This is a collection of all GPS- and computer-generated geospatial data specific to the Alpine Treeline Warming Experiment (ATWE), located on Niwot Ridge, Colorado, USA. The experiment ran between 2008 and 2016, and consisted of three sites spread across an elevation gradient. Geospatial data for all three experimental sites and cone/seed collection locations are included in this package. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Geospatial files include cone collection, experimental site, seed trap, and other GPS location/terrain data. File types include ESRI shapefiles, ESRI grid files or Arc/Info binary grids, TIFFs (.tif), and keyhole markup language (.kml) files. Trimble-imported data include plain text files (.txt), Trimble COR (CorelDRAW) files, and Trimble SSF (Standard Storage Format) files. Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and comma-separated values (.csv) files corresponding to the attribute tables of many files within this package are also included. A complete list of files can be found in this document in the “Data File Organization” section in the included Data User's Guide. Maps are also included in this data package for reference and use. These maps are separated into two categories, 2021 maps and legacy maps, which were made in 2010. Each 2021 map has one copy in portable network graphics (.png) format, and the other in .pdf format. All legacy maps are in .pdf format. .png image files can be opened with any compatible programs, such as Preview (Mac OS) and Photos (Windows). All GIS files were imported into geopackages (.gpkg) using QGIS, and double-checked for compatibility and data/attribute integrity using ESRI ArcGIS Pro. Note that files packaged within geopackages will open in ArcGIS Pro with “main.” preceding each file name, and an extra column named “geom” defining geometry type in the attribute table. The contents of each geospatial file remain intact, unless otherwise stated in “niwot_geospatial_data_list_07012021.pdf/.xlsx”. This list of files can be found as an .xlsx and a .pdf in this archive. As an open-source file format, files within gpkgs (TIFF, shapefiles, ESRI grid or “Arc/Info Binary”) can be read using both QGIS and ArcGIS Pro, and any other geospatial softwares. Text and .csv files can be read using TextEdit/Notepad/any simple text-editing software; .csv’s can also be opened using Microsoft Excel and R. .kml files can be opened using Google Maps or Google Earth, and Trimble files are most compatible with Trimble’s GPS Pathfinder Office software. .xlsx files can be opened using Microsoft Excel. PDFs can be opened using Adobe Acrobat Reader, and any other compatible programs. A selection of original shapefiles within this archive were generated using ArcMap with associated FGDC-standardized metadata (xml file format). We are including these original files because they contain metadata only accessible using ESRI programs at this time, and so that the relationship between shapefiles and xml files is maintained. Individual xml files can be opened (without a GIS-specific program) using TextEdit or Notepad. Since ESRI’s compatibility with FGDC metadata has changed since the generation of these files, many shapefiles will require upgrading to be compatible with ESRI’s latest versions of geospatial software. These details are also noted in the “niwot_geospatial_data_list_07012021” file.

The PALEOMAP project produces paleogreographic maps illustrating the Earth's plate tectonic, paleogeographic, climatic, oceanographic and biogeographic development from the Precambrian to the Modern World and beyond.

A series of digital data sets has been produced consisting of plate tectonic data, climatically sensitive lithofacies, and biogeographic data. Software has been devloped to plot maps using the PALEOMAP plate tectonic model and digital geographic data sets: PGIS/Mac, Plate Tracker for Windows 95, Paleocontinental Mapper and Editor (PCME), Earth System History GIS (ESH-GIS), PaleoGIS(uses ArcView), and PALEOMAPPER.

Teaching materials for educators including atlases, slide sets, VHS animations, JPEG images and CD-ROM digital images.

Some PALEOMAP products include: Plate Tectonic Computer Animation (VHS) illustrating motions of the continents during the last 850 million years.

Paleogeographic Atlas consisting of 20 full color paleogeographic maps. (Scotese, 1997).

Paleogeographic Atlas Slide Set (35mm)

Paleogeographic Digital Images (JPEG, PC/Mac diskettes)

Paleogeographic Digital Image Archive (EPS, PC/Mac Zip disk) consists of the complete digital archive of original digital graphic files used to produce plate tectonic and paleographic maps for the Paleographic Atlas.

