Metadata for the Original (HUC-level) Coastal Assessment Framework

 

Last updated: 7 April 2000

 

The digital geography is  in geographic coordinates, datum = NAD83, spheroid = GRS1980

 

Extent of the Original (HUC-level) Coastal Assessment Framework geography
Geography  provides digital data of all cataloging units within coterminous United States of America.
The unprojected (geographic coordinates) Original (HUC-level) Coastal Assessment Framework for the coterminous United States of America.

 

Polygon attributes found in the Original (HUC-level) Coastal Assessment Framework Digital Geography
AREA Area of polygon in square statute miles (calculated from geographies in Albers equal-area conic projection; minor distortion above and below standard parallels)
PERIMETER Perimeter of polygon in statute miles (calculated from geographies in Albers equal-area conic projection; minor distortion above and below standard parallels)
CAF_G Internal GIS Processing remnant code
CAF_G_ID Internal GIS Processing remnant code
OLD_UNIQUE Historic CAF 'Unique' Polygon Code prior to this update
UNIQUE A unique integer assigned to every spatial area in the Coastal Assessment Framework. Every EDA or CDA has a unique number; islands within an EDA or CDA are assigned that EDA’s or CDA’s unique number.
CAF_UNIQUE A consistently derived code concatenated from EDA_SUBEDA, USGS_HHUC and P_TYPE - see below for definitions of these.
EDACDA A code assigned to each major watershed area (e.g., an Estuarine Drainage Area, Coastal Drainage Area, Fluvial Drainage Area, Interior Drainage Area, etc.).
NAME A geographic name associated with each major watershed area. Names of EDAs come from NOAA’s National Estuarine Inventory; names of CDAs are a combination of edacda code plus USGS cataloging unit name. Unique Names have corresponding EDACDA Codes.
CAF_LGND A text string that describes, for a legend, the spatial area. Essentially this name collapses the variety of Coastal Drainage Areas names from SUBNAME to a singular 'Coastal Drainge Area' label.
SUB_NAME For EDAs with component sub-major watershed drainages (subEDAs) defined (e.g., the Chesapeake Bay), a subEDA specific name.
POLYCLAS Text aggregate description of spatial area (based on CLASS attribute).
 

