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States: Map Layer Description File

This map layer portrays the state boundaries of the United States. It was compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Metadata

What follows is very detailed technical information about this map layer. This is often called metadata. Metadata (or "data about data") describe the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data. Metadata are used to organize and maintain investments in data, to provide information to data catalogs and clearinghouses, and to aid data transfers. The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) publishes the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata. Many organizations within and outside of the federal government have adopted the FGDC metadata standard and are using automated indexing and serving mechanisms to provide access to their holdings through the Internet. Visit the FGDC Clearinghouse to learn more about how metadata is used in clearinghouses and to search for other data sets.

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey

Publication_Date: 1999

Title: State Boundaries of the United States

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Reston, Virginia
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

Description:

Abstract:: This data set portrays the State boundaries of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The data set was created by extracting the State boundary polygons from the individual 1:2,000,000-scale State boundary Digital Line Graph (DLG) files produced by the U.S. Geological Survey. These files were then merged into a single coverage. This is a revised version of the June 1998 data set.
Purpose:: These data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the national level, and for large regional areas. The data should be displayed and analyzed at scales appropriate for 1:2,000,000-scale data. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 1972
Ending_Date: 1999

Currentness_Reference: Ground Condition

Status:

Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Irregular

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: 170
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -64
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 72
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: boundaries
Theme_Keyword: State boundaries
Theme_Keyword: States

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: United States

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:: U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987, Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of The United States, and Associated Areas (Federal Information Processing Standard 5-2): Washington, D.C., National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Place_Keyword: USA
Place_Keyword: Alaska
Place_Keyword: Alabama
Place_Keyword: Arkansas
Place_Keyword: Arizona
Place_Keyword: California
Place_Keyword: Colorado
Place_Keyword: Connecticut
Place_Keyword: Delaware
Place_Keyword: District of Columbia
Place_Keyword: Florida
Place_Keyword: Georgia
Place_Keyword: Hawaii
Place_Keyword: Idaho
Place_Keyword: Iowa
Place_Keyword: Illinois
Place_Keyword: Indiana
Place_Keyword: Kansas
Place_Keyword: Kentucky
Place_Keyword: Louisiana
Place_Keyword: Maine
Place_Keyword: Massachusetts
Place_Keyword: Maryland
Place_Keyword: Michigan
Place_Keyword: Minnesota
Place_Keyword: Missouri
Place_Keyword: Mississippi
Place_Keyword: Montana
Place_Keyword: North Carolina
Place_Keyword: North Dakota
Place_Keyword: Nebraska
Place_Keyword: New Hampshire
Place_Keyword: New Jersey
Place_Keyword: New Mexico
Place_Keyword: Nevada
Place_Keyword: New York
Place_Keyword: Ohio
Place_Keyword: Oklahoma
Place_Keyword: Oregon
Place_Keyword: Pennsylvania
Place_Keyword: Rhode Island
Place_Keyword: South Carolina
Place_Keyword: South Dakota
Place_Keyword: Tennessee
Place_Keyword: Texas
Place_Keyword: Utah
Place_Keyword: Vermont
Place_Keyword: Virginia
Place_Keyword: Wisconsin
Place_Keyword: Washington
Place_Keyword: West Virginia
Place_Keyword: Wyoming
Place_Keyword: Puerto Rico
Place_Keyword: Virgin Islands

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

None. Acknowledgment of the National Atlas of the United States of America and (or) the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Steve Kambly
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 561 National Center
City: Reston
State_or_Province: VA
Postal_Code: 20192

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 703-648-5094

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: skambly@usgs.gov

Data_Quality_Information:

Logical_Consistency_Report:

No additional checks for topological consistency were performed on this data set.

Completeness_Report:

This data set includes State boundaries for all 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Data completeness generally reflects the content of the original DLG files.

