Desert Tortoise Line Distance Sampling - 2001-2016 - USFWS [ds536]

SDE Feature Class

Open this dataset in BIOS

Tags
California, Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Fremont-Kramer, Arizona, Joshua Tree National Park, Mormon Mesa, Ivanpah, Fenner, Chuckwalla, Desert Wildlife Management Area, Chemehuevi, Gopherus agassizii, critical habitat, Piute Valley, Mojave desert tortoise, Mojave Desert, Eldorado Valley, Colorado Desert, Coyote Springs Valley, Nevada, Western Mojave Recovery Unit, Gold Butte-Pakoon, Pinto Mountains, USFWS, Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit, Superior-Cronese, distance sampling, Eastern Mojave Recovery Unit, Utah, transect, monitoring, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Beaver Dam Slope, Colorado Desert Recovery Unit, Ord-Rodman


Summary

These data were collected under protocols to optimize estimation of tortoise densities in each recovery unit. These data are also suitable for use by scientific and resource management communities for ongoing desert tortoise research, modeling, monitoring, mapping, and visualization applications.

Description

Line distance sampling is the current method for estimating regional densities of Mojave desert tortoises under range-wide monitoring called for in the federal recovery plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]. 2011. Revised recovery plan for the Mojave population of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). USFWS, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, California. 222 pp.). Line distance sampling efforts result in a variety of related data: strata boundaries, transects, transect observations or live tortoises and of remains. Strata boundaries represent the areas available to be sampled and were developed by the Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program (MDEP) primarily from critical habitat for the desert tortoise as defined by the USFWS Federal Register Notice (59 FR 5820), dated February 8, 1994. Transects are the actual transects that were sampled by field crews. Transect paths were reconstructed based on coordinate points collected along the transects at approximately 500 m intervals. Distance survey live/remains observations represent observations made by field crews while walking transects using distance sampling search techniques. Opportunistic live/remains observations represent observations made by these crews when they were not actively using distance sampling search techniques.

Credits

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), TopoWorks, Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program (MDEP), Kiva Biological Consulting, Great Basin Institute, Institute for Wildlife Studies, Chambers, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Mojave National Preserve

Use limitations

The Fish and Wildlife Service shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (e.g., GIF or JPG format files) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The information contained in these data may be dynamic and could 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. The related graphics are intended to aid the data user in acquiring relevant data; it is not appropriate to use the related graphics as data. The Fish and Wildlife Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. It is strongly recommended that these data be directly acquired from an authorized Fish and Wildlife Service source and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at the Fish and Wildlife Service or through cooperators/contractors, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on other systems 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.

Extent

West -118.044253 East -113.744933
North 37.334339 South 32.932974

Scale Range
Maximum (zoomed in) 1:5,000
Minimum (zoomed out) 1:150,000,000

ArcGIS Metadata

Topics and Keywords

Themes or categories of the resource biota


* Content type Downloadable Data
Export to FGDC CSDGM XML format as Resource Description No

Place keywords California, Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Fremont-Kramer, Arizona, Joshua Tree National Park, Mormon Mesa, Ivanpah, Fenner, Chuckwalla, Chemehuevi, Piute Valley, Mojave Desert, Eldorado Valley, Colorado Desert, Coyote Springs Valley, Nevada, Western Mojave Recovery Unit, Gold Butte-Pakoon, Pinto Mountains, Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit, Superior-Cronese, Eastern Mojave Recovery Unit, Utah, Beaver Dam Slope, Colorado Desert Recovery Unit, Ord-Rodman

Theme keywords Desert Wildlife Management Area, Gopherus agassizii, critical habitat, Mojave desert tortoise, USFWS, distance sampling, transect, monitoring, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Citation

Title Desert Tortoise Line Distance Sampling - 2001-2016 - USFWS [ds536]
Creation date 2015-01-2700:00:00
Publication date 2016-11-2200:00:00
Revision date 2016-05-2600:00:00


Presentation formats digital map
FGDC geospatial presentation format vector digital data


Citation Contacts

Responsible party
Organization's name University of Nevada, Reno
Contact's role originator


Responsible party
Organization's name Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program (MDEP)
Contact's role originator


Responsible party
Organization's name TopoWorks
Contact's role originator


Responsible party
Organization's name U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Desert Tortoise Recovery Office
Individual's name Linda Allison
Contact's position Desert Tortoise Monitoring Coordinator
Contact's role originator


Resource Details

Dataset languages English(UNITED STATES)
Dataset character set utf8 - 8 bit UCS Transfer Format