GIS software such as PaleoGIS and ESH-GIS.

This webmap features the USGS GAP application of the vegetation cartography design based on NVCS mapping being done at the Alliance level by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), the California Dept of Fish and Game (CDFG), and the US National Park Service, combined with Ecological Systems Level mapping being done by USGS GAP, Landfire and Natureserve. Although the latter are using 3 different approaches to mapping, this project adopted a common cartography and a common master crossover in order to allow them to be used intercheangably as complements to the detailed NVCS Alliance & Macrogroup Mapping being done in Calif by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) and Calif Dept of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW). A primary goal of this project was to develop ecological layers to use as overlays on top of high-resolution imagery, in order to help interpret and better understand the natural landscape. You can see the source national GAP rasters by clicking on either of the "USGS GAP Landcover Source RASTER" layers at the bottom of the contents list.Using polygons has several advantages: Polygons are how most conservation plans and land decisions/managment are done so polygon-based outputs are more directly useable in management and planning. Unlike rasters, Polygons permit webmaps with clickable links to provide additional information about that ecological community. At the analysis level, polygons allow vegetation/ecological systems depicted to be enriched with additional ecological attributes for each polygon from multiple overlay sources be they raster or vector. In this map, the "Gap Mac base-mid scale" layers are enriched with links to USGS/USNVC macrogroup summary reports, and the "Gap Eco base scale" layers are enriched with links to the Naturserve Ecological Systems summary reports.Comparsion with finer scale ground ecological mapping is provided by the "Ecol Overlay" layers of Alliance and Macrogroup Mapping from CNPS/CDFW. The CNPS Vegetation Program has worked for over 15 years to provide standards and tools for identifying and representing vegetation, as an important feature of California's natural heritage and biodiversity. Many knowledgeable ecologists and botanists support the program as volunteers and paid staff. Through grants, contracts, and grass-roots efforts, CNPS collects field data and compiles information into reports, manuals, and maps on California's vegetation, ecology and rare plants in order to better protect and manage them. We provide these services to governmental, non-governmental and other organizations, and we collaborate on vegetation resource assessment projects around the state. CNPS is also the publisher of the authoritative Manual of California Vegetation, you can purchase a copy HERE. To support the work of the CNPS, please JOIN NOW and become a member!The CDFG Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program develops and maintains California's expression of the National Vegetation Classification System. We implement its use through assessment and mapping projects in high-priority conservation and management areas, through training programs, and through working continuously on best management practices for field assessment, classification of vegetation data, and fine-scale vegetation mapping.HOW THE OVERLAY LAYERS WERE CREATED:Nserve and GapLC Sources: Early shortcomings in the NVC standard led to Natureserve's development of a mid-scale mapping-friendly "Ecological Systems" standard roughly corresponding to the "Group" level of the NVC, which facilitated NVC-based mapping of entire continents. Current scientific work is leading to the incorporation of Ecological Systems into the NVC as group and macrogroup concepts are revised. Natureserve and Gap Ecological Systems layers differ slightly even though both were created from 30m landsat data and both follow the NVC-related Ecological Systems Classification curated by Natureserve. In either case, the vector overlay was created by first enforcing a .3ha minimum mapping unit, that required deleting any classes consisting of fewer than 4 contiguous landsat cells either side-side or cornerwise. This got around the statistical problem of numerous single-cell classes with types that seemed improbable given their matrix, and would have been inaccurate to use as an n=1 sample compared to the weak but useable n=4 sample. A primary goal in this elimination was to best preserve riparian and road features that might only be one pixel wide, hence the use of cornerwise contiguous groupings. Eliminated cell groups were absorbed into whatever neighboring class they shared the longest boundary with. The remaining raster groups were vectorized with light simplification to smooth out the stairstep patterns of raster data and hopefully improve the fidelity of the boundaries with the landscape. The resultant vectors show