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North American Atlas - Populated Places
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North American Atlas - Populated Places

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: North American Atlas - Populated Places
Abstract:
A joint venture involving the National Atlas programs in Canada (Natural Resources Canada), Mexico (Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática), and the United States (U.S. Geological Survey), as well as the North American Commission for Environmental Co-operation, has led to the release (June 2004) of several new products: an updated paper map of North America, and its associated geospatial data sets and their metadata. These data sets are available online from each of the partner countries both for visualization and download.

The North American Atlas data are standardized geospatial data sets at 1:10,000,000 scale. A variety of basic data layers (e.g. roads, railroads, populated places, political boundaries, hydrography, bathymetry, sea ice and glaciers) have been integrated so that their relative positions are correct. This collection of data sets forms a base with which other North American thematic data may be integrated. Any data outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America included in the North American Atlas data sets is strictly to complete the context of the data.

The North American Atlas - Populated Places data set shows a selection of named populated places suitable for use at a scale of 1:10,000,000. Places, which refer to individual municipalities, are always shown using point symbols. These symbols have been fitted to the North American Atlas roads, railroads, and hydrography layers, so that the points represent the approximate locations of places relative to data in these other layers. The selection of populated places was based on local importance (as shown by population size), importance as a cross-border point, and, occasionally, on other factors. All capital cities (national, provincial, territorial or State) are shown for Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America. Attributes were added to the data to reflect population class, name, and capital. Cartographic considerations were taken into account so that names do not overlap in crowded areas, nor are there too many names shown for sparsely-populated areas.

Supplemental_Information:
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Further information on the CEC is available from <http://www.cec.org/> or from 
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
393, rue St-Jacques Ouest
Bureau 200
Montréal (Québec)
H2Y 1N9 Canada

Telephone: 514 350 4300
Facsimile: 514 350 4314
Electronic mail: [email protected]
All North American Atlas data sets are available in four data formats: Arc/INFO Export format (e00), ArcView Shapefile, Geography Markup Language (GML) and Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS).

Although these data are distributed in geographic coordinates, the North American Atlas Map uses a Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection. The following parameters were used for the map: 

Longitude_of_Projection_Center: -100.00
Latitude_of_Projection_Center: 45.00
False_Easting (metres): 0.0
False_Northing (metres): 0.0
Semi-major_Axis: 6370997.0
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 1.0
Ellipsoid_Name: Sphere
Units: metres
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, and U.S. Geological Survey, 200406, North American Atlas - Populated Places: Government of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: 152.0
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: 4.0
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 90.0
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: -5.0

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Calendar_Date: Jun-2004
    Currentness_Reference: Publication date

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Vector digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Point (1858)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Populated place
    An individual named municipality that is locally important (as indicated by population size) or which has importance as a cross-border point, or which is included based on other factors. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    UIDENT
    The unique identifier. A unique number that is assigned to each feature in the North American Atlas data. The last two digits of the identifier are a suffix indicating the map layer. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    Range of values
    Minimum:107
    Maximum:185807

    PopClass
    The population range of the populated place. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    ValueDefinition
    1The population is in the range 1-9,999.
    2The population is in the range 10,000-99,999.
    3The population is in the range 100,000-999,999.
    4The population is in the range 1,000,000-2,999,999.
    5The population is 3,000,000 or greater.

    Name
    The official name of the populated place. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:The Canadian Geographical Names Data Base
    Codeset Source:The Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Toponymic data set 1:4,000,000
    Codeset Source:Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática (INEGI)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:Geographic Names Information System
    Codeset Source:U.S. Board on Geographic Names

    Capital
    The classification of the capital, or an indication that the populated place is not a capital. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    ValueDefinition
    -1The populated place is not a capital.
    1The populated place is a State, Provincial, or Territorial capital.
    2The populated place is a national capital.

    StateAbb
    The International Organization for Standards (ISO) code for the State, Province,or Territory. The code consists of a two-character country code followed by a two or three character State, Province, or Territory code. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:ISO 3166-2 codes for Canada
    Codeset Source:<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/ISO%203166-2%20codes%20for%20Canada>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:ISO 3166-2 codes for Mexico
    Codeset Source:<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/ISO%203166-2%20codes%20for%20Mexico>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:ISO 3166-2 codes for the United States
    Codeset Source:<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/ISO%203166>- 2%20codes%20for%20the%20United%20States

    Country
    The country in which the populated place exists. (Source: North American Atlas GIS Group)

    ValueDefinition
    CANThe populated place is in Canada.
    MEXThe populated place is in Mexico.
    USAThe populated place is in the United States of America.
    FNThe populated place is outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

    • Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática
    • Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote
    • U.S. Geological Survey

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for
    Atlas of Canada Client Services
    Room 650-615 Booth Street
    Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9
    Canada

    +01 613 947 2410 (FAX)
    [email protected]

Why was the data set created?

The North American Atlas data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the national and continental level. These data should be displayed and analyzed at scales appropriate for 1:10,000,000-scale data. No responsibility is assumed by Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, or the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    CA Places (source 1 of 7)
    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, 2000, North America, National Atlas of Canada Reference Map Series – Populated Places: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    2001 Census CA (source 2 of 7)
    Canada, Statistics, 2002, A National Overview: Population and Dwelling Counts: Government of Canada, Industry Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Other_Citation_Details: The 2001 Census of Canada, Catalogue Number 93-360-XPB
    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 2,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    2000 Census MX (source 3 of 7)
    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática (INEGI), 2000, Localidades por municipio, y su distribución según tamaño de localidad, XII Censo General de Población y Vivienda 2000: Government of Mexico, INEGI, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    2000 Census USA (source 4 of 7)
    U.S. Census Bureau, 2002, United States Census 2000: U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, USA.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

    NAA Hydro (source 5 of 7)
    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, and U.S. Geological Survey, 200406, North American Atlas – Hydrography: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

    NAA Roads (source 6 of 7)
    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, and U.S. Geological Survey, 200406, North American Atlas – Roads: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

    NAA Rails (source 7 of 7)
    Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre, and U.S. Geological Survey, 200406, North American Atlas – Railroads: Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 10,000,000
    Source_Contribution: Spatial information

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 2003 (process 1 of 3)
    Point data from the 1:10,000,000 Atlas of Canada populated places file was projected and fitted to the North American Atlas Hydrography, Roads and Railroads layers.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • CA Places
    • NAA Hydro
    • NAA Roads
    • NAA Rails

    Date: 2004 (process 2 of 3)
    Populated place data for Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America was taken from the most recent census of each country. Places were included if they were locally significant and if their names could be displayed legibly (without overlap of names on the cartographic product). Attributes were added to the data.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • 2001 Census CA
    • 2000 Census MX
    • 2000 Census USA

    Date: 2004 (process 3 of 3)
    Each country performed a final cartographic check to verify the selection and position of the points. The attributes were also verified.

  3. 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?

    Where possible, attribute data were quality controlled by creating symbolized digital displays or hard copy plots, which were visually verified with digital or hard copy reference data. Attribute data that could not be verified in such a manner were interactively queried to check for anomalies such as duplication of data in fields requiring unique values and incorrect feature coding. Data for areas outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America are only provided for context; Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and the U.S. Geological Survey assume no responsibility for the completeness, accuracy, or presentation of this data.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Positional accuracy of the data is unknown. Positions are dependent on the positioning of the data in the integration processes. Data for areas outside of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America are only provided for context; Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and the U.S. Geological Survey assume no responsibility for the completeness, accuracy, or presentation of this data.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    This data set includes populated places for all of North America as shown at 1:10,000,000 scale. The data completeness reflects the content of the source data, the integration done by the cartographers, and the quality control of the content performed by each country.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Logical consistency of the data was ensured by using the same selection criteria for all three countries.

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:
All data for Canada and other areas outside of Mexico and the United States of America are covered by the Geogratis User Agreement for Digital Data; see <http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/e_license.html>.

No use constraints are applied to data for Mexico and the United States of America. Acknowledgment of the North American Atlas, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, Natural Resources Canada, and (or) the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 3)

    Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote
    Room 650-615 Booth Street
    Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9
    Canada

    +01 613 947 2410 (FAX)
    [email protected]

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 2 of 3)

    INEGI
    c/o Jose Luis Ornelas de Anda
    Avenida Héroe de Nacozari Sur 2301
    Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes 20270
    Mexico

    52 449 910 5300 ext 5856 (voice)
    [email protected]

    Hours_of_Service: 8:30 - 16:00 (CST)
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 3 of 3)

    EROS Data Center, U.S. Geological Survey
    47914 252nd Street
    Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001
    USA

    800 252 4547 (voice)
    605 594 6589 (FAX)
    [email protected]

    Hours_of_Service: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Central Time
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, and the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made by these agencies regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by these agencies in the use of these data.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 09-Jul-2004
Metadata author:
Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for
Atlas of Canada Client Services
Room 650-615 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9
Canada

+01 613 947 2410 (FAX)
[email protected]

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)


 
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