Designation: D 7443 – 08
Standard Practice for
Minimum Geospatial Data for Underground Coal Mining
Extents1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 7443; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope
1.1 This practice covers the minimum elements for the
accurate location and description of data for defining under-
ground coal mining extents.
1.1.1 This practice addresses coal mining geospatial data
relative to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977 (SMCRA).2 This geospatial data shall be obtained from
each state, tribal, or federal (or combinations thereof) coal
mining Regulatory Authority (RA) authorized under SMCRA
to regulate the surface effects of underground coal mining
operations (UCMO).
1.1.2 As used in this practice, underground coal mining
extents represent an area where coal removal has occurred
within a defined UCMO.
1.2 This practice applies to pre-SMCRA and post-SMCRA
underground coal mining extents.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
1.4 This practice offers a set of instructions for performing
one or more specific operations. This document cannot replace
education or experience and should be used in conjunction
with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this practice may
be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not
intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which
the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged,
nor should this document be applied without consideration of
a project’s many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the
title of this document means only that the document has been
approved through the ASTM consensus process.
1
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and
Rock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.01 on Surface and
Subsurface Characterization.
Current edition approved April 1, 2008. Published April 2008.
2
Public Law 95-87, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
(SMCRA), passed August 3, 1977, as amended.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
1
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards: 3
D 653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained
Fluids
D 5254 Practice for Minimum Set of