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VegBank Data Dictionary: Tables

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DB Table Name	party
Table	Party
Notes	Party contributing to collection or interpretation of a plot; may be either an individual or an organization.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID PARTY_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique party. Salutation salutation no varchar (20) n/a no Salutation preceding one's given name. Given Name givenName no varchar (50) n/a no One's first name. Middle Name middleName no varchar (50) n/a no One's middle name or initial, if any. Surname surName no varchar (50) n/a no Name shared in common to identify the members of a family, as distinguished from each member's given name. Organization Name organizationName no varchar (100) n/a no Name of an organization. Current Name currentName_ID no Integer FK no Recursive foreign key to current name of this party. Contact Instructions contactInstructions no text n/a no Instructions for contacting a party. Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number). Party Type partyType no varchar (40) n/a closed The type of party this is.

 

DB Table Name	partyMember
Table	Party Member
Notes	Allows parties to contain other parties within them, so that the children parties can have permissions of the parent parties.
Description	not implemented
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition Party Member ID partyMember_ID required serial PK no Database generated number to uniquely identify this record of this table. Main Party parentParty_ID required Integer FK no Link to the parent party to whom the child party here belongs. Sub-Party childParty_ID required Integer FK no Link to the child party who belongs to the parent listed in parentParty_ID. Role role_ID no Integer FK no Link to the role which defines the child's role in the parent party. Member Start memberStart required Date n/a no Start date for the child's membership in the parent party. Member Stop memberStop no Date n/a no Stop date for the child's membership in the parent party.

 

DB Table Name	place
Table	Place
Notes	This table is the intersection between the plot table and the namedPlace table and is used for querying for plots located in a named place or named region in which a plot or group of plots is located.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID PLOTPLACE_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique plot occurrence at a place. Plot PLOT_ID required Integer FK no Link to a specific plot. Calculated? calculated no Boolean n/a no TRUE If occurrence is calculated based on geo-coordinates, FALSE if assigned by the author (If, both methods used, the author assigned value takes priority). Place Name NAMEDPLACE_ID required Integer FK no Link to a specific named place or region

 

