFS material is reproduced and re-disseminated, we request that users attribute the material appropriately. Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 403, parties who produce copyrighted works consisting predominantly of material created by the Federal Government are encouraged to provide notice with such work(s) identifying the U.S. Government material incorporated and stating that such material is not subject to copyright protection. Please cite Regulated Area datasets as follows, with the appropriate information substituted for all text in {CURLY BRACKETS}:NOAA Fisheries Service. NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters. {SHAPEFILE TITLE} [Shapefile]. Gloucester, MA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) [producer] {SHAPEFILE PUBLICATION DATE}. http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/gis.
*** No Warranty***
The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of these data. NMFS is providing these data "as is," and NMFS disclaims any and all warranties, whether express or implied, including (without limitation) any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data to evaluate dataset limitations, restrictions or intended use. In no event will NMFS be liable to you or to any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profit resulting from any use or misuse of this data.
*** Proper Usage ***
The information on government servers are in the public domain, unless specifically annotated otherwise, and may be used freely by the public. Before using information obtained from this server, special attention should be given to the date and time of the data and products being displayed. This information shall not be modified in content and then presented as official government material. This dataset was created to depict the boundaries of NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters (Regulated Areas) only. The dataset should not be used for a legal definition. The dataset should not be used to infer information regarding the existence or details of other marine features or resources, including, but not limited to, navigable waters, coastlines, bathymetry, submerged features, or man-made structures. Users assume responsibility for determining the appropriate use of this dataset.
*** Not the Legal Definition ***
This Geographic Information System (GIS) dataset is not the legal definition of the Regulated Area. The description published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations is the only legal definition. This dataset and metadata document provide a broad overview of a subset of applicable fishing regulations, restrictions and requirements; it is not a substitute for the actual regulations. Users are encouraged to read the applicable regulations in conjunction with use of this dataset.
*** Temporal Considerations ***
Regulated Area boundary definitions are subject to change or modification. Published datasets may represent historic, current, or future Regulated Areas. When changes to fishing regulations affect this dataset, it will be archived and replaced by an updated version as soon as feasible. Approved Regulated Area boundaries may also be published prior to their effective date. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure the applicable Regulated Area boundaries are being used.
*** Shorelines/Base Layers ***
The accuracy of this dataset is dependent upon the accuracy and resolution of the datasets (e.g., shoreline, bathymetry, shared administrative boundaries) used in the creation process. Source datasets used are specified in the metadata. These data sources were selected for their suitability to a broad audience, and may not be suitable for specific uses requiring higher-resolution information. Coastlines change. Unless otherwise noted, where the NOAA Medium Resolution Shoreline is used, assume the regulatory boundary reaches the most current coastline delineation available.
Child Items
| Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Entity | GARFO RegAreas - Archived |
| Entity | GARFO RegAreas - In Development |
| Entity | GARFO RegAreas - Published |
Contact Information
Point of Contact
talya Tenbrink
talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov
978-675-2190
Metadata Contact
talya Tenbrink
talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov
978-675-2190
Extents
-83° W,
-65° E,
46° N,
24° S
2012-12-31 - Present
Data is updated as needed, with outdated information migrated to archive section of data set.