Status on-going
Spatial representation type vector


Supplemental information
Each record represents one live tortoise. Collected data report basic natural history information or were used during quality control or quality assurance procedures.
* Processing environment Microsoft Windows 7 Version 6.1 (Build 7601) Service Pack 1; Esri ArcGIS 10.4.0.5524


Credits
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), TopoWorks, Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program (MDEP), Kiva Biological Consulting, Great Basin Institute, Institute for Wildlife Studies, Chambers, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Mojave National Preserve
ArcGIS item properties
* Name Desert Tortoise Line Distance Sampling - 2001-2016 - USFWS [ds536]
* Location Server=; :; Database=; User=; Version=
* Access protocol ArcSDE Connection

Extents

Extent
Description
Data were collected in Tortoise Conservation Areas in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in spring between April 2001 and May 2016.
Geographic extent
Bounding rectangle
West longitude -114.099274
East longitude -114.040173
South latitude 36.436199
North latitude 36.955009

Temporal extent
Beginning date 2001-04-0100:00:00
Ending date 2016-05-2600:00:00

Extent
Geographic extent
Bounding rectangle
Extent type Extent used for searching
* West longitude -118.044253
* East longitude -113.744933
* North latitude 37.334339
* South latitude 32.932974
Extent contains the resource Yes

Extent in the item's coordinate system
* West longitude 182790.077500
* East longitude 554111.794500
* South latitude -547137.449000
* North latitude -73826.108300
* Extent contains the resource Yes

Resource Points of Contact

Point of contact
Individual's name Linda Allison
Organization's name U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Desert Tortoise Recovery Office
Contact's position Desert Tortoise Monitoring Coordinator
Contact's role point of contact


Contact information
Phone
Voice 775-861-6300
Fax 775-861-6301

Address
Type both
Delivery point 1340 Financial Blvd, #234
City Reno
Administrative area NV
Postal code 89502
e-mail address Linda_Allison@fws.gov

Hours of service
9:00 am - 5:00 pm


Resource Maintenance

Resource maintenance
Update frequency as needed


Resource Constraints

Legal constraints
Limitations of use
Distributor assumes no liability.
Other constraints
Access is constrained to internal users or external recipients who have established a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the use and further release of sensitive data.
Constraints
Limitations of use

The Fish and Wildlife Service shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (e.g., GIF or JPG format files) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The information contained in these data may be dynamic and could 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. The related graphics are intended to aid the data user in acquiring relevant data; it is not appropriate to use the related graphics as data. The Fish and Wildlife Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. It is strongly recommended that these data be directly acquired from an authorized Fish and Wildlife Service source and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at the Fish and Wildlife Service or through cooperators/contractors, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on other systems 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.


Spatial Reference

ArcGIS coordinate system
* Type Projected
* Geographic coordinate reference GCS_WGS_1984
* Projection WGS_1984_Web_Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere
* Coordinate reference details
Projected coordinate system
Well-known identifier 102100
X origin -20037700
Y origin -30241100
XY scale 10000
Z origin 0
Z scale 1
M origin 0
M scale 1
XY tolerance 0.001
Z tolerance 0.001
M tolerance 0.001
High precision true
Latest well-known identifier 3857
Well-known text PROJCS["WGS_1984_Web_Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere",GEOGCS["GCS_WGS_1984",DATUM["D_WGS_1984",SPHEROID["WGS_1984",6378137.0,298.257223563]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0.0],UNIT["Degree",0.0174532925199433]],PROJECTION["Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere"],PARAMETER["False_Easting",0.0],PARAMETER["False_Northing",0.0],PARAMETER["Central_Meridian",0.0],PARAMETER["Standard_Parallel_1",0.0],PARAMETER["Auxiliary_Sphere_Type",0.0],UNIT["Meter",1.0],AUTHORITY["EPSG",3857]]

Reference system identifier
Value 32611
* Codespace EPSG
* Version 8.8(9.3.1.2)


Spatial Data Properties

Vector
* Level of topology for this dataset geometry only


Geometric objects
Feature class name DS0536_20161122
* Object type point
* Object count 0



ArcGIS Feature Class Properties
Feature class name DS0536_20161122
* Feature type Simple
* Geometry type Point
* Has topology FALSE
* Feature count 0
* Spatial index TRUE
* Linear referencing FALSE



Data Quality

Scope of quality information
Resource level dataset




Data quality report - Conceptual consistency
Measure description
Not available.




Data quality report - Completeness omission
Measure description
The data set has no generalization, and no data were intentionally omitted.