DB Table Name	plot
Table	Plot
Notes	This table stores general, constant information about the a given plot
Description	plot contains Plot location, dimension, and similarly constant site data, plus metadata that need be stored only once. Transient observational information (procured during the first or subsequent observation events) are stored separately in observation or its children.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID PLOT_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique plot. Author Plot Code authorPlotCode required varchar (30) n/a no Author's Plot number/code, or the original plot number if taken from literature. Reference reference_ID no Integer FK no Link to the source reference from which this plot record was taken Parent PARENT_ID no Integer FK no Link to the parent plot when plot is nested within another plot. Real Latitude realLatitude no Float n/a no Latitude of the plot origin in degrees and decimals, datum =WGS84 Real Longitude realLongitude no Float n/a no Longitude of the plot origin in degrees and decimals, datum = WGS84 Location Accuracy locationAccuracy no Float n/a no Estimated accuracy of the location of the plot. Plot origin has a 95% or greater probability of being within this many meters of the reported location. Confidentiality Status confidentialityStatus required Integer n/a closed Are the data to be considered confidential? 0=no, 1= 1km radius, 2=10km radius, 3=100km radius, 4=location embargo, 5=public embargo on all plot data, 6=full embargo on all plot data. This applies also to region. Confidentiality Reason confidentialityReason no varchar (200) n/a no The reason for confidentiality. This field should not be open to public view. Reasons might include specific rare species, ownership, prepublication embargo, or many other reason Latitude latitude no Float n/a no Latitude of the plot origin in degrees and decimals, datum =WGS84, fuzzing applied Longitude longitude no Float n/a no Longitude of the plot origin in degrees and decimals, datum = WGS84, fuzzing applied Author E authorE no varchar (20) n/a no Original E-W coordinate as recorded by the author Author N authorN no varchar (20) n/a no Original N-S coordinate as recorded by the author Author Zone authorZone no varchar (20) n/a no Original UTM zone reported by the author Author Datum authorDatum no varchar (20) n/a no Original datum reported by the author Author Location authorLocation no varchar (200) n/a no Original location as described by author (e.g. Town-Range-Section) Location Narrative locationNarrative no text n/a no Text description that provides information useful for plot relocation. Plot Rationale Narrative plotRationaleNarrative no text n/a no Text description about why the plot was placed where it was. Azimuth azimuth no Float n/a no This element stores the azimuth of the x-axis used to describe the relative coordinate system for plot shape (dsgpoly) and other spatial information about the plot. Typically the azimuth is parallel to the long axis of the plot (in the case of a rectangle). DSG Polygon dsgpoly no text n/a no This field is a text string containing the points circumscribing a plot area. These points are anticipated to have been collected using tapes, GPS, or calculated from the plot shape and area. Points are X-Y coordinates in m relative to plot origin. Shape shape no varchar (50) n/a open Shape of the plot area. Area area no Float n/a no Total area of the plot in m2. If many subplots, this area includes the subplots and the interstitial space. RESERVED VALUE: -1 is used to indicate that the plot had no boundaries. Stand Size standSize no varchar (50) n/a closed The extent of this community occurrence in relation to the plot size: very extensive (>1000x plot), extensive (>100x plot), large (10-100x plot), small (3-10x plot), very small (1-3x plot). Placement Method placementMethod no varchar (50) n/a closed Brief description of strategy for determining plot placement within the stand. Permanence permanence no Boolean n/a no Is the plot monumented so as to assure permanence? If so, this should be described in the layoutNarrative Layout Narrative layoutNarrative no text n/a no Text description of and the rationale for the layout of the plot. Elevation elevation no Float n/a no The elevation of the plot origin in meters above sea level. Elevation Accuracy elevationAccuracy no Float n/a no The accuracy of the elevation in meters. Elevation Range elevationRange no Float n/a no Meters of difference in elevations of the high and low points in the plot. Slope Aspect slopeAspect no Float n/a no Representative azimuth of slope gradient (0-360 degrees); if too flat to determine = -1; if too irregular to determine = -2. Min Slope Aspect minSlopeAspect no Float n/a no Minimum azimuth of slope gradient (0-360 degrees), counterclockwise from representative azimuth. Max Slope Aspect maxSlopeAspect no Float n/a no Maximum azimuth of slope gradient (0-360 degrees), clockwise from representative azimuth Slope Gradient slopeGradient no Float n/a no Representative inclination of slope in degrees; if too irregular to determine, = -1. Min Slope Gradient minSlopeGradient no Float n/a no Minimum inclination of slope in degrees. Max Slope Gradient maxSlopeGradient no Float n/a no Maximum inclination of slope in degrees. Topographic Position topoPosition no varchar (90) n/a closed Position of the plot on land surface (e.g., Summit, shoulder, upper slope, middle slope, lower slope, toeslope, no slope, channel bed, dune swale, pond). Landform landform no varchar (50) n/a open A recognizable physical feature on the surface of the earth, often including consideration of the natural cause of its formation. Surficial Deposits surficialDeposits no varchar (90) n/a closed Surficial deposits represent the parent material that are the geologic or organic precursors to the soil. They may either have been deposited by geologic (wind, ice, gravity or water) or biologic (organic) activity, or formed in place more-or-less directly from rocks and minerals below. Rock Type rockType no varchar (90) n/a closed RockType values conform to the lithic types in the FGDC Soil Geographic Data Standards, September 1997. http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/documents/standards/soils/soil997.PDF (pages 56-59). Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number). Notes Public notesPublic no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that public notes pertaining to this plot exist in "vegPlot.note" Notes Mgt notesMgt no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that nonpublic management notes pertaining to this plot exist in "vegPlot.note" Revisions revisions no Boolean n/a no TRUE indicates that revisions exist in vegPlot.Revision

 

DB Table Name	project
Table	Project
Notes	This table stores information about a project established to collect vegetation plot data.
Description	Each plot originates as part of a project. A project can contain from one to many plots.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID PROJECT_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique project. Project Name projectName required varchar (150) n/a no Project name as defined by the principal investigator. Project Description projectDescription no text n/a no Short description of the project including the original purpose for conducting the project. This can be viewed as the project abstract plus supporting metadata. Start Date startDate no Date n/a no Project start date. Stop Date stopDate no Date n/a no Project stop date. Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number).

 

DB Table Name	projectContributor
Table	Project Contributor
Notes	This table stores information about a party contributing to a project.
Description	This table serves as an intersection entity used to 'link' a party with a specific project wherein vegetation plots are described.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID PROJECTCONTRIBUTOR_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique contribution to a project. Project PROJECT_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key linking the contribution to a specific project. Party PARTY_ID required Integer FK no Foreign key linking the contribution to a specific party. Role ROLE_ID no Integer FK no Foreign key that identifies the role that a specific party played in the project (e.g., PI, coPI, contact, author, research advisor, etc.).

