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Using
the Great Lakes GIS
The
User Guide is intended to introduce and orient users
to the Great Lakes GIS Project. Users can find information
on goals and objectives, data, and projects available in the
Great Lakes GIS. For guidance on using the GLGIS, see support
documents on the GIS Help page. To learn more
about the project goals and objectives, visit the project
background (available from the Home page) and
Classifications pages.
DISCLAIMERS:
Data
in the GLGIS have been contributed by partner agencies, each
with a disclaimer to data use. Please view all agency disclaimers
before using the Great Lakes GIS Project.
DATABASE
ORGANIZATION:
The
GLGIS is organized in four major directories. The data
directory stores all data, both tabular and spatial (i.e.,
GIS). Within the data directory are five sub-directories
storing base/political data, biological data, environmental
data, physical data, and classifications, respectively. The
project files directory stores pre-manufactured
digital map documents that display data (with appropriate
symbology) related to a particular theme or region. The mini-projects
sub-directories are comprehensive with respect to
a particular research question. The sub-directories typically
include data, reports, and digital map documents. Finally,
the support documents folder contains documents
related to GIS Fact Sheets, FAQs, and all educational materials
that are associated with the project.
SOFTWARE:
To
take full advantage of the data and projects in the GLGIS,
users will need GIS software such as ArcView 3.x or ArcGIS
8.3+. Digital map documents are only complatible with the
latter, however, all spatial data (both raster and vector)
can be viewed in either program. If you do not currently have
any GIS software on your computer a free copy of ArcReader
can be obtained online from ESRI.
ArcReader is a relatively easy piece of software to learn,
as the interface is very intuitive and the available online
help files are well written and quite useful. Note that it
is limited in terms of functionality.
COORDINATE
SYSTEM/PROJECTION:
All
spatial data in the GLGIS are distributed in decimal degrees
(i.e., latitude and longitude) in the NAD 83 datum unless
otherwise noted. Two projections were developed for the Great
Lakes region (customized from the Albers Equal-Area projection)
that minimize distortion in the region. The projection files
are included in the support documents folder.
For detailed information on projections and how to use projection
files, see the projections
help document available on the GIS Help
page.
CITATIONS:
If
the data involve any derivative of Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources (OMNR) data, please include the citation:
Produced
by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission under Licence
with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources copyright Queen's
Printer for Ontario XXXX (where XXXX = current year)
.....
For
data sets created by the Institute for Fisheries Research**:
(**
Words in "{}" are not verbatim.)
{Name
of spatial data set} ({name of file, format of file}). {Year
file was created}. Produced by {the agency name, agency city,
agency state}, USA. Produced and supplied by {the project
name, project city, project state}, USA ({month distributed,
year distributed}).
Example:
National
Land Cover Dataset (lhb_nlcd, GRID). 1992. Produced by the
U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, USA. Produced and supplied by the Great Lakes GIS
project of the University of Michigan and Michigan Department
of Natural Resources, Institute for Fisheries Research, Ann
Arbor, Michigan, USA (October, 2005).
.....
For
data sets created by a U.S. agency**:
(**
Words in "{}" are not verbatim.)
{Name
of spatial data set} ({name of file, format of file}). {Year
file was created}. Produced by {the agency name, agency city,
agency state}, USA. Supplied by {the project name, project
city, project state}, USA ({month distributed, year distributed}).
Example:
National
Land Cover Dataset (lhb_nlcd, GRID). 1992. Produced by the
U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, USA. Supplied by the Great Lakes GIS project of the
University of Michigan and Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, Institute for Fisheries Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan,
USA (October, 2005).
FEEDBACK:
The
GLGIS is constantly evolving. We appreciate any feedback you
could offer, as it helps us create a database that meets the
needs of a diverse community. There are three options to provide
feedback. Users can: (1) return the GLGIS
Survey and Feedback Form to give information about users'
skill levels and interests, (2) return the GLGIS
Error Report Form to report errors or inconsistencies
in the database, or (3) contact the Project Coordinator, Lacey
Mason (e-mail: lmas@umich.edu,
phone: 734.663.3554 x.12155), directly to address how the database
can be used to meet their goals.
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