The San Francisco Bay Area EcoAtlas
Question: How do I get the EcoAtlas Baylands Maps?
You can either order a CD, order printed copies, or download a 330MB file. Go to the order page for details.
Question: What are the EcoAtlas Baylands Maps?
The EcoAtlas Baylands Maps (Baylands Maps) are a component of
the EcoAtlas Information System,
a website of environmental data and information about the San
Francisco Estuary and its watersheds*. The Baylands Maps are a
Geographic Information System (GIS) used to support local and
regional environmental planning and management. They represent
the integration of many kinds of information from numerous sources.
They are a picture of the environmental past, the present, and
change. They provide the most detailed regional views of past
and present conditions that are available at this time. They are
also a spatial template to view possible scenarios for environmental
management in the future, and a geographic index for spatially-related
data and their sources. The Baylands Maps are currently being
used to support the San
Francisco Estuary Baylands Ecosystem Goals.
The Baylands Maps are an evolving product. They are designed
to be accurate, accessible and open. Regular updated versions
will incorporate the local and regional data and findings of reputable
sources. It is envisioned that anyone will be able to use the
Baylands Maps to exchange information about local and regional
ecology. It is hoped that the Baylands Maps will enhance the regional
sense of place and purpose.
The Baylands Maps are managed by the San
Francisco Estuary Institute as a set of layered digital maps
and related images and information. These layers are produced
with ESRI's ARC/INFO
GIS software and are called coverages. Each coverage consists
of one or more unique features, or places. All coverages and their
features share a common system of geographic coordinates. This
allows features to be queried and selected across overlapping
layers.
Related information includes the GIS metadata that document the
technical aspects of the coverages, features, and related images,
and qualitative and/or quantitative spatial descriptions or data
that are linked to features as attribute files.
While a wealth of information about the historical and modern
landscape of the Bay Area has been compiled by teams of volunteer
researchers, local scientists, and agency staff, as much or more
knowledge about the past and present landscape will emerge from
local communities in the future. SFEI is developing protocols
to allow the Baylands Maps to grow through local efforts.
San Francisco Estuary Institute
holds copyright status on the Baylands Maps to help maintain it
as a common platform for environmental planning and protection
throughout the Bay Area. San Francisco
Estuary Institute will endeavor to make new versions of the
Baylands Maps available as quickly and easily as possible, while
maintaining interagency consensus and the highest standards of
science.
* At one time, the term "EcoAtlas" referred only to
the GIS-based Baylands Maps, and some pages of this site may still
use the term in that way. Current usage of "EcoAtlas"
refers to the entire EcoAtlas
Information System, of which the Baylands Maps are a part.
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