Vegetation Transect File Format Information

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The detailed information in these sections provides the data users with information about file name signifance and a description of the data. The file naming convention explanation section describes the type of data, field station that collected the data, year of collection and data batch number, while the data descriptions include field column positions, historical summary, and field descriptions. Data from 1992 or earlier is sorted by date, location, code, transect, page number site code and species code in that order. Data from 1993 or later is sorted by barcode only. The detailed data description section described below is available in downloadable ASCII form.

File Naming Convention Explanation

The first three characters denote the data component;

FSH = fish

INV = macroinvertebrate

VEG = vegetation transect

VGI = vegetation informal

WTR = water quality

The fourth character is the field station that collected the data;

1 = Lake City, MN (Mississippi River, Pool 4)

2 = Onalaska, WI (Mississippi River, Pool 8)

3 = Bellevue, IA (Mississippi River, Pool 13)

4 = Brighton, IL (Mississippi River, Pool 26)

5 = Jackson, MO (Mississippi River, Open River)

6 = Havana, IL (Illinois River, LaGrange Pool)

The fifth and sixth characters denotes the year the data is from.

The seventh and eighth characters denotes that years sequential batch of data.

Data Descriptions

Field Column Position

The "Format" column contains the following format specifiers:

a = alpha character (always UPPER case)

b = a blank space

blank = a missing value

c = alpha character/symbol/digit

c(xx) = character string where xx represents the maximum number  of characters allowed

9 = any digit, 0 - 9

MM/DD/YYYY = date format

HH:MI = time format

• Vegetation Transect File Format Information - Historical Summary

IDENTIFICATION

An "F" in this field designates that all species listed on the data sheet were identified in the field. An "L" entered on the sheet means that samples of species were collected for lab identification.

UNIDENTIFIED SPECIMEN

A "U" in this field indicates an unidentified specimen occurs somewhere on the data sheet. It is a type of warning flag. If this field is blank then all specimens on the data sheet have been identified.

TRANSECT NUMBER

Identifying number of a given transect within a location. A transect is a straight line vector along which vegetation samples are identified. A compass bearing is used to maintain the transect while sampling. Samples are identified at fixed distance intervals along the transect (see DISTANCE BETWEEN SITES definition).

DISTANCE BETWEEN SITES

Distance between sample collection points along a transect (measured in meters).

RECORDER CODE

This number uniquely identifies the person who coded the data sheet.

TOTAL PLANTS

A total of the number of vegetation detail record on the data sheet.

ENTRY OPERATOR (Header)

Alphanumeric field to identify the operator responsible for entering (keying) the vegetation transect data into an electronic format.

VERIFY OPERATOR (Header)

Alphanumeric field to identify the operator responsible for verifying the electronic keyed vegetation transect data.

SITE

A unique site along a transect where vegetation is sampled. The code is a single letter, or becomes a two letter code if a transect has over 26 sites along its length. The codes are alphabetical and begin with "A" for each transect.

DEPTH

Water depth recorded in meters.

VEG TYPE

A code used as a way of sorting vegetation types for later analysis. Valid codes are as follows:

NV = No vegetation

FL = Floating leaf vegetation

SB = Submergent vegetation

SF = Combination of submergent and floating vegetation

VS = Submergent seen visually

RV = Submergent visual plus on rake

FV = Floating plus submergent visual

BV = Floating plus submergent visual plus on rake

ROW NUMBER

Numeric field to identify, isolate, and sort individual vegetation detail records.

SPECIES

Code to identify the vegetation species for a particular record of data. Following are the valid codes and the common name for which they represent:

ALGA = Nuisance Algae	NYOD = Water-lily,white
AZCA = Fern,carolina Mosquito	NYTU = Water-lily,white
AZME = Fern,mexican Mosquito	POAM5 = Pondweed,large-leaf
AZ?OL = Fren, mosquito	POAL8 = Pondweed,red or alpine
CEDE4 = Hornwort,common	POCO14 = Weed,pickerel
CHAR = Chara	POCR3 = Pondweed,curly
CHARA = Chara	POFO3 = Pondweed,leafy
CH?AR = Chara ,a species of	POGR8 = Pondweed,variable
ECCO3 = Burhead,creeping	POIL = Pondweed,Illinois
ELCA7 = Water-weed,broad	PONA4 = Pondweed,floating-leaf
ELNU2 = Water-weed,nuttall's	PONO2 = Pondweed,long-leaf
LEMI3 = Duckweed,lesser	POPE6 = Pondweed,sago
LEMN = Duckweed	POPR5 = Pondweed,white-stemmrd
LETR = Duckweed,star	POPU7 = Pondweed,small
LUDE4 = Willow,primrose	PORI2 = Pondweed,richardson
LU?DW = Willow,primrose, a species of	POZO = Pondweed,flat-stem
MYSI = Water-milfoil	RAFL = Buttercup,yellow-water
MYSP2 = Water-milfoil,eurasian	RALO2 = Buttercup,rigid white-water
MYUS = Unidentified milfoil	SALA2 = Arrow-head,broad-leaf
MY?RI = Water-milfoil, a species of	SCFL = Bulrush,river
NAFL = Naiad,slender	SPEU = Burreed,giant
NAGR = Naiad,thread-like	SPPO = Duckweed,greater
NAGU = Naiad,southern	UNKN = Unknown
NELU = Lotus,american	UNKNO1= Unknow species No. 1
NITE = Nitella	UTMA = Bladderwort,common
NI?TE = Nitella,a spesies of	VAAM3 = Wild-celery
NLPW = Narrow Leaf Pond Weed - Unknown Classification	WOCO = Water-meal,columbia
NONE = None (no species)	WO?LF = Watermeal,a specoes of
NULU = Cow-lily,yellow	ZAPA = Pondweed,horned
NUMI = Small water-lily	ZODU = Star-grass,water

RATING

A code which rates the relative abundance of a species at a site based on occurance of three rake collections. Valid codes are as follows:

1 = This species taken on one rake sample (rare)

2 = This species taken on two rake samples (occasional)

3 = Rake teeth partly full of this species on all three samples (common)

4 = Rake teeth full of this species on all three samples (abundant)

9 = This species visual record

QF CODE

A code used to qualify the field identification of the species collected. Valid codes are as follows:

0 = Species identified, variety or subspecies known

1 = Species identified, variety or subspecies not distinguished, though may occur

2 = Species identification is trivial because of hybridization among several recognized species.

3 = Genus identified, species identification uncertain

4 = Genus identification uncertain, family known

5 = Unknown taxon

COMMENT

Eighty-character field to record miscellaneous comments and observations.

ENTRY OPERATOR (Detail)

Alphanumeric field to identify the operator responsible for entering (keying) the vegetation site data into an electronic format.

VERIFY OPERATOR (Detail)

Alphanumeric field to identify the operator responsible for verifying the electronic keyed vegetation site data.

BATCH NUMBER

Administrative field used to track keyed data batches.

POOL REACH

This field is used to identify where the data was collected. Reach/Pool refers to the area between consecutive locks and dams (ie Pool 13 is the area between locks and dams 12 and 13)

PROJECT CODE

The project code for transect sampling is "M-91A". The code identifies that the project is a Long Term Resource Monitoring project initiated in 1991. Any other code denotes non-routine transect sampling.

SAMPLE WINDOW

The session of transect sampling:
1=May/June
2=July/August.

STRATUM CLASS

The habitat stratum of a location containing transects according to the LTRMP Sampling Stratum GIS coverage:
BWC = backwater contiguous with the main channel
BWI = backwater isolated from the main channel
IMP = impounded
MCB = main channel border
SC   = side channel
TDL = tributary delta lake

VOUCHER CODE

A code denoting whether a voucher speciman was taken of the species.
Blank = no voucher taken
1 = voucher taken, and not sent for identification
2 = voucher taken and sent for identification

 

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DISCLAIMER

These data have been generated by State agencies under contract with the Department of the Interior and the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC). Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the UMESC, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. However, error correction is a continuing process, and the UMESC routinely makes changes to data as errors are discovered. The file date is referred to as the release date and should be mentioned in all references to data. These data have been provided as a unit package to ensure that you receive a valid dataset collected in a consistent manner. Methods, purposes, and conditions can vary dramatically among data-collecting efforts and these data should not be combined with other datasets from the UMESC or other sources unless the user fully understands the procedures and purposes used to create each set of data and can verify that data are comparable across sources.

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