Spatial - Ed.com

I. Purpose

This dataset is intended to assist in the route designation process for the travel management planning.  It store routes exclusively captured by resource grade GPS receivers.

This is not intended to be a comprehensive inventory of every route. While the field team expended their best efforts to cover the entire project area, inevitably, gaps exist in the data.  Please reference corporate transportation layers to view missing routes and segments.

Also see 2011 nSRMA Route Inventory FAQ for additional details

II. Project Area

This project area focuses on the Nightingale Special Recreation Management Area (nSRMA).  The area is bounded by NV447 on the west, BLM2048 (the “High Road”) on the north and I-80 from northwest to southwest.   The adjacent checkerboard lands have been included as they must be traversed reach major, paved accessed routes.

The public and special recreation permit (SRP) permitees heavily access this area by all vehicle types (i.e. car, OHV, motorcycle).   For this reason, the nSRMA is the first prioritized area for a travel management plan.

 
III. Data Compilation

A district-wide database was compiled in 2010 from GPS data from 2005 to present.  This data collected by multiple teams and field sessions over 6 seasons, not surprisingly, some route segments duplicate and/or overlap each other.

To create this project database,  nSRMA routes from the district-wide database were edited to eliminate duplicate and overlapping routes,  distinct routes were created and assigned route names and numbers, and geodatabase topology enforced.

1. Route Names

Derived route names from BLM FAMS database.  Routes lacking names were derived from local conventions and adjacent features on USGS topology maps.

2. Route Classifications

To assist in the making route designation routes were classifies as below.  While many routes serve multiple purposes, routes were catalogued by their primary purpose in the hierarchy as listed below.  Refer to the accompanying Excel sheet for a more detailed description and analysis.

a. Agency

Appear on USGS topo and are agency-maintained

b. Established

Appear on USGS topo but are NOT agency-maintained

c. Purpose-specific

May or may not appear on USGS topo but are not agency-maintained

Access to playas, springs, mines and private land

d. Route segments

Washes, motorcycle, OHV and car routes raced by Special Recreation Permit (SRP), one-way routes that terminate, alternate routes that provide a cut-off or are adjacent to a preferred route, connect are routes that defy all other categories.

 
IV. Other Attribute Fields

a. Created 2011

On_Topo                  Appears on 100k or 24k topo

Maintained                Indicated by route number and maintenance

Rte_Number             Agency-derived

Rte_Name                Agency-derived, local name or adjacent features on USGS topo

Label                        Route number (when applicable) and name combined

Rte_Type                  Agency (BLM, CO, NV), Established (established, playa, spring),

                                 mine, private, wash, race route, alternate, terminal, connect

Owner_Region         Agency routes are (BLM, CO, NV)

                                    Others are regional map name

                                    (Adobe Flat, Blue Wing, Dry Mtn, Lava Beds, Limbo, Limbo WSA,      

                                    Nightingale/WMCA Lake, Sahwaves, Selenites, Selenites

                                    WSA, Seven Troughs, Checkerboard (east, northeast, south, southeast))

b. from 2010 Motorcycle Route Inventory project

Project_Area            Nightingales, Sahwaves, Toulon, N WMCA Lk, S WMCA Lk

Specific Condition      Needs Rehab, Good Example, Excellent Example

Vertical Variance        Flat, Gentle Slope, Undulating, Steep, Whoops, Whooped Out, Sidehill, Downhill Only

Braided                     No, Yes

Soil Type                   Rocky & Sandy, Rocky, Sandy, Hardpack, Wash, Boulders, Waterfall

Overall Condition       Good, Fair, Poor, Impassable

c.  from NV Rte standard

Route Type (rt_type)            Drivable Wash, Single Track, Unimproved; 2-Track, 

                                            Improved; Dirt/Bladed, Paved

Route Width (rt_wdth_ft)    2,4,6,8,10,12,14,20,>20

Suitability                            Pedestrian, Motorcycle, ATV, 4WD*, High Clearance*,  All Vehicles

*Original data dictionaries varied.

[High Clearance and 2WD/High Clearance] simplified to “High Clearance” and [4WD/High Clearance and 4WD]  to “4WD”.

Condition                            Rocky; Rough, Rutted, Washed Out, Brushed In, Loose Sand; Silt, Steep,   

                                          Trees Blocking, Impassible, Rocks in Road, Poor Drain,  Good*, Fair*, Poor*,

* In 2009, these values were entered in the distinct fields of Specific Condition, Soil Type and Overall Condition

Method                       Always Resource Grade GPS for this project

Comment                    Field team notes

d. from Trimble GPS Receiver

GPS_Date                 2006-2011

Datafile                      75 different .ssf files

Corr_Type                 Always Post-Processed Code for this project

Rcvr_Type                 Trimble XM, XM2005, XT2005, Unknown