This layer features special areas of interest (AOIs) that have been contributed to Esri Community Maps using the new Community Maps Editor app. The data that is accepted by Esri will be included in selected Esri basemaps, including our suite of Esri Vector Basemaps, and made available through this layer to export and use offline. Export DataThe contributed data is also available for contributors and other users to export (or extract) and re-use for their own purposes. Users can export the full layer from the ArcGIS Online item details page by clicking the Export Data button and selecting one of the supported formats (e.g. shapefile, or file geodatabase (FGDB)). User can extract selected layers for an area of interest by opening in Map Viewer, clicking the Analysis button, viewing the Manage Data tools, and using the Extract Data tool. To display this data with proper symbology and metadata in ArcGIS Pro, you can download and use this layer file.Data UsageThe data contributed through the Community Maps Editor app is primarily intended for use in the Esri Basemaps. Esri staff will periodically (e.g. weekly) review the contents of the contributed data and either accept or reject the data for use in the basemaps. Accepted features will be added to the Esri basemaps in a subsequent update and will remain in the app for the contributor or others to edit over time. Rejected features will be removed from the app.Esri Community Maps Contributors and other ArcGIS Online users can download accepted features from this layer for their internal use or map publishing, subject to the terms of use below.

This layer features special areas of interest (AOIs) that have been contributed to Esri Community Maps using the new Community Maps Editor app. The data that is accepted by Esri will be included in selected Esri basemaps, including our suite of Esri Vector Basemaps, and made available through this layer to export and use offline. Export DataThe contributed data is also available for contributors and other users to export (or extract) and re-use for their own purposes. Users can export the full layer from the ArcGIS Online item details page by clicking the Export Data button and selecting one of the supported formats (e.g. shapefile, or file geodatabase (FGDB)). User can extract selected layers for an area of interest by opening in Map Viewer, clicking the Analysis button, viewing the Manage Data tools, and using the Extract Data tool. To display this data with proper symbology and metadata in ArcGIS Pro, you can download and use this layer file.Data UsageThe data contributed through the Community Maps Editor app is primarily intended for use in the Esri Basemaps. Esri staff will periodically (e.g. weekly) review the contents of the contributed data and either accept or reject the data for use in the basemaps. Accepted features will be added to the Esri basemaps in a subsequent update and will remain in the app for the contributor or others to edit over time. Rejected features will be removed from the app.Esri Community Maps Contributors and other ArcGIS Online users can download accepted features from this layer for their internal use or map publishing, subject to the terms of use below.

This layer features special areas of interest (AOIs) that have been contributed to Esri Community Maps using the new Community Maps Editor app. The data that is accepted by Esri will be included in selected Esri basemaps, including our suite of Esri Vector Basemaps, and made available through this layer to export and use offline. Export DataThe contributed data is also available for contributors and other users to export (or extract) and re-use for their own purposes. Users can export the full layer from the ArcGIS Online item details page by clicking the Export Data button and selecting one of the supported formats (e.g. shapefile, or file geodatabase (FGDB)). User can extract selected layers for an area of interest by opening in Map Viewer, clicking the Analysis button, viewing the Manage Data tools, and using the Extract Data tool. To display this data with proper symbology and metadata in ArcGIS Pro, you can download and use this layer file.Data UsageThe data contributed through the Community Maps Editor app is primarily intended for use in the Esri Basemaps. Esri staff will periodically (e.g. weekly) review the contents of the contributed data and either accept or reject the data for use in the basemaps. Accepted features will be added to the Esri basemaps in a subsequent update and will remain in the app for the contributor or others to edit over time. Rejected features will be removed from the app.Esri Community Maps Contributors and other ArcGIS Online users can download accepted features from this layer for their internal use or map publishing, subject to the terms of use below.

The U.S. Defense Department oversees the USA"s armed forces and manages over 30 million acres of land. With over 2.8 million service members and civilian employees the department is the world"s largest employer.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Lands managed by the U.S. Department of DefenseGeographic Extent: United States, Guam, Puerto RicoData Coordinate System: WGS 1984Visible Scale: The data is visible at all scalesSource: DOD Military Installations Ranges and Training Areas layer. Publication Date: May 2025This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Department of Defense lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this layer?This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "department of defense" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "department of defense" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in Pro.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage.This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

The US National Park Service manages 84.4 million acres that include the United States" 63 national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties. These lands range from the 13 million acre Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska to the 0.02 acre Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Pennsylvania.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Administrative boundaries of U.S. National Park Service landsGeographic Extent: 50 United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana IslandsData Coordinate System: WGS 1984Visible Scale: The data is visible at all scalesSource: NPS Administrative Boundaries of National Park System Units layerPublication Date: April, 2025This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Park Service lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this Layer?This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "national park service" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "national park service" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in Pro.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage.This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service manages the nation's 560 National Wildlife Refuges and thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas including Wildlife Management Areas and Waterfowl Production Areas. These lands cover more than 150 million acres that protect fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: United States lands managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Coordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: 50 United States plus Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The layer also includes large National Monuments and Wildlife Refuges in the Pacific Ocean.Visible Scale: The data is visible at all scales.Source: USFWS Interest Simplified layer Publication Date: January 2024This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Fish and Wildlife Service lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this layer? This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "fish and wildlife service" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "fish and wildlife service" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in Pro.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage.This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.

