Maine and New Hampshire 2016 NATURAL_HAZARD Polygons

This feature class resides within the SOCECON Feature Data Set of the Maine and New Hampshire 2016 ESI geodatabase. It contains vector polygons representing Natural Hazard human-use resource data for waters and lands within the Maine and New Hampshire 2016 ESI study area.

The vector polygons represent predicted flood inundation in the event of a Category 1, 2, 3, or 4 storm. For each storm category, the level of flooding is binned into anticipated depth of flood waters: <= 3 feet, > 3 feet, > 6, and > 9 feet. These are modeled data, based on the National Hurricane Center’s Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/surge/slosh.php). Raster model data, prepared in 2015, was converted to vector polygons for the purpose of the ESI. These data should be used for planning purposes only.

The ArcGIS feature class (NATURAL HAZARD POLYS) has 2 associated attribute tables, considered as Entities or "Child Items" in this metadata record. Location-specific Type and Source information are stored in these related data tables, SOC_DAT and SOURCES (described below), which are stand-alone tables within the Geodatabase.

This data set is a portion of the ESI data for Maine and New Hampshire - 2016. As a whole, the ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil, and include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources.

Additional human-use information is provided in other feature class themes within the SOCECON Feature Data Set, including NAVIGATION/MARINE (POINTS, LINES, and POLYGONS), PARKS/MANAGED AREA (POINTS and POLYGONS), POLITICAL/JURISDICTIONAL (POINTS and POLYGONS), RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (POINTS and POLYGONS), and SOCECON (POINTS AND POLYGONS).

The ESI data are intended to provide baseline environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources. The ESI data may be appropriate for many other coastal management purposes, though the original intent should be kept in mind.

Prepared by NOAA National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Emergency Response Division, Seattle, Washington.

Data content is considered static once published. However, if issues with the Geodatabase linkages or table contents are identified, the Geodatabase and/or the associated Map Document may be updated. Assure most current data is being used by downloading from https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download and/or comparing modification dates provided at this site.

In addition to the geographic data layers, two associated data tables, SOC_DAT and SOURCES, are used to store the complex socioeconomic data in the ESI data structure. The geographic data layers containing socioeconomic data resource information (in this case, NATURAL HAZARD POLYS) are linked to the Socioeconomic Resources table (SOC_DAT) using HUNUM. HUNUM is a unique reference number concatenated with the atlas number, making it unique across ESI atlas regions. For Maine and New Hampshire - 2016, the atlas number is 281).

The SOC_DAT and SOURCES data tables are described in detail in this document as Entities or "Child Items". See the Browse_Graphic section for a link to the entity-relationship diagram, which describes the way these tables relate to the geographic data layers and other attribute tables in the ESI data structure.

NOAA ESI Guidelines, Version 3.0 (Petersen et al. 2002)

Although these data have been processed and used successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format. If problems are encountered in downloading the ESI data or with file corruption, contact NOAA (see Distributor). These data represent a snapshot in time and temporal changes may have occurred. The data are not intended to include all biological or human-use resources present in an area; they focus on species and resources particularly sensitive to oiling. In the event of a spill, they should be used for a first assessment only. The data providers are the experts with regard to individual resources. They should be contacted to confirm if more current data exist or if in-depth information is needed about a particular resource.

Data can be accessed by downloading the zipped ArcGIS geodatabase from the Download URL (see Distribution Information). Questions can be directed to the ESI Program Manager (Point Of Contact).

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DO NOT USE MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES. Management boundaries are not to be considered legal boundaries. Edges may have been altered for cartographic processes. Note that the ESI database should not be used to the exclusion of other pertinent data or information held by state or federal agencies or other organizations. Likewise, information contained in the database cannot be used in place of consultations with environmental, natural resource, and cultural resource agencies, or in place of field surveys. Recognize that the information contained in the ESI database represents known concentration areas or occurrences of natural, cultural, and human-use resources, but does not necessarily represent the full distribution or range of each species or resource. This is particularly important to recognize when considering potential impacts to protected resources, such as endangered species, wetlands, etc. Besides the above warnings, there are no use constraints on these data. Acknowledgment of the originators, publishers, contributors, and sources listed would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

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The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS for Desktop 10.4(R) and SQL SERVER(R) (version 2005). The hardware configuration is PCs with Windows Operating System 7.

A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, check the sources listed in the Lineage section.

These data represent modeled output provided by the National Hurricane Center, 2015. Raster data was converted to vector polygons by NOAA/NOS OR&R Emergency Response Division.

For additional human-use information, see other feature class themes within the SOCECON Feature Data Set, including NAVIGATION/MARINE (POINTS and LINES), PARKS/MANAGED AREA (POINTS and POLYGONS), POLITICAL/JURISDICTIONAL (POINTS and POLYGONS), RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (POINTS and POLYGONS), and SOCECON (POINTS AND LINES).

These data do not necessarily represent all Natural Hazard features in the Maine and New Hampshire ESI study area.

A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute_Accuracy_Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies, and SQL SERVER(R) to ArcGIS(R) consistencies. A final review is made by the GIS manager, before the final Geodatabase and metadata are created. After the data are delivered to NOAA, they are again subjected to a several consistency checks, and processed into the final delivery format.