GIS Fire Data

GIS is a powerful way for exploring geographic data and gaining new insights. The GIS data available here are helpful in visualizing the fire regimes within these parks during the last 81 years. They can be queried in different ways to extract fire information based on attribute characteristics. The Fire Records Database Dictionary explains the codes used to provide information about each fire in the Fire Records file.

This spatial data is in the ESRI Shapefile format; each shapefile has three files associated with it. All three shapefiles are needed to view individual spatial coverages. These data can be viewed using Arc Explorer, a free GIS data explorer available from ESRI. This site is not set up to serve GIS data; you will need to download the files you are interested in and view them locally.

You can view several layers of data (themes). All three of the files required for each theme are compressed into a zip archive. If you need software to extract these files, you can obtain it here.

The most up-to-date (Sept. 27, 2002) themes and metadata on these themes for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks can be found at the NPS GIS Data Clearing House located on the NPS Geography and Mapping Technologies web page.

Several papers have been written about how resource managers within the Parks are using GIS and fire history data for management purposes. Several of these papers can be downloaded from the "Fire and Park Resources" section of the Fire Information Cache. Additionally, a short information handout, "Making Maps Out of Tree Rings", explains how pre-EuroAmerican fire history data obtained from tree rings has been utilized using GIS.

Also see the Southern Sierra Geographic Information Cooperative (SS-GIC) web site for readily accessible seamless data of the southern Sierra Nevada (Sierra NF, Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, southern portions of Sierra NF, BLM, and state lands). Site also provides a map service for creating and analyzing maps online.

Available GIS themes:

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Boundaries (68 KB - required - updated 2004)

Park Roads (139 KB - recommended - updated 2004)

Outlines of USGS 7.5-Minute Quad Boundaries that cover the park (4 KB - useful but optional - updated 2001)

Park Fire History 1921-2003 (661 KB - updated 2004)

Park Vegetation (2.3 MB - updated 2001)

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