North Carolina State University, Center for Earth Observation 200707 vector digital data http://www1.usgs.gov/vip/blue/blueaa.zip James P. Vanderhorst, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Unpublished material document doi:10.5066/F70C4SPD Location of thematic accuracy assessment sampling points used in the vegetation classification and mapping of Bluestone National Scenic River. To identify the locations of sampling points used to assess thematic accuracy of the Bluestone National Scenic River vegetation map. 20070523 20070625 ground condition Complete None planned Bluestone National Scenic River and environs (West Virginia) -81.026079 -80.940127 37.601805 37.518171 None Thematic accuracy assessment Vegetation map National Park Service Theme Category Thesaurus Vegetation ISO 19115 Topic Category biota National Park System Unit Name Thesaurus Bluestone National Scenic River National Park System Unit Code Thesaurus BLUE None Standardized National Vegetation Classification System vegetation classification alliance community association Kingdom Plantae None None North Carolina State University, Center for Earth Observation mailing address

Campus Box 7106

Raleigh NC 27695-7106 USA (919) 515-3430 (919) 515-3439 North Carolina State University, Center for Earth Observation Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.2.1.1332 ESRI point geometry Each accuracy assessment point is represented by one point in the shapefile. All points fall within vegetation polygons except one point (BLUE.298), which has low estimated accuracy due to poor satellite reception and failure of post-process differential correction. This point is mapped outside the boundary of the vegetation map although the actual point on the ground was thought to be within the boundary. The photo signature of the mapped point is the same association as the adjacent polygon which the point was meant to sample. The number and distribution of sampling points was determined by map class abundance and frequency as recommended in the USGS/NPS Vegetation Mapping protocols. A stratified random sampling approach was used, distributing the sampling effort across the vegetation map classes. Initially, a random sample of polygons stratified by vegetation map class was selected. Subsequently, a random sample of points stratified by vegetation map class was selected. In both samples, random points were generated in ArcGIS. Sample points located close to polygon boundaries were moved to at least 30 meters inside the polygon to avoid ecotones. In long narrow polygons where that was not possible, sample points were moved to a point approximately equidistant from the polygon boundaries. An ArcGIS shapefile containing the sample points was created and the attribute table was edited to include the fields needed to record the data to be collected at each point. The shapefile was imported into Trimble .ssf format and loaded into a Trimble GeoXT global positioning system (GPS) unit. This allowed the field ecologist to enter data directly into an electronic file in real time. In May and June 2007, an ecologist collected field data at a total of 310 sample points. Approximately one-quarter of the accuracy assessment points (83) came from the initial polygon-based sample and the remaining three-quarters (227) were from the point-based sample. Accuracy assessment points were located in the field using a Trimble GeoXT GPS unit. The vegetation or land cover at each accuracy assessment point was classified based on the vegetation key developed for the vegetation mapping project. 20070628 North Carolina State University, Center for Earth Observation mailing address