Data quality report - Quantitative attribute accuracy
Measure description
To reduce errors and increase consistency, the data were subjected to a three-phase quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedure including the following three phases: 1. Phase I - First-Level QA/QC (performed by GBI) -included checks of the Pendragon database while on transects, importing the data from the Pendragon database into a Microsoft Access field database, creating correction databases by performing checks designed to identify common entry and interpretation errors, correcting the errors, documenting corrections, and responding to and correcting issues identified during interim assessments of their data. 2. Phase II - Second-Level QA/QC (performed by MDEP) -included standardizing field names; adding elevation from the NED (National Elevation Dataset) to point data for waypoints and observations; performing relationship, domain, duplicate, attribute, and spatial checks; and documenting corrections. 3. Phase III - Final QA/QC (performed by TopoWorks) -included generating spatial datasets for transects, waypoints, and observations, generating final unique identifiers, linking previous corrections with their associated database record using the final unique identifier, standardization of field names, standardization of field values, conversion of numeric fields stored as text format to a numeric format, conversion of date fields stored as text format to a date format, performing relationship, domain, duplicate, attribute, and spatial checks, and documenting corrections. Also included generation of final deliverable data products in a variety of formats.




Data quality report - Absolute external positional accuracy
Dimension horizontal


Measure description
Based on primary data collection on a device claiming accuracy of 2-5m.




Lineage

Process step
When the process occurred 2013-01-0100:00:00
Description
MDEP used Microsoft Access and ESRI ArcGIS to perform a variety of second-level QA/QC steps. See contact information to request a copy of MDEP QAQC Documentation which describes the steps in detail.


Source data
Relationship to the process step used


Source citation
Alternate titles GBI 2013 Phase I DB








Process step
When the process occurred 2013-01-0100:00:00
Description
TopoWorks used Microsoft Access and ESRI ArcGIS, and Python to perform a variety of final QA/QC steps. See contact information to request a copy of Final QAQC Documentation which describes the steps in detail.


Source data
Relationship to the process step used


Source citation
Alternate titles MDEP 2013 Phase II Transects DB








Process step
When the process occurred 2017-07-1300:00:00
Description
Restructured attribute table. ~ California Department of Fish and Wildlife, BIOS.




Source data
Description
Resulting Phase I QA/QC databases of transects, waypoints, and observations collected by Great Basin Institute and Kiva Biological Consulting field crews.


Source medium name online link
Source citation
Title GBI 2013 First Level QA/QC Database
Alternate titles GBI 2013 Phase I DB
Publication date 2013-05-24


Responsible party
Organization's name Great Basin Institute
Contact's role originator




Extent of the source data
Description
ground condition


Source data
Description
Resulting Phase II QA/QC database of transects, waypoints, observations, and violations identified by MDEP for final QA/QC processes.


Source medium name online link
Source citation
Title MDEP 2013 Line Distance Sampling Transects Second Level QA/QC Database
Alternate titles MDEP 2013 Phase II Transects DB
Publication date 2013-07-09


Responsible party
Organization's name Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program
Contact's role originator




Extent of the source data
Description
ground condition


Geoprocessing history

Process
Date 2017-07-1315:05:52
Tool location c:\program files (x86)\arcgis\desktop10.4\ArcToolbox\Toolboxes\Data Management Tools.tbx\Project
Command issued
Include in lineage when exporting metadata No


Process
Date 2017-07-1315:06:27
Tool location c:\program files (x86)\arcgis\desktop10.4\ArcToolbox\Toolboxes\Conversion Tools.tbx\FeatureClassToFeatureClass
Command issued
Include in lineage when exporting metadata No


Distribution

Distributor
Contact information
Individual's name Linda Allison
Organization's name U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Desert Tortoise Recovery Office
Contact's position Desert Tortoise Monitoring Coordinator
Contact's role point of contact


Contact information
Phone
Voice 775-861-6300
Fax 775-861-6301

Address
Type both
Delivery point 1340 Financial Blvd, #234
City Reno
Administrative area NV
Postal code 89502
Country US
e-mail address Linda_Allison@fws.gov





Distribution format
* Name SDE Feature Class
Version 10.1


Transfer options
Online source
Location https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/BIOS
Function performed information

Fields

Details for object DS0536_20161122
* Type Feature Class
* Row count 0
Definition
Point Feature Class
Definition source
ESRI


Field OBJECTID
* Alias OBJECTID
* Data type OID
* Width 4
* Precision 10
* Scale 0
Field description
Internal feature number.
Description source
ESRI
Description of values
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.




Field Shape
* Alias Shape
* Data type Geometry
* Width 4
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Feature geometry.
Description source
ESRI
Description of values
Coordinates defining the features.




