This is a point feature class of named places and features in Illinois. It includes place name, location, and general feature type. There are many general feature types, for example, Populated Place, Hospital, Post Office, Reservoir, Airport, Cemetery, and School. Refer to the Overview Description of the Entity and Attributes section for a complete list.
The spatial reference is the Geographic Coordinate system (longitude and latitude). The GNIS metadata fails to specify a datum for the longitude/latitude values. This is not significant because the locations are extremely generalized. However, to make the data work in ArcGIS, the ISGS arbitrarily assigned the NAD83 datum to the data.
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is the Federal standard for geographic nomenclature. The U.S. Geological Survey developed the GNIS for the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, a Federal inter-agency body chartered by public law to maintain uniform feature name usage throughout the Government and to promulgate standard names to the public. The GNIS is the official repository of domestic geographic names data; the official vehicle for geographic names use by all departments of the Federal Government; and the source for applying geographic names to Federal electronic and printed products of all types. See <http://geonames.usgs.gov> for additional information.
The original metadata file is included as a binary attachment to the XML version of this metadata document and also as a file named Orig_USGS_metadata.txt. The attribute definitions in the original metadata did not match the fields actually present in the data, but the mapping from metadata field name to actual field name was more or less obvious.
This dataset contains information about United States physical and cultural geographic features of all types and classes, with the exception of most roads and highways. Subsequent to the original data compilation process, which was taken primarily from Federal maps, the GNIS has become dependent on input from Federal, State, county, and local government agencies and other approved sources. The completeness, currency, and accuracy of the data varies by area depending on the quality and timeliness of that input. Accordingly, the Geographic Names Project actively seeks to expand partnerships with Government agencies at all levels and other interested organizations. The latest tools and methodologies are being applied, including web map and feature services, and joint or linked web applications, to ensure that local data are properly represented in the GNIS and through the GNIS to all Federal agencies and to the public. Feature additions or corrections are accepted for consideration from any source, and when validated by appropriate agencies, will be entered into the database. Local and State agencies are encouraged to submit data and to participate in the GNIS partnership program. Non-government organizations with valuable data are considered on a case basis. Authorized partners have access to web based transaction entry and edit forms, which submit data directly to the GNIS for review and inclusion in the database. Partners also submit batch files in most standard formats, and coordinate with the Geographic Names Project to develop joint services, processes, and applications for greatest efficiency. Data entered into the GNIS immediately is available to all web services and applications dependent on it. For additional information or to request user accounts for entry and edit of production data and web seminar training, contact gnis_manager@usgs.gov.
The comma-delimited text file was loaded into ArcMap and displayed as an XY Event Theme based on the fields Primary_lon_dec and Primary_lat_dec. NAD83 was assumed.
The event theme was exported to a personal geodatabase feature class. Eight obviously erroneous points falling far outside Illinois were deleted. Points falling outside Illinois but relatively close to the Illinois state boundary were retained.
The personal geodatabase feature class was imported into ArcSDE and analyzed.
The GNIS metadata was downloaded from <http://geonames.usgs.gov/docs/metadata/gnis.txt> and updated with ISGS-specific information. The original metadata file is included as a binary attachment to the XML version of this metadata document. The attribute definitions in the original metadata did not match the fields actually present in the data, but the mapping from metadata field name to actual field name was more or less obvious.
Airport Arch Area Bar Basin Bay Beach Bend Bridge Building Canal Cape Cemetery Channel Church Civil Cliff Crossing Dam Falls Flat Forest Gap Gut Harbor Hospital Island Lake Levee Locale Military (Historical) Mine Oilfield Park Pillar Plain Populated Place Post Office Range Rapids Reserve Reservoir Ridge School Spring Stream Summit Swamp Tower Trail Valley Well Woods
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Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
Generated by mp version 2.8.25 on Thu Apr 02 09:54:05 2009