The US Forest Service manages 193 million acres including the nation's 154 National Forests and 20 National Grasslands. These lands provide a wide variety of recreational opportunities, protect sources of clean water, and supply timber and forage.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: United States lands managed by the US Forest ServiceGeographic Extent: Contiguous United States, Alaska, and Puerto RicoVisible Scale: The data is visible at all scales.Source: USFS Surface Ownership ParcelsPublication Date: May 2025This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Forest Service lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this Layer?This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "forest service" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "forest service" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in ProThe data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage..This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

This dataset contains both large (A0) printable maps of the Torres Strait broken into six overlapping regions, based on a clear sky, clear water composite Sentinel 2 composite imagery and the imagery used to create these maps. These maps show satellite imagery of the region, overlaid with reef and island boundaries and names. Not all features are named, just the more prominent features. This also includes a vector map of Ashmore Reef and Boot Reef in Coral Sea as these were used in the same discussions that these maps were developed for. The map of Ashmore Reef includes the atoll platform, reef boundaries and depth polygons for 5 m and 10 m. This dataset contains all working files used in the development of these maps. This includes all a copy of all the source datasets and all derived satellite image tiles and QGIS files used to create the maps. This includes cloud free Sentinel 2 composite imagery of the Torres Strait region with alpha blended edges to allow the creation of a smooth high resolution basemap of the region. The base imagery is similar to the older base imagery dataset: Torres Strait clear sky, clear water Landsat 5 satellite composite (NERP TE 13.1 eAtlas, AIMS, source: NASA). Most of the imagery in the composite imagery from 2017 - 2021. Method: The Sentinel 2 basemap was produced by processing imagery from the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery dataset (01-data/World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery in the data download) for the Torres Strait region. The TrueColour imagery for the scenes covering the mapped area were downloaded. Both the reference 1 imagery (R1) and reference 2 imagery (R2) was copied for processing. R1 imagery contains the lowest noise, most cloud free imagery, while R2 contains the next best set of imagery. Both R1 and R2 are typically composite images from multiple dates. The R2 images were selectively blended using manually created masks with the R1 images. This was done to get the best combination of both images and typically resulted in a reduction in some of the cloud artefacts in the R1 images. The mask creation and previewing of the blending was performed in Photoshop. The created masks were saved in 01-data/R2-R1-masks. To help with the blending of neighbouring images a feathered alpha channel was added to the imagery. The processing of the merging (using the masks) and the creation of the feathered borders on the images was performed using a Python script (src/local/03-merge-R2-R1-images.py) using the Pillow library and GDAL. The neighbouring image blending mask was created by applying a blurring of the original hard image mask. This allowed neighbouring image tiles to merge together. The imagery and reference datasets (reef boundaries, EEZ) were loaded into QGIS for the creation of the printable maps. To optimise the matching of the resulting map slight brightness adjustments were applied to each scene tile to match its neighbours. This was done in the setup of each image in QGIS. This adjustment was imperfect as each tile was made from a different combinations of days (to remove clouds) resulting in each scene having a different tonal gradients across the scene then its neighbours. Additionally Sentinel 2 has slight stripes (at 13 degrees off the vertical) due to the swath of each sensor having a slight sensitivity difference. This effect was uncorrected in this imagery.
Single merged composite GeoTiff: The image tiles with alpha blended edges work well in QGIS, but not in ArcGIS Pro. To allow this imagery to be used across tools that don't support the alpha blending we merged and flattened the tiles into a single large GeoTiff with no alpha channel. This was done by rendering the map created in QGIS into a single large image. This was done in multiple steps to make the process manageable.
The rendered map was cut into twenty 1 x 1 degree georeferenced PNG images using the Atlas feature of QGIS. This process baked in the alpha blending across neighbouring Sentinel 2 scenes. The PNG images were then merged back into a large GeoTiff image using GDAL (via QGIS), removing the alpha channel. The brightness of the image was adjusted so that the darkest pixels in the image were 1, saving the value 0 for nodata masking and the boundary was clipped, using a polygon boundary, to trim off the outer feathering. The image was then optimised for performance by using internal tiling and adding overviews. A full breakdown of these steps is provided in the README.md in the 'Browse and download all data files' link. The merged final image is available in export\TS_AIMS_Torres Strait-Sentinel-2_Composite.tif. Source datasets: Complete Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Island and Reef Feature boundaries including Torres Strait Version 1b (NESP TWQ 3.13, AIMS, TSRA, GBRMPA), https://eatlas.org.au/data/uuid/d2396b2c-68d4-4f4b-aab0-52f7bc4a81f5 Geoscience Australia (2014b), Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973 - Australian Maritime Boundaries 2014a - Geodatabase [Dataset]. Canberra, Australia: Author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [license]. Sourced on 12 July 2017, https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/5539DFE87D895 Basemap/AU_GA_AMB_2014a/Exclusive_Economic_Zone_AMB2014a_Limit.shp The original data was obtained from GA (Geoscience Australia, 2014a). The Geodatabase was loaded in ArcMap. The Exclusive_Economic_Zone_AMB2014a_Limit layer was loaded and exported as a shapefile. Since this file was small no clipping was applied to the data. Geoscience Australia (2014a), Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries (AMB) 2014a [Dataset]. Canberra, Australia: Author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [license]. Sourced on 12 July 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/5539E01878302 Basemap/AU_GA_Treaties-AMB_2014a/Papua_New_Guinea_TSPZ_AMB2014a_Limit.shp The original data was obtained from GA (Geoscience Australia, 2014b). The Geodatabase was loaded in ArcMap. The Papua_New_Guinea_TSPZ_AMB2014a_Limit layer was loaded and exported as a shapefile. Since this file was small no clipping was applied to the data. AIMS Coral Sea Features (2022) - DRAFT This is a draft version of this dataset. The region for Ashmore and Boot reef was checked. The attributes in these datasets haven't been cleaned up. Note these files should not be considered finalised and are only suitable for maps around Ashmore Reef. Please source an updated version of this dataset for any other purpose. CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Names/Names.shp CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Platform_adj/CS_Platform.shp CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Reef_Boundaries_adj/CS_Reef_Boundaries.shp CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Depth/CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features_Img_S2_R1_Depth5m_Coral-Sea.shp CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Depth/CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features_Img_S2_R1_Depth10m_Coral-Sea.shp Murray Island 20 Sept 2011 15cm SISP aerial imagery, Queensland Spatial Imagery Services Program, Department of Resources, Queensland This is the high resolution imagery used to create the map of Mer. World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery The base image composites used in this dataset were based on an early version of Lawrey, E., Hammerton, M. (2024). Marine satellite imagery test collections (AIMS) [Data set]. eAtlas. https://doi.org/10.26274/zq26-a956. A snapshot of the code at the time this dataset was developed is made available in the 01-data/World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery folder of the download of this dataset. Data Location: This dataset is filed in the eAtlas enduring data repository at: data\custodian\2020-2029-AIMS\TS_AIMS_Torres-Strait-Sentinel-2-regional-maps. On the eAtlas server it is stored at eAtlas GeoServer\data\2020-2029-AIMS. Change Log: 2025-05-12: Eric Lawrey Added Torres-Strait-Region-Map-Masig-Ugar-Erub-45k-A0 and Torres-Strait-Eastern-Region-Map-Landscape-A0. These maps have a brighten satellite imagery to allow easier reading of writing on the maps. They also include markers for geo-referencing the maps for digitisation. 2025-02-04: Eric Lawrey Fixed up the reference to the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery dataset, clarifying where the source that was used in this dataset. Added ORCID and RORs to the record. 2023-11-22: Eric Lawrey Added the data and maps for close up of Mer. - 01-data/TS_DNRM_Mer-aerial-imagery/ - preview/Torres-Strait-Mer-Map-Landscape-A0.jpeg - exports/Torres-Strait-Mer-Map-Landscape-A0.pdf Updated 02-Torres-Strait-regional-maps.qgz to include the layout for the new map. 2023-03-02: Eric Lawrey Created a merged version of the satellite imagery, with no alpha blending so that it can be used in ArcGIS Pro. It is now a single large GeoTiff image. The Google Earth Engine source code for the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery was included to improve the reproducibility and provenance of the dataset, along with a calculation of the distribution of image dates that went into the final composite image. A WMS service for the imagery was also setup and linked to from the metadata. A cross reference to the older Torres Strait clear sky clear water Landsat composite imagery was also added to the record.

One-eighth of the United States (247 million acres) is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. As part of the Department of the Interior, the agency oversees the 30 million acre National Conservation Lands system, a collection of lands that includes 221 wilderness areas, 23 national monuments and 636 other protected areas. Bureau of Land Management Lands contain over 63,000 oil and gas wells and provide forage for over 18,000 grazing permit holders on 155 million acres of land.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: United States lands managed by the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. Coordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: Contiguous United States and AlaskaVisible Scale: The data is visible at all scales but draws best at scales larger than 1:2,000,000.Source: BLM Surface Management Agency layerPublication Date: November 2023This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Bureau of Land Management lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this layer? This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "bureau of land management" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "bureau of land management" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in Pro.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage.This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.

