Program Documents:

Four documents were written at the program's beginning in 1994 to describe protocols and standards for data collection and analysis. These documents are the program's foundation:

1. Developing and documenting a National Vegetation Classification Standard
2. Establishing standards for field methods and mapping procedures
3. Producing rigorous and consistent accuracy assessment procedures
4. Establishing standards for using existing vegetation data

Draft Glossary - Commonly used terms in the Vegetation Mapping Program

Program Standards:

Nationally Defined Standards:

National Vegetation Classification Standard:

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Vegetation Subcommittee has established a federal standard for vegetation classification. This is the standard that the program uses to classify vegetation. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a member of the Vegetation Subcommittee and was instrumental in development the classification standard. "Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States" is TNC's documentation on the classification and contains useful information on the scientific background of the classification and describes the classes.

Spatial Data Transfer Standard:

The FGDC has developed a spatial data transfer standard that is designed to enable blind transfer of information between different hardware/software environments without loss of contextual information. All program spatial data are available in this format.

Metadata:

Metadata are data about data; data that describes how the dataset was developed, what projection the dataset is in, what the attributes mean, etc. It is a critical element of each spatial dataset. The program creates metadata files for each spatial dataset that meets the FGDC metadata standard.

Positional Accuracy:

The spatial databases will have a horizontal positional accuracy that meets National Map Accuracy Standards at the 1:24,000 scale. This means that each well defined object in the spatial database will be within 1/50 of an inch of its actual location or 40 feet (12.2 meters).

Taxonomy:

The naming of plant species is a complex task and national standards must be used to ensure that plant names are consistent and meet the highest scientific standards. The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an on-line, scientifically credible, list of biological names focusing on the biota of North America. All plant names used in the development of the classification system are consistent with ITIS standards.

Program Defined Standards:

Classification Accuracy:

Each vegetation map class will meet or exceed 80% accuracy at the 90% confidence level. The classification accuracy will be established by the program accuracy assessment protocols (link to AA protocol document).

Minimum Mapping Unit:

The minimum mapping unit is 0.5 hectares.