Item Identification
| Title: | GARFOGIS_DATA_TRACKING.xlsm |
|---|---|
| Short Name: | GIS Data Tracking |
| Status: | In Work |
| Creation Date: | 2012 |
| Abstract: |
This spreadsheet is the central tracking document and inventory of "official" GIS datasets in development, published, or archived at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). All shapefiles, data templates and other documents are described here. |
| Purpose: |
The purpose of this spreadsheet is to provide a central inventory of standardized GIS products developed at GARFO. Currently, the only "official" GIS products in development are shapefiles of NMFS Fishing Regulated Areas in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic waters (Reg Areas). This spreadsheet lists and describes a series of templates developed to standardize this process. The spreadsheet also tracks the status of each Reg Area shapefile, including development, review, publication and archiving. Other useful by-products generated by GARFO are also described. |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | atlantic coastal fisheries cooperative management act |
| None | critical habitat |
| None | endangered species act |
| None | fisheries |
| None | fishery |
| None | garfo |
| None | gis |
| None | greater atlantic regional fisheries office |
| None | highly migratory species |
| None | magnuson-stevens act |
| None | marine mammals protection act |
| None | national environmental protection act |
| None | national marine fisheries service |
| None | national oceanic and atmospheric administration |
| None | reg area |
| None | regulated area |
| None | shapefile |
Spatial Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | atlantic ocean |
| None | cape cod bay |
| None | exclusive economic zone |
| None | georges bank |
| None | gulf of maine |
| None | mid-atlantic |
| None | southern new england |
| None | us eez |
Stratum Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | marine |
| None | oceanic |
Physical Location
| Organization: | Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office |
|---|---|
| City: | Gloucester |
| State/Province: | MA |
| Country: | USA |
| Location Description: |
G:\GIS_PROJECTS\GIS\__REG_AREAS_Data_Development\tables\GARFOGIS_DATA_TRACKING.xlsm |
Data Set Information
| Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
|---|---|
| Data Set Type: | GIS |
| Maintenance Frequency: | As Needed |
| Data Presentation Form: | Table (digital) |
Support Roles
Data Steward
| Date Effective From: | 2012-10-25 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Tenbrink, talya |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 978-675-2190 |
Distributor
| Date Effective From: | 2012-10-25 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) |
| Address: |
55 Great Republic Drive Gloucester, MA 01930 USA |
| Phone: | (978)281-9300 |
| Business Hours: | 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 EST |
| Contact Instructions: |
See Point of Contact |
Metadata Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2012-10-25 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Tenbrink, talya |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 978-675-2190 |
Point of Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2012-10-25 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Tenbrink, talya |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 978-675-2190 |
Extents
| Currentness Reference: | Publication Date |
|---|
Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
| W° Bound: | -83 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | -65 | |
| N° Bound: | 46 | |
| S° Bound: | 24 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Continuing |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2012-12-31 |
| Description: |
Data is updated as needed, with outdated information migrated to archive section of data set. |
Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Access Procedure: |
Contact the Point of Contact for the data set to request access. The spreadsheet describes GIS data that are in development, published, or archived. GIS data that is published is freely available for download by the public at http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/educational_resources/gis/data/index.html. |
| Data Access Constraints: |
None. |
| Data Use Constraints: |
*** Attribution *** Whenever NMFS material is reproduced and re-disseminated, we request that users attribute the material appropriately. Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 403, parties who produce copyrighted works consisting predominantly of material created by the Federal Government are encouraged to provide notice with such work(s) identifying the U.S. Government material incorporated and stating that such material is not subject to copyright protection. Please cite Regulated Area datasets as follows, with the appropriate information substituted for all text in {CURLY BRACKETS}:NOAA Fisheries Service. NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters. {SHAPEFILE TITLE} [Shapefile]. Gloucester, MA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) [producer] {SHAPEFILE PUBLICATION DATE}. http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/gis. *** No Warranty*** The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of these data. NMFS is providing these data "as is," and NMFS disclaims any and all warranties, whether express or implied, including (without limitation) any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data to evaluate dataset limitations, restrictions or intended use. In no event will NMFS be liable to you or to any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profit resulting from any use or misuse of this data. *** Proper Usage *** The information on government servers are in the public domain, unless specifically annotated otherwise, and may be used freely by the public. Before using information obtained from this server, special attention should be given to the date and time of the data and products being displayed. This information shall not be modified in content and then presented as official government material. This dataset was created to depict the boundaries of NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters (Regulated Areas) only. The dataset should not be used for a legal definition. The dataset should not be used to infer information regarding the existence or details of other marine features or resources, including, but not