The US National Park Service manages 84.4 million acres that include the nation's 59 national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties. These lands range from the 13 million acre Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska to the 0.02 acre Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Pennsylvania.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Administrative boundaries of units in the United States National Park Service system. Not all lands within the administrative boundaries are owned by the National Park Service.Coordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: 50 United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana IslandsVisible Scale: The data is visible at all scalesSource: NPS Administrative Boundaries National Park System Units layerPublication Date: January 2024This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Park Service lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this layer? This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "national park service" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "national park service" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in Pro.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage.This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service manages the United States" 573 National Wildlife Refuges and thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. These lands cover more than 150 million acres that protect fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: United States lands managed by the US Fish and Wildlife ServiceGeographic Extent: 50 United States plus Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The layer also includes Wildlife Refuges in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea.Data Coordinate System: WGS 1984Visible Scale: The data is visible at all scales.Source: USFWS Interest Simplified layerPublication Date: January 2024This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Fish and Wildlife Service lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this Layer?This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "fish and wildlife service" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "fish and wildlife service" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in Pro.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage.This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

This data has been clipped from the USA Critical Habitat layer on ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. It is intended for Esri tutorial purposes only and may not reflect the current state of critical habitat. Use the USA Critical Habitat layer for authoritative data.In the United States, species in danger of extinction are protected by the Endangered Species Act. As part of these protections, the US Fish and Wildlife Service can designate critical habitat. Activities that are carried out, authorized, or funded by the federal government that are likely to adversely modify or destroy critical habitat are generally prohibited by the Endangered Species Act.Because the Endangered Species Act prohibits federal actions that degrade critical habitat, limitations may be placed on land management and other projects. Proposed federal actions that may adversely modify or destroy critical habitat require that the agency or private entity proposing the action consult with the appropriate regulatory agency (US Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).The consultation and permitting process often relies heavily on GIS to organize, analyze, and display key information. This layer provides the information necessary to begin a landscape assessment of the distribution of critical habitat.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered species. Coordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: 50 United States plus Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana IslandsVisible Scale: The data is visible at all scales but draws best at scales larger than 1: 2,000,000Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicePublication Date: June 14, 2019This layer displays critical habitat data (June 14, 2019) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The service contains 2 layers, lines and polygons, which correspond to the two shape files included in the original data. The source data for this layer are available here. Esri modified the attributes of these data to facilitate their use. A Species Type field was added and populated denoting the taxonomic group of each species and a field was added to link to the USFWS species profile for each species. The scientific and common name fields were edited to standardize capitalization and remove special characters. Several fields that did not contain data were removed. Attributes included in this layer are: Common NameScientific NameSpecies TypeSpecies CodePopulation CodeCritical Habitat Status - Final or ProposedFederal Register Publication Citation - The pop-ups for this field are pre-configured to link to the Federal Register search page for this value.Federal Register Publication DateListing Status - Threatened, Endangered, Proposed Threatened, or Proposed EndangeredLink to USFWS Species ProfileWhat can you do with this layer? This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis. It can be used in ArcGIS Online in web maps and applications and can be used in ArcGIS Desktop.The feature service is symbolized on the status of the critical habitat for each species. In ArcGIS Online you can change symbology.The data can also be filtered. For example selecting common name as the field and northern spotted owl as the value in the filter will return a map displaying only northern spotted owl critical habitat.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of the description page.This layer is part of the Living Atlas of the World that provides an easy way to explore the landscape layers and many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics.

The US Forest Service manages 193 million acres including the nation's 154 National Forests and 20 National Grasslands. These lands provide a wide variety of recreational opportunities, protect sources of clean water, and supply timber and forage.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: United States lands managed by the US Forest Service Coordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: Contiguous United States, Alaska, and Puerto RicoVisible Scale: The data is visible at all scales.Source: USFS Surface Ownership Parcels layerPublication Date: February 2024This layer is a view of the USA Federal Lands layer. A filter has been used on this layer to eliminate non-Forest Service lands. For more information on layers for other agencies see the USA Federal Lands layer.What can you do with this layer? This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "forest service" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box expand Portal if necessary then select Living Atlas. Type "forest service" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in ProThe data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shape file or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage..This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.