Coastal Drainage Area

Drains to Multiple Watersheds

Estuarine Drainage Area

Fluvial Coastal Drainage Area

Fluvial Drainage Area

Freshwater portion of an EDA

Great Lake or St Lawrence River CDA

Great Lake or St Lawrence River FCDA

Non-contributing Groundwater Basin

Portion of a US Drainage outside US

Self-contained Drainage

US river draining into Canada

US river draining into Mexico

Area is a Coastal Drainage Area

Area Drains to Multiple Watersheds

Area is a Estuarine Drainage Area

Area is a Fluvial Coastal Drainage Area

Area is a Fluvial Drainage Area

Area is a Freshwater portion of an EDA

Area is a Great Lake or St Lawrence River CDA

Area is a Great Lake or St Lawrence River FCDA

Area is a Non-contributing Groundwater Basin

Area is a Portion of a US Drainage outside US

Area is a Self-contained Drainage

Area is a US river draining into Canada

Area is a US river draining into Mexico
P_TYPE Text aggregate description of spatial area (based on POLYTYPE attribute).
  Land Area is Land based (POLYTYPE = 1 or 3)
  Water Area is Water based (POLYTYPE = 2)
SUBEDA Alphabetical code indicating polygon is a subEDA.
  a - t Identifies individual subEDAs found in estuaries where subEDAs have been defined (e.g., Chesapeake Bay). Only EDAs have subEDAs.
  w Identifies those polygons in an EDA not already assigned to a subEDA. The reamining core of the major EDACDA Watershed. Applies only to EDAs that have subEDAs.
  x All other polygons. These include all major watersheds (EDAs) that do not have SubEDAs.
UNIQUE_ID A unique character string assigned to every spatial area in the Coastal Assessment Framework. Composed of a concatenation of each polygon's EDACDA code and its polygon type (e.g., Estuarine Drainage Area, Coastal Drainage Area, Fluvial Drainage Area, etc.).
OLDCAF Historic EDASUBEDA Code prior to this update.
CLASS Polygon classification Code.
  1 An entire cataloging unit that does not drain to the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, or an ocean (self-contained drainage).
  2 An entire cataloging unit that is all or part of an EDA.
  3 An entire cataloging unit that is all or part of an FDA.
  4 An aggregate of cataloging units that are part of the FDA inland of the Coastal Drainage Unit.
  5 An entire cataloging unit that is all or part of an FCDA.
  6 An aggregate of cataloging units that are part of the FCDA inland of the Coastal Drainage Unit.
  7 An entire cataloging unit that is all or part of a CDA
  8 A divided cataloging unit, some of which makes up all or a portion of an EDA.
  9 A divided cataloging unit, some of which makes up all or a portion of a CDA.
  10 A divided cataloging unit, some of which makes up a barrier island that drains directly to an ocean.
  11 An entire cataloging unit that drains to more than one derived spatial area.
  12 All or part of a cataloging unit that drains to the Great Lakes or St. Lawrence River.
  13 An entire cataloging unit that is a Great Lakes or St. Lawrence River FCDA.
  14 A cataloging unit or aggregate of cataloging units that lie in the US but drain into Canada.
  15 That portion of a watershed lying in either Canada or Mexico.
  16 A portion of a cataloging unit that is all or part of an FDA.
  17 An aggregate of cataloging units that lie in the US but drain into Mexico.
  18 An aggregate of cataloging units that contribute to a watershed through groundwater only.
  19 Freshwater portion of an EDA.
  20 Mainstem water portion of a large estuary (e.g., Chesapeake Bay).
  21 Islands found within the Mainstem water portion of a large estuary.
CAF_HUC The 'CAF corrected' 8-digit US Geological Survey cataloging unit number assigned (by NOS) to the cataloging unit or an arbitrary 2-digit number assigned by NOS.
CAF_HHUC Text version of the 'CAF corrected' 8-digit US Geological Survey cataloging unit number (assigned by NOS) or the arbitrary 2-digit number assigned by NOS.
USGS_HUC The 8-digit US Geological Survey cataloging unit number assigned to the cataloging unit or an arbitrary 2-digit number assigned by NOS.
USGS_HHUC Text version of the 8-digit US Geological Survey cataloging unit number or the arbitrary 2-digit number assigned by NOS.
POLYTYPE Integer code describling a spatial area
  1 mainland
  2 water
  3 island
REGION Region of the Coastal Assessment Framework.
  N Polygons of the North Atlantic region.
  M Polygons of the Middle Atlantic region.
  S Polygons of the South Atlantic region.
  G Polygons of the Gulf of Mexico region.
  P Polygons of the Pacific region.
  L Polygons of the Great Lakes region.
  U Polygons within the US border, but not a part of the CAF.
  X Polygons outside US boundaries.
AREA_MI2 Area of polygon in square statute miles (calculated from geographies in Albers equal-area conic projection; minor distortion above and below standard parallels)
DR_CODE Drainage Code - A single character identifier for the coastal component of the polygon.
  E Coastal Component - Either an Estuarine Drainage Area (EDA), Coastal Drainage Area (CDA), or Great Lake / St Lawrence River CDA polygon.
  F Upstream Component - Either an Fluvial Drainage Area (FDA), Fluvial Coastal Drainage Area (FCDA) or Great Lake / St Lawrence River CDA polygon.
  I An Interior Watershed polygon (includes self-contained, groundwater drainage only, and those draining to areas other than the United States).
EDASUBEDA A code assigned to each derived spatial area (e.g., an EDA or CDA).  Concatenated from the EDACDA attribute and SUBEDA attribute.