Political Townships in Illinois

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Frequently-anticipated questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title: Political Townships in Illinois
Abstract: This map shows political township boundaries of Illinois.
Supplemental_Information:
This is edition 20040330. The previous edition was 1.0. Recent updates: the data were converted from coverage storage model to SDE storage model.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Tom Heavisides, Office of Realty and Environmental Pla, 1985, Political Townships in Illinois: IGIS GIS Database GISDB.IL_ADMIN_Political_Township_Py, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Champaign, Illinois.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -91.58050943
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -87.38825182
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.49669441
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 36.9521143

  3. What does it look like?

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

    Calendar_Date: 1985
    Currentness_Reference: publication date

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

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map

  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):

      • G-polygon (1691)

    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.

      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Altitude_System_Definition:

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Attribute items are in typical ArcSDE feature class format. Those requiring additional explanation are:

    TSHIP_NUM The numeric township identifier by county. Each county has political township #1, #2, etc.

    TSHIP_NAME Name of township in capital letters.

    COUNT_FED_FIPS The 6 digit federal FIPS code for the state and county.

    COUNTY_ The county FIPS number.


Who produced the data set?

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

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

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

    Contact_Instructions: Please refer to the Distribution Information section.


Why was the data set created?

The purpose of this map is to show political (voting) townships in Illinois. Information contained in this data set is valid unless there has been re-districting since 1985.

These data are appropriate for use in regional thematic analysis. The data are not appropriate as a geodetic, legal or engineering base. The data set was not and is not intended as a substitute for surveyed locations, such as can be determined by a registered Public Land Surveyor. Although useful in a GIS as a thematic, reference, or base layer for maps, the data set has no legal basis in the definition of boundaries or property lines.


How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

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

    Date: 1985 (process 1 of 3)
    Created by Tom Heavisides, DNR Office of Realty and Environmental Planning, using township maps from IDOT.

    Date: 30-Mar-2004 (process 2 of 3)
    Source coverage (politown) converted to double precision and reprojected to GCS_NAD83 using Workstation ArcInfo 7.2.1.

    The polygon features were imported into the ISGS SDE enterprise database following steps outlined in ISGS procedure GISDB_0009. Some redundant fields were removed.

    Metadata updated.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Date: 02-Jun-2008 (process 3 of 3)
    A user found a township in Fayette county (in the SW corner) that was missing the name. It should be Pope township and is just south of Seminary and Kaskaskia township. Made the correction using the following SQL.

    update IL_ADMIN_Political_Township_Py set tship_name = 'POPE' where objectid = 1299; commit;

    Person who carried out this activity:

    D. Nelson

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

    , ISGS Terms of Use.

    Online Links:

    , University of Illinois Web Privacy Notice.

    Online Links:

    , University Copyright Policy (stated in the General Rules Concerning University Organization and Procedure, Article III, Section 4).

    Online Links:

    , Policy on Appropriate Use of Computers and Network Systems at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

    Online Links:


How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    No report.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    No report.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    No report.

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

    No report.


How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints:
ISGS information must be obtained directly from the ISGS or from an authorized distributor. Be aware that ISGS information obtained from an unauthorized third party may have been altered subsequent to original distribution, or may no longer be current.

Any access to these data, Web sites, computer systems, electronic services, and electronic networks is governed by University and campus policies, in particular, but not limited to, the Policy on Appropriate Use of Computers and Network Systems at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the ISGS Terms of Use document available at the ISGS Web site, and the University of Illinois Web Privacy Notice.

Links to these are provided in the Cross References section.

Use_Constraints:
ISGS information is the property of and copyrighted by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois with all rights reserved.  University copyright policy is stated in the General Rules Concerning University Organization and Procedure, Article III, Section 4. A link is provided in the Cross References section.

Individuals or entities may make fair use of copyrighted ISGS material, such as reproducing a single figure or table, or using a brief text quotation, without obtaining formal permission, but in all cases the Illinois State Geological Survey must be credited as the source of the material. To reproduce ISGS information beyond the fair use standard, permission must be obtained from the ISGS Information Office, 615 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, Illinois 61820, 217-333-4747, isgs@isgs.illinois.edu. License fees and a license agreement may be required, depending on the proposed usage.

Any use of these data is governed by University and campus policies, in particular, but not limited to, the Policy on Appropriate Use of Computers and Network Systems at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the ISGS Terms of Use document available at the ISGS Web site, and the University of Illinois Web Privacy Notice. Links to these are provided in the Cross References section.

Map information is to be used at a scientifically and cartographically appropriate scale, that is, at a scale no greater than indicated on the map or as described in the documentation of the map or map data.  Map information is not appropriate for, and is not to be used as, a geodetic, legal, or engineering base. Map information has no legal basis in the definition of boundaries or property lines and is not intended as a substitute for surveyed locations such as can be determined by a registered Public Land Surveyor.

The data do not replace the need for detailed site-specific studies.

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

    Information Office, Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability (INRS) of the University of Illinois
    615 East Peabody Drive
    Champaign, Illinois 61820
    USA

    217-333-4747 (voice)
    isgs@isgs.illinois.edu

    Hours_of_Service: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, U.S. Central Time
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Refer to the Legal Notices of Terms and Conditions of the University of Illinois Web Privacy Policy (there is a link in the Cross References section) for policy statements regarding the following:

    Disclaimer of Liability Disclaimer of Warranties and Accuracy of Data Disclaimer of Endorsement Disclaimer for External Links Disclaimer of Duty to Continue Provision of Data Security Choice of Law

    By obtaining these data you agree to the provisions of the University of Illinois Web Privacy Policy, regardless of the manner in which the information was obtained.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    The data are intended for use with GIS software. The ISGS uses ESRI ArcGIS software, however, ESRI formats can be imported into many different GIS software packages. It is expected that customers who obtain these data have the technical expertise to use GIS software. The ISGS does not provide software support of any kind.


Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 24-Feb-2009
Metadata author:

Contact_Instructions: Please refer to the Distribution Information section.
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:


Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse

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