Reason for SelectionProtected natural areas in urban environments provide urban residents a nearby place to connect with nature and offer refugia for some species. They help foster a conservation ethic by providing opportunities for people to connect with nature, and also support ecosystem services like offsetting heat island effects (Greene and Millward 2017, Simpson 1998), water filtration, stormwater retention, and more (Hoover and Hopton 2019). In addition, parks, greenspace, and greenways can help improve physical and psychological health in communities (Gies 2006). Urban park size complements the equitable access to potential parks indicator by capturing the value of existing parks.Input DataSoutheast Blueprint 2024 extentFWS National Realty Tracts, accessed 12-13-2023Protected Areas Database of the United States(PAD-US):PAD-US 3.0national geodatabase -Combined Proclamation Marine Fee Designation Easement, accessed 12-6-20232020 Census Urban Areas from the Census Bureau’s urban-rural classification; download the data, read more about how urban areas were redefined following the 2020 censusOpenStreetMap data “multipolygons” layer, accessed 12-5-2023A polygon from this dataset is considered a beach if the value in the “natural” tag attribute is “beach”. Data for coastal states (VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX) were downloaded in .pbf format and translated to an ESRI shapefile using R code. OpenStreetMap® is open data, licensed under theOpen Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) by theOpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF). Additional credit to OSM contributors. Read more onthe OSM copyright page.2021 National Land Cover Database (NLCD): Percentdevelopedimperviousness2023NOAA coastal relief model: volumes 2 (Southeast Atlantic), 3 (Florida and East Gulf of America), 4 (Central Gulf of America), and 5 (Western Gulf of America), accessed 3-27-2024Mapping StepsCreate a seamless vector layer to constrain the extent of the urban park size indicator to inland and nearshore marine areas <10 m in depth. The deep offshore areas of marine parks do not meet the intent of this indicator to capture nearby opportunities for urban residents to connect with nature. Shallow areas are more accessible for recreational activities like snorkeling, which typically has a maximum recommended depth of 12-15 meters. This step mirrors the approach taken in the Caribbean version of this indicator.Merge all coastal relief model rasters (.nc format) together using QGIS “create virtual raster”.Save merged raster to .tif and import into ArcPro.Reclassify the NOAA coastal relief model data to assign areas with an elevation of land to -10 m a value of 1. Assign all other areas (deep marine) a value of 0.Convert the raster produced above to vector using the “RasterToPolygon” tool.Clip to 2024 subregions using “Pairwise Clip” tool.Break apart multipart polygons using “Multipart to single parts” tool.Hand-edit to remove deep marine polygon.Dissolve the resulting data layer.This produces a seamless polygon defining land and shallow marine areas.Clip the Census urban area layer to the bounding box of NoData surrounding the extent of Southeast Blueprint 2024.Clip PAD-US 3.0 to the bounding box of NoData surrounding the extent of Southeast Blueprint 2024.Remove the following areas from PAD-US 3.0, which are outside the scope of this indicator to represent parks:All School Trust Lands in Oklahoma and Mississippi (Loc Des = “School Lands” or “School Trust Lands”). These extensive lands are leased out and are not open to the public.All tribal and military lands (“Des_Tp” = "TRIBL" or “Des_Tp” = "MIL"). Generally, these lands are not intended for public recreational use.All BOEM marine lease blocks (“Own_Name” = "BOEM"). These Outer Continental Shelf lease blocks do not represent actively protected marine parks, but serve as the “legal definition for BOEM offshore boundary coordinates...for leasing and administrative purposes” (BOEM).All lands designated as “proclamation” (“Des_Tp” = "PROC"). These typically represent the approved boundary of public lands, within which land protection is authorized to occur, but not all lands within the proclamation boundary are necessarily currently in a conserved status.Retain only selected attribute fields from PAD-US to get rid of irrelevant attributes.Merged the filtered PAD-US layer produced above with the OSM beaches and FWS National Realty Tracts to produce a combined protected areas dataset.The resulting merged data layer contains overlapping polygons. To remove overlapping polygons, use the Dissolve function.Clip the resulting data layer to the inland and nearshore extent.Process all multipart polygons (e.g., separate parcels within a National Wildlife Refuge) to single parts (referred to in Arc software as an “explode”).Select all polygons that intersect the Census urban extent within 0.5 miles. We chose 0.5 miles to represent a reasonable walking distance based on input and feedback from park access experts. Assuming a moderate intensity walking pace of 3 miles per hour, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s physical activity guidelines, the 0.5 mi distance also corresponds to the 10-minute walk threshold used in the equitable access to potential parks indicator.Dissolve all the park polygons that were selected in the previous step.Process all multipart polygons to single parts (“explode”) again.Add a unique ID to the selected parks. This value will be used in a later step to join the parks to their buffers.Create a 0.5 mi (805 m) buffer ring around each park using the multiring plugin in QGIS. Ensure that “dissolve buffers” is disabled so that a single 0.5 mi buffer is created for each park.Assess the amount of overlap between the buffered park and the Census urban area using “overlap analysis”. This step is necessary to identify parks that do not intersect the urban area, but which lie within an urban matrix (e.g., Umstead Park in Raleigh, NC and Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve in Atlanta, GA). This step creates a table that is joined back to the park polygons using the UniqueID.Remove parks that had ≤10% overlap with the urban areas when buffered. This excludes mostly non-urban parks that do not meet the intent of this indicator to capture parks that provide nearby access for urban residents. Note: The 10% threshold is a judgement call based on testing which known urban parks and urban National Wildlife Refuges are captured at different overlap cutoffs and is intended to be as inclusive as possible.Calculate the GIS acres of each remaining park unit using the Add Geometry Attributes function.Buffer the selected parks by 15 m. Buffering prevents very small and narrow parks from being left out of the indicator when the polygons are converted to raster.Reclassify the parks based on their area into the 7 classes seen in the final indicator values below. These thresholds were informed by park classification guidelines from the National Recreation and Park Association, which classify neighborhood parks as 5-10 acres, community parks as 30-50 acres, and large urban parks as optimally 75+ acres (Mertes and Hall 1995).Assess the impervious surface composition of each park using the NLCD 2021 impervious layer and the Zonal Statistics “MEAN” function. Retain only the mean percent impervious value for each park.Extract only parks with a mean impervious pixel value <80%. This step excludes parks that do not meet the intent of the indicator to capture opportunities to connect with nature and offer refugia for species (e.g., the Superdome in New Orleans, LA, the Astrodome in Houston, TX, and City Plaza in Raleigh, NC).Extract again to the inland and nearshore extent.Export the final vector file to a shapefile and import to ArcGIS Pro.Convert the resulting polygons to raster using the ArcPy Feature to Raster function and the area class field.Assign a value of 0 to all other pixels in the Southeast Blueprint 2024 extent not already identified as an urban park in the mapping steps above. Zero values are intended to help users better understand the extent of this indicator and make it perform better in online tools.Use the land and shallow marine layer and “extract by mask” tool to save the final version of this indicator.Add color and legend to raster attribute table.As a final step, clip to the spatial extent of Southeast Blueprint 2024.Note: For more details on the mapping steps, code used to create this layer is available in theSoutheast Blueprint Data Downloadunder > 6_Code.Final indicator valuesIndicator values are assigned as follows:6= 75+ acre urban park5= 50 to <75 acre urban park4= 30 to <50 acre urban park3= 10 to <30 acre urban park2=5 to <10acreurbanpark1 = <5 acre urban park0 = Not identified as an urban parkKnown IssuesThis indicator does not include park amenities that influence how well the park serves people and should not be the only tool used for parks and recreation planning. Park standards should be determined at a local level to account for various community issues, values, needs, and available resources.This indicator includes some protected areas that are not open to the public and not typically thought of as “parks”, like mitigation lands, private easements, and private golf courses. While we experimented with excluding them using the public access attribute in PAD, due to numerous inaccuracies, this inadvertently removed protected lands that are known to be publicly accessible. As a result, we erred on the side of including the non-publicly accessible lands.The NLCD percent impervious layer contains classification inaccuracies. As a result, this indicator may exclude parks that are mostly natural because they are misclassified as mostly impervious. Conversely, this indicator may include parks that are mostly impervious because they are misclassified as mostly

