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Catalog Details

Summary

Short Citation
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 2024: GARFOGIS_DATA_TRACKING.xlsm, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/29707.
Full Citation Examples

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.

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.

Access Constraints:

None.

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.

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

Geographic Area 1

-83° W, -65° E, 46° N, 24° S

Time Frame 1
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

CC ID: 263343
Date Effective From: 2012-10-25
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Tenbrink, talya
Email Address: talya.tenbrink@noaa.gov
Phone: 978-675-2190

Distributor

CC ID: 263695
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

CC ID: 263673
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

CC ID: 263674
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

CC ID: 263400
W° Bound: -83
E° Bound: -65
N° Bound: 46
S° Bound: 24

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 263398
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

CC ID: 263911
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

CC ID: 263718
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

CC ID: 263719
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

CC ID: 263880
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

CC ID: 263909
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

CC ID: 263884
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

CC ID: 263885
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

CC ID: 263886
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

CC ID: 263887
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

CC ID: 263888
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

CC ID: 263889
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

CC ID: 263890
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

CC ID: 263891
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

CC ID: 263899
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

CC ID: 263910
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

Rubric Score 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