 

DB Table Name	classContributor
Table	Classification Contributor
Notes	This table stores information about who participated in a classification event
Description	This table serves as an intersection entity used to link a party with a specific plot classification event.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID CLASSCONTRIBUTOR_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique contribution to the classification of a plot observation. Community Classification COMMCLASS_ID required Integer FK no Observation classification event to which the contributor is associated. Party PARTY_ID required Integer FK no Link to the party that contributed to the classification event. Role ROLE_ID no Integer FK no Foreign key that identifies the role that the party had in the classification event (e.g., classifier, consultant, research advisor).

 

DB Table Name	commClass
Table	Community Classification
Notes	This table stores general information about classification events where one or more community concepts were applied to a specific Observation by one or more parties.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID COMMCLASS_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique observation classification event. Observation OBSERVATION_ID required Integer FK no Link to the observation table identifying which observation is being classified. Classification Start Date classStartDate no Date n/a no Start date for the application of a vegetation class to a plot observation by one or more parties. Classification Stop Date classStopDate no Date n/a no Stop date for the application of a vegetation class to a plot observation by one or more parties. Inspection inspection no Boolean n/a no Classification informed by simple inspection of data. Table Analysis tableAnalysis no Boolean n/a no Classification informed by inspection of floristic composition tables. Multivariate Analysis multivariateAnalysis no Boolean n/a no Classification informed by use of multivariate numerical tools. Expert System expertSystem no text n/a no Description of any automated expert system used in classification. Classification Publication classPublication_ID no Integer FK no Link to a publication wherein the observation was classified. Classification Notes classNotes no text n/a no Notes about the classification event by the parties participating in the event. This might include the purpose or rationale for the classification. Accession Code accessionCode no varchar (100) n/a no Code that uniquely references this record, allowing reference to this record for this version of this database. Better than a primary key, which is automatically generated by a database and not globally unique. VegBank Accession codes are only generated by VegBank, and therefore data integrity can be guaranteed, unlike with a primary key (number).

 

DB Table Name	commInterpretation
Table	Community Interpretation
Notes	This table tracks the assignment of specific community concepts to plot observations
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID COMMINTERPRETATION_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique assignment of a community concept to a plot observation. Community Classification COMMCLASS_ID required Integer FK no Link to the commClassification table identifying the specific classification event. Community Concept COMMCONCEPT_ID no Integer FK no Link to the communityConcept table identifying the specific community concept being applied. Class Fit classFit no varchar (50) n/a closed Indicates the degree of fit with the community concept being assigned. Values derive from Gopal, S., and Woodcock, C. (1994), Theory and methods for accuracy assessment of thematic maps using fuzzy sets. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 60(2):181-188. Class Confidence classConfidence no varchar (15) n/a closed Indicates the degree of confidence of the interpreter(s) in the interpretation made. This can reflect the level of familiarity with the classification or the sufficiency of information about the plot (e.g., High, Moderate, Low). Community Authority Reference commAuthority_ID no Integer FK no Link to the reference from which information on the community concept was obtained during the classification event. (A case could be made for this being moved to reference.) Notes notes no text n/a no Notes pertaining to the classification analysis and decision. Typal type no Boolean n/a no This assignment is the type description for the community concept, as indicated in the publication referenced in commClass.classPublication_ID (NOT the commAuthority_ID of this commInterpretation table). Nomenclatural Type nomenclaturalType no Boolean n/a no Typal plot for the Braun-Blanquet community name.

 

DB Table Name	coverIndex
Table	Cover Index
Notes	This table stores the definitions of each coverclass unit associated with each coverclass method.
Field DB Field Name Req'd? Data Type Misc Flag List? Definition ID COVERINDEX_ID no serial PK no Database generated identifier assigned to each unique coverclass associated index value. Cover Method COVERMETHOD_ID required Integer FK no Links to a specific cover scale. Cover Code coverCode required varchar (10) n/a no The name or label used in the coverclass scale for this specific coverclass. Upper Limit upperLimit no Float n/a no Upper limit, in percent, associated with the specific coverCode. Lower Limit lowerLimit no Float n/a no This is the lower limit, in percent, associated with a specific coverCode. Where a cover scale has a non-quantitative lower or upper value, as in the "+" of the Braun-Blanquet scale, it is necessary to provide an approximation with "0" being the lower limit of the bottom most class. Cover Percent coverPercent required Float n/a no A middle value (usually mean or geometric mean) between the upperLimit and lowerLimt stored by the database for each taxon observation and used for all coverclass conversions and interpretations. This is assigned by the author of the cover class schema. Index Description indexDescription no text n/a no Description of the specific coverclass. This is particularly helpful in the case that there is no numeric value that can be applied.