a range of fidelity with the landscape, where there is less apparent fidelity it must be remembered that ecosystems are normally classified with a mixture of visible and non-visible characteristics including soil, elevation and slope. Boundaries can be assigned based on the difference between 10% shrub cover and 20% shrub cover. Often large landscape areas would create "godzilla" polygons of more than 50,000 vertices, which can affect performance. These were eliminated using SIMPLIFY POLYGONS to reduce vertex spacing from 30m down to 50-60m where possible. Where not possible DICE was used, which bisects all large polygons with arbitrary internal divisions until no polygon has more than 50,000 vertices. To create midscale layers, ecological systems were dissolved into the macrogroups that they belonged to and resymbolized on macrogroup. This was another frequent source for godzillas as larger landscape units were delineate, so simplify and dice were then run again. Where the base ecol system tiles could only be served up by individual partition tile, macrogroups typically exhibited a 10-1 or 20-1 reduction in feature count allowing them to be assembled into single integrated map services by region, ie NW, SW. CNPS / CDFW / National Park Service Sources: (see also base service definition page) Unlike the Landsat-based raster modelling of the Natureserve and Gap national ecological systems, the CNPS/CDFW/NPS data date back to the origin of the National Vegetation Classification effort to map the US national parks in the mid 1990's.
These mapping efforts are a hybrid of photo-interpretation, satellite and corollary data to create draft ecological land units, which are then sampled by field crews and traditional vegetation plot surveys to quantify and analyze vegetation composition and distribution into the final vector boundaries of the formal NVC classes identified and classified. As such these are much more accurate maps, but the tradeoff is they are only done on one field project area at a time so there is not yet a national or even statewide coverage of these detailed maps.
However, with almost 2/3d's of California already mapped, that time is approaching. The challenge in creating standard map layers for this wide diversity of projects over the 2 decades since NVC began is the extensive evolution in the NVC standard itself as well as evolution in the field techniques and tools. To create a consistent set of map layers, a master crosswalk table was built using every different classification known at the time each map was created and then crosswalking each as best as could be done into a master list of the currently-accepted classifications. This field is called the "NVC_NAME" in each of these layers, and it contains a mixture of scientific names and common names at many levels of the classification from association to division, whatever the ecologists were able to determine at the time. For further precision, this field is split out into scientific name equivalents and common name equivalents.MAP LAYER NAMING: The data sublayers in this webmap are all based on the US National Vegetation Classification, a partnership of the USGS GAP program, US Forest Service, Ecological Society of America and Natureserve, with adoption and support from many federal & state agencies and nonprofit conservation groups. The USNVC grew out of the US National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program, a mid-1990's effort led by The Nature Conservancy, Esri and the University of California. The classification standard is now an international standard, with associated ecological mapping occurring around the world. NVC is a hierarchical taxonomy of 8 levels, from top down: Class, Subclass, Formation, Division, Macrogroup, Group, Alliance, Association. The layers in this webmap represent 4 distinct programs: 1. The California Native Plant Society/Calif Dept of Fish & Wildlife Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (Full Description of these layers is at the CNPS MS10 Service Registration Page and Cnps MS10B Service Registration Page . 2. USGS Gap Protected Areas Database, full description at the PADUS registration page . 3. USGS Gap Landcover, full description below 4. Natureserve Ecological Systems, full description belowLAYER NAMING: All Layer names follow this pattern: Source - Program - Level - Scale - RegionSource - Program = who created the data: Nserve = Natureserve, GapLC = USGS Gap Program Landcover Data PADUS = USGS Gap Protected Areas of the USA program Cnps/Cdfw = California Native Plant Society/Calif Dept of Fish & Wildlife, often followed by the project name such as: SFhill = Sierra Foothills, Marin Open Space, MMWD = Marin Municipal Water District etc. National Parks are included and may be named by their standard 4-letter code ie YOSE = Yosemite, PORE = Point Reyes.Level: The level in the NVC Hierarchy which this layer is based on: Base = Alliances and Associations Mac =