ESI GIS Data and PDF Maps: Environmental Sensitivity Index including GIS Data and Maps (for the U.S. Shorelines, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico)

Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps are an integral component in oil-spill contingency planning and assessment. They serve as a source of information in the event of an oil spill incident. ESI maps are a product of the Hazardous Materials Response Division of the Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).ESI maps contain three types of information: shoreline habitats (classified according to their sensitivity to oiling), human-use resources, and sensitive biological resources. Most often, this information is plotted on 7.5 minute USGS quadrangles, although in Alaska, USGS topographic maps at scales of 1:63,360 and 1:250,000 are used, and in other atlases, NOAA charts have been used as the base map. Collections of these maps, grouped by state or a logical geographic area, are published as ESI atlases. Digital data have been published for most of the U.S. shoreline, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

The ESI data were collected, mapped, and digitized to provide environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources.Oil spill planning and response remains the primary use of these maps, however they are finding ever-widening use in such areas as coastal resource inventories and assessments, coastal planning, and recreational planning.

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Prepared by Research Planning, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of Response and Restoration, Hazardous Materials Response Division, Seattle, Washington and other concerned agencies, varying by individual atlas.Publication Date Range is 1984 through present

Your ESI data zip file may contain the following files and directories:READ1.PDFThis is an electronic version of a hard-copy document provided when ESI CD/DVDs are ordered through the Office of Response and Restoration. Each READ1.PDF file displays the regional project coverage and provides a complete list of the files and directories that are available with the specific ESI CD/DVD.AVPROJ This directory contains an ArcView 3.x project and the supporting shape and dbf files. The subdirectory AVPROJ contains the project file, RegionName.APR with documentation and software for installation.The project itself is a single view containing a theme for each ESI data layer. Themes have been symbolized using the standard ESI colors and patterns. It includes links from the biology and socioeconomic themes to a flat file version of the ESI tables. An ESI menu enables links to searchable breeding and source tables for more complex queries. These links can also be turned off to maximize the performance of simpler queries.DBFILES This directory is broken down into two subdirectories, DESKTOP and RELFILES. The DESKTOP directory contains a simplified flat file format that permits data queries without establishing the complex links needed for the relational files. Supporting data tables allow more complex queries of the breeding and source items. These are the tables that are used in the ArcView project and with the ESI viewer.The RELFILES directory contains the relational data tables that were used during the ESI data collection. These are a set of normalized, relational tables that will maintain the integrity of the data during updates. Though they are considerably more complex, these tables should be used for maintenance and updating of the ESI data set.DOCUMENT This directory contains atlas-specific metadata that should be referenced for entity and attribute information as well as data lineage. The metadata are provided in four different formats: html, sgml, text, and as a pdf. GUIDE.PDF is also in the document directory. This gives general information about how ESI data are collected and general GIS/database considerations.ESI_VIEW This directory contains Macintosh and Windows installers for a standalone ESI data viewer. The Macintosh installer and application currently run only in Classic mode The document TOUR describes the installation procedure and will help you to understand the ESI data. It shows how to formulate simple, yet useful queries. MARPLOT documentation is provided for more general questions on the mapping software.GEODATABASE This directory contains the ESI data in a geodatabase format for use in ArcGIS 9.x. To use, copy the entire subdirectory, "RegionName", to your hard drive. RegionaName.mxd, can be launched by doubleclicking or opening within ArcGIS. Relates to supporting tables and the standard ESI symbolization have been saved to the mxd. A number of ESI tools have been developed to ease the use of the data. They can be downloaded from: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esitoolkitSYMBOLS This directory contains the ESI symbology and lookup tables for use with ARCEDIT and ARCPLOT software A readme.txt file tells where these files should be installed and how they work.PDFS or ESI DataThis directory contains electronic versions of the Regional ESI atlas in portable document format. The document GUIDE.PDF describes how to use the navigable pdf software, for example, to link from the index to the appropriate atlas page then to the back of the map. The pdfs may be used on-line or are excellent for printing out individual atlas pages.Note: The ESI data file available through the NOS Data Explorer site contains a subset of the ESI file formats available via CD/DVD. Visit NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration website for more information on ordering ESI CD/DVDs: http://response.restoration.noaa.govNOTE: Maine Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI)The Maine Environmental Vulnerability Index was produced by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and is being redistributed by NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration.The Environmental Vulnerability Index maps draw heavily upon standards published in NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OR&R 11, "Environmental Sensitivity Index Guidelines" in an effort to conform more closely with NOAA's Environmental Sensitivity Index mapping program. In particular, the map and data format, color scheme and symbology of the EVI maps mirror those of the national ESI program. The major difference with the EVI maps is that each data set is shown separately rather than in combination, and several data sets unique to Maine (such as essential habitat areas) are utilized. Each map has an accompanying data sheet that gives specific information on species occurrence and life history. Please refer to the CD for additional information.

