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Environmental Modeling Community of Practice

Metadata Populated Place Locations

Metadata: Populated Place Point Locations for CONUS, Alaska, and Hawaii in BASINS

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Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Office of Water
Publication_Date: 20070611
Title:
Populated Place Point Locations for CONUS, Alaska, and Hawaii in BASINS
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Online_Linkage:
For BASINS model and hydrographic data <https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/ceam/better-assessment-science-integrating-point-and-non-point-sources-basins>
Description:
Abstract:
This data set provides the location of populated places as represented on USGS topographic maps. It includes a collection of populated place names derived from USGS Geographic Names Information System II (GNISII) Topographic Names data.

For distribution with BASINS v.2.0, the data layer was prepared in Arcview shape file format.

Purpose:
This data set was created to provide the location of populated places in the United States in order to establish their proximity to surface waters. The relationship between populations potentially affected by water quality problems can then be established. It will also aid in the determination of the sources of water quality problems.
Supplemental_Information:

Intended_Use_Of_Data: This data set was prepared to support the U.S. EPA BASINS (Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources) System.

References_Cited:

U.S. Geological Survey. "Geographic Names Information System" <http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/> Exit

Limitations_of_Data: None

Procedures: The source data were obtained as State ASCII files on 9-track tape from the USGS. The ASCII files were first converted into ARC/INFO point coverages with an ARC/INFO AML program. The AML program assigned a spatial accuracy code to each point depending upon the degree of its geographical coordinate agreement with USGS 7.5" quadrangle, county and state coverages.

The data were checked for spatial accuracy to 7.5" USGS quad level, except for Alaska, Hawaii (a 7.5" USGS quad boundary coverage for these areas) and Colorado (GNIS II data did not contain quadrangle names).

The majority of the names were compiled from 1:24,000 scale, 7.5-minute topographic maps. When there were no published 7.5 minute maps or advance copies with names available, 15 minute maps were used; when there was no coverage by either series maps, 1:250,000-scale maps were used.

After Phase I data compilation, the geographic names in each State file were edited by comparing computer files with the accumulated records of the U.S. Board on Geographic names (BGN) on a one-to-one basis. When the initial edit of the geographic names in the state file was completed, the corrections were made, and other information such as variant names and BGN data were added.

The quality assurance of the enhanced data consisted of checking accuracy codes equal to 1, 3 and 9. An accuracy code with a value of 1 means that the 7.5" quadrangle boundaries that the point's geographic coordinates fell within matched the points associated 7.5" quadrangle name. An accuracy code value is equal to 9 if the point's coordinates are outside the United State borders. Anything on the border of the U.S. and touching the correct county was reassigned an accuracy of 4. An accuracy code value is equal to 3 if the point is outside the associated state border but still inside the U.S. borders. Anything on the point's associated state boundary and touching the correct county was also given an accuracy of 4. The state coverages were also checked against each other to ensure data format consistency throughout the country.

For distribution with BASINS v2.0, the ARC/INFO coverages in BASINS v1.0 that included the spatial extent of each of the ten U.S. EPA Regions, plus the 8-digit hydrologic units that crossed region boundaries were reprojected from Albers to Geographic projection and converted to ARCVIEW shapefiles.


 
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 1989
Ending_Date: 1994
Currentness_Reference: 1996
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As Needed
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -170.0000
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -65.0000
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 70.0000
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 19.0000
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: Populated Places
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Geographic Names Information System
Place_Keyword: Conterminous United States of America (CONUS)
Place_Keyword: Alabama AL
Place_Keyword: Alaska AK
Place_Keyword: Arizona AZ
Place_Keyword: Arkansas AR
Place_Keyword: California CA
Place_Keyword: Colorado CO
Place_Keyword: Connecticut CT
Place_Keyword: Delaware DE
Place_Keyword: District of Columbia DC
Place_Keyword: Florida FL
Place_Keyword: Georgia GA
Place_Keyword: Hawaii HI
Place_Keyword: Idaho ID
Place_Keyword: Illinois IL
Place_Keyword: Indiana IN
Place_Keyword: Iowa IA
Place_Keyword: Kansas KS
Place_Keyword: Kentucky KY
Place_Keyword: Louisiana LA
Place_Keyword: Maine ME
Place_Keyword: Maryland MD
Place_Keyword: Massachusetts MA
Place_Keyword: Michigan MI
Place_Keyword: Minnesota MN
Place_Keyword: Mississippi MS
Place_Keyword: Missouri MO
Place_Keyword: Montana MT
Place_Keyword: Nebraska NE
Place_Keyword: Nevada NV
Place_Keyword: New Hampshire NH
Place_Keyword: New Jersey NJ
Place_Keyword: New Mexico NM
Place_Keyword: New York NY
Place_Keyword: North Carolina NC
Place_Keyword: North Dakota ND
Place_Keyword: Ohio OH
Place_Keyword: Oklahoma OK
Place_Keyword: Oregon OR
Place_Keyword: Pennsylvania PA
Place_Keyword: Rhode Island RI
Place_Keyword: South Carolina SC
Place_Keyword: South Dakota SD
Place_Keyword: Tennessee TN
Place_Keyword: Texas TX
Place_Keyword: Utah UT
Place_Keyword: Vermont VT
Place_Keyword: Virginia VA
Place_Keyword: Washington WA
Place_Keyword: West Virginia WV
Place_Keyword: Wisconsin WI
Place_Keyword: Wyoming WY
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
None. Acknowledgement of the USGS and the U.S. EPA would be appreciated.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing address
Address: 523 National Center
City: Reston
State_or_Province: VA
Postal_Code: 20192
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 703-385-6000
Native_Data_Set_Environment: Arcview Shape files

