Help using Geographic Search BY Coordinates ( October 20, 2011 )

Overview:
You may request a list of species known or likely to occur near some location that you can identify as coordinates such as available from a Global Positioning Satellite receiver. If you know part of a name that can be found published on a U.S.G.S topographic map, then you may want to use Geographic Search By Place Name. If you do not have a coordinate or name then may want to use Geographic Search By Map.

A species list resulting from a Geographic Search is based on references for distribution of species in Virginia by City and County, by United States Geologic Survey 7.5 minute quadrangle, by United States Geologic Survey Hydrologic Unit (watersheds), and by United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Hydrologic Unit (watersheds). The point of interest and search radius you provide determine which will be used.

1. Change the "Search Distance" entry if you desire.
   • The area to be searched is defined as the location you specify expanded by a "buffer" zone of "Search distance" miles.
   • Values may range from 3 to 15 miles.
2. Define your search area:
   • Enter coordinates for a location of interest to you following one of the accepted formats shown in the example.
   • For UTM coordinates, select appropriate North American Datum and UTM Zone values.
   • You may click "Show Map" for a pop-up window displaying your coordinates in the center of a detailed map. If your coordinates are UTM then you can verify the datum and zone selection.
     • Using your mouse and controls available on the map window you can change the base map, pan the map North, South, East or West, and zoom in or out until you establish the coordinate you want.
     • Clicking the "Submit" button on the map pop-up window will close the pop-up window and transfer the current map location to the Geographic Search By Coordinates form.
     • Clicking the "Cancel" button will close the map pop-up window with no change to the form.
3. Click "Report" button and a new page is displayed with:
   • species known or likely to occur in your search area
   • streams in your search area having sensitive aquatic species
   • streams in your area used by anadromous fish
   • streams in your area important to trout.
   • Bald Eagle Concentration Areas and Roosts.
   • Habitat Predicted for Aquatic Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Wildlife Action Plan Tier I & II Species.
   • Habitat Predicted for Terrestrial Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Wildlife Action Plan Tier I & II Species.
   • Virginia Society of Ornithology Breeding Bird Atlas Blocks.
   • USFWS Breeding Bird Survey Routes.
   • Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count Survey.
   • Lists of Public Lands and watersheds
4. Near Place Names from USGS Geographic Names Information System
5. Example coordinates

   * Example coordinate formats all representing the same point:
   Latitude and longitude Note: both negative and unsigned longitude are West hemisphere.	37,05,09 77,38,11	Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds
   	37,05,09 -77,38,11	Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds
   	370509 773811	Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds
   	37,05.1500 77,38.1833	Degrees, Decimal Minutes
   	37.085833 77.636333	Decimal Degrees
   UTM East, North, Zone NAD 1927	265661 4107443 18	meters zone 18
   	799004 4109487 17	meters zone 17
   	799004 4109487	meters (default zone 17)

   Note: a "complete" coordinate is made up of all parts needed to identify a point on a map. Latitude may be one decimal value or contain parts for degree, minute, and second. When Latitude is made up of parts then the parts need to be combined by comma (,) and presented using no spaces. Longitude is presented in the same manner as Latitude. When Latitude is provided then Longitude follows after a space on the same line. When UTM East is provided then UTM North and optionally Zone follow on the same line separated by space. A Tab character may be used in place of a space character.

6. UTM Coordinate Creep

   Because typical VaFWIS reports represent landscape searches over thousands of meters, while using VaFWIS the DWR staff are not concerned about UTM coordinate precision within plus or minus 10 meters.

   Coordinates are represented as Latitude / Longitude within VaFWIS program modules. When a client chooses to display coordinates as UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator), values entered by the client will be converted to Latitude / Longitude within a precision of about 1 meter. Internal Latitude / Longitude values may be converted back to UTM for display with a precision of about 1 meter. Coordinate values may change slightly with each conversion. Converting UTM to Latitude / Longitude, and then converting that result back to UTM will likely result in a value within 2 meters of the original. The accumulated change in value is called "Coordiante Creep".