Data Element: ECOSYSTEM UNIT NAME
You are invited to read the definitions of terms used in this data standard.
| Name |
Ecosystem Unit Name |
| Description |
Official names used by the Service to identify the ecosystem unit boundaries of the United States, which are drawn primarily along watershed boundaries. The Service originally chose the U.S. Geological Survey's Hydrologic Unit Map as the foundation for delineating ecosystem unit boundaries on a national scale. Since that time, boundaries in some of the regions have been moved to the closest county boundaries to simplify management responsibilities. The current unit boundaries reflect this combination. |
| Type |
Character Field |
| Syntax |
Ecosystem unit name, up to a maximum of 50 characters, including the letters A-Z, punctuation marks, and the forward slash (/) character. |
| Recommended Field Name | ECOSYSTEM |
| Values |
The official values to be used for this data element are described in the reference and available for download in the Source section. |
| Source |
An electronic copy of the official values to be used for this data element is available here in ASCII (.txt) format. An electronic copy of the file is also available here in MS Word format. These values represent the official ecosystem unit names used by the Service as of December 26, 2008. The source files include Region numbers to identify the ecosystem units associated with each Region of the Service. |
| Historical Data | Earlier revisions to the data standard and/or source data are available here: Standard-Rev1 Standard-Rev2 Econame 101805 The initial data standard and source data is available here: Ecosystem Unit Name |
| Source | Part 052, FW 1, Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation, dated April 19, 1996. Part 052, FW 1, Exhibit 1, Watershed Based Units, is a PDF of the FWS ecosystem boundaries, names, and numbers as of April 19, 1996. NOTE: Two ecosystems have been renamed to coincide with FWS ecoregion names in the Southeast (Region 4): 30 - Northeast Gulf Watersheds (formerly Florida Panhandle Watersheds); and 32 - North Florida (formerly Peninsular Florida). Part 270, FW 6, Data Management and Standards, dated September 30, 2002. Ecosystem Conservation - includes links to a list and maps of the Service's 53 ecosystem boundaries in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation: An Assessment by Ohio State University - an evaluation of the above document and results. |
| Use Instructions |
As of the approval date, this data element will be used in any new
automated system, data set, database, or information application, including new Geographic
Information System (GIS) data and applications. This data element will also be used in any
major modifications to existing systems or versions of these data-related items that use
the official names of the Service's ecosystem unit boundaries. The
Ecosystem Unit Boundaries
data standard references the spatial component of the ecosystem unit boundary information,
using the same names and coding scheme as this data element. The ecosystem unit boundaries
can be downloaded from this site as geographic information system (GIS) coverages or
graphic files. To ensure compliance with the Service Enterprise Architecture (SEA), Service staff are strongly encouraged to utilize this data element in existing systems, data sets, databases, and information applications. Where existing systems and data-related items are not in compliance, they should be modified to achieve compatibility and implement this data standard. The ecosystem unit name should normally be used in conjunction with the ecosystem unit number. The Service data standard for Ecosystem Unit Number can be viewed at this site. It references the two-digit numbers that represent the ecosystem unit boundaries of the United States. The "Not Applicable" (00) designation should be assigned to Service organizations that do not have an ecosystem association, such as the Washington Office and Regional Directorate and Regional administration offices. Ecosystem unit names and ecosystem unit numbers will be handled as separate data fields in any new or modified automated system, and will not be combined in a single data field. |
| Phase |
Adopted |
| Approval Date |
March 21, 2000 |
| Validation Date |
January 5, 2009 |
| Data Steward | Kurt Snider, Cartographer, Cookeville Ecological Services Field Office, FWS Region 4 |