Campus Box 7106

Raleigh NC 27695-7106 USA (919) 515-3430 (919) 515-3439 Vector Entity point 310 Universal Transverse Mercator 17 0.999600 -81.000000 0.000000 500000.000000 0.000000 coordinate pair 0.000016 0.000016 meters North American Datum of 1983 Geodetic Reference System 80 6378137.000000 298.257222 blue_veg_aa_2007 Shapefile attribute table North Carolina State University, Center for Earth Observation (NCSU) FID Internal feature number. ESRI Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. Shape Feature geometry. ESRI Coordinates defining the features. AA_OBS_COD Unique identification code assigned to each accuracy assessment point. Values in this field can be used to link records to records in the AA Observations Table in the PLOTS database. NCSU Unique identification code assigned to each point CANOPY_CLO Estimated percent closure of tree canopy NCSU 0 100 CANOPY_HGT Estimated height of canopy, to nearest 5 feet NCSU 0 120 feet CANOPY_BAS Estimated height to base of tree canopy, to nearest 5 feet NCSU 0 100 feet ASPECT_N Compass direction toward which the slope faces at the point, measured in degrees, from north, in a clockwise direction. (-1 = terrain at the point is flat, has no aspect.) NCSU -1 360 TOPO_DESC Description of topography at the point NCSU Description of topography MAP_CLASS2 Vegetation map class assigned to the point based on the vegetation observed and the vegetation key developed for the project NCSU Bluestone Vegetation Key Vegetation Classification and Mapping at Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia, Technical Report (see Larger Work Citation) OTH_CLASS1 First, other vegetation map class observed within 50 meters of the point NCSU Bluestone Vegetation Key Vegetation Classification and Mapping at Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia, Technical Report (see Larger Work Citation) DIST_OTH_2 Distance to the first, other vegetation map class observed within 50 meters of the point NCSU 10 50 meters OTH_CLASS_ Second, other vegetation map class observed within 50 meters of the point NCSU Bluestone Vegetation Key Vegetation Classification and Mapping at Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia, Technical Report (see Larger Work Citation) DIST_OTH_C Distance to the second, other vegetation map class observed within 50 meters of the point NCSU 50 50 meters Max_PDOP Maximum PDOP of position, generated by GPS. (0 = No GPS position could be recorded.) NCSU 2.3 4755 Corr_Type This attribute records information about differential correction of GPS coordinates recorded in the field NCSU Non-GPS GPS position could not be recorded in the field NCSU Postprocessed Code GPS coordinates were differentially corrected NCSU Uncorrected No differential correction applied because of inadequate GPS satellite information NCSU Rcvr_Type Type of GPS receiver used to record coordinate location at the point NCSU (Blank) GPS position could not be recorded in the field NCSU GeoXT Trimble GeoXT GPS receiver NCSU GPS_Date Date that field data were recorded at the point NCSU 5/21/2007 6/16/2007 GPS_Time Time of day that field data were recorded at the point NCSU 01:00:21pm 12:59:36pm Update_Sta This attribute indicates whether the coordinate location of the sample point was updated or created based on GPS data collected in the field. NCSU New Because the original sample point was inaccessible, the ecologist used GPS to navigate to well within the polygon boundary and then recorded GPS coordinates for the point at which observations were made. NCSU Updated The ecologist used GPS to navigate to the sample point as close as possible and then recorded GPS coordinates for the point at which observations were made. NCSU Feat_Name Name of the shapefile in which the original sample point is stored NCSU allPntsJ Name of shapefile containing point-based sample of accuracy assessment points NCSU BLUE_AA_ Name of shapefile containing polygon-based sample of accuracy assessment points NCSU Datafile Name of the data file in which the sample point data are stored NCSU ALLPNTSNEWWAY.cor File name NCSU R061909A.cor File name NCSU BLUE_AA.cor File name NCSU GPS_Height Elevation at the point, in meters, created after differential correction using Pathfinder Office software. (0 = No GPS position could be recorded.) NCSU 385.29 689.549 meters Vert_Prec Estimate of vertical precision, in meters, generated with Pathfinder Office software. (0 = No GPS position could be recorded.) NCSU 1 78.5 meters Horz_Prec Estimate of horizontal precision, in meters, generated with Pathfinder Office software. (0 = No GPS position could be recorded.) NCSU 0.7 51.3 meters Std_Dev Estimate of standard deviation from mean position, in meters, generated with Pathfinder Office software. (0 = insufficient GPS data.) NCSU 0.026356 698.400132 meters Northing UTM northing coordinate NCSU 4152358.818 4161636.02 meters Easting UTM easting coordinate NCSU 497697.86 505285.418 meters Primary_Sp Primary tree and shrub species observed at the point NCSU Primary tree and shrub species observed AAPic Name of file that contains picture taken at the point. (Blank = no picture taken.) NCSU Name of file that contains picture taken at the point Sec_Specie Secondary tree and shrub species observed at the point NCSU Secondary tree and shrub species observed Assoc_mult Vegetation association assigned to the point based on the vegetation observed and the vegetation key developed for the mapping project NCSU Bluestone Vegetation Key Vegetation Classification and Mapping at Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia, Technical Report (see Larger Work Citation) Rational_1 Notes regarding rationale for assigning vegetation association (Assoc_mult) NCSU Rating code and notes regarding how closely the observed vegetation matched the vegetation key. USGS/CSS/Core Science Analytics and Synthesis USGS-NPS Vegetation Characterization Program Coordinator mailing and physical address

Denver Federal Center, Building 810, MS 302

Denver Colorado 80225 (303) 202-4220 303-202-4219 gs-b-npsveg@usgs.gov Downloadable Data The U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (if available) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived. It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of geospatial data in general and these data in particular. Any related graphics (if available) are intended to aid the data user in acquiring relevant data; it is not approriate to use the related graphics as data. The U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from an U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service servers and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on another 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. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this metadata report does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U. S. Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey and National Park Service. HTML http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/vip/parks/blue.html Internet Access None 20080731 20100517 USGS/CSS/Core Science Analytics and Synthesis USGS-NPS Vegetation Characterization Program Coordinator mailing and physical address

Denver Federal Center, Building 810, MS 302

Denver Colorado 80225 (303) 202-4220 303-202-4219 gs-b-npsveg@usgs.gov FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001.1-1999 http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/metadata/index.html