Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 70 - TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Part XXIX - Information Technology
Chapter 1 - Geospatial Database
Section XXIX-107 - Data Layer Descriptions and Features

a. Elevation is the altitude, with reference to mean sea level (MSL) of the land surface. Bathymetry is the depth to bottom of a waterbody, with respect to MSL.

a. The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD1988) shall be the official datum for representing elevation and bathymetry. This will remain the standard until replaced by the by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Geodetic Survey (NOAA-NGS).

b. Standards for elevation data will be as specified by The National Map National Elevation Dataset Program of the U.S. Geological Survey, as published on their website (http://ned.usgs.gov).

c. Digital elevation models (DEM) represent elevation as a raster (rows and columns) of elevations at a specified interval. The standards for creating these raster datasets are published by the USGS National Elevation Program (http://nationalmap.gov/standards/demstds.html).

d. Hypsography (elevation represented as contours) shall be derived from elevation data meeting the standards specified above and produced using the standards for topographic mapping established by the U.S. Geological Survey (http://nationalmap.gov/standards/qmapstds.html).

e. Bathymetry, whether represented as a raster, point locations, or contours, must conform to the standards developed by the NOAA-NGS and published in their hydrographic surveys specifications and deliverables document (http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsd/specs/specs.htm).

a. Transportation refers to the features that represent roads, railroads, pipelines, and other means of conveyance of persons or commodities, whether by vehicle or other means.

a. The transportation layer shall follow the standards of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, as modified from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, TIGER data specification (http://www.fgdc.gov/ standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/framework-data-standard/GI_Framework Data Standard_Part7_ Transportation_Base.pdf).

a. Linear and aerial surface water features, including:

a. The standard for water features shall be the national hydrography dataset (NHD). This is the surface water component of the national map designed to be used for mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems by the federal government. The standards are maintained by the USGS NHD Program (http://nhd.usgs.gov).

a. Boundaries consist of features such as legal and administrative boundaries (parishes, cities, etc.). These represent the delineation of official boundaries, but do not necessarily constitute the legal, surveyed boundary of an entity.

a. Feature standards will follow those established by the USGS The National Map Program (http://nationalmap.gov/standards/qmapstds.html). All boundary changes and updates will be coordinates with the U.S. Census Boundary and Annexation Survey.

a. Land cover constitutes the natural vegetative cover on the earth's surface (forest, water, open space, grassland, etc.). Land use is the manmade designations for an area. These include such features as urban or urbanized areas.

a. Shall follow those established by the USGS The National Map Program (http://nationalmap.gov/ standards/qmapstds.html).

a. Structures consist of features such as significant buildings, critical infrastructure, and other manmade structures.

a. Shall follow those established by the USGS The National Map Program (http://nationalmap.gov/ standards/qmapstds.html).

a. PLSS is comprised of the surveyed townships, sections, and section corners established by the federal Land Ordinance of 1785, which provided for the systematic survey and monumentation of public domain lands, and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Features in this layer represent the survey results that conform to the standards set forth in The Manual of Instructions for the Survey of the Public Lands of The United States (1973), available from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (http://www.blm.gov/cadastral/Manual/73man/id1.htm).

a. shall follow those established by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management http://www.geocommunicator.gov/GeoComm/lsis_home/home/index.htm).

a. The names of features on official maps and in geospatial databases with the purpose to maintain uniform feature name usage throughout state and local government and to provide standard names to the public.

a. Shall be established using the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the federal standard for geographic nomenclature. The USGS developed the GNIS for the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (http://geonames.usgs.gov).