The hypsometric integral (HI) is one of the most commonly used measures that geomorphologists use to describe the shape of the Earth’s surface. A hypsometric integral is usually calculated by plotting the cumulative height and the cumulative area under that height for individual watersheds and then taking the area under that curve to get the hypsometric integral. In a GIS hypsometric integral is calculated by slicing watersheds into elevation bands and plotting the cumulative area for each band. Due to the iterative nature that is required for calculating hypsometric integral it tends to be one of the harder to calculate watershed variables, and thus the need for an automated tool. Although there are instructions online for how to calculate HI in ArcGIS this tool automates the processes and doesn’t require users to do their own plotting or export results to spreadsheets.

This toolbox contains two models. Hypsometric Integral (for shapefiles only) is the main model that most users will want to run. Hypsometric Integral (submodel) is a model that is nested within the Hypsometric Integral (for shapefiles only) model and doesn’t need to be run by itself. The tool computes the hypsometric integral for a given watershed. A new shapefile will be created representing the same watershed the user inputs, but includes a new field, "HI," representing hypsometric integral percentages.

In some instances the Hypsometric Integral (for shapefiles) will show up with a red X and won’t be useable. The workaround for this is to open the Hypsometric Integral (for shapefiles) tool in edit mode (ModelBuilder) delete the Hypsometric Integral (submodel) and drag in your version of the Hypsometric Integral (submodel). Re-connect the following parameters: input DEM, Input Watershed, TempWorkspace, and then connect the output (HI Values for all Watersheds) to the Append tool. Click save.

