June 2001
GIS Utilization of Historic Timberland Survey Records 

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Overview of the CD Set 

This 3-CD set contains the following information created by scanning
the "Reports of Estimates and Appraisals of the Timber Commissioners
Board, dating from 1895-1905": 

Disk #1: The original, processed, non-georeferenced scanned images.
Each page contains a map and text notes. 

Disk #2: Geo-referenced versions of the images from Disk #1. Two
versions are provided: the full page and the map clipped from the full
page. 

Disk #3: Files created for use with geographic information systems
(GIS) software. These include vector files created from the maps and
database files created from the surveyors' text notes. 

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NOTE:

Complete metadata for the image versions of the data will be available 
   online at http://lucy.lmic.state.mn.us/metadata/tmbr_img.html
   
Complete metadata for the vector versions of the data will be available 
   online at http://lucy.lmic.state.mn.us/metadata/tmbr_vec.html

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Contents of Disk #3

DISK #3: Organized by county, this disk contains several products:

1. The digitized points, lines and polygons appearing on the survey
maps found in the report.

2. The assessments of timber resources that appeared with each survey
map.

3. Cross reference that will help you determine which page of the report corresponds to which public land survey section.


Product formats and naming conventions

1. GIS point, line and polygon data by county

   Available formats: ESRI shapefile format (.shp, .shx & .dbf) and
   ESRI Arc/Info 8.1 export file format (.e00)

   Naming Convention: v<volume>p<page><type>_<status>

     volume: A, B1, B2 or C
     page  : page number
     type  : p = polygon; l = line; t = point
     status: t = transformed or c = transformed & clipped

   For example, vb1p0047p_t.e00 is an export file of polygons from
   Volume B1, page 47 that have been transformed but not clipped.


2. Timber resource summaries

   Available formats: Microsoft Access (.mdb), Microsoft Excel (.xls) and 
   comma-delimited (.csv)

   Section (Page) and Quarter-Quarter/Government Lot (Map) database: 

   TIMBERLAND_SURVEY.*
     Section_Page file
     QQ_Section_Map file


3. Report volume and page to PLS cross reference information.

   Available formats: Microsoft Access (.mdb), comma-delimited (.csv) 
     and tab-delimited text (.txt)

   TRS_PAGE.* - TRS -> Volume & Page
   PAGE_TRS.* - Volume & Page -> TRS


CD directory structure:

  Docs (documents) -> databases and spreadsheets

  County Abbreviation (see below) -> Projection (inch or utm) ->
    Type (shape or export)


Counties:

  Aitk (Aitkin)        
  Beck (Becker)        
  Belt (Beltrami)      
  Carl (Carlton)       
  Cass (Cass)          
  Clea (Clearwater)    
  Cook (Cook)          
  Crow (Crow Wing)     
  Hubb (Hubbard)       
  Itas (Itasca)        
  Kana (Kanabec)       - no exports or shapes
  Kooc (Koochiching)   
  Lake (Lake)          
  Mill (Mille Lacs)    
  Morr (Morrison)      
  Pine (Pine)          
  Stlo (St. Louis)     
  Todd (Todd)          
  Wade (Wadena)        - no exports or shapes


Credits:

This project was a joint effort of the State Archives Department
of the Minnesota Historical Society and the Land Management
Information Center of Minnesota Planning's Office of Strategic and
Long Range Planning. The advisory board members were: Betsy Daub,
Minnesota Audubon Society; Kathryn Fernholz, Community Forestry
Resource Center, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy; Steve
Friedman, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota;
Clyde Hanson, Sierra Club; Steve Lane, Division of Forestry,
Department of Natural Resources; Tim O'Hara, Timber Producers
Association; Gaylord Paulson, Division of Forestry, Department of
Natural Resources; and Jack Rajala, Rajala Companies. John Hoshal
and Norman Anderson represented the Land Management Information
Center; Bob Horton represented the State Archives. 

Funding was provided by the Minnesota Future Resources Fund as
recommended by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources. 

For more information about this project, updates to the information
found on this disk, examples of how the data is used with GIS tools
and other related data, contact: 

Robert Horton 
Minnesota Historical Society 
345 Kellogg Blvd. West 
St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 

Tel: 651-215-5866 
Fax: 651-296-9961 
E-mail: robert.horton@mnhs.org 
URL: http://www.mnhs.org 

or 

John Hoshal, GIS Applications Manager 
Land Management Information Center
Suite 330, 658 Cedar St. 
St. Paul, MN 55155 

Tel: (651) 296-1202 
Fax: (651) 296-1212 
E-mail: john.hoshal@state.mn.us
URL: http://www.lmic.state.mn.us 

6.20.01
ReadMe_CD3.txt
LMIC
