Cumberland Piedmont Network USGS/CSS/BIP/Center for Biological Informatics 200701 Plots V3.0 vector digital data http://www1.usgs.gov/vip/ruca/rucageodata.zip NatureServe 200701 document doi:10.5066/F7K64G25 This is a vector file showing the location of NatureServe plots and accuracy assessment at Russell Cave National Monument. The coordinates of this dataset were collected using a Garmin GPS unit. This data set was developed to show the NatureServe sites and accuracy assessment at Russell Cave National Monument. Data were reformatted to match Plots V3.0 by the USGS/CSS/BIP/Center for Biological Informatics. 200701 20100301 publication date Complete None planned Russell Cave National Monument and environs -85.822761 -85.806206 34.981563 34.967716 None NatureServe Plots accuracy assessment observation point plot point National Park Service Theme Category Thesaurus Vegetation ISO 19115 Topic Category biota National Park System Unit Name Thesaurus Russell Cave National Monument National Park System Unit Code Thesaurus RUCA None Standardized National Vegetation Classification System vegetation classification alliance community association Kingdom Plantae None None Cumberland Piedmont Network, NPS Teresa Leibfreid Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator mailing address

PO Box 8

Mammoth Cave Kentucky 42259 270-758-2135 lillian_scoggins@nps.gov teresa_leibfreid@nps.gov None Unclassified None Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.3000 Data collection was streamlined through use of data dictionaries attribute menus installed in the Global Positioning System (GPS) data logger. This procedure enhances attribute accuracy by reducing attribute related decision-making in the field and minimizing keying errors. NatureServe staff have ground checked and verified all features to the best of their knowledge. GIS personnel verified all features and attributes. Plot sites were established by NatureServe to include all major vegetation communities within the park. There are multiple plant records for each site. GPS coordinates have an accuracy of <5.0 m. NatureServe 200701 document CD-ROM 200701 20100301 publication date RUCA NatureServe The plot locations and information came from the report. The plot locations and information was already located in an Access data table. This table was turned into a shapefile using ArcCatalog. 200704 The number of assessment points per map class was determined based on area, with a maximum sample size per class set at 30 and a minimum sample size set at five. The number of assessment points was determined for each dominant vegetation type based on the total area of that type within the park. The area in hectares occupied by a particular map class was divided by 1.67 and rounded to the nearest whole number to determine the number of AA points. If that value exceeded 30, the final sample size was reduced down to 30; if that value was less than 5, the sample size for the class was increased to five. For some vegetation classes with very little area, less than five points may have been selected if it was not possible to place five assessment points while maintaining a minimum distance between points. To generate a random sample of points across the study area, a Generalized Random-Tessellation Stratified Design (GRTS) method was used. This method can achieve variable density by creating a series of subsamples of randomly ordered points within nested grids. GRTS guarantees spatial balance across a sampled resource and allows for a valid increase or decrease in sample size if a site is non-target or inaccessible. The GRTS AA point selection was performed using spsurvey, a package in the statistical program R, for probability survey design and analysis. The selection was stratified by dominant vegetation type, with the primary sample size for each type determined as described above. An oversample was also selected for each stratum so that additional sample locations could be added if accessibility or other issues in the field made it necessary to exclude some of the primary points. The resulting selection was reviewed to ensure a minimum separation distance of 80 meters between points; if points were located too close together, the point with the higher GRTS number was excluded and a replacement point was added from the oversample when available. The shapefile generated by spsuvey tool contains the projected AA points, with the appropriate number of points generated for each class. Field crews navigated to these point locations within the Park, made the AA observations, and recorded their location using GPS. This shapefile contains the AA point locations, as recorded by the field crews at the time of assessment. 20100301 Cumberland Piedmont Network, NPS Teresa Leibfreid Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator mailing address

PO Box 8

Mammoth Cave Kentucky 42259 270-758-2135 teresa_leibfreid@nps.gov Metadata imported. C:\DOCUME~1\LSCOGG~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\xml70.tmp 20101122 Data were reformatted using Plots V3.0, and then the shapefiles and the data was imported into a geodatabase by the USGS/CSS/BIP/Center for Biological Informatics. 201103 Metadata imported. 201103 Vector Entity point 92 Universal Transverse Mercator 16 0.999600 -87.000000 0.000000 500000.000000 0.000000 coordinate pair 0.000100 0.000100 meters North American Datum of 1983 Geodetic Reference System 80 6378137.000000 298.257222 RUCA_VegPoints Feature class attribute table National Park Service OBJECTID Internal feature number. ESRI Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. Shape Feature geometry. ESRI Coordinates defining the features. Plot_Code Unique identifier for this Accuracy Assessment, Observation or Plot point Plots V3.0 Unique plot number. Pnts_Type Point type (accuracy assessment point, observation point or plot point) Plots V3.0 Accuracy Assessment Point AA Point Plots V3.0 Observation Point Observation Point Plots V3.0 Plot Point Plot Point Plots V3.0 X_Coord X Coordinate (UTM Easting) Plots V3.0 Easting coordinate. Y_Coord Y Coordinate (UTM Northing) Plots V3.0 Northing coordinate. rc_VegPoints_tAA_tPlots Defines relationship between Veg points and basic AA/plot attributes National Park Service 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/ruca.html Internet Access None 20110223 20110301 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