North Atlantic Right Whale Core Habitat

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Publication_Date: 20091231

Title: North Atlantic Right Whale Core Habitat

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

Online_Linkage: <http://www.mass.gov/eea/mop>

Larger_Work_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Publication_Date: 200912

Title: Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan

Other_Citation_Details:

These data were created to support the Oceans Act of 2008, signed by Gov. Deval Patrick May 28, 2008. The legislation requires Massachusetts to develop a first-in-the-nation comprehensive plan to manage development in its state waters, balancing natural resource preservation with traditional and new uses, including renewable energy. For text of the Oceans Act, see <http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw08/sl080114.htm>. The final ocean management plan provides a comprehensive framework for managing, reviewing and permitting proposed uses of state waters. In addition to the management and administrative frameworks of the final plan, an accompanying volume provides a comprehensive baseline assessment cataloguing the current state of knowledge regarding human uses, natural resources, and other ecosystem factors in Massachusetts and surrounding ocean areas.

Online_Linkage: <http://www.mass.gov/eea/mop>

Description:

Abstract:

This dataset shows the North Atlantic right whale core habitat, represented as concentrations in abundance distributions based on a dataset from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science report that characterizes cetacean sightings for the years 1970-2005 in the southern Gulf of Maine. The report includes records from dedicated aerial surveys and other platforms. Bias from uneven allocation of survey effort (temporally or spatially) was corrected using a sighting-per-unit-effort (SPUE) algorithm. SPUE values for each 5 x 5 minute grid cell were then interpolated spatially. The resulting interpolations were classified into quantiles and exported as filled contour polygon shapefiles. NOAA binned the data into five classes, and Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) biologists and CZM extracted the top two classes of the data to represent "core" habitat. These classes represent interpolated SPUE values greater than or equal to 16.6.
See the NOAA report for additional information on their methods: NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) 2006. An Ecological Characterization of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region: Oceanographic, Biogeographic, and Contaminants Assessment. Prepared by NCCOS's Biogeography Team in cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Silver Spring, MD. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 45. 356 pp.
To allow for consistent evaluation and comparison of a variety of datasets with distinct spatial resolutions, accuracies, and other characteristics, the Massachusetts ocean management planning area was partitioned into 250 x 250-meter grid cells, each with a unique ID. These data were converted to the planning area grid by extracting all of the cells in which the data layer occurred. The data were then dissolved into one feature.

Purpose:

These data were used in the development of a comprehensive ocean management plan to protect critical marine resources and foster sustainable uses in Massachusetts state waters as mandated in the Oceans Act of 2008.

Supplemental_Information:

These data were created to support the Oceans Act of 2008, signed by Gov. Deval Patrick May 28, 2008. The legislation requires Massachusetts to develop a first-in-the-nation comprehensive plan to manage development in its state waters, balancing natural resource preservation with traditional and new uses, including renewable energy. For text of the Oceans Act, see <http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw08/sl080114.htm>. The final ocean management plan provides a comprehensive framework for managing, reviewing and permitting proposed uses of state waters. In addition to the management and administrative frameworks of the final plan, an accompanying volume provides a comprehensive baseline assessment cataloguing the current state of knowledge regarding human uses, natural resources, and other ecosystem factors in Massachusetts and surrounding ocean areas.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 20091231

Currentness_Reference: publication date

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.392830

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -69.854538

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.132383

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.608404

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category

Theme_Keyword: oceans, 014

Theme_Keyword: biota, 002

Theme_Keyword: environment, 007

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:

NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 6.0.0.0.0

Theme_Keyword:

Biological Classification > Animals/Vertebrates > Mammals > Cetaceans > Baleen Whales

Theme_Keyword:

Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Species/Population Interactions > Endangered Species

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: marine spatial planning

Theme_Keyword: MSP

Theme_Keyword: ocean management

Theme_Keyword: coastal zone management

Theme_Keyword: ecosystem-based management

Theme_Keyword: EBM

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

Place_Keyword: Massachusetts

Place_Keyword: Gulf of Maine

Place_Keyword: Massachusetts Bay

Place_Keyword: Cape Cod Bay

Place_Keyword: Nantucket Sound

Place_Keyword: Vineyard Sound

Place_Keyword: Buzzards Bay

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: U.S. Board on Geographic Names

Place_Keyword: Massachusetts

Place_Keyword: Gulf of Maine

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:

NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 6.0.0.0.0

Place_Keyword: Ocean > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean

Place_Keyword: Ocean > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Gulf Of Maine

Place_Keyword:

Continent > North America > United States Of America > Massachusetts

Access_Constraints:

None. These data are in the public domain. GIS files are freely available for download.

Use_Constraints:

Public domain data from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management as the source of these data. You are not permitted to use CZM's name or to suggest that CZM endorses your project or product, without its express written consent. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the state of the art, CZM cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentation caused by any inaccuracies in the data or as a result of changes to the data caused by system transfers. The user must be aware of data conditions and bear responsibility for the appropriate use of these data with respect to possible errors, original map scale, collection methodology, currency of data, and other conditions specific to these data.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Contact_Position: CZM Data Manager

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address

Address: 251 Causeway Street, Suite 800

City: Boston

State_or_Province: MA

Postal_Code: 02114-2138

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 617-626-1200

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 617-626-1240

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: czm@state.ma.us

Hours_of_Service: 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs EST

Contact_Instructions: email only

Data_Set_Credit:

These spatial data were created by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).

Native_Data_Set_Environment:

Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.3500

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report: An attribute accuracy report was not conducted for these data.

Logical_Consistency_Report: A logical consistency report was not conducted for these data.

Completeness_Report: A completeness report was not conducted for these data.

Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report: A positional accuracy report was not conducted for these data.

Lineage:

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: NOAA, Biogeography Team

Publication_Date: 200609

Title: North Atlantic Right Whales

Edition: 1.0

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

Other_Citation_Details:

Data from NOAA report: NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) 2006. An Ecological Characterization of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region: Oceanographic, Biogeographic, and Contaminants Assessment. Prepared by NCCOS's Biogeography Team in cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Silver Spring, MD. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 45. 356 pp.

Online_Linkage:

<http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/ecosystems/sanctuaries/stellwagen_nms.html>

Type_of_Source_Media: electronic geospatial data

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 200609

Source_Currentness_Reference: publication date

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: NOAA data

Source_Contribution:

Dataset from which the data were extracted. NOAA binned the data into five classes, and CZM extracted the top two classes of the data to represent "core" habitat.

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

CZM received the data from NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) as a geodatabase. The data were converted to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) and registered to the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System, Mainland Zone (FIPS zone 2001), meters. The top two classes of the data were extracted and dissolved to represent "core" habitat. These classes represent interpolated sightings-per-unit-effort (SPUE) values greater than or equal to 16.6.
To allow for consistent evaluation and comparison of a variety of datasets with distinct spatial resolutions, accuracies, and other characteristics, the Massachusetts ocean management planning area was partitioned into 250 x 250-meter grid cells, each with a unique ID. These data were converted to the planning area grid by extracting all of the cells in which the data layer occurred.
The data were clipped to the Massachusetts ocean management planning area. The data were then dissolved into one feature.

Process_Date: 2009

Process_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Contact_Position: CZM Data Manager

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address

Address: 251 Causeway Street, Suite 800

City: Boston

State_or_Province: MA

Postal_Code: 02114-2138

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 617-626-1200

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 617-626-1240

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: czm@state.ma.us

Hours_of_Service: 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs EST

Contact_Instructions: email only

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: G-polygon

Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 1

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Grid_Coordinate_System:

Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: State Plane Coordinate System 1983

State_Plane_Coordinate_System:

SPCS_Zone_Identifier: 2001

Lambert_Conformal_Conic:

Standard_Parallel: 41.716667

Standard_Parallel: 42.683333

Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -71.500000

Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 41.000000

False_Easting: 200000.000000

False_Northing: 750000.000000

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 0.000000

Ordinate_Resolution: 0.000000

Planar_Distance_Units: meters

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222

Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Altitude_System_Definition:

Altitude_Resolution: 0.000100

Altitude_Encoding_Method:

Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label: North Atlantic right whale core habitat

Entity_Type_Definition:

Area representing a special, sensitive, or unique marine and estuarine life and habitat (SSU) resource.

Entity_Type_Definition_Source: Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: FID

Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.

Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain:

Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Shape

Attribute_Definition: Feature geometry.

Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Coordinates defining the features.

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Dataset

Attribute_Definition: Dataset description.

Attribute_Definition_Source: CZM

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Description of features.

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Contact_Position: CZM Data Manager

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address

Address: 251 Causeway Street, Suite 800

City: Boston

State_or_Province: MA

Postal_Code: 02114-2138

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 617-626-1200

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 617-626-1240

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: czm@state.ma.us

Hours_of_Service: 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs EST

Contact_Instructions: email only

Resource_Description: CZM_moris_om_n_atl_right_w_core_poly

Distribution_Liability:

Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of these data, errors and conditions originating from physical sources used to develop these data may be reflected in the data supplied. The client must be aware of data conditions and bear responsibility for the appropriate use of the information with respect to possible errors, original map scale, collection methodology, currency of data, and other conditions specific to certain data. In no event shall CZM be liable for any damages, whether general, special, incidental or consequential damages, arising out of your use of these data. Your sole remedy for damages is to stop using the data. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless CZM and its employees against any claim, loss, liability or expense, including attorneys' fees, resulting from loss of or damage to property or the injury to or death of any person arising out of the use of the data.

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: ESRI Shapefile (.shp)

Format_Version_Number: ArcGIS 8.x & 9.x

Transfer_Size: 1.412

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name: <http://www.mass.gov/czm/mapping/index.htm>

Fees:

GIS and coordinate files may be downloaded at no charge by following links on the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management website (<http://www.mass.gov/czm/>).

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20100218

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Contact_Position: CZM Data Manager

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address

Address: 251 Causeway Street, Suite 800

City: Boston

State_or_Province: MA

Postal_Code: 02114-2138

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 617-626-1200

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 617-626-1240

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: czm@state.ma.us

Hours_of_Service: 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs EST

Contact_Instructions: email only

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time

Metadata_Extensions:

Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>

Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile