This project was sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Natural History Survey. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is a state agency responsible for managing, conserving and protecting Illinois’ natural, recreational and cultural resources. The Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) is a premier scientific research organization; it is part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Since 1858, they have been the guardian and recorder of the biological resources of Illinois-state’s biological memory. According to their manifesto, their mission is to “investigate the diversity, life histories and ecology of the plants and animals of the state; to publish result so that those resources can be managed wisely” (https://inhs.illinois.edu/about/about-inhs/).
The source of the data are plat maps and field notebooks that contained details about the survey, as well as notes that have the quality of the landscape, mines, salt lick, watercourses, springs, mill seats and other “remarkable and permanent things”.
The data was used by Surveyors and Cartographers to create a more complete map of the township. It was also used by the Illinois Natural History Survey to create the Early 1800’s land cover map. The format of the data set is in digital vector coverage (shapefiles/geodatabase) representing forests, prairies and wetlands, managed by the Illinois Natural History Survey.
The data wasn’t made available in this case, although the land code value was provided with definitions of some keywords in a tabular format.
A few data clean ups were made. Areas that were mislabeled were corrected, areas that were mis-digitized and had incorrect label had the missing line added and the labels corrected. The effect this cleanup has on the data is clarity, accuracy and trust. For example, the present-day Adams County, a prairie area was mis-digitized and incorrectly labeled as forest. This can cause confusion and misrepresentation, but correcting the data made it more presentable and understandable to anyone with access to that information, making it possible for people to trust the data from the creators.
The goal of creating the data is one of preservation, fostering public understanding and appreciation of resources, safety of natural resources for present and future generation. This might have shaped the data in making sure it is more detailed and accurate.
I could use the data to learn and analyze the soil nutrient composition, health and contamination level of a particular area.