In the United States, the federal government manages lands in significant parts of the country. These lands include 193 million acres managed by the US Forest Service in the nation's 154 National Forests and 20 National Grasslands, Bureau of Land Management lands that cover 247 million acres in Alaska and the Western United States, 150 million acres managed for wildlife conservation by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, 84 million acres of National Parks and other lands managed by the National Park Service and over 30 million acres managed by the Department of Defense. The Bureau of Reclamation manages a much smaller land base than the other agencies included in this layer but plays a critical role in managing the country's water resources.The agencies included in this layer are:Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of ReclamationDepartment of DefenseNational Park ServiceUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceUS Forest ServiceDataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: United States lands managed by six federal agencies Coordinate System: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereExtent: 50 United States plus Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands. The layer also includes National Monuments and Wildlife Refuges in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea.Visible Scale: The data is visible at all scales but draws best at scales greater than 1:2,000,000Source: BLM, DoD, USFS, USFWS, NPS, PADUS 2.1Publication Date: Various - Esri compiled and published this layer in May 2022. See individual agency views for data vintage.There are six layer views available that were created from this service. Each layer uses a filter to extract an individual agency from the service. For more information about the layer views or how to use them in your own project, follow these links:USA Bureau of Land Management LandsUSA Bureau of Reclamation LandsUSA Department of Defense LandsUSA National Park Service LandsUSA Fish and Wildlife Service LandsUSA Forest Service LandsWhat can you do with this Layer?This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis across the ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application.Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online, you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "federal lands" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map.In ArcGIS Pro, open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box, expand Portal if necessary, then select Living Atlas. Type "federal lands" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.In both ArcGIS Online and Pro you can change the layer's symbology and view its attribute table. You can filter the layer to show subsets of the data using the filter button in Online or a definition query in Pro.The data can be exported to a file geodatabase, a shapefile or other format and downloaded using the Export Data button on the top right of this webpage.This layer can be used as an analytic input in both Online and Pro through the Perform Analysis window Online or as an input to a geoprocessing tool, model, or Python script in Pro.The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics like this one.

Reason for Selection Protected natural areas in urban environments provide urban residents a nearby place to connect with nature and offer refugia for some species. Because beaches in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are open to the public, beaches also provide important outdoor recreation opportunities for urban residents, so we include beaches as parks in this indicator. Input Data

Southeast Blueprint 2023 subregions: Caribbean
Southeast Blueprint 2023 extent
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Coastal Relief Model, accessed 11-22-2022
Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 3.0: VI, PR, and Marine Combined Fee Easement
Puerto Rico Protected Natural Areas 2018 (December 2018 update): Terrestrial and marine protected areas (PACAT2018_areas_protegidasPR_TERRESTRES_07052019.shp, PACAT2018_areas_protegidasPR_MARINAS_07052019.shp) 
2020 Census Urban Areas from the Census Bureau’s urban-rural classification; download the data, read more about how urban areas were redefined following the 2020 census
OpenStreetMap data “multipolygons” layer, accessed 3-14-2023

A polygon from this dataset is considered a park if the “leisure” tag attribute is either “park” or “nature_reserve”, and considered a beach if the value in the “natural” tag attribute is “beach”. OpenStreetMap describes leisure areas as “places people go in their spare time” and natural areas as “a wide variety of physical geography, geological and landcover features”. Data were downloaded in .pbf format and translated ton an ESRI shapefile using R code. OpenStreetMap® is open data, licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) by the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF). Additional credit to OSM contributors. Read more on the OSM copyright page.

TNC Lands - Public Layer, accessed 3-8-2023
U.S. Virgin Islands beaches layer (separate vector layers for St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John) provided by Joe Dwyer with Lynker/the NOAA Caribbean Climate Adaptation Program on 3-3-2023 (contact jdwyer@lynker.com for more information)

