Lake Regions of Florida
FGDC Metadata
DescriptionSpatialData StructureData QualityData SourceData DistributionMetadata
+ Resource Description
Citation
Information used to reference the data.
Title: Lake Regions of Florida
Originators: US Environmental Protection Agency
Publisher: U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) - National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Publication place: Corvallis, OR
Publication date: 2012
Data type: vector digital data
Description
A characterization of the data, including its intended use and limitations.
Abstract:
Florida's lakes provide important habitats for plants, birds, fish, and other animals, and comprise a valuable resource for human activities and enjoyment. More than 7,700 lakes are found in Florida, and they occur in a variety of ecological settings. The physical, chemical, and biological diversity of these lakes complicates lake assessment and management. In many states, it has been shown that water resources can be managed more effectively if they are viewed within a regional framework that reflects differences in their quality, quantity, hydrology, and their sensitivity or resilience to ecological disturbances. To develop cost effective lake management strategies that protect or restore water quality in Florida lakes, regional differences in the capabilities and potentials of lakes must be considered. Hydrologic unit or basin frameworks are often used for water quality assessments and ecosystem management activities, but these units or basins do not correspond to the spatial patterns of characteristics that influence the physical, chemical, or biological nature of Florida lakes. General patterns of geology and physiography have been used previously to explain regional differences in Florida lake water chemistry (Canfield and Hoyer 1988; Pollman and Canfield 1991), and ecosystem characteristics of Florida lakes have been summarized (Brenner et al.1990). Building on this work, as well as on a Florida ecoregion framework (Griffith et al. 1994), we have defined these forty-seven lake regions as part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (FL DEP) Lake Bioassessment/Regionalization Initiative. 

The spatial framework was developed by mapping and analyzing water quality data sets in conjunction with information on soils, physiography, geology, hydrology, vegetation, climate, and land use/land cover, as well as relying on the expert judgment of local limnologists and resource managers. This framework delineates regions within which there is homogeneity in the types and quality of lakes and their association with landscape characteristics, or where there is a particular mosaic of lake types and quality. More detailed descriptions of methods, materials, and lake region characteristics can be found in Griffith et al. (1997). The identifier for each lake region consists of two numbers: the first number (65, 75, or 76) relates to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) ecoregion number (Omernik 1987; US EPA 1997), and the second number refers to the Florida lake regions within an ecoregion. The Florida lake regions and associated maps and graphs of lake chemistry are intended to provide a framework for assessing lake characteristics, calibrating predictive models, guiding lake management, and framing expectations by lake users and lakeshore residents. 

	Literature cited:
	Brenner, M., M.W. Binford, and E.S. Deevey. 1990. Lakes. In: Ecosystems of Florida. R.L. Myers and J.J. Ewel (eds.). University of Central Florida Press, Orlando, FL. pp. 364-391.

	Canfield, D.E., Jr., and M.V. Hoyer. 1988. Regional geology and the chemical and trophic state characteristics of Florida lakes. Lake and Reservoir Management 4(1):21-31.

	Griffith, G.E., J.M. Omernik, C.M. Rohm, and S.M. Pierson. 1994. Floridaregionalization project. EPA/600/Q-95-002. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. 83p.

	Griffith, G.E., D.E. Canfield, Jr., C.A. Horsburgh, J.M. Omernik, and S.H. Azevedo. 1996. Lake regions of Florida.  Report to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR.

	Omernik, J.M, 1987. Ecoregions of the conterminous United States (map supplement, scale 1:7,500,000): Annals of the Association of American Geographers 77(1):118-125.

	Pollman, C.D. and D.E. Canfield, Jr. 1991. Florida. In: Acidic Deposition and Aquatic Ecosystems, Regional Case Studies. D.F. Charles and S. Christie(eds). Springer-Verlag, New York. pp.367-416.

	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1996. Level III ecoregions of the continental United States. Map M-1, various scales (revision of Omernik, 1987). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon.
Comments and questions regarding Ecoregions should be addressed to Glenn Griffith, USGS, c/o US EPA., 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, (541)-754-4465, email:griffith.glenn@epa.gov Alternate: James Omernik, USGS, c/o US EPA, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, (541)-754-4458, email:omernik.james@epa.gov
Purpose:
Lake region maps assist managers of aquatic and terrestrial resources to understand the regional patterns of the realistically attainable quality of these resources
Supplemental information:
PRINCIPAL AUTHORS: Glenn Griffith (US EPA), Daniel Canfield, Jr. (University of Florida), Christine Horsburgh (University of Florida), James Omernik (US EPA), Sandra Azevedo (OAO Corp.)

COLLABORATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Hoyer, Eric Schulz, Roger Bachmann, and Sandy Fisher (University of Florida); James Hulbert, Michael Scheinkman, Ellen McCarron, and Russ Frydenborg (FL DEP); Craig Dye (Southwest Florida Water Management District); Alan Woods (Dynamac Corp.); Curtis Watkins (Florida Lake Management Society); citizen volunteers of Florida LAKEWATCH

Electronic versions of lake region maps and posters as well as other ecoregion resources are available at:  http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm.  The lake regions were digitized at 1:250,000 scale and are intended for large geographic extents (i.e. states, multiple counties, or river basins).  Use for smaller areas, such as individual counties or a 1:24,000 scale map boundary, is not recommended.
Point Of Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization that is knowledgeable about the data.
Person: Marc Weber
Organization: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Position: GIS Analyst
Phone: (541) 754-4469
Email: weber.marc@epa.gov
Instructions:
http://www.epa.gov/nheerl/
Address type: mailing address
Address:
200 S.W. 35th Street
City: Corvallis
State or Province: OR
Postal code: 97333
Data Type
How the data are represented, formatted and maintained by the data producing organization.
Data type: vector digital data
Native dataset environment: Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcGIS 10.0.3.3600
Time Period of Data
Time period(s) for which the data corresponds to the currentness reference.
Date: 20120823
Currentness reference:
Publication date
Status
The state of and maintenance information for the data.
Data status: Complete
Update frequency: As needed
Key Words
Words or phrases that summarize certain aspects of the data.
Theme:
Keywords: biota, boundaries, environment, location
Keyword thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme:
Keywords: Ecosystem, Environment, Management, Natural Resources, Surface Water
Keyword thesaurus: EPA GIS Keyword Thesaurus
Place:
Keywords: United States
Keyword thesaurus: None
Data Access Constraints
Restrictions and legal prerequisites for accessing or using the data after access is granted.
Access constraints:
None
Use constraints:
None
Data Security Information
Handling restrictions imposed on the data because of national security, privacy or other concerns.
Security classifiction system: FIPS Pub 199
Security classification: No Confidentiality
Security handling: Standard Technical Controls
+ Spatial Reference Information
Horizontal Coordinate System
Reference system from which linear or angular quantities are measured and assigned to the position that a point occupies.
Coordinate System Details
Map projection
Map projection name: USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area Conic USGS version
Standard parallel: 29.5
Standard parallel: 45.5
Longitude of central meridian: -96.0
Latitude of projection origin: 23.0
False easting: 0.0
False northing: 0.0
Planar Coordinate Information
Planar coordinate encoding method: coordinate pair
Coordinate representation:
Abscissa resolution: 0.0000000037527980722984474
Ordinate resolution: 0.0000000037527980722984474
Planar distance units: Meter
Geodetic model
Horizontal datum name: D North American 1983
Ellipsoid name: GRS 1980
Semi-major axis: 6378137.0
Denominator of flattening ratio: 298.257222101
Spatial Domain
The geographic areal domain of the data that describes the western, eastern, northern, and southern geographic limits of data coverage.
Bounding Coordinates
In Unprojected coordinates (geographic)
BoundaryCoordinate
West-88.176637 (longitude)
East-79.214598 (longitude)
North31.407589 (latitude)
South24.287999 (latitude)
+ Data Structure and Attribute Information
Overview
Summary of the information content of the data, including other references to complete descriptions of entity types, attributes, and attribute values for the data.
Entity and attribute overview:
The code for each lake region is a concatenation of two sets of numbers: the first set (65, 75, or 76) relates to the Level III ecoregion number (Omernik 1987; US EPA 1997), and the second set refers to the Florida lake regions within an ecoregion.  Posters and old files may have these as hyphenated text but are short integers in this shapefile.  
Entity and attribute detailed citation:
Griffith, G.E., D.E. Canfield, Jr., C.A. Horsburgh, J.M. Omernik. 1997. Lake Regions of Florida. EPA/R-97/127. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. 89p.
Direct spatial reference method: Vector
Attributes of fl_lkreg96.shp
Detailed descriptions of entity type, attributes, and attribute values for the data.
Description:
shapefile name
Source:
US Environmental Protection Agency
Attributes
FID
Definition:
Internal feature number.
Attribute domain range
RangeValue
Minimum0
Maximum259
Attribute definition source:
ESRI
Shape
Definition:
Feature geometry.
Attribute values: Coordinates defining the features.
Attribute definition source:
ESRI
REGION
Definition:
Code for lake region.
Attribute values: Unique code based on Level III ecoregion plus lake region.
Attribute definition source:
USEPA
REG_NAME
Definition:
Name of Lake Region.
Attribute values: Unique name.
Attribute definition source:
USEPA
Shape_Length
Definition:
Length of feature
Attribute values: Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.
Attribute definition source:
ESRI
Shape_Area
Definition:
Area of feature in internal units squared.
Attribute values: Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.
Attribute definition source:
ESRI
SDTS Feature Description
Description of point and vector spatial objects in the data using the Spatial Data Transfer Standards (SDTS) terminology.
Spatial data transfer standard (SDTS) terms
Feature class
Type: GT-polygon composed of chains
Count: 260
+ Data Quality and Accuracy Information
General
Information about the fidelity of relationships, data quality and accuracy tests, omissions, selection criteria, generalization, and definitions used to derive the data.
Logical consistency report:
Although region polygons and attributes have been checked for accuracy, some errors may remain.
