Ocean Sanctuaries

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Metadata:

Identification_Information
Data_Quality_Information
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
Spatial_Reference_Information
Entity_and_Attribute_Information
Distribution_Information
Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
Publication_Date: 20080922
Title: Ocean Sanctuaries
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Online_Linkage: <http://www.mass.gov/czm/mapping/index.htm>

Description:

Abstract:: The Ocean Sanctuaries Act (OSA) (M.G.L. c. 132A, §§ 12A-16F, 18; regulatory authority: 302 CMR 5.00) establishes five ocean sanctuaries in Massachusetts waters—including the Cape Cod, Cape Cod Bay, Cape and Islands, North Shore, and South Essex Ocean Sanctuaries—and prohibits uses, activities, or facilities that would significantly alter the ecology of the ocean sanctuaries. The landward boundary of the sanctuaries is the mean low water mark and the seaward boundary is the limit of state waters, generally three miles offshore. The boundaries are statutory and are described at M.G.L. c. 132A, § 13. The OSA contains a set of prohibited uses, activities, or facilities and a set of allowed uses, activities, or facilities. Chapter 114 of the Acts of 2008 (the "Oceans Act") amended the OSA by transferring the oversight responsibility of the five existing ocean sanctuaries to the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and by allowing the development of "appropriate scale" renewable energy facilities in ocean sanctuaries (except for the Cape Cod Ocean Sanctuary, where such facilities are not allowed), provided such facilities are consistent with the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan. The OSA does not create a separate permit mechanism for implementation purposes, but instead requires that "all...affected agencies or departments of the commonwealth shall issue permits or licenses for activities or conduct their activities consistently with the Act, and shall not permit or conduct any activity which is contrary to the provisions of the Act." In its oversight function of the sanctuaries, CZM ensures that proposed projects in ocean sanctuaries are consistent with its program policies.
Purpose:: These georegulations data were developed for illustrative purposes to depict the geographic extent(s) of specific laws and policies. They were derived from various sources for planning purposes only and do not necessarily represent contemporary legal spatial positions or orientation(s). All users should verify the location of any boundary of interest prior to use by contacting the controlling legal authority (i.e. Federal, Commonwealth, or town agency) listed in the metadata for guidance.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 20080922

Currentness_Reference: publication date

Status:

Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.127416
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -69.830042
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.878370
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.186960

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme_Keyword: oceans

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: boundaries
Theme_Keyword: boundary
Theme_Keyword: coastal zone management
Theme_Keyword: CZM
Theme_Keyword: georegulation
Theme_Keyword: georegulations
Theme_Keyword: jurisdiction
Theme_Keyword: law
Theme_Keyword: Marine Protected Area
Theme_Keyword: MPA
Theme_Keyword: Ocean Sanctuaries Act
Theme_Keyword: Ocean Sanctuary
Theme_Keyword: OSA
Theme_Keyword: policy

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: U.S. Board on Geographic Names
Place_Keyword: Atlantic Ocean
Place_Keyword: Buzzards Bay
Place_Keyword: Cape Cod Bay
Place_Keyword: Gulf of Maine
Place_Keyword: Massachusetts
Place_Keyword: Massachusetts Bay
Place_Keyword: Nantucket Sound
Place_Keyword: North America
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: Vineyard Sound

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:: NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0
Place_Keyword:: CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > MASSACHUSETTS
Place_Keyword: OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
Place_Keyword: OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MAINE

Access_Constraints:

None. These data are in the public domain. GIS files are freely available for download.

Use_Constraints:

Public domain data from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management as the source of these data. You are not permitted to use CZM's name or to suggest that CZM endorses your project or product, without its express written consent. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the state of the art, CZM cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentation caused by any inaccuracies in the data or as a result of changes to the data caused by system transfers. The user must be aware of data conditions and bear responsibility for the appropriate use of these data with respect to possible errors, original map scale, collection methodology, currency of data, and other conditions specific to these data. NOAA mandated language per federal Data Quality Act (DQA): These environmental data and related items of information have not been formally disseminated by NOAA and do not represent and should not be construed to represent any agency determination, view, or policy.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Contact_Position: CZM Data Manager

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 251 Causeway Street, Suite 800
City: Boston
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 02114-2138
Country: US

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 617-626-1200

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 617-626-1240

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: czm@state.ma.us

Hours_of_Service: 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs EST

Data_Set_Credit:

These spatial data were created by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).

Native_Data_Set_Environment:

Microsoft Windows 7 Version 6.1 (Build 7601) Service Pack 1; Esri ArcGIS 10.3.0.4322

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report: The attribute data were checked for valid values.

Logical_Consistency_Report: A logical consistency report was not conducted for these data.

Completeness_Report:

The dataset is thought to be complete; no data have been purposefully excluded.

Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:: A positional accuracy report was not conducted for these data. Most data used to create the georegulations data came from MassGIS, NOAA, or MMS. Consequently, by and large the data are as accurate as the source data.

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

The ocean sanctuaries boundaries were created by following the boundary descriptions given at M.G.L. c. 132A, § 13.

Process_Date: 20080922

Process_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Contact_Position: CZM Data Manager

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 251 Causeway Street, Suite 800
City: Boston
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 02114-2138
Country: US

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 617-626-1200

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 617-626-1240

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: czm@state.ma.us

Hours_of_Service: 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs EST

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: GT-polygon composed of chains
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 5

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Map_Projection:

Map_Projection_Name: NAD 1983 StatePlane Massachusetts Mainland FIPS 2001

Lambert_Conformal_Conic:

Standard_Parallel: 41.71666666666667
Standard_Parallel: 42.68333333333333
Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -71.5
Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 41.0
False_Easting: 200000.0
False_Northing: 750000.0

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 0.000000008155898179040834
Ordinate_Resolution: 0.000000008155898179040834

Planar_Distance_Units: meter

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: D North American 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: GRS 1980
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.0
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222101

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label: Attribute Table
Entity_Type_Definition:: Table containing attribute information associated with the dataset.
Entity_Type_Definition_Source: CZM

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: FID

Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.

Attribute_Definition_Source: Esri