Data Sources

The data layers served here include:

• original information created specifically for this Atlas;
• layers acquired from other sources and modified for inclusion in the Atlas; or a combination of the two.
• layers where some data were previously available but required major updating.

New layers were created by Island Research & Education Initiative (iREi) through fieldwork, imagery interpretation, or digitizing of published and unpublished sources. In contrast, many layers were already created by some other entity and our task was to locate, inventory, acquire, process, and incorporate such data in the Atlas. In fact, inventorying and organizing existing data was the original goal around which this Atlas was initiated. Over the years we have acquired relevant geospatial layers from a great variety of sources and continue to do so. Before any such data are incorporated into this Atlas, the layers are processed to ensure consistency throughout the atlas. The processing steps generally include but are not limited to locating the most up-to-date and complete layers, extracting datasets for specific islands, verifying and correcting the projection, shifting features to better match imagery and the Atlas original base layers, performing additional edits and updates, checking topology and fixing errors, reviewing and populating attribute information, appending source information to the attributes, and compiling and attaching metadata. That is why layers served to the users of this Atlas contain many improvements with respect to their original versions. Irrespective of the type and amount of work done to improve a particular layer, its creators/originators, version history, and changes made are carefully documented in metadata. Arranged in alphabetical order, the principal sources from which we obtained geospatial data or which we relied on to create GIS files are:

It should be noted that the original objective of this Atlas was to make data that have already been created publicly available and not improve or create new data. However, in the process of creating this Atlas, we found much of the available data to be inadequate and decided to improve the layers or create new layers wherever possible. This is beyond the project's original scope and users should know that improving the layers in this Atlas is an ongoing process. Many layers are still based on incomplete information and will be updated as resources permit. As part of the work on creating brand new layers, iREi has located many previously unrecognized sources, including print and digital publications, unpublished reports, and even historical documents, from which we digitized geospatial information for the purposes of this Atlas. The sources from which data were digitized are not listed above, but are clearly identified in the relevant files' metadata.

If you happen to come across information which may not be properly credited, please contact us so that we can investigate and correct any omissions. Also, if you encounter data in this Atlas which you think should not be freely served to the public, please let us know your concerns. We have been careful to catalogue but not serve any data whose owners do not want it freely distributed. For such layers, the data download options are not enabled and we ask that you check metadata for the owner's or developer's points of contact and get in touch with them directly.