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Federal Open Space

Frequently-asked questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title:
Federal Open Space

Abstract:
Federal Open Space is a polygon feature-based layer that includes land owned in either easement or fee simple interest by the federal government.  This layer is based on information that was collected and mapped at various scales and at different levels of accuracy.  Types of property in this layer include open space and recreational land open to the public.  Examples include National Park Service land, Army Corps of Engineers land, etc.  

Supplemental information:
Please note that this data layer has not been updated since 2004 and, as such, may contain inaccurate feature boundaries or attribute information.  There are no plans to update this layer at present.   

  1. How should this data set be cited?

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection (data compiler, editor and publisher), 1997, Federal Open Space.

    Online links:
    Other citation details:
    Data compiled from overlays of muncipal parcels onto USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic quadrangle maps. Data should be used at a 1:24,000 scale (1"=2,000').

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    Bounding coordinates:
    West: -73.525061
    East: -71.892339
    North: 42.052338
    South: 41.045842

  3. What does it look like?

    http://www.cteco.uconn.edu/metadata/dep/browsegraphic/federalopenspacefullview.gif (GIF)
    Full view of Federal Open Space property

    http://www.cteco.uconn.edu/metadata/dep/browsegraphic/federalopenspacedetailview.gif (GIF)
    Detail view of Federal Open Space property

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning date: 1994
    Ending date: 1997
    Currentness reference:
    ground condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial data presentation form: vector digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      Indirect spatial reference:
      State of Connecticut, United States

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • G-polygon (70)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      The map projection used is Lambert Conformal Conic.

      Projection parameters:
      Lambert Conformal Conic
      Standard parallel: 41.200000
      Standard parallel: 41.866667
      Longitude of central meridian: -72.750000
      Latitude of projection origin: 40.833333
      False easting: 999999.999996
      False northing: 499999.999998

      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair.
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000250.
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000250.
      Planar coordinates are specified in survey feet.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

      Vertical coordinate system definition:
      Altitude system definition:
      Altitude resolution: 1.000000
      Altitude encoding method: Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    depgis.DEP.FEDERAL_OPEN_SPACE
    Federally owned open space land (Source: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection)

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)
                      

    Coordinates defining the features.

    NAME
    Name of the Federal facility or the Federal Agency that owns the facility. (Source: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection)
                      

    Each federal facility's name. These values are not unique.

    CD
    Abbreviation for Conservation/Development.  This field contains the category of ownership of the parcel feature.   (Source: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection)
                      

    ValueDefinition
    EXIST
    Existing Preserved Open Space.  Represents parcels owned in fee simple interest by the Federal government.
    PRES
    Preservation Area.  Represents parcels of land that are partial interests (easements).

    SHAPE
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)
                      

    Coordinates defining the features.

    OBJECTID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)
                      

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    SHAPE.area
    SHAPE.len
    Entity and attribute overview:
    Includes polygon features for all Federally owned open space property such as National Park Service land, Army Corps of Engineers land, etc.  Information about these features includes the NAME attribute (facility name and/or owner of the property) and the CD attribute (property ownership type classification).  Use the CD attribute to symbolize features by ownership type on a map. Ownership type consists of two values:  EXIST denotes Existing Preserved open space owned in fee simple interest and PRES denotes Preservation Area that is easement ownership only.
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Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)


  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

    James Bogar, Cartographer 1994 to 1997; Howard W. Sternberg III, Environmental Analyst 1994 to 2000

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection
    79 Elm Street
    Hartford, Connecticut 06106-5127
    USA

    860-424-3540 (voice)
    860-424-4058 (FAX)
    dep.gisdata@ct.gov
    Hours of Service: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:30 Eastern Standard Time
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Why was the data set created?

Federal Open Space contains property that comprises federally owned land.  This layer can be used with the DEP Property and Municipal and Private Open Space layers for a more comprehensive understanding of open space and recreation land throughout the State of Connecticut.

This layer has not been updated since 2004 and may not be accurate.  For more accurate and current open space parcel data, please see the Protected Open Space and the Protected Open Space Phase 1 feature classes.  Although the data in those feature classes is more accurate, it does not include any easements; it contains only land owned in fee simple interest.  For easements, continue to utilize the Federal Open Space feature class, with the knowledge that it is older data and is subject to verification in municipal land records.

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How was the data set created?

  1. Where did the data come from?

    Source 1, Parcel Records for Federal open space property in DEP (source 1 of 6)

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, 1914 - Present, Parcel Records for Federal open space property in DEP.

    Type of source media: Paper or mylar survey maps
    Source scale denominator: Varied
    Source contribution:
    The maps contain the boundaries of the parcels that are owned by the federal government.  They provide the source for parcel features in this layer.  Scales are not consistent among maps.

    Source 2, Federal Open Space Property Mylars (source 2 of 6)

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, 1994, Federal Open Space Property Mylars.

