The files linked to this reference are the geospatial data created as part of the completion of the baseline vegetation inventory project for the NPS park unit. Current format is ArcGIS file geodatabase but older formats may exist as shapefiles.

The products are designed with the goal of facilitating ecologically-based natural resources management and research. The vector (polygon) map is in digital format within a geodatabase structure that allows for complex relationships to be established between spatial and tabular data, and allows much of the data to be accessed concurrently. Each map unit has multiple photo attachments viewable easily from within the geodatabase, linked to their actual location on the ground. The Geographic Information System (GIS) format of the map allows user flexibility and will also enable updates to be made as new information becomes available (such as revised NVC codes or vegetation type names) or in the event of major disturbance events that could impact the vegetation. Unlike previous vegetation maps created by SODN, the map for Saguaro National Park was not created via in-situ mapping. Instead, we employed a remote sensing approach aided by our robust field dataset. The final version of the map was created in summer 2016. The map was created using the image-classification toolbox included in the spatial analyst extension for ArcMap (ESRI 2017). Using these tools, we performed a supervised classification with the maximum-likelihood classifier. This tool uses a set of user-defined training samples (polygons) to classify imagery by placing pixels with the maximum likelihood into each map class. We used a pixel size equivalent to the coarsest raster included in the classification, 30 meters.