Management Requirement Shape Considerations

Data Managers need to be aware of these considerations while working with Management Requirement (MR) shapes:

• A Management Requirement shape is not visible to users unless it is associated with an activated Management Requirement.
• WFDSS users can only view activated Management Requirements in the LayerSwitcher and on map displays.
• Data Managers cannot edit an activated Management Requirement for use with a Management Requirement shape. If the requirement needs editing, you must deactivate the requirement and create a new requirement.
• Replacing a Management Requirement shape automatically deactivates any associated Management Requirements but immediately copies and activates these requirements with the new shape.
• You cannot delete a Management Requirement shape associated with an activated Management Requirement.
• Only National Editors and Data Managers can view non-activated Management Requirements.

Management Requirement Shape Data Requirements

There are no formal data standards for Management Requirement (MR) shapes. Each shapefile uploaded represents the spatial area for a single management requirement. MR shapes must be polygons. If you wish to represent a management requirement as a line or point, you'll need to buffer them into a polygon before attempting to use them as an MR shape.

If the incoming shapefile has multiple records, WFDSS dissolves them into a single polygon. Attributes in the shapefile are ignored; the Management Requirement label and description are entered into the WFDSS Data Management/Unit Shapes tab when the MR shapefile is uploaded. If you wish to load multiple MRs, you must load them one shapefile at a time.

There is a 150,000-vertex limit for MR shapes. It is important to consider that for shapes that extend beyond the unit boundary. By default, WFDSS clips MR shapes to unit boundaries. This step ensures that you do not have any Management Requirements that apply outside your area. This can result in a fairly simple MR shape gaining significant complexity when the unit boundary is complex in the area where the clip occurred. For example, a shape with 129K vertices could bounce back with a message telling you that there were 150K vertices. Pay attention to the error messages you get if an MR shape fails to load. It will often mention that a clip occurred and there was a violation of the vertex limit.

Here are some tips for dealing with complex MR shapes:

You can count the vertices in your MR shape in ArcGIS by adding a Double field called "VertCnt" and calculating its value with the FieldCalculator Python expression: !shape!.pointcount. Make sure the Python Parser radio button is selected.

Here are some tips for dealing with MR shapes that become unwieldy due to the boundary clipping issue.

The current vertex limit for Management Requirements is 150K. You can count the vertices in your upload shape in ArcGIS by adding a Double field called "VertCnt" and calculating its value with the FieldCalculator Python expression: !shape!.pointcount Make sure the Python Parser radio button is selected.

You can 'thin" a shape's vertices with the Simplify Polygon tool to get it under the limit.

WFDSS clips the Management Requirement shape with the Unit boundary (all the FMU/SO shapes for that unit merged). This step ensures that you do not have management requirements that apply outside your unit, and is therefore necessary. If you have a complex boundary, that can add many vertices, so a shape under the limit does not guarantee success. (For example, a shape with 129K vertices could bounce back with bounce with a message telling you that there were 150K vertices.)

If you hit the limit try one or more of the following:

• Ensure the shape you upload is a Multipart polygon (one table record) instead of a Singlepart Polygon (multiple table records). Use the Dissolve tool in ArcGIS to accomplish this.
• Ensure the shape you upload is already in the NAD83 Geographic coordinate system (GCS_North_American_1983), otherwise WFDSS reprojects it which may add vertices.
• Run Repair Geometry on shape before uploading to get rid of invalid geometries.
• Clip the shape to your FMU/SO boundaries prior to uploading, otherwise WFDSS clips and may add vertices.
• If that fails, run the Buffer tool on your uploaded shape using a small negative buffer value (e.g., -2 meters). This may reduce the likelihood that WFDSS shape processing will lead to an increased number of vertices. Clip and Run Repair Geometry again for good measure.

In This Section About Shapes Management Requirement Shapes and Vertex Limits

See Also Incident and Analysis Level Shapes Shape Privileges by User Role Considerations for Uploading Unit Shapes Complex Shapes Management Requirement Shapes Strategic Objective Shapes

Reference Field Descriptions Glossary Resources Spatial Data Reference Landscape Data Source Reference Relative Risk Reference Organization Assessment Reference Fire Behavior Reference About the WFDSS Decision Editors