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The shoreline is categorized on the basis of type and ESI Ranking, where the definition of a specific category can vary between estuarine, lacustrine, riverine, and palustrine environments. ESI Rankings are divided into ten categories controlled by relative exposure to wave and tidal energy, shoreline slope, substrate type, and biological productivity and sensitivity. An ESI Ranking of 1 represents shorelines least susceptible to damage by oiling, and 10 represents the locations most likely to be damaged.Animals, plants, and habitats potentially at risk from oil spills are segmented into seven elements based on major taxonomic and functional groupings. Each element is further divided into groups of species or sub-elements with similar taxonomy, morphology, life history, and/or behavior relative to oil spill vulnerability and sensitivity. Attribute data include: species names (common and scientific), the legal status of each species (state and/or federal threatened, endangered, and special concern listings), concentration/abundance, seasonal presence by month, and special life-history time-periods (e.g. spawning, nesting).Human-use resources can be subdivided into four major components: high-use recreational and shoreline access locations, management areas, resource extraction locations, and archaeological and historical cultural resource locations. Each of these elements is further subdivided based upon types of use.

Complete descriptions of entity types, attributes, and attribute values can be found in the metadata record for each resource in the ESI atlas of interest.

NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format, and will offer a replacement copy of the product when the product is determined unreadable by computer-input peripherals, or when the physical medium is delivered in damaged condition.

Contact NOAA for distribution options (see Distributor). ESI maps and data are available on CD/DVD through the Office of Response and Restoration. ESI data are processed into multiple formats to make them useful to a wider community of GIS/mapping users. Distribution formats include ARC export, MOSS and Shape files, and MARPLOT map folders. An ArcView 3.X ESI project and an ESI_Viewer product are also included on the distribution CDs for ease of use of the data. The database files are distributed both in the NOAA standard relational database format (see NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS ORCA 115) and in a simplified desktop flat file format.;

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DO NOT USE ESI MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES.Besides the above warning, there are no use constraints on these data. Note that the ESI maps should not be used to the exclusion of other pertinent data or information held by state or federal agencies or other organizations. Likewise, information contained in the database cannot be used in place of consultations with environmental, natural resource, and cultural resource agencies, or in place of field surveys. Recognize that the information contained in the ESI database represents known concentration areas or occurrences of natural, cultural, and human-use resources, but does not necessarily represent the full distribution or range of each species or resource. This is particularly important to recognize when considering potential impacts to protected resources, such as endangered species, wetlands, etc. Acknowledgment of the originators, publishers, contributors, and sources listed would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ARC/INFO(r) (version 8.0.2) and ORACLE(r) RDBMS (version 8.0.5.0.0). The hardware configuration is Hewlett Packard workstations (models 715/50 and 712/80i with 4 X-terminals) with UNIX operating system (HP-UX Release A.10.20), and PC's with Windows Operating System (NT4.0/2000).

A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, hardcopy data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, contact the sources listed in the Lineage section of the metadata record for the desired resource (e.g., BIRDS) in the ESI atlas of interest.

As a rule, the positional accuracy is based on the source data, which for the lower contiguous states, is generally the 1:24,000 USGS quads. In Alaska, it is a combination of the 1:63,360 and 1:250,000 USGS quads, and may vary elsewhere. For more information about the original source data and how these data were integrated or manipulated to create the final data set, see the Lineage and Process_Description sections of the metadata record for the appropriate resource (e.g., BIRDS) in the atlas of interest.

These data represent coastal shorelines and habitats classified according to the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) classification system; sensitive biological resources; and human-use resources.

A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute_Accuracy_Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies (such as dangles, unnecessary nodes, etc.), and ORACLE(r) to ARC/INFO(r) consistencies. A final review is made by the GIS Manager, where the data are written to CD-ROM and the metadata are written. After the data are delivered to NOAA, they are again subjected to a number of quality and consistency checks.