limited to, navigable waters, coastlines, bathymetry, submerged features, or man-made structures. Users assume responsibility for determining the appropriate use of this dataset. *** Not the Legal Definition *** This Geographic Information System (GIS) dataset is not the legal definition of the Regulated Area. The description published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations is the only legal definition. This dataset and metadata document provide a broad overview of a subset of applicable fishing regulations, restrictions and requirements; it is not a substitute for the actual regulations. Users are encouraged to read the applicable regulations in conjunction with use of this dataset. *** Temporal Considerations *** Regulated Area boundary definitions are subject to change or modification. Published datasets may represent historic, current, or future Regulated Areas. When changes to fishing regulations affect this dataset, it will be archived and replaced by an updated version as soon as feasible. Approved Regulated Area boundaries may also be published prior to their effective date. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure the applicable Regulated Area boundaries are being used. *** Shorelines/Base Layers *** The accuracy of this dataset is dependent upon the accuracy and resolution of the datasets (e.g., shoreline, bathymetry, shared administrative boundaries) used in the creation process. Source datasets used are specified in the metadata. These data sources were selected for their suitability to a broad audience, and may not be suitable for specific uses requiring higher-resolution information. Coastlines change. Unless otherwise noted, where the NOAA Medium Resolution Shoreline is used, assume the regulatory boundary reaches the most current coastline delineation available. |
| Metadata Access Constraints: |
None. |
Distribution Information
Distribution 1
| Download URL: | http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/educational_resources/gis/data/index.html |
|---|---|
| Distributor: | Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) (2012-10-25 - Present) |
| File Name: | GIS Datasets & Charts |
| Description: |
This web page contains download links for all "official" GIS data that is identified as "published" in the GIS Tracking Spreadsheet. In the future, the web page may also contain links to archived (historic) GIS data. |
| File Type (Deprecated): | ESRI Shapefile |
| Distribution Format: | Shapefile |
| Compression: | Zip |
URLs
URL 1
| URL: | http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/educational_resources/gis/data/index.html |
|---|---|
| Name: | Download GIS Data |
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
| Description: |
This web page contains download links for all "official" GIS data that is identified as "published" in the GIS Tracking Spreadsheet. In the future, the web page may also contain links to archived (historic) GIS data. |
URL 2
| URL: | http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/educational_resources/gis/index.html |
|---|---|
| Name: | Homepage |
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
| Description: |
Homepage of the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program. |
Data Quality
| Representativeness: |
N/A |
|---|---|
| Accuracy: |
N/A |
| Analytical Accuracy: |
N/A |
| Horizontal Positional Accuracy: |
N/A |
| Vertical Positional Accuracy: |
N/A |
| Completeness Measure: |
100% |
| Quality Control Procedures Employed: |
Before being approved for publication, GIS data must comply with the "GARFO GIS Data Distribution Policy." The policy was approved and established by the Regional Administrator in March 2014. Contact the Point of Contact to review a copy of the data distribution policy. |
Data Management
| Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: | Yes |
|---|---|
| Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: | Unknown |
| Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: | Yes |
| Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: | No |
| If Distributor (Data Hosting Service) is Needed, Please Indicate: | Not applicable |
| Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Dissemination: | UInknown |
| If Delay is Longer than Latency of Automated Processing, Indicate Under What Authority Data Access is Delayed: |
Not applicable |
| Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: | No Archiving Intended |
| If To Be Determined, Unable to Archive, or No Archiving Intended, Explain: |
The GIS Tracking Spreadsheet is a living document. As envisioned, it will be continually updated to show the current state of GIS data that is in development, published, or archived. Individual GIS data will be "archived" when the regulated areas they define are removed from the Code of Federal Regulations. This "archived" data will still be accessible as a historic view of spatial regulations. The data "archived" historic data will be stored in the GIS Drive (G:\) by archive date. The data may also be available on the GARFO GIS website, under a to-be-created page storing historic data. Contact the Point of Contact for more information. |
| Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Archiving: | Unknown |
| How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?: |
Original and complete shape files are write protected and easily recovered if needed. |
Lineage
Sources
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, GARFO |
| Citation URL: | http://www.ecfr.gov/ |
| Citation URL Name: | Electronic Code of Federal Regulations |
| Citation URL Description: |
The e-CFR is an editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments produced by the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Publishing Office. |
Process Steps
Process Step 1
| Description: |
[Processes Vary] Based on the unique geography included in a regulated area boundary, the following processing steps may vary. Additional steps may be included, as necessary, if the regulated area boundary includes any of the following features (not an exhaustive list): - Cape Cod Canal - Nantucket Sound Submerged Lands Act boundary - Bathymetric contours - Geodesic Circles |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 2
| Description: |