Lineage:

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey

Publication_Date: 1995

Title:

1:2,000,000-scale Digital Line Graph Data - Boundaries

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Reston, VA
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000

Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 1970
Ending_Date: 1995

Source_Currentness_Reference: publication date

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: 2MILBD

Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey

Publication_Date: 1998

Title: State Boundaries of the United States

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Reston, Virginia
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000

Type_of_Source_Media: online

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 1998

Source_Currentness_Reference: publication date

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: ATLAS-STATES

Source_Contribution: spatial and attribute information

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey

Publication_Date: 1999

Title: Hydrograhpy Features of the United States

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Reston, Virginia
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000

Type_of_Source_Media: online

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 1999

Source_Currentness_Reference: publication date

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: ATLAS-HY

Source_Contribution: spatial information

Process_Step:

Process_Description:: The 2MILBD was originally digitized by the National Mapping Division based on the sectional maps contained in 'The National Atlas of the United States of America' published by the USGS in 1970. The sectional maps were updated during 1978-1981 and digitized in the early 1980's. The data were updated again in the early 1990's by the USGS and published on CD-ROM in 1995 as State DLGs. These DLG files were updated 1997. Using ARC/INFO software, the DLG optional format files were converted to ARC/INFO coverages using the DLGARC command. Only State political boundaries and attribute information were extracted for inclusion. It was determined that State boundary lines that crossed open water would be excluded for graphic purposes and that polygons that represented islands would be attributed with the appropriate State information. The individual State coverages were then merged together using the ARC/INFO command MAPJOIN. "Slivers" created during the MAPJOIN process were identified and deleted using the ELIMINATE command. The resulting data set was ATLAS-STATES.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: 2MILBD
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: ATLAS-HY
Process_Date: 1998
Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation: ATLAS-STATES

Process_Step:

Process_Description:: The spatial features in ATLAS-STATES were compared against the National Atlas hydrography (ATLAS-HY) and modified where necessary. Incorrect attributes were corrected. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were added.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: ATLAS-STATES
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: ATLAS-HY
Process_Date: 1999

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Indirect_Spatial_Reference:

U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987, Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas (FIPS 5-2): Washington, D.C., National Institute of Standards and Technology.

U.S. Department of Commerce, 1990, Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas (FIPS 6-4): Washington, D.C., National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: Area point
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 2903

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type:: GT-polygon composed of chains
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 2903

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Geographic:

Latitude_Resolution: 0.000278
Longitude_Resolution: 0.000278
Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal Degrees

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: GRS1980
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label:: States (described by STATESP020.PAT or Statesp020.dbf)
Entity_Type_Definition:: First order division of a nation, including states and state equivalents.
Entity_Type_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Shape

Attribute_Definition:

The representation of the entity in the data

Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: Polygon
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:: 2-dimensional element
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source:: ESRI GIS software

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Area

Attribute_Definition:

The size of the shape in coverage units

Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.000
Range_Domain_Maximum: 267.354

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Perimeter

Attribute_Definition:

The perimeter of the shape in coverage units

Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.010
Range_Domain_Maximum: 374.68

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: STATESP020# or Statesp020

Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number

Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 2
Range_Domain_Maximum: 2904

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: STATESP020-ID or Statesp020

Attribute_Definition: User-assigned feature number

Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 1
Range_Domain_Maximum: 2903

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: State

Attribute_Definition:

The name of the State or State equivalent.

Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Codeset_Domain:

Codeset_Name:: Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas, FIPS 5-2.
Codeset_Source:: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: State_fips

Attribute_Definition:

The 2-digit FIPS code of the State or State equivalent.

Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Codeset_Domain:

Codeset_Name:: Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas, FIPS 5-2.
Codeset_Source:: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization:: Earth Science Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address
Address: 507 National Center
City: Reston
State_or_Province: VA
Postal_Code: 20192

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747)

Hours_of_Service: 0800-1600

Contact_Instructions:

In addition to the address above there are other ESIC offices throughout the country. A full list of these offices is at <http://mapping.usgs.gov/esic/esic_index.html>

Distribution_Liability:

Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 19990326

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Gita Urban-Mathieux
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address
Address: 521 National Center
City: Reston
State_or_Province: VA
Postal_Code: 20192

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 703-648-5175

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: burbanma@usgs.gov

Metadata_Standard_Name:

FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Security_Information:

Metadata_Security_Classification_System: None
Metadata_Security_Classification: Unclassified
Metadata_Security_Handling_Description: None