# Delaware Strata Map



## Frequently-anticipated questions:

- What does this data set describe?
    How should this data set be cited?
      What geographic area does the data set
cover?
      What does it look like?
      Does the data set describe conditions
during a particular time period?
      What is the general form of this data set?
      How does the data set represent geographic
features?
      How does the data set describe geographic
features?
- How should this data set be cited?
- What geographic area does the data set
cover?
- What does it look like?
- Does the data set describe conditions
during a particular time period?
- What is the general form of this data set?
- How does the data set represent geographic
features?
- How does the data set describe geographic
features?
- Who produced the data set?
    Who are the originators of the data set?
      Who also contributed to the data set?
      To whom should users address questions about
the data?
- Who are the originators of the data set?
- Who also contributed to the data set?
- To whom should users address questions about
the data?
- Why was the data set created?
- How was the data set created?
    From what previous works were the data drawn?
      How were the data generated, processed, and
modified?
      What similar or related data should the user
be aware of?
- From what previous works were the data drawn?
- How were the data generated, processed, and
modified?
- What similar or related data should the user
be aware of?
- How reliable are the data; what problems
remain in the data set?
    How well have the observations been
checked?
      How accurate are the geographic
locations?
      How accurate are the heights or depths?
      Where are the gaps in the data? What is
missing?
      How consistent are the relationships
among the data, including topology?
- How well have the observations been
checked?
- How accurate are the geographic
locations?
- How accurate are the heights or depths?
- Where are the gaps in the data? What is
missing?
- How consistent are the relationships
among the data, including topology?
- How can someone get a copy of the data set?
    Are there legal restrictions on access
or use of the data?
      Who distributes the data?
      What's the catalog number I need to
order this data set?
      What legal disclaimers am I supposed to
read?
      How can I download or order the data?
- Are there legal restrictions on access
or use of the data?
- Who distributes the data?
- What's the catalog number I need to
order this data set?
- What legal disclaimers am I supposed to
read?
- How can I download or order the data?
- Who wrote the metadata?

---

### What does this data set describe?

*Title:* Delaware Strata Map
  *Abstract:*
  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) area sampling frame is a
delineation of all parcels of land for the purpose of later sampling
the
parcels. The area frame is constructed by visually interpreting
satellite imagery to divide a state into homogenous land use areas
(strata) based on percent cultivated. The strata are typically
defined as low, medium or high percent cultivated, non-agricultural
land, urban use, agri-urban, or water. The boundaries of the
strata usually follow identifiable features such as roads, railroads
and waterways. The strata boundaries do not coincide with any
political boundaries, with the exception of state boundaries.
  *Supplemental_Information:* N/A


1. **How should this data set be cited?**
    
    United States Department of Agr, National Agricultural
Statistics Service, 1997, Delaware Strata Map: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Fairfax,
Virginia.
      Online Links:
      <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/>
2. <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/>
3. **What geographic area does the data set cover?**
    
    *West_Bounding_Coordinate:* -75.790871
      *East_Bounding_Coordinate:* -75.048753
      *North_Bounding_Coordinate:* 39.840421
      *South_Bounding_Coordinate:* 38.448547
4. **What does it look like?**
5. **Does the data set describe conditions during
a particular time period?**
    
    Calendar_Date: 2004
      *Currentness_Reference:*
      2004: Topology was checked and strata boundaries corrected.
2002: Strata were merged to create strata map.
1997: Publication date of strata boundaries.
1996: Creation of original area sampling frame strata boundaries.
6. **What is the general form of this data set?**
7. **How does the data set represent geographic
features?**
    
    **How are geographic features stored in
the data set?**
        
        *Indirect_Spatial_Reference:*
          U.S. Department of Commerce, 1990, Counties and
Equivalent
Entities of The United States, Its Possessions, and
Associated Areas (Federal Information Processing Standard
6-4): Washington, D.C. National Institute of Standards and
Technology.
This is a Vector data set.
It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
        G-Polygon (434 (prior to dissolving boundaries))
      **What coordinate system is used to
represent geographic features?**
        
        *Grid_Coordinate_System_Name:* Universal
Transverse Mercator
          *Universal_Transverse_Mercator:*
          *UTM_Zone_Number:* 18
              *Transverse_Mercator:*
              *Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian:* 0.9996
                  *Longitude_of_Central_Meridian:* -75.00
                  *Latitude_of_Projection_Origin:* 0.0
                  *False_Easting:* 500000.00
                  *False_Northing:* 0.0Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 30
Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 30
Planar coordinates are specified in meters
        