[Template Generation] Many NMFS Regulated Areas in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Waters (Regulated Areas) share boundaries that are partially coincident with any combination of the following: 1) the U.S. Atlantic coastline; 2) the Submerged Lands Act boundary; 3) the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine; 4) the outward extent of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (a.k.a. the "200-nautical mile line"). To standardize Regulated Area features sharing these boundaries, published shapefiles of the shared administrative boundaries were obtained from the authoritative agencies. A shoreline was selected that was suitable for general mapping purposes, freely and publicly available, of medium-resolution, and covering the extent of the U.S.. When necessary, the boundaries were transformed to NAD83. A series of template polygon shapefiles were then generated, using these authoritative boundaries as the outward extents of the polygon. All templates were generated in NAD83 geographic coordinate system. The templates created are: 1) Coast-to-EEZ: bounded by the coastline, the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, the U.S. EEZ, and 81°W longitude off the southern extent of Florida (an arbitrary cut-off for the Atlantic); 2) Coast-to-SLA: bounded by the coastline, the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, the Submerged Lands Act boundary, and 81°W longitude off the southern extent of Florida; 3) SLA-to-EEZ: bounded by the Submerged Lands Act boundary, the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, the U.S. EEZ, and 81°W longitude off the southern extent of Florida. These templates were subsequently copied and edited, as needed by the Regulated Area spatial definitions. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 3
| Description: |
[Get Definition Text] The current legal spatial definition for the Regulated Area was copied from the e-CFR website. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
| Source: | Electronic Code of Federal Regulations |
Process Step 4
| Description: |
[Features From Templates] The (Coast-to-EEZ, Coast-to-SLA, SLA-to-EEZ) template shapefile was copied and projected to NAD83 Mercator Projection. The coordinates of the Regulated Area definition were transferred to a spreadsheet, converted to Decimal Degrees, plotted as a point shapefile in NAD83, and then projected to NAD83 Mercator Projection. To generate the Regulated Area boundary in ArcGIS, the template polygon was split by connecting these points in the order specified in the spatial definition. When the spatial definition specified that points were connected by following the (Coastline, SLA, EEZ), the coinciding outward extent of the template polygon was used. When the spatial definition specified that points were connected by following a straight line, rhumb lines were constructed. As an exception, points intended to fall along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary were connected by following the geodesic line that legally defines that international boundary. After all points were appropriately connected, any portions of the template outside the defined Regulated Area were discarded. When multiple Regulated Areas are a part of a larger grouping of related Regulated Areas, these steps were repeated to generate a unique feature for each Regulated Area and the features were then combined into a single shapefile. The boundaries were densified with consecutive vertices spaced no more than 10 nautical miles apart, to preserve rhumb line paths in other coordinate systems. The file was projected back to the un-projected NAD83 coordinate system. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 5
| Description: |
[Add Attributes] The standardized attribute schema was applied to the shapefile, and the fields were defined. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 6
| Description: |
[Policy Review] The Regulated Area spatial definition text, shapefile geometry and attribute values were reviewed with policy staff to verify that the shapefile accurately depicted and described the intended boundaries. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 7
| Description: |
[Check Geometry] The ESRI ArcGIS Check Geometry tool was run on the shapefile to identify any geometry problems. If problems were encountered, they were reviewed and corrected. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 8
| Description: |
[Metadata] A GARFO Regulated Area shapefile metadata template was developed using the EPA Metadata Editor v3.2. This template was applied and customized to reflect the specific characteristics of the given shapefile. The metadata was validated for FGDC CSDGM compliance. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 9
| Description: |
[Final Review] The shapefile was reviewed by members of the GARFO GIS Committee, policy experts from the GARFO Division responsible for the Regulated Area, and General Counsel, according to the GARFO GIS Data Distribution Policy. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 10
| Description: |
[Publication] The shapefile, with accompanying metadata, was uploaded for public download on the NOAA NMFS GARFO GIS website. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Process Step 11
| Description: |
[Archival] When a regulated area is removed from the Code of Federal Regulations, the shapefile is removed from the list of published regulated areas and added to the data archive. Fields are added detailing when the data was archived and a short reason explaining why the archival was necessary. Archived data is still available, but may not be actively published on the GARFO GIS website, or may be stored in a "historic data" section of the GARFO GIS website. |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Tenbrink, talya |
| Phone (Voice): | 978-675-2190 |
| Email Address: | talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov |
Child Items
Rubric scores updated every 15m
|
Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | GARFO RegAreas - Archived | |
| Entity | GARFO RegAreas - In Development | |
| Entity | GARFO RegAreas - Published |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 29707 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:29707 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Dean M Szumylo |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2015-12-11 15:07+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2023-10-17 16:12+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2016-02-24 |
| Owner Org: | GARFO |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2016-02-24 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2017-02-24 |