Completeness report:
Unknown
Positional Accuracy
Accuracy of the positional aspects of the data.
Horizontal accuracy report:
Data were collected using methods that have unknown accuracy (EPA National Geospatial Data Policy [NGDP] Accuracy Tier 10). For more information, please see EPA's NGDP at http://epa.gov/geospatial/policies.html
+ Data Source and Process Information
Process Steps
Information about events, parameters, tolerances and techniques applied to construct or derive the data.
Process step information
Process Step 1
Process description:
1) U.S.G.S. 1:250,000 topographic maps are used to delineate the regions. The lines drawn are manually digitized or scanned to produce georeferenced electronic files.
Process date: 1994
Process Step 2
Process description:
2) All base maps are joined together and errors along the edges are resolved.
Process date: 1994
Process Step 3
Process description:
3) Topology is established and the maps are reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and conformity with the original lines. Corrections are made as needed and topology regenerated.
Process date: 1994
Process Step 4
Process description:
4) Attributes are added.
Process date: 1994
Process Step 5
Process description:
5) Maps are plotted for visual inspection by two individuals and necessary changes made.
Process date: 1994
Process Step 6
Process description:
6) Revisions made. Repeat steps 1-5.
Process date: 1996
Process Step 7
Process description:
7) Coverage converted to geodatabase and shapefile.
Process date: 2012
Process Step 8
Process description:
8) Projected to be consistent with other ecoregion shapefiles.
Process date: 2012
Process Step 9
Process description:
9) Added REG_NAME field.
Process date: 2012
Process Step 10
Process description:
10) metadata
Process date: 2012
+ Data Distribution Information
General
Description of the data known by the party from whom the data may be obtained, liability of party distributing data, and technical capabilities required to use the data.
Resource description:
Downloadable Data
Distribution liability:
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the Environmental Protection Agency, 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 also strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data to evaluate data set limitations, restrictions or intended use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.
Distribution Point of Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization distributing the data.
Organization: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Person: Marc Weber
Position: GIS Analyst
Phone: (541) 754-4469
Email: weber.marc@epa.gov
Instructions:
http://www.epa.gov/nheerl/
Address type: mailing address
Address:
200 S.W. 35th Street
City: Corvallis
State or Province: OR
Postal code: 97333
+ Metadata Reference
Metadata Date
Dates associated with creating, updating and reviewing the metadata.
Last updated: 20120823
Future metadata review date: 20160823
Metadata Point of Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization responsible for the metadata information.
Person: Marc Weber
Organization: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Position: GIS Analyst
Phone: (541) 754-4469
Email: weber.marc@epa.gov
Instructions:
http://www.epa.gov/nheerl/
Address type: mailing address
Address:
200 S.W. 35th Street
City: Corvallis
State or Province: OR
Postal code: 97333
Metadata Standards
Description of the metadata standard used to document the data and reference to any additional extended profiles to the standard used by the metadata producer.
Standard name: FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Standard version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Time convention: local time
FGDC Plus Metadata Stylesheet
Stylesheet: FGDC Plus Stylesheet
File name: FGDC Plus.xsl
Version: 2.3
Description: This metadata is displayed using the FGDC Plus Stylesheet, which is an XSL template that can be used with ArcGIS software to display metadata. It displays metadata elements defined in the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) - aka FGDC Standard, the ESRI Profile of CSDGM, the Biological Data Profile of CSDGM, and the Shoreline Data Profile of CSDGM. CSDGM is the US Federal Metadata standard. The Federal Geographic Data Committee originally adopted the CSDGM in 1994 and revised it in 1998. According to Executive Order 12096 all Federal agencies are ordered to use this standard to document geospatial data created as of January, 1995. The standard is often referred to as the FGDC Metadata Standard and has been implemented beyond the federal level with State and local governments adopting the metadata standard as well. The Biological Data Profile broadens the application of the CSDGM so that it is more easily applied to biological data that are not explicitly geographic (laboratory results, field notes, specimen collections, research reports) but can be associated with a geographic location. Includes taxonomical vocabulary. The Shoreline Data Profile addresses variability in the definition and mapping of shorelines by providing a standardized set of terms and data elements required to support metadata for shoreline and coastal data sets. The FGDC Plus Stylesheet includes the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set. It supports W3C DOM compatible browsers such as IE7, IE6, Netscape 7, and Mozilla Firefox. It is in the public domain and may be freely used, modified, and redistributed. It is provided "AS-IS" without warranty or technical support.
Instructions: On the top of the page, click on the title of the dataset to toggle opening and closing of all metadata content sections or click section links listed horizontally below the title to open individual sections. Click on a section name (e.g. Description) to open and close section content. Within a section, click on a item name (Status, Key Words, etc.) to open and close individual content items. By default, the Citation information within the Description section is always open for display.
Download: FGDC Plus Stylesheet is available from the ArcScripts downloads at www.esri.com.