Spatial Mapping and Attribution of Wyoming Wind Turbines, 2012

By Michael S. O'Donnell and Tammy S. Fancher

2014

U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 828

ABSTRACT:

These data represent locations of wind turbines found within Wyoming as of August 2012. We assigned each wind turbine to a wind farm and, in these data, provide information about each turbine’s potential megawatt output, rotor diameter, hub height, rotor height, the status of the land ownership where the turbine exists, the county each turbine is located in, wind farm power capacity, the number of units currently associated with each wind farm, the wind turbine manufacturer and model, the wind farm developer, the owner of the wind farm, the current purchaser of power from the wind farm, the year the wind farm went online, and the status of its operation. Some of the attributes are estimates based on the information we found via the American Wind Energy Association and other on-line reports. The locations are derived from National Agriculture Imagery Program (2009 and 2012) true color aerial photographs and have a positional accuracy of approximately +/-5 meters.
 
These data will provide a planning tool for wildlife- and habitat-related projects underway at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Fort Collins Science Center and other government and non-government organizations. Specifically, we will use these data to support quantifying disturbances of the landscape as related to wind energy as well as to quantify indirect disturbances to flora and fauna. This data set represents an update to a previous version by O’Donnell and Fancher (2010). 


DISCLAIMERS:

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also contains copyrighted materials as noted in the text.  Permission to reproduce copyrighted items for other than personal use must be secured from the copyright owner.

Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or 
contained herein.

This data base, identified as DS 828, has been approved for release and publication by the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.  Although this database has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete,the U.S. Geological Survey reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that neither the U.S. geological Survey nor the U.S. Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use.

CONTENTS:

00Readme.txt

datafiles:
	1. Shapefile
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.dbf
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.prj
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.sbn
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.sbx
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.shp
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.shp.xml
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.shx
		WY_WindTurbineLocations_2012.txt

INSTRUCTIONS AND DOCUMENTATION FOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DATA SERIES 828

To access the data:

The data files can be downloaded via the web from http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds828. A product description is avialable as a Portable Document Format (.pdf) pamphlet which requires Adobe Acrobat for viewing. Acrobat software runs on a variety of systems, and is available for download free of charge from Adobe at http://www.adobe.com.

Software Recommended:
Adobe Acrobat (8.x, 9.x, or X), or Adobe Acrobat Pro (8.x, 9.x X), or the free Adobe Reader (8.x, 9.x X), X is preferred. ArcGIS 10.x preferred, older and newer versions may also work. Additonal free software that allow users to read these files include: File Geodatabase API (http://www.esri.com/apps/products/download/) and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop (http://www.esri.com/apps/products/download/).