METADATA FOR FIELD SURVEYS GIS DATA LAYER

FLORIDA DIVISION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES

JULY 2004

 

DATASET NAME: [CountyName]_Surveys

 

DATASET TYPE: ESRI Shapefile Format

 

DATASET EXTENT: State-wide or County-wide

 

FEATURES TYPE: Polygons

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This data set contains cultural resource field survey project boundaries and basic survey attributes as recorded at the Florida Master Site File.

 

PROJECTION PARAMETERS:

Projection        Geographic Coordinates

Units             Decimal Degrees

Datum             NAD27

Spheroid          Clarke 1866

 

SCALE/RESOLUTION OF DATA: Variable, 1:100,000 or better

 

COMPUTER HARDWARE USED: Microsoft Windows-Based PCs and Servers

 

GIS SOFTWARE: ESRI ArcGIS 8.3

 

DATA VERSION: July 2004: This data set updates and replaces all previous versions of the Florida Master Site Field Surveys data layer.  This version incorporates newly recorded surveys and updates of previously recorded ones.

 

DATA CURRENCY: Data from the Florida Master Site File are continually updated.  On average, the Site File processes 500 additional survey manuscripts each year.  This data layer is only current as of the date of this document.  Contact the Florida Master Site File for updated data layers.

 

LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA/WARNINGS TO THE USER:  The field survey projects data are based on field reports which have been submitted by many and varied individuals, groups, institutions, and cultural resource firms.  Submissions to the Site File are sometimes accepted from amateurs as well as professionals. The survey locations are only as accurate as the location information submitted to the Site File by the author or organization producing the report.  The accuracy of submitted information cannot always be verified.

 

Survey projects depicted in this coverage vary widely in intensity, scope and quality.  Surveys often document only a particular class of cultural resource, such as bridges only or archaeological sites only.  It CANNOT be assumed that because an area has been surveyed, all cultural resources in the area have been identified.  This coverage is best used as a spatial index to field surveys reported to the Florida Master Site File.

 

This data layer only represents a subset of all research manuscripts on file at the Florida Master Site File and includes archaeological and architectural field survey projects.  Other research manuscripts on file at the Site File (but NOT represented in this dataset) include: archaeological excavation reports, unpublished overviews of groups of cultural resources, documents based only on library or archival research, detailed reports on standing structures, and survey reports prepared by the United States Forest Service for projects carried out on National Forest properties.

 

DATA SOURCES AND DERIVATION METHODS FOR DATA: Source data were created by the Division of Historical Resources. The original survey boundary data are based on manuscripts and project maps submitted to the Site File, which were then hand drawn onto USGS 1:100,000 scale metric topographic maps.  These paper maps with survey boundaries marked were hand digitized by an outside contractor using AutoCAD and a digitizing tablet.  The four corners (NAD27) of these maps were used to place the reference system tics.  The AutoCAD files were converted to Arc/Info files in geographic coordinates and joined into a statewide coverage using the Arc/Info 7.2.1.  In September 2003 the base coverages were migrated to ArcGIS geodatabases.  Additions, updates, and maintenance of this data are performed by Site File staff using on-screen digitizing in ArcGIS.  Scanned, georeferenced, 1:24,000 scale and 1:100,000 scale USGS topographic maps are used as the background for the on-screen digitizing process.

 

ATTRIBUTE TABLE FIELDS AND DESCRIPTIONS:

Name        Type       Length

------------------------------

SURVNUM     Long          9

TITLE       String      250

PUB_DATE    String        5

AUTHOR1     String       40

AUTHOR2     String       40

AUTHOR3     String       40

SPONSOR     String       50

NUM_NEW     String        4

NUM_OLD     String        4

CRATNUM     String       10

ARCHAEO     String        3

STRUC       String        3

MARINE      String        3

CELL        String        3

------------------------------

SURVNUM: This is the survey/manuscript identification number assigned to the project by the Site File.

TITLE: Main title of the survey report

PUB_DATE: Publication year of the survey report.

AUTHOR1: First author of the survey report.  A blank value for this field indicates that the author is not known or not recorded in the Site File database.

AUTHOR2: Second author of survey report.  A blank value for this field indicates that there is no secondary author or that the secondary author(s) are not known or recorded in the Site File database.

AUTHOR3: Third author of survey report (Infrequently, there are more than three authors.  Contact FMSF for more info).

SPONSOR: Agency, company, or individual sponsoring/requiring work.

NUM_NEW: Number of newly recorded cultural resources identified by the survey.  An empty value for this item indicates that this information is not recorded for this survey number in the Site File database.

NUM_OLD: Number of previously recorded cultural resources examined by the survey.  An empty value for this item indicates that this information is not recorded for this survey number in the Site File database.

CRATNUM:  This is the file number assigned to the manuscript/survey project by the Compliance Review section of the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation.  The CRAT number points to documents relating to discovery, assessment and preservation of cultural resources.  The Compliance Review office reviews more than 9,000 development projects annually for impact on known or potential cultural resources and calls when appropriate for field work to determine or to mitigate the impact of such developments.  The first two or four digits of the CRAT number represent the year and the last four or five are assigned in sequential order for each year.  Not all survey reports in this coverage have a CRAT number.  A zero or null value for this item indicates that either no CRAT number exists for the project or the CRAT number for this project is not recorded in the Site File database.

ARCHAEO: A value of 'YES' for this item indicates that the polygon represents an archaeological survey.  Note that many surveys are both archaeological and architectural.  A blank value for this item indicates that the survey/manuscript is not recorded as an archaeological survey in the Site File database.

STRUC: A value of 'YES' for this item indicates that the polygon represents an architectural/structure survey.  Note that many surveys are both archaeological and architectural.  A blank value for this item indicates that the survey/manuscript is not recorded as an architectural survey in the Site File database.

MARINE: A value of 'YES' for this item indicates that the polygon represents a marine survey.  A marine survey is one in which all or part of the project area is in a marine setting.  A survey may be both archaeological or architectural and marine.  A blank value for this item indicates that the survey/manuscript is not recorded as a marine survey in the Site File database.

CELL: A value of 'YES' for this item indicates that the polygon represents a cell tower cultural resource assessment survey.  Standards and requirements for conducting a cell tower cultural resource assessment may differ from those of a standard field survey.  Contact the Division of Historical Resources for more information.  A blank value for this item indicates that the survey/manuscript is not recorded as a cell tower survey in the Site File database.

 

CONTACTS:

Name:     Vincent Birdsong or Dr. Marion Smith

          Florida Master Site File

Address:  Bureau of Archaeological Research

          R. A. Gray Building

          500 South Bronough St.

          Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250

Phone:    (850) 245-6440

Fax:      (850) 245-6439

Email:    General Site File:    fmsfile@dos.state.fl.us

          GIS Supervisor:       vbirdsong@dos.state.fl.us

          Site File Supervisor: msmith@dos.state.fl.us

 

 

Report prepared by Vincent S. Birdsong

 

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Document file: p:\fsf\docs\gis\documentation\metadata\metadata_SV.htm