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Data_Quality_Information:
Logical_Consistency_Report:
Point features present.
Completeness_Report:
See Supplemental_Information
Lineage:
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The BASINS v.1.0 data in Arc/Info coverage format and Albers Conic Equal Area projection with datum NAD27 was converted to geographic decimal degrees projection with datum NAD83 using Arc/Info. The coverages were then converted to Arcview shape files using the Arc/Info ARCSHAPE command. For distribution with BASINS 2.0, the DWS data layer were divided by EPA regions (i.e. distribution by CD). Other form of data distribution (e.g. by cataloging unit) is available through the web (https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/ceam/better-assessment-science-integrating-point-and-non-point-sources-basins).
Process_Date: 19971201

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Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Geographic:
Latitude_Resolution: 0.0001
Longitude_Resolution: 0.0001
Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal Degrees
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:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: xxPPL.SHP ( xx' is state abbreviation + PPL)
Entity_Type_Definition: Populated Place Locations
Entity_Type_Definition_Source: Assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: SHAPE
Attribute_Definition: ArcView internal field
Attribute_Definition_Source: Assigned
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 8
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: AREA
Attribute_Definition: BASINS internal field
Attribute_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 12
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Floating value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: PERIMETER
Attribute_Definition: BASINS internal field
Attribute_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 12
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Floating value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: TMP_B_
Attribute_Definition: BASINS internal field
Attribute_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 10
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: TMP_B_ID
Attribute_Definition: BASINS internal field
Attribute_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 10
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: xxPPL_
Attribute_Definition: BASINS internal field
Attribute_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 11
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: xxPPL_ID
Attribute_Definition: BASINS internal field
Attribute_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 11
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: assigned
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: NAME
Attribute_Definition:
place name which can be used to label the place on a map display
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 100
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: DESIG
Attribute_Definition: designation that this is a populated place
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 9
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: COUNTY
Attribute_Definition: county name
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 35
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: FIPS1
Attribute_Definition: state and county FIPS code
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 5
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: LAT_IN
Attribute_Definition: place latitude in DDMMSS
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 6
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: LONG_IN
Attribute_Definition: place longitude in DDMMSS
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 7
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: ELEV
Attribute_Definition: elevation of the place in meters (characters)
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 5
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: QCODE
Attribute_Definition:
code for the accuracy of the latitude and longitude of place
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 1
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: ELEVNUM
Attribute_Definition: elevation of the place in meters (integers)
Attribute_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 5
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: character ID value
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: Tiger Files
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

The pop.dbf polygon attribute table contains all the attributes and values needed to display graphically the populated places shapefile data layer. The items in pop.dbf are listed, defined, and described in the section above.

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
See Entity_and_Attribute_Information

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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USEPA/Office of Water/OST
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: Mailing Address
Address: 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (4305T)
City: Washington
State_or_Province: District of Columbia
Postal_Code: 20460
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 202-566-0400
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 202-566-0409
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: basins@epa.gov
Hours_of_Service: 9-3 EST
Distribution_Liability:
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at Tetra Tech, Inc., 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. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is also strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency nor Tetra Tech, Inc. shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name:
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcView Shapefile
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name:<https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/ceam/better-assessment-science-integrating-point-and-non-point-sources-basins>
Offline_Option:
Offline_Media: CD-ROM
Recording_Format: ISO 9660
Fees: None
Ordering_Instructions:
When requesting data by phone or mail, please inquire about spatial data sets that work with Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS). The BASINS web page has instructions for downloading datasets. It also has a link to The National Center for Environmental Publications and Information (NCEPI), from which BASINS CD-ROMs may be ordered. Each CD-ROM contains the BASINS v2.0 Application and this data set along with others covering the spatial extent of an EPA Region.

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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20070611
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Science and Technology
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: Mailing Address
Address: 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (4305T)
City: Washington
State_or_Province: District of Columbia
Postal_Code: 20460
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 202-566-0400
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 202-566-0409
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: basins@epa.gov
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: 19940608

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