Mapping Steps

Most mapping steps were completed using QGIS (v 3.22) Graphical Modeler.
Fix geometry errors in the PAD-US PR data using Fix Geometry. This must be done before any analysis is possible.
Merge the terrestrial PR and VI PAD-US layers.
Use the NOAA coastal relief model to restrict marine parks (marine polygons from PAD-US and Puerto Rico Protected Natural Areas) to areas shallower than 10 m in depth. The deep offshore areas of marine parks do not meet the intent of this indicator to capture nearby opportunities for urban residents to connect with nature.
Merge into one layer the resulting shallow marine parks from marine PAD-US and the Puerto Rico Protected Natural Areas along with the combined terrestrial PAD-US parks, OpenStreetMap, TNC Lands, and USVI beaches. Omit from the Puerto Rico Protected Areas layer the “Zona de Conservación del Carso”, which has some policy protections and conservation incentives but is not formally protected.
Fix geometry errors in the resulting merged layer using Fix Geometry.
Intersect the resulting fixed file with the Caribbean Blueprint subregion.
Process all multipart polygons to single parts (referred to in Arc software as an “explode”). This helps the indicator capture, as much as possible, the discrete units of a protected area that serve urban residents.
Clip the Census urban area to the Caribbean Blueprint subregion.
Select all polygons that intersect the Census urban extent within 1.2 miles (1,931 m). The 1.2 mi threshold is consistent with the average walking trip on a summer day (U.S. DOT 2002) used to define the walking distance threshold used in the greenways and trails indicator. Note: this is further than the 0.5 mi distance used in the continental version of the indicator. We extended it to capture East Bay and Point Udall based on feedback from the local conservation community about the importance of the park for outdoor recreation.
Dissolve all the park polygons that were selected in the previous step.
Process all multipart polygons to single parts (“explode”) again.
Add a unique ID to the selected parks. This value will be used to join the parks to their buffers.
Create a 1.2 mi (1,931 m) buffer ring around each park using the multiring buffer plugin in QGIS. Ensure that “dissolve buffers” is disabled so that a single 1.2 mi buffer is created for each park.
Assess the amount of overlap between the buffered park and the Census urban area using overlap analysis. This step is necessary to identify parks that do not intersect the urban area, but which lie within an urban matrix. This step creates a table that is joined back to the park polygons using the UniqueID.
Remove parks that had ≤2% overlap with the urban areas when buffered. This excludes mostly non-urban parks that do not meet the intent of this indicator to capture parks that provide nearby access for urban residents. Note: In the continental version of this indicator, we used a threshold of 10%. In the Caribbean version, we lowered this to 2% in order to capture small parks that dropped out of the indicator when we extended the buffer distance to 1.2 miles.
Calculate the GIS acres of each remaining park unit using the Add Geometry Attributes function.
Join the buffer attribute table to the previously selected parks, retaining only the parks that exceeded the 2% urban area overlap threshold while buffered. 
Buffer the selected parks by 15 m. Buffering prevents very small parks and narrow beaches from being left out of the indicator when the polygons are converted to raster.
Reclassify the polygons into 7 classes, seen in the final indicator values below. These thresholds were informed by park classification guidelines from the National Recreation and Park Association, which classify neighborhood parks as 5-10 acres, community parks as 30-50 acres, and large urban parks as optimally 75+ acres (Mertes and Hall 1995).
Export the final vector file to a shapefile and import to ArcGIS Pro.
Convert the resulting polygons to raster using the ArcPy Polygon to Raster function. Assign values to the pixels in the resulting raster based on the polygon class sizes of the contiguous park areas.
Clip to the Caribbean Blueprint 2023 subregion.
As a final step, clip to the spatial extent of Southeast Blueprint 2023. 

Note: For more details on the mapping steps, code used to create this layer is available in the Southeast Blueprint Data Download under > 6_Code. Final indicator values Indicator values are assigned as follows: 6 = 75+ acre urban park 5 = >50 to <75 acre urban park 4 = 30 to <50 acre urban park 3 = 10 to <30 acre urban park 2 = 5 to <10 acre urban park 1 = <5 acre urban park 0 = Not identified as an urban park Known Issues

This indicator does not include park amenities that influence how well the park serves people and should not be the only tool used for parks and recreation planning. Park standards should be determined at a local level to account for various community issues, values, needs, and available resources. 
This indicator includes some protected areas that are not open to the public and not typically thought of as “parks”, like mitigation lands, private easements, and private golf courses. While we experimented with excluding them using the public access attribute in PAD, due to numerous inaccuracies, this inadvertently removed protected lands that are known to be publicly accessible. As a result, we erred on the side of including the non-publicly accessible lands.
This indicator includes parks and beaches from OpenStreetMap, which is a crowdsourced dataset. While members of the OpenStreetMap community often verify map features to check for accuracy and completeness, there is the potential for spatial errors (e.g., misrepresenting the boundary of a park) or incorrect tags (e.g., labelling an area as a park that is not actually a park). However, using a crowdsourced dataset gives on-the-ground experts, Blueprint users, and community members the power to fix errors and add new parks to improve the accuracy and coverage of this indicator in the future.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

This indicator calculates the area of each park using the park polygons from the source data. However, simply converting those park polygons to raster results in some small parks and narrow beaches being left out of the indicator. To capture those areas, we buffered parks and beaches by 15 m and applied the original area calculation to the larger buffered polygon, so as not to inflate the area by including the buffer. As a result, when the buffered polygons are rasterized, the final indicator has some areas of adjacent pixels that receive different scores. While these pixels may appear to be part of one contiguous park or suite of parks, they are scored differently because the park polygons themselves are not actually contiguous. 
The Caribbean version of this indicator uses a slightly different methodology than the continental Southeast version. It includes parks within a 1.2 mi distance from the Census urban area, compared to 0.5 mi in the continental Southeast. We extended it to capture East Bay and Point Udall based on feedback from the local conservation community about the importance of the park for outdoor recreation. Similarly, this indicator uses a 2% threshold of overlap between buffered parks and the Census urban areas, compared to a 10% threshold in the continental Southeast. This helped capture small parks that dropped out of the indicator when we extended the buffer distance to 1.2 miles. Finally, the Caribbean version does not use the impervious surface cutoff applied in the continental Southeast