Field data for the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Cape Lookout National Monument

This reference is an assemblage of field data collected as part the baseline vegetation inventory for the park unit. Typical files here are vegetation plot data, accuracy assessment data, field photos, PDF showing locations of vegetation plots and accuracy assessment data, and other data for this type. The mapping area is 10,715 hectares (ha, 41.4 sqare miles [mi2] or 26,477 acres [ac]) encompassing the entire boundary of Cape Lookout and an additional buffered area. NatureServe ecologists identified plant associations for Cape Lookout and a remote sensing specialist from the network completed the vegetation mapping using 1:12,000-scale, color-infrared aerial photography and digital orthophotography. NatureServe collected vegetation and environmental data from 81 vegetation classification plots, and the remote sensing specialist assessed 110 observation points. Southeast Coast Network staff conducted an accuracy assessment (AA), which entailed sampling 310 additional points. Fieldwork and mapping were completed between 2005 and 2014. A thematic accuracy assessment (AA) study was conducted on the nine map classes within the boundary of Cape Lookout representing floristic types within the NVCS. Results present an overall accuracy of 88.6% (Kappa statistic = 76.8 %) based on data from 310 AA sites.