Metadata - Summary of data in the Atlas
The Atlas contains 1158 water resources which includes 14 bays and 888 lakes and 255 rivers and the Gulf of Mexico . Data recorded in the Atlas reaches back 125 years, starting on Saturday, December 30, 1899. The most recent data is from Friday, November 22, 2024. Over 158,811,958 data samples have been included in the Atlas! The samples came from over 120 data sources provided by 42 different data providers. These people and agencies have helped make the Atlas an integral tool for managing our water resources.
Geographic Information Systems Data
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data consists largely of land mapping and spatial data and is used in a wide variety of fields. The lay of the land can affect almost every aspect of life, including an area's culture, government, environment, and commerce, making GIS information important to everyone. Fields such as anthropology, medical science, and natural science use GIS to measure and predict the impact of geography on a region. By mapping water resources, the Atlas provides spatial information useful to citizens, water management professionals, and scientists alike. The following core datasets are processed as part of geospatial analyses, the results of which are presented directly within Atlas components:
| GIS Dataset Name | Data Custodian | Data Current as of: | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 3/20/2005 | |
| 1995 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 4/1/2001 | |
| 1999 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 3/1/2004 | |
| 2004 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 11/23/2006 | |
| 2006 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 11/23/2007 | |
| 2007 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 3/17/2009 | |
| 2008 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 6/1/2010 | |
| 2009 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 6/6/2011 | |
| 2010 Future Land Use | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 7/1/2005 | |
| 2010 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 7/12/2013 | |
| 2011 Aerial Imagery | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 9/24/2012 | |
| 2014 Land-Use and Land-Cover | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 4/1/2019 | |
| Artificial Reefs | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | 8/6/2013 | |
| Bird Rookeries within Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay Estuary Program | 7/1/2005 | |
| City of Tampa Basin Delineations | City of Tampa | 7/1/2005 | |
| Detailed Soil Survey | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 7/1/2005 | |
| Environmental Protection Agency Lake Regions | Environmental Protection Agency | 8/1/1996 | |
| Environmentally Sensitive Land Protection Program | Sarasota County | 3/1/2006 | |
| EPA Impaired Waters & TMDL Data | US Environmental Protection Agency | 10/23/2017 | |
| FDEP Impaired Waters & TMDL Data | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | Not Available | |
| FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps | Federal Emergency Management Agency | 7/1/2005 | |
| Florida Major Roads | Florida Department of Transportation | 7/1/2005 | |
| FNAI Managed Lands / Conservation Data | Florida Natural Areas Inventory | 3/8/2019 | |
| FWRI Sea Turtle Nesting | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | 6/1/2004 | |
| Hillsborough County Lake Bathymetry | University of South Florida Water Institute | 4/1/2006 | |
| Hillsborough County Watershed Delineations | Hillsborough County Government | 9/7/2009 | |
| Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) Basins | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | 9/1/2009 | |
| Manatee Synoptic Surveys | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | 7/1/2005 | |
| Mote Marine Laboratory Manatee Aerial Surveys | Mote Marine Laboratory | Not Available | |
| Non-Restorable Seagrass | Tampa Bay Estuary Program | 7/1/2005 | |
| Oil Spill Sensitive Areas | Tampa Bay Estuary Program | 7/1/2005 | |
| Population Density (2000) | U.S. Department of Commerce | 1/1/2000 | |
| Population Estimates for Watersheds | U.S. Department of Commerce | 12/31/2021 | |
| Sinkholes of Florida | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | 7/1/2005 | |
| SWFWMD Comprehensive Watershed Management Areas | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 8/7/2009 | |
| SWFWMD Radar Rainfall Estimates | Southwest Florida Water Management District | Not Available | |
| SWFWMD Seagrass Beds | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 5/28/2021 | |
| Tampa Bay Estuary Program Watershed Delineations | Tampa Bay Estuary Program | 7/1/2005 | |
| Tampa Bay Hydrography Layer | University of South Florida Water Institute | 7/1/2005 | |
| Tampa Bay Potentiometric Areas | Southwest Florida Water Management District | 7/1/2005 | |
| Tampa Bay Restoration Sites | Tampa Bay Estuary Program | Not Available | |
| Tampa Bay Shoreline - 1950 | Tampa Bay Estuary Program | 7/1/2005 | |
| TIGER Census Data | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | 7/1/2005 | |
| USGS 1:24,000 National Hydrography Dataset | University of South Florida Water Institute | 9/1/2009 | |
| USGS 1970's Land-Use and Land-Cover | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | Not Available | |
| Water Atlas Sample Site Locations | University of South Florida Water Institute | 9/1/2009 | |
| Waters Not Attaining Standards (WNAS) | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | Not Available |
Monitoring and Sampling Data
Citizens, scientists, and professionals all contribute to monitoring and sampling data in many ways. Citizens often provide information such as water levels data through volunteer programs. Scientists and professionals set up equipment at sampling stations for measuring attributes such as water quality and hydrology. They provide the data in various formats to the Atlas, which compiles, organizes, and presents the data to help people better understand the county's water resources.