    Type of source media: Mylar
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution:
    Federally owned property delineated at 1:24000 scale from hand drawn delineations on topographic maps, survey maps and sketches.

    Source 3, Federal Open Space Property Coverage (source 3 of 6)

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, 1997, Federal Open Space Property Coverage.

    Type of source media: disc
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution:
    Federally owned property in an ArcInfo coverage format (NAD27).

    Source 4, Federal Open Space Property Shapefile (source 4 of 6)

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, 1999, Federal Open Space Property Shapefile.

    Type of source media: disc
    Source scale denominator: 24000
    Source contribution:
    Federally owned property in Shapefile format (NAD83).

    Source 5, Federal Open Space Property Geodatabase (source 5 of 6)

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, 2006, Federal Open Space Property Geodatabase.

    Type of source media: disc
    Source scale denominator: Varied
    Source contribution:
    Federally owned property in geodatabase format.  

    Source 6, Federal Open Space ArcSDE Feature Class (source 6 of 6)

    Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, 2009, Federal Open Space ArcSDE Feature Class.

    Type of source media: disc
    Source scale denominator: Varied
    Source contribution:
    The Federal Open Space feature class in the Property geodatabase was converted to an ArcSDE feature class.  

  2. What changes have been made?

    Date: 1994 - 1997 (change 1 of 5)
    Create 1:24,000-scale Federal Property Mylars - The initial Federal Open Space Coverage was based on information mapped and subsequently digitized from a series of 1:24,000-scale Mylar overlays maintained by the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The following briefly describes a mapping effort comprised of delineating the outer property boundary of Federally owned property.  This was an ongoing mapping effort at DEP in the 1980's and 1990's.
    
    The Federal Open Space Property Mylar overlays for each 1:24,000-scale, 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle map were made by placing a blank sheet of 2 millimeter Mylar on each topographic quadrangle map and manually drafting the neat lines (boundaries) of the topographic quadrangle map on the Mylar. The neat lines were drafted in India ink and are the basis for manually registering (lining up) the overlay to the corresponding topographic quadrangle map. These overlays were not prepared with the intent of creating a data source for digitizing. Rather, they were meant to be used with and the basis for other 1:50,000 and 1:125,000 scale-overlays for regional assessments of dedicated open space, acreage calculations, and map publication purposes. These Mylars were susceptible to expansion and contraction under varying humidity conditions due to a 2-millimeter thickness. Also, the neat lines drawn on the overlays registered each overlay to the paper topographic quadrangle map and not a stable-base Mylar of the topographic quadrangle map. 
    
    All boundaries for property federally owned and depicted on 1:24,000-scale, 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle maps available in the 1970's and 1980's were transferred to Mylar by registering the overlays to the topographic quadrangle maps and tracing the property boundaries published on the USGS topographic quadrangle maps. Polygon areas were delineated on the overlays to represent Federal Properties. Each polygon was labeled and matched to the quadrangle neat lines, if necessary. All line work was done in ink. 
    
    Up until 1997, additions and modifications were made to the Property Mylar overlays by incorporating information from the DEP Land Acquisition Division. Two sources of information from the DEP Land Acquisition Division were available: (1) Hand drawn DEP parcel delineations made on a master set of 1:24,000-scale, 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps, and (2) Survey maps or sketches provided to the DEP Land Acquisition Division by the federal government.  Both data sources varied in accuracy and quality due to a lack of standards for the acquisition of parcels prior to the 1990's. Nevertheless, the best information available from either of these two data sources was used to update the Property Mylars. For example, when property was acquired and a survey map was available, the boundary was traced with a planimeter to produce a 1:24,000-scale representation of the parcel on a small piece of tracing paper. Using a light table, the parcel delineated on tracing paper was then positioned onto a topographic quadrangle map by lining up, as best as possible, parcel boundaries with features (roads, rivers, stone walls) that appeared both on the original survey map and topographic quadrangle map. The Property Mylar overlay was then registered to the topographic quadrangle map in order to update the corresponding Federal Property mylar. The parcel was either drawn on the mylar as a separate polygon area or merged with a polygon of previously acquired property.

    Person responsible for change:
    Jacqueline Mickiewicz
    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection

    Data sources used in this process:
    • Source 1, Parcel Records for Federal open space property in DEP

    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Source 2, Federal Open Space Property Mylars

    Date: 1994-1997 (change 2 of 5)
    Create 1:24,000-scale Federal Open Space Property Coverage - The initial Federal Open Space Property Coverage was based on information mapped and subsequently digitized from a series of 1:24,000-scale Mylar overlays maintained by the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The following briefly describes the process to digitally capture the information from the Federal Open Space Mylars:
    