Field SName
* Alias SName
* Data type String
* Width 50
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Scientific Name


Field CName
* Alias CName
* Data type String
* Width 50
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Common Name


Field ID
* Alias ID
* Data type String
* Width 12
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Unique ID number assigned during QA/QC. This ID number is used to link violations with their corresponding record.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field year_
* Alias year_
* Data type Integer
* Width 4
* Precision 10
* Scale 0
Field description
Calendar year of the field season in which the transect was walked.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field recovery_unit
* Alias recovery_unit
* Data type String
* Width 30
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Geographic areas differentiated by tortoise genetics, morphology, behavior, ecology, and habitat and identified in the 2011 Revised Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field stratum
* Alias stratum
* Data type String
* Width 10
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Character abbreviation identifying the monitoring stratum designation. This identifier is used to link strata with their planned transects, transects, waypoints and observations.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field stratum_subunit
* Alias stratum_subunit
* Data type String
* Width 40
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Text description of the subunit within the monitoring stratum. This identifier is used to link strata subunits with their planned transects, transects, waypoints, and observations. Subunits describe Department of Defense, National Park Service, or other landownership.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field date_
* Alias date_
* Data type Date
* Width 8
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Date that the transect was walked.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field time_
* Alias time_
* Data type Date
* Width 8
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Time the record was collected.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field tort_location
* Alias tort_location
* Data type String
* Width 30
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
The location of the tortoise when it was observed (Burrow, Open, Pallet, Rock, Vegetation).
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field mcl_greater_180mm
* Alias mcl_greater_180
* Data type String
* Width 7
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Indicates whether the midline carapace length is greater than or equal to 180 mm
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition




Field mcl_mm
* Alias mcl_mm
* Data type SmallInteger
* Width 2
* Precision 5
* Scale 0
Field description
Midline carapace length in mm.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field sex
* Alias sex
* Data type String
* Width 8
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Sex of the tortoise or carcass.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field existing_tag_number
* Alias existing_tag_number
* Data type String
* Width 10
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
If there was an existing identification tag, the number of that existing tag.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field new_tag_number
* Alias new_tag_number
* Data type String
* Width 13
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
If a new tag was attached, the number of the tag that was attached.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field elev_m
* Alias elev_m
* Data type SmallInteger
* Width 2
* Precision 5
* Scale 0
Field description
Elevation in meters extracted from a 10 meter digital National Elevation Data set; publication date 2009.
Description source
MDEP
Description of values
See attribute definition.




Field transect_name
* Alias transect_name
* Data type String
* Width 12
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
Unique identifier for transect. This identifier is used to link transects with their planned transect, waypoints, observations, and other data. Number suffixed with .9 are duplicate walks of a transect.
Description source
USFWS
Description of values
See attribute definition




Field Tort_State
* Alias Tort_State
* Data type String
* Width 50
* Precision 0
* Scale 0
Field description
State at which the tortoise was observed
List of values
Value Live
Enumerated domain value definition source Living


Value Carcass
Enumerated domain value definition source Deceased




Field observer_position
* Alias observer_position
* Data type String
* Width 15
* Precision 0
* Scale 0




Field perp_distance_m
* Alias perp_distance_m
* Data type Double
* Width 8
* Precision 38
* Scale 8




Field carapace_state
* Alias carc_condition
* Data type String
* Width 15
* Precision 0
* Scale 0






Metadata Details

Metadata language English(UNITED STATES)
Metadata character set utf8 - 8 bit UCS Transfer Format


Scope of the data described by the metadata dataset
Scope name * dataset


* Last update 2017-07-13


ArcGIS metadata properties
Metadata format ArcGIS1.0
Metadata style FGDC CSDGM Metadata
Standard or profile used to edit metadata FGDC


Created in ArcGIS for the item 2017-07-1315:05:48
Last modified in ArcGIS for the item 2017-07-1315:06:12


Automatic updates
Have been performed Yes
Last update 2017-07-1315:06:12


Metadata Contacts

Metadata contact
Individual's name Linda Allison
Organization's name U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Desert Tortoise Recovery Office
Contact's position Desert Tortoise Monitoring Coordinator
Contact's role point of contact


Contact information
Phone
Voice 775-861-6300
Fax 775-861-6301

Address
Type both
Delivery point 1340 Financial Blvd, #234
City Reno
Administrative area NV
Postal code 89502
Country US
e-mail address Linda_Allison@fws.gov



Metadata Maintenance

Maintenance
Update frequency as needed


Thumbnail and Enclosures