Conventions

Files (mostly raster) were processed through several steps, with new files created at each step.  The problem with renaming raster files is a limitation on file names to 13 characters, which can cause file names to be somewhat puzzling.  (It is also important to remember that file names cannot have spaces; underscores can separate parts of a file name, but underscores are included in the 13-character limit on file names).  Instead of renaming all of the new files created at each step, they were saved at each step in a new folder, which had a name that included 2, 3 or 4 parts separated by underscores.  Part 1 identified if the files were ecogeographic variable (egv) data or species (sp) data.  The second part signified whether the files were vector (shape) data or raster (ASCII, GRID or RST [IDRISI]) data.  The third part indicated whether the files had geographic (GCS) or projected (UTM) coordinate systems.  Part 4 specified if and how the files had been processed (mask, mosaic or boolean).  However, there was one exception to the rule of not renaming new files, which was at the step of converting the files to IDRISI format.  Because these files needed a special ArcScript for conversion of GRID to IDRISI format and because the files needed this format to be used as inputs to Biomapper, they were renamed with the suffix “_idr”.

 

Folder Names

biomapper – contains files of output from the species distribution modeling program Biomapper (http://www2.unil.ch/biomapper)

egv – contains files of ecogeographic variable data, which are spatial data on ecological variables saved as raster files and used as inputs to Biomapper

sp – contains files of species data, which are spatial data on each species saved as vector files, then converted to raster files and used as inputs to Biomapper

egv_ascii – ecogeographic variable data saved in ASCII format

egv_grid_gcs – ecogeographic variable data saved in GRID format in unprojected geographic coordinate system WGS 1984 (WGS – World Geodetic System)

sp_shape – data on locations of each species saved as point features in shapefiles (including data on the boundary of Ethiopia saved as a polygon feature in a shapefile)

sp_grid_utm – species data saved in GRID format in projected coordinate system WGS 1984 UTM Zone 37N (UTM – Universal Transverse Mercator)

egv_grid_utm – same as above but for ecogeographic variable data instead of species data
 
sp_grid_utm_mosaic – data on locations of each species mosaiced with data on the boundary of Ethiopia into new layers for each species

egv_grid_utm_mask – ecogeographic variable data masked to the layer of ecogeographic variable data with the smallest extent

sp_grid_utm_mask – same as above but for species data instead of ecogeographic variable data

sp_grid_utm_boolean – species data saved in binary numeric system

egv_idrisi – ecogeographic variable data in RST format of the GIS software IDRISI (http://www.clarklabs.org/index.cfm)

sp_idrisi – same as above but for species data instead of ecogeographic variable data

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File Names

combbk – Common Bushbuck

eland – Common Eland

grtkudu – Greater Kudu

leskudu – Lesser Kudu

menbbk – Menelik’s Bushbuck

nyala – Mountain Nyala

precip<m> – average monthly precipitation (<m> = month of the year from 1 = January to 12 = December)

tmax<m> – average monthly maximum temperature (<m> = month of the year from 1 = January to 12 = December)

tmean<m> – average monthly mean temperature (<m> = month of the year from 1 = January to 12 = December)

tmin<m> – average monthly minimum temperature (<m> = month of the year from 1 = January to 12 = December)

bioclim<x> – bioclimatic variables derived from precipitation and temperature measurements (<x> = code of variable from 1 to 19)

elev – elevation provided in DEM layer

slope – slope derived from DEM layer

eastness – aspect to east or west derived from DEM layer

northness – aspect to north or south derived from DEM layer

landcover – land cover derived from AVHRR satellite imagery

lc_combbk – land cover reclassified for Common Bushbuck

lc_eland – land cover reclassified for Common Eland

lc_grtkudu – land cover reclassified for Greater Kudu

lc_leskudu – land cover reclassified for Lesser Kudu

lc_menbbk – land cover reclassified for Menelik’s Bushbuck

lc_nyala – land cover reclassified for Mountain Nyala

npp – net primary productivity derived from AVHRR satellite imagery

treecover – tree cover derived from AVHRR satellite imagery

radi – solar radiation derived from DEM layer

* See GIS Concepts for further information on Biomapper, ecogeographic variable maps, species maps, digital elevation models, land cover classes and bioclimatic variables.

** See GIS Analyses for further information on converting data file formats, mosaicing layers, masking layers and booleanizing layers.

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