    The Federal Open Space Property Coverage was first created in 1994 using information from the 1:24,000-scale Mylar overlays. The process of creating the coverage involved developing and testing methods to accurately register the Federal Open Space Property Mylar overlays to a digitizing tablet; digitize boundary lines delineated on the overlays that do not coincide with other 1:24,000-scale base-map features (roads, streams, shorelines and town boundaries); use linear features from 1:24,000-scale base-map layers (road, streams, shorelines and town boundaries) as data sources when coincident with property boundaries; edge-match boundaries along quadrangle neat lines; append boundary lines to form and close polygon features; and attribute polygon features. Line feature topology was established with ArcInfo Fuzzy and Dangle tolerances verified at 4 and 10 feet, respectively. Polygon feature topology was established to ensure that no polygons overlapped. Digitizing was performed using PC ArcInfo 3.4d. All other processing tasks were accomplished using either ArcInfo 5 or 6.
    
    Polygon attributes distinguish Federal facilities from one another and include the NAME field to identify the properties.  The CD field classifies properties by type:  Existing Preserved or Preserved Easement Area.  
    
    This layer has not been updated since its publication due to no new Federally owned parcels having been acquired within the state.  

    Person responsible for change:
    Howie Sternberg
    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection

    Data sources used in this process:
    • Source 2, Federal Open Space Property Mylars

    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Source 3, Federal Open Space Property Coverage

    Date: 1999 (change 3 of 5)
    Datum Conversion - Using ESRI ArcInfo software, the Federal Open Space Property layer was converted from the Connecticut State Plane Coordinate System of 1927 (NAD 27) to the Connecticut State Plane Coordinate System of 1983 (NAD 83).  The NADCON (North American Datum CONversion) data transformation was used.  A shapefile was then created from the coverage for use with ArcView 3.x.

    Person responsible for change:
    Howard W. Sternberg
    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection

    Data sources used in this process:
    • Source 3, Federal Open Space Property Coverage

    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Source 4, Federal Open Space Property Shapefile

    Date: 2006 (change 4 of 5)
    Federal Open Space converted to geodatabase format.  

    Person responsible for change:
    Jacqueline Mickiewicz
    State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

    Data sources used in this process:
    • Source 4, Federal Open Space Property Shapefile

    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Source 5, Federal Open Space Property Geodatabase

    Date: 2009 (change 5 of 5)
    The Federal Open Space Property geodatabase feature class was converted to an ArcSDE feature class.

    Person responsible for change:
    Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

    Data sources used in this process:
    • Source 5, Federal Open Space Property Geodatabase

    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Source 6, Federal Open Space ArcSDE Feature Class

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How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    Attributes in the Federal Open Space layer have valid values.  Values are within defined domains.  SHAPE_AREA and SHAPE_LENGTH are the feature area and length in feet and are software calculated.  

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    The overall positional accuracy level is only as accurate as can be established using tablet digitizing onto 1:24,000 scale topographic quadrangle maps.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    The completeness of the data reflects the best available federal parcel acquisition records within the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.  However, there may be omissions due to file errors, incomplete files, missing files, or staff error in the file retrieval process.  No indication of completeness percentage is possible.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Polygons conform to the following topological rules.  Polygons do not self overlap.  The ArcInfo Clean function was used to verify topology and enforce a minimum distance between vertices of 4 feet (fuzzy tolerance) and a minimum allowed overshoot length of 10 feet (dangle length).  Polygons may overlap.  No ArcInfo Build and Clean functions were applied.

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How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access constraints: None. The data is in the public domain and may be redistributed.
Use constraints:
None.  There are no restrictions or legal prerequisites for using the data.  Once acquired, any modification made to the data must be noted in the metadata.  When printing this information on a map or using it in a software application, please acknowledge the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection as the original source for this information.  

Distributor 1 of 1

  1. Who distributes the data set?

    State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection
    79 Elm Street
    Hartford, Connecticut 06106-5127
    USA

    860-424-3540 (voice)
    860-424-4058 (FAX)
    dep.gisdata@ct.gov
    Hours of Service: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:30 Eastern Standard Time

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Federal Open Space

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

  4. How can I download or order the data?

    • Availability in digital form:


    • Data format:
      in format Shapefile, Feature Class (version ArcGIS)
      Network links:http://www.ct.gov/deep

  5. Is there some other way to get the data?

    The data distributor does not provide custom GIS analysis or mapping services.  Data is available in a standard format and may be converted to other formats, projections, coordinate systems, or selected for specific geographic regions by the party receiving the data.  

  6. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    Geographic information system (GIS), computer-aided drawing or other mapping software is necessary to display, view and access the information.

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Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 20111208
Last reviewed: 20090519
To be reviewed: None

Metadata author:
Jacqueline L. Mickiewicz
State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection
79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT 06106-5127
USA

860-424-3085 (voice)
860-424-4058 (FAX)
dep.gisdata@ct.gov
Hours of Service: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:30 Eastern Standard Time

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata(FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Metadata extensions used:
  • http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html

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