Selecting Keywords for Data Publications in the Forest Service Research Data Archive

There are 3 different types of Theme Keywords we use in our data publications:

  1. Thesaurus = None
    • Here the author can provide any keywords they choose for their data publication
    • Words should all be lower case, unless the word should be capitalized
  2. Thesaurus = ISO 19115 Topic Category
    • Choose from the list of words provided below
    • Capitalize the letters exactly as shown below

    https://www.fgdc.gov/dataandservices/pub_guidance - Appendix A

    ISO 19115 Topic Category Code Description / Examples
    farming 001 rearing of animals and/or cultivation of plants

    Examples: agriculture, irrigation, aquaculture, plantations, herding, pests and diseases affecting crops and livestock

    biota 002 flora and/or fauna in natural environment

    Examples: wildlife, vegetation, biological sciences, ecology, wilderness, sea life, wetlands, habitat, biological resources

    boundaries 003 legal land descriptions

    Examples: political and administrative boundaries, governmental units, marine boundaries, voting districts, school districts, international boundaries

    climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere 004 processes and phenomena of the atmosphere

    Examples: cloud cover, weather, climate, atmospheric conditions, climate change, precipitation

    economy 005 economic activities, conditions, and employment

    Examples: production, labor, revenue, business, commerce, industry, tourism and ecotourism, forestry, fisheries, commercial or subsistence hunting, exploration and exploitation of resources such as minerals, oil and gas

    elevation 006 height above or below sea level

    Examples: altitude, bathymetry, digital elevation models, slope, derived products, DEMs, TINs

    environment 007 environmental resources, protection and conservation

    Examples: environmental pollution, waste storage and treatment, environmental impact assessment, monitoring environmental risk, nature reserves, landscape, water quality, air quality, environmental modeling

    geoscientificInformation 008 information pertaining to earth sciences

    Examples: geophysical features and processes, geology, minerals, sciences dealing with the composition, structure and origin of the earth's rocks, risks of earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, gravity information, soils, permafrost, hydrogeology, groundwater, erosion

    health 009 health, health services, human ecology, and safety

    Examples: disease and illness, factors affecting health, hygiene, substance abuse, mental and physical health, health services, health care providers, public health

    imageryBaseMapsEarthCover 010 base maps

    Examples: land/earth cover, topographic maps, imagery, unclassified images, annotations, digital ortho imagery

    intelligenceMilitary 011 military bases, structures, activities

    Examples: barracks, training grounds, military transportation, information collection

    inlandWaters 012 inland water features, drainage systems and characteristics

    Examples: rivers and glaciers, salt lakes, water utilization plans, dams, currents, floods and flood hazards, water quality, hydrographic charts, watersheds, wetlands, hydrography

    location 013 positional information and services

    Examples: addresses, geodetic networks, geodetic control points, postal zones and services, place names, geographic names

    Oceans 014 features and characteristics of salt water bodies (excluding inland waters)

    Examples: tides, tidal waves, coastal information, reefs, maritime, outer continental shelf submerged lands, shoreline

    planningCadastre 015 information used for appropriate actions for future use of the land

    Examples: land use maps, zoning maps, cadastral surveys, land ownership, parcels, easements, tax maps, federal land ownership status, public land conveyance records

    society 016 characteristics of society and culture

    Examples: settlements, housing, anthropology, archaeology, education, traditional beliefs, manners and customs, demographic data, tourism, recreational areas and activities, parks, recreational trails, historical sites, cultural resources, social impact assessments, crime and justice, law enforcement, census information, immigration, ethnicity

    Structure 017 man-made construction

    Examples: buildings, museums, churches, factories, housing, monuments, shops, towers, building footprints, architectural and structural plans

    transportation 018 means and aids for conveying persons and/or goods

    Examples: roads, airports/airstrips, shipping routes, tunnels nautical charts, vehicle or vessel location, aeronautical charts, railways

    utilitiesCommunication 019 energy, water and waste systems and communications infrastructure and services

    Examples: hydroelectricity, geothermal, solar and nuclear sources of energy, water purification and distribution, sewage collection and disposal, electricity and gas distribution, data communication, telecommunication, radio, communication networks

  3. National Research & Development Taxonomy
    • Choose any Tier 1 and Tier 2 words that apply
    • If you choose a Tier 2 word, you should include the Tier 1 word as well
    National R&D Taxonomy - Tier 1 National R&D Taxonomy - Tier 2
    Climate change
    Climate change Carbon
    Climate change Climate change effects
    Climate change Climatology
    Climate change Ecological adaptation
    Climate change Human response
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Animal ecology
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Ecology
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Geography
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Geology
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Hydrology, watersheds, sedimentation
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Landscape ecology
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Plant ecology
    Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment Soil
    Environment and People
    Environment and People Archaeology, anthropology
    Environment and People Community development
    Environment and People Decision making, public involvement
    Environment and People History
    Environment and People Impact of people on environment
    Environment and People Partnerships
    Environment and People Quality of life
    Environment and People Recreation
    Environment and People Social values, ethics
    Environment and People Urban natural resources management
    Fire
    Fire Fire detection
    Fire Fire ecology
    Fire Fire effects on environment
    Fire Fire suppression, pre‐suppression
    Fire Prescribed fire
    Fire Smoke
    Fire Wildland/urban interface
    Forest & Plant Health
    Forest & Plant Health Air, soil, water pollution (environmental injury)
    Forest & Plant Health Animal damage
    Forest & Plant Health Botany
    Forest & Plant Health Climate effects
    Forest & Plant Health Human effects
    Forest & Plant Health Insects
    Forest & Plant Health Invasive species
    Forest & Plant Health Mycology
    Forest & Plant Health Pest management
    Forest & Plant Health Plant diseases
    Forest & Plant Health Rangeland plants
    Forest Products
    Forest Products Bioenergy and biomass
    Forest Products Composites
    Forest Products Forest products engineering
    Forest Products Forest products industry
    Forest Products Nanotechnology
    Forest Products Non‐wood forest products
    Forest Products Pulp & paper
    Forest Products Structure design, engineering, and properties
    Forest Products Wood chemistry
    Forest Products Wood damage and preservation
    Forest Products Wood properties
    Forest Products Wood utilization
    Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
    Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis Assessments
    Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis Biometrics
    Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis Monitoring
    Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis Resource inventory
    Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis Techniques
    Natural Resource Management & Use
    Natural Resource Management & Use Agroforestry
    Natural Resource Management & Use Conservation
    Natural Resource Management & Use Economics
    Natural Resource Management & Use Ecosystem services
    Natural Resource Management & Use Engineering, roads, bridges
    Natural Resource Management & Use Forest management
    Natural Resource Management & Use Landscape management
    Natural Resource Management & Use Mining & mineral resources, oil & gas
    Natural Resource Management & Use Policies and law
    Natural Resource Management & Use Range management & grazing
    Natural Resource Management & Use Restoration
    Natural Resource Management & Use Timber
    Natural Resource Management & Use Water
    Natural Resource Management & Use Wilderness
    Wildlife (or Fauna)
    Wildlife (or Fauna) Amphibians
    Wildlife (or Fauna) Birds
    Wildlife (or Fauna) Fish
    Wildlife (or Fauna) Habitat management
    Wildlife (or Fauna) Invertebrates
    Wildlife (or Fauna) Mammals
    Wildlife (or Fauna) Reptiles
https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/submitdata/Keywords_for_FS-RDA_archive