The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program in cooperation with the NC Center for Geographic Information & Analysis, developed the digital Natural Heritage Element Occurrences data for research or planning projects that will contribute to better protection for the ecological features involved. The file enables the user to identify locations of rare and endangered species populations and occurrences of exemplary or unique natural ecosystems (terrestrial and palustrine) and special wildlife habitats. This file covers the state of North Carolina. Due to its dynamic nature, this data becomes outdated very quickly.
This data was created to assist governmental agencies and others in making resource management decisions through use of a Geographic Information System (GIS).
An extensive tabular database is maintained by the Natural Heritage Program. Other data that can be accessed include element occurrence identification number. Supplemental materials are also available that indicate the state, national, and global status of the rare plants and animals of North Carolina. These publications are available from the NHP and are helpful in understanding each natural heritage record. (SEE CROSS REFERENCES) NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM DATA The Natural Heritage Program is the state's most comprehensive source of information on rare and endangered animals and plants, and exemplary natural communities, known collectively as "elements of natural diversity." Since 1976, the program has systematically gathered information on the occurrence and the status of the state's ecological resources. The inventory consists of information compiled from a broad range of sources including herbarium and museum collections, published and unpublished literature, and field surveys by volunteers, contracted workers, and staff. Information from and interpretation of this database for specific sites is available from the Natural Heritage Program. This is generally the preferred method of getting information on elements of natural diversity. The geographic content of the Natural Heritage Program element occurrence database has also been incorporated into the NC OneMap database where it can be combined with other geographic data for planning and analysis. Users of the data must, however, be aware of the nature and limitations of the data. LIMITATIONS OF DATA The element occurrence database contains data from a variety of sources, which vary in the quality of their locational information. Some centroid points may be as much as several miles off, though most are closer and many are exact to within one or two seconds of latitude or longitude. The precision of record is indicated in the Natural Heritage Program databases. Because of uncertainty about the precision and accuracy of source data, and because the aerial extent of occurrences is not indicated on CGIA maps, occurrences anywhere within several miles of a site of interest should be regarded as indicating the need for more information. Probability of effects by a project depends on the actual location and extent of the element occurrence, on the nature of the species or community, and on the nature of the action being considered. Interpretation of potential effects should be done only by biologists familiar with the element, with the best locational information available. LIMITATIONS OF ABSENCE OF DATA Although the Natural Heritage Program has conducted numerous biological inventories and has assembled as much of the secondary source data as possible, the majority of the state has never been systematically surveyed for rare species or natural communities. In addition, negative surveys are seldom reported to the Natural Heritage Program and are not recorded. The database reflects only locations where an element was once known to occur. It does not distinguish between areas known to have no elements and those that have not been checked. The absence of element location cannot be taken as an indication of absence of elements or of ecological concerns. Natural Heritage Program biologists are often able to give indications of the potential for concern in unsurveyed areas. DATA CURRENCY The Natural Heritage Program databases are continually updated as new information is acquired. The locational database at CGIA is updated as needed for applications. Users should determine the date of the last update and, if necessary, see that an update is done prior to their application being run. All printed maps from the GIS should be dated. Depending on activity in a given area, a map may quickly become outdated, or may remain current for several years. It is not possible to set a specific expiration date on maps; however, data more than six months old should not be depended on without checking with the Natural Heritage Program. Only a small portion of the rare species and community locations are monitored on a regular basis. Information in the Natural Heritage Program database represents the occurrence at the last time it was observed. The date of last observation is given in the Natural Heritage Program database but is not included in the NC OneMap datalayer. Records are kept in the database until the destruction of an occurrence is confirmed. Thus, some of the records are likely to represent locations where an element has not been seen in many years and may no longer be present. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Additional information about databases, elements of natural diversity, and user services is available from the Natural Heritage Program. The basic data are "public records" and are available for inspection on request for reasonable purposes. Revisions and updates to this layer include: 6.) NHEO layer updated February 1, 2008. Data are now stored in one dataset. Points and lines are buffered and put into this polygon dataset. 5.) NHEO layer updated November 27, 2007. 4.) NHEO layer updated February 27, 2007. 3.) NHEO layer updated August 16, 2006. 2.) NHEO layer updated December 2005. 1.) NHEO layer updated September 7, 2005. Data are now stored in three datasets: lines, polygons, and points.
Original release and last revision dates
These data are intended for research or planning projects that will contribute to better protection for the ecological features involved. Due to its dynamic nature, this data becomes outdated very quickly. The Natural Heritage Program must be contacted before each use of the data set to ensure data currency. Acknowledgement of products derived form this dataset should cite the following: The source of the Natural Heritage Element Occurrences data is NC OneMap. Earlier versions of this data set may exist. The user must be sure to use the appropriate dataset for the time period of interest. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the state of the art, CGIA cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentation caused by any inaccuracies in the data or as a result of changes to the data caused by system transfers.
512 N. Salisbury Street, PO Box 27687
Preferred contact is by telephone
DENR/Division of Parks and Recreation/Natural Heritage Program DENR/Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
NC DENR-Div. of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program provides the Natural Heritage Element Occurrences as and Arc/Info export file, which is imported into a coverage. Points are reviewed by NHP staff. This digital file is updated as changes occur.
Using ESRI's ARC/INFO GIS software, the data set was built for points using the "build" command. Topology has not been edited since the last build or clean.
These data represent the locations of rare or endangered species populations, occurrences of exemplary or unique natural ecosystems (terrestrial and palustrine) and special wildlife habitats as identified by NC DENR-Div. of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program.
Natural Heritage Element Occurrences were marked on 7.5 Minute USGS paper topographic maps, which meet National Map Accuracy Standards, using a best estimate with reference to surrounding features.
Locations of rare and endangered species populations and occurrences of exemplary or unique natural ecosystems (terrestrial and palustrine) and special wildlife habitats
Paper maps used to plot locations of Natural Heritage Element Occurrences
Dataset was created by buffering the shapes from the previous shapefiles (points, lines, and polys) by their uncertainty distance, merging the buffered shapes, and dissolving on the EO_ID. The buffer of a source feature represents any locational uncertainty surrounding the original observation. (Uncertainty typically results from not knowing the exact location of the observation, and can be affected by survey techniques, equipment, and the amount and type of information we have from the observer.) After the source features of an EO are buffered for uncertainty, they are grouped into a single polygon. This grouping is meant to represent the entire extent of a given element occurrence. Ideally, for species, an element occurrence representation would represent a population, but often it is simply a collection of adjacent observations. Be aware that an element occurrence representation may contain multiple source features (points, lines, and/or polygons). Also note that all of the point source features are buffered by a minimum mapping unit of 12.5 m, even when the precision is higher than this.
512 N. Salisbury Street, PO Box 27687
Preferred contact is by phone
The NC DENR-Div. of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program maintains these data in tabular form with latitude/longitude coordinates, as well as in a GIS. Latitude/longitude coordinates were extrapolated from USGS 1:24,000 topographic maps which had markers placed at the site of an element occurrence. A transparent grid template was overlayed onto the topo maps and the coordinates were interpreted. The coordinates and related attribute information about the sites were keyed into a DOS-based program known as the Biological Conservation Database (BCD). The latitude/longitude coordinates were converted from the Biological Conservation Database (BCD) into a UNIX environment. They were then processed into Arc/Info using the "Generate" command and then built for topology. The attributes from the BCD were then appended to the Arc/Info coverage using the "Joinitem" command. This process generated one statewide point coverage.
512 N. Salisbury Street, PO Box 27687
Preferred contact is by phone
CGIA received an ESRI shapefile which is imported into ArcSDE.
301 N. Wilmington Street, Suite 700
20322 Mail Service Center
Phone and electronic mail preferred
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Feature geometry.
ESRI
Element Occurrence Identifier (A number uniquely identifies the element occurrence.)
Natural Heritage Program
Estimated Representational Accuracy (The estimated representational accuracy is the approximate percentage of the element occurence - as represented by its digitized features buffered by their uncertainty distance - that is believed to be occupied by the element.)
Natural Heritage Program
Greater than 95%.
Natural Heritage Program
Between 80% and 95%.
Natural Heritage Program
Between 20% and 80%.
Natural Heritage Program
Less than 20%.
Natural Heritage Program
Percentage is unknown.
Natural Heritage Program
Occurrence is not ranked.
Natural Heritage Program
Element occurrence status
Natural Heritage Program
The occurrence is known to still exist.
Natural Heritage Program
Information for an occurrence is old or recent surveys failed to find it, but there is no evidence it is destroyed.
Natural Heritage Program
The occurrence is known to be destroyed.
Natural Heritage Program
The occurrence is not ranked.
Natural Heritage Program
Category of occurrence.
ESRI
Includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.
Natural Heritage Program
Includes mollusks,arachnids, crustaceans, and insects.
Natural Heritage Program
Includes dicots, monocots, gymnosperms, ferns, and fern allies.
Natural Heritage Program
Includes mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens.
Natural Heritage Program
A distinct and reoccurring assemblage of populations of plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi naturally associated with each other and their physical environment.
Natural Heritage Program
A concentration of animal species using the same site for a phase of their life cycle (feeding, reproduction, migration, hibernating, etc) e.g. bird colonies, bat or reptile lubernacula, concentrations of migrating shorebirds, multispecific spawning grounds, or multispecific mussel habitats.
Natural Heritage Program
Area of feature in internal units squared.
ESRI
Locations of rare and endangered species populations, occurrences of exemplary or unique natural ecosystems (terrestrial or palustrine) and special wildlife habitats.
None
301 N. Wilmington Street, Suite 700
20322 Mail Service Center
Phone and electronic mail preferred
NCCGIA is charged with the development and maintenance of NC OneMap and, in cooperation with other mapping organizations, is committed to offering its users accurate, useful, and current information. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, errors and conditions originating from physical sources used to develop this dataset may be reflected in the data supplied. The user must be aware of possible conditions and bear responsibility for the appropriate use of the information with respect to possible errors, original map scale, collection methodology, currency of data, and other conditions specific to certain data. NCCGIA does not support secondary distribution of this dataset without its current, compliant metadata record. The use of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by NCCGIA or North Carolina State Government.
Data can be customized on a cost-recovery basis. Contact dataq@ncmail.net or 919-733-2090 for more information.
301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700
Phone and electronic mail preferred