World Data bank 2 (WDb-2)

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Data Set ID: GNV24
Original data set from: UNEP/DEIA/GRID-Geneva

UNEP/GRID Documentation Summary for Data Set:
World Data bank 2 (WDb-2)

The original World Data bank (WDb) 2 product was digitized between 1972 and 1977 by the U. S. Department of State's (DoS) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and released to the public in the latter year. While the nominal scale of maps used for WDb-2 was one to 3 million (1:3,000,000), parts of Europe, Central America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East were digitized at 1:1,000,000, and the former northeastern USSR and Antarctica were input at 1:4,000,000. The GRID version of WDb-2 is in an ARC/INFO 'EXPORT' format and contains a series of geographical areas (Asia and Australia; Africa and Europe; North and South America), each of which includes a variety of thematic coverages as follows: WDb-2 uses map scales from 1:1,000,000 to 1:4,000,000; nominally, a scale of 1:3,000,000 was used to achieve the amount of detail desired. A total of 19 coverages ('EXPORT' data files) are available, and all data have been kept in their original line topology; that is, no data have been converted to polygons. Users who require boundary-related data in polygon format (e.g., country polygons) are encouraged to obtain the generalized version of World Boundaries from GRID instead.

WDb-2 is recommended for users who need detailed boundary data at the continental, regional or national level. Users who need less detailed boundary data at a global level only are again referred to the more generalized version, which has sufficient detail for global-scale applications. Typically, users of WDb-2 have a study area within a single continent or region. Although most large countries exhibit reasonably detailed features (administrative boundaries, rivers, roads and railways) within their boundaries, many smaller countries do not. Also, some of the WDb-2 coverages are inconsistent at the national level, and many countries lack at least one of the thematic types of information (e.g., internal boundaries and/or roads) altogether.

WDb-2 consists of the following coverages:

AMALLBDXAmericas (all); National Boundaries
AMALLBDIAmericas (all); Internal Boundaries
AMALLRRRAmericas (all); Railways
AMCENROACentral America; Roads
AMNORCILNorth America; Coastlines, Islands and Lakes
AMNORRIVNorth America; Rivers, major-minor-others
AMSUDCILSouth America; Coastlines, Islands and Lakes
AMSUDRIVSouth America; Rivers, major-minor-others

ASIA_BDXAsia; National Boundaries
ASIA_BDIAsia; Internal Boundaries
ASIA_CILAsia; Coastlines, Islands and Lakes
ASIA_RIVAsia; Rivers, major-minor-others
ASIA_ROAAsia; Roads
ASIA_RRRAsia; Railways

AFEURBDXAfrica and Europe; National Boundaries
AFEURBDIAfrica and Europe; Internal Boundaries
AFEURCILAfrica and Europe; Coastlines, Islands and Lakes
AFEURRIVAfrica and Europe; Rivers, major-minor-others
AFEURRRRAfrica and Europe; Railways

Code descriptions for the various attributes are as follows:

CIL - Coastlines, Islands and Lakes:ehp2.

01Coastlines, islands and lakes
02Additional major islands and lakes
03Intermediate islands and lakes
04Minor islands and lakes
06Intermittent major lakes
07Intermittent minor lakes
08Reefs
09Salt pans, major
10Salt pans, minor
13Ice shelves, major
14Ice shelves, minor
15Glaciers

RIV - Rivers; major, minor and others:ehp2.

01Permanent major rivers
02Additional major rivers
03Additional rivers
04Minor rivers
05Double-lined rivers
06Intermittent rivers, major
07Intermittent rivers, additional
08Intermittent rivers, minor
10Major canals
11Canals of lesser importance
12Canals, irrigation type

BDX - National Boundaries or Limits of Sovereignty:ehp2.

01Demarcated or delimited
02Indefinite or in dispute
03Other line of separation or sovereignty on land

BDI - Internal Boundaries:ehp2.

01First-order administration

For Roads (ROA) and Railways (RRR), no special codes exist.

The reference to this data set is as follows:
"CIA, 1972. World Data bank 2. Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C. USA."