The Washington State Department of Ecology uses Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and procedures as an aid in accomplishing its mission of protecting the land, air, and waters of the state. This technology is used widely in support of the agencys geographic based approach to environmental management. Ecology strives to coordinate GIS data development under its grants and to insure compatibility with established agency standards.
In an effort to better assure compatibility and encourage sharing of geospatial data among a variety of users, both public and private, Ecology encourages grant recipients to embrace these standards.
The Department of Ecology uses ESRI's ArcGIS Version 9.x; ArcGIS Server 9.x, ArcIMS 9.x, and ArcSDE 9.x. Data submitted to Ecology should be in ESRI ArcExport E00, shapefile, ESRI Personal Database or File Geodatabase format.
The agency utilizes the follow data storage and import standards:
| Horizontal Datum | NAD 83 HARN* |
| Vertical Datum | NAVD-88 |
| Projection System | Lambert Conic Conformal |
| Coordinate System | Washington State Plane Coordinates |
| Coordinate Zone | South (or zone-appropriate if not statewide) |
| Coordinate Units | U.S. Survey Feet |
| Accuracy Standard | +/-40 feet or better |
| Vector Import Format | ArcExport E00 file, Shapefile, File Geodatabase, Personal Geodatabase |
| Raster Import Format | TIFF, BIL/BIP, RLC, GRID, ERDAS |
| Metadata | Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), Metadata Content Standards* |
* More information is available on the Washington Geographic Information Council (WAGIC) website at http://wagic.wa.gov/Techstds2/standards_index.htm.
The Department of Ecology has assembled or acquired numerous statewide data sets in order to help depict the diverse natural and cultural environment we live and work in. Ecologys spatially referenced information is arranged according to Geographic Themes. These themes include:
Agriculture Biogeography
Cartographic Climate
Demography
Elevation Environmental Monitoring
Facilities/Sites Fish &
Wildlife
Geographic Names Geology Groundwater & Wells
Hydrographic
Land Use/Land Cover Political
Subdivisions Public Land
Ownership
Public Land Survey Quadrangle
Map Boundaries Shorelines
Soils
Stream Flows Transportation
Water Quality
Wetlands
Ninety-seven statewide geospatial data sets, and associated data descriptions, are available for internal agency use. Fifty-seven of these coverages are available for external distribution. All data sets at Ecology are received and distributed in ArcInfo export (.E00) or shapefile format.
Data coordination assistance is available to all grant recipients. We can help you locate data sets at Ecology or ones that may exist within other organizations. You can forward your data inquiries to Rich Kim at (360) 407-6121. If you are interested in access data or our data listing via the Internet, you can reach us at:
to GIS data page
to the GIS FAQ page
Page last revised: Wednesday, December 05, 2007