        The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference 80.
The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.00.
The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257.
8. **How are geographic features stored in
the data set?**
        
        *Indirect_Spatial_Reference:*
          U.S. Department of Commerce, 1990, Counties and
Equivalent
Entities of The United States, Its Possessions, and
Associated Areas (Federal Information Processing Standard
6-4): Washington, D.C. National Institute of Standards and
Technology.
This is a Vector data set.
It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
        G-Polygon (434 (prior to dissolving boundaries))
9. G-Polygon (434 (prior to dissolving boundaries))
10. **What coordinate system is used to
represent geographic features?**
        
        *Grid_Coordinate_System_Name:* Universal
Transverse Mercator
          *Universal_Transverse_Mercator:*
          *UTM_Zone_Number:* 18
              *Transverse_Mercator:*
              *Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian:* 0.9996
                  *Longitude_of_Central_Meridian:* -75.00
                  *Latitude_of_Projection_Origin:* 0.0
                  *False_Easting:* 500000.00
                  *False_Northing:* 0.0Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 30
Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 30
Planar coordinates are specified in meters
        
        The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference 80.
The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.00.
The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257.
11. **How does the data set describe geographic
features?**
    
    **Land Use Strata**
      Homogeneous land use area based on percent cultivated
(Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural
Statistics Service)
        
        **Strata/Legend**
          Land use category based on percent cultivated (Source:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics
Service)
            
            
            Land Use Based on Percent Cultivated
              Value
                  Definition13
                  50% cultivated, (cultivated categories consist of land used for
crops, the remaining portion of land in the cultivated strata may
include pasture, woods, waste, rangeland, etc.)20
                  15%-50% cultivated, (cultivated categories
consist of land used
for crops, the remaining portion of land in the cultivated strata
may include pasture, woods, waste, rangeland, etc.)31
                  Agri-urban with > 100 homes per square mile
(less than 15%
cultivated)32
                  Commercial/dense urban with > 100 homes per
square mile (city
center with 0% cultivated)40
                  < 15% cultivated, (cultivated categories
consist of land used for
crops, the remaining portion of land in the cultivated strata may
include pasture, woods, waste, rangeland, etc.)50
                  Non-agricultural (state or national parks,
military bases, etc.)62
                  Water
          **Sum_area**
          The stratum area in square miles. (Source: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service)
            
            
            Stratum Area in Square Miles
              Range of valuesMinimum:
                  5.2 (actual value, not range)Maximum:
                  957.683 (actual value, not range)
          **Sum_acres**
          The number of acres in a stratum. (Source: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service)
            
            
            Number of Acres in Stratum
              Range of valuesMinimum:
                  3328.0 (actual value, not range)Maximum:
                  612917.12 (actual value, not range)



---

### Who produced the data set?

1. **Who are the originators of the data set?**
(may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    
    United States Department of Agriculture, National
Agricultural
2. United States Department of Agriculture, National
Agricultural
3. **Who also contributed to the data set?**
    
    Area Frame Section staff
4. **To whom should users address questions about
the data?**
    
    Area Frame Section staff
USDA/NASS/RDD/AFS
1400 Independence Ave SW, Room 6034
Washington, D.C. 20250703-877-8000 (voice)
HQ_RD_OD@nass.usda.gov



---

### Why was the data set created?

> These data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the
> state
> level. The data should be displayed and analyzed at a scale of
> 1:100,000 or smaller (e.g., 1:250,000, etc.). The strata data are
> provided "as is". USDA/NASS does not warrant results you may obtain
> using the strata data.



---

### How was the data set created?

1. **From what previous works were the data drawn?**
    
    **TMimagery** (source 1 of 6)
      Earth Observation Satellite Company, 1995, Landsat
5 Thematic Mapper imagery: Earth Observation Satellite Company, Lanham,
Maryland.
        *Type_of_Source_Media:* CD-ROM
          *Source_Contribution:* spatial and attribute
information
      **US GeoData** (source 2 of 6)
      U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 1990, US DLG vector
files: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Reston, VA..
        *Type_of_Source_Media:* CD-ROM
          *Source_Contribution:* spatial and attribute
information
      **SureMaps** (source 3 of 6)
      Horizons Technology, Inc., 1995, Mosaiced
topographic raster: Horizons Technology, Inc., San Diago, CA.
        *Type_of_Source_Media:* CD-ROM
          *Source_Scale_Denominator:* 100,000
          *Source_Contribution:* spatial and attribute
information
      **SPOT** (source 4 of 6)
      Corporation, SPOT Image , 1995, SPOT Image: SPOT
Image Corporation, Reston, VA..
        *Type_of_Source_Media:* CD-ROM
          *Source_Contribution:* spatial and attribute
information
      **JES** (source 5 of 6)
      National Agricultural Statistics Service, 1995,
June Enumerative Survey: National Agricultural Statistics Service,
Fairfax, VA.
        *Type_of_Source_Media:* Survey summary data
          *Source_Contribution:* Attribute information
      **AFSpaper** (source 6 of 6)
      National Agricultural Statistics Service, 1987,
Area Frame Design for Agricultural Surveys: NASS/USDA, Washington, DC.
        *Type_of_Source_Media:* paper
          *Source_Contribution:* attribute information
2. **How were the data generated, processed, and
modified?**
    
    Date: 1996 (process 1 of 2)
      The area sampling frame for Delaware was constructed in 1996
for use
in 1997 and was based on mosaiced 1:100,000 scale topographic raster
data, U.S. Department Of Interior US GeoData (DLG), 30-meter pixel
resolution Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper imagery and 20 meter pixel
resolution SPOT Imagery. Individual county files were merged
into a single state file. The coordinates for the strata polygons
are projected to UTM zone 18 (meters), WGS 1984 datum. The spatial
data file format is Environmental Systems Research Institute's
ArcView shapefile format.
        Data sources used in this process:
        TMimagery
          US Geodata
          SureMaps
          SPOT
          JES
          AFSpaper
      Date: 2004 (process 2 of 2)
      The shapefile was checked against the topological rules must
not have
gaps and must not overlap in a personal geodatabase within ArcMap.
Edits were made until the shapefile met these conditions. This was
conducted in 2004.
3. TMimagery
4. US Geodata
5. SureMaps
6. SPOT
7. JES
8. AFSpaper
9. **What similar or related data should the user
be aware of?**



---

### How reliable are the data; what problems remain
in the data set?

1. **How well have the observations been
checked?**
2. **How accurate are the geographic locations?**
    The sources used for digitizing strata boundaries are 1:100,000
scale
topographic raster data
3. **How accurate are the heights or depths?**
4. **Where are the gaps in the data? What is
missing?**
    There are no known gaps or missing data. This data set includes
the area
in square miles and number of acres for each strata. The area
sampling frame strata boundaries may not be coincident with strata
boundaries of adjacent states.
5. **How consistent are the relationships among
the observations, including topology?**
    Checks for topological consistency were performed on
this data set.



---

### How can someone get a copy of the data set?

> **Are there legal restrictions on access or use
> of the data?**
>   
>   *Access_Constraints:* None
>       *Use_Constraints:*
>       None. Acknowledgment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
> National
> Agricultural Statistics Service would be appreciated in products
> derived
> from these data.



1. **Who distributes the data set?**
(Distributor 1 of 1)
    
    USDA/NASS/RDD
1400 Independence Ave SW, Room 6034
Washington, D.C. 20250703-877-8000 (voice)
    *Contact_Instructions:* N/A
2. **What's the catalog number I need to order
this data set?**
    Downloadable Data
3. **What legal disclaimers am I supposed to
read?**
    
    Users of the strata data are solely responsible for
interpretations made
from the product. The strata data are provided "as is". USDA/NASS does
not warrant results you may obtain by using the strata data. Feel free
to
contact our staff at (HQ_RD_OD@nass.usda.gov) if technical questions
arise
in the use of the strata data.
4. **How can I download or order the data?**
    
    **Availability in digital form:**
        
        Data FormatData format:
              ESRI ShapefileNetwork links:
              <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/>
      **Cost to order the data:** There is no charge for the
online option.
      **Special instructions:**
        
        N/A
5. **Availability in digital form:**
        
        Data FormatData format:
              ESRI ShapefileNetwork links:
              <https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/>
6. **Cost to order the data:** There is no charge for the
online option.
7. **Special instructions:**
        
        N/A



---

### Who wrote the metadata?

703-877-8000 (voice)
HQ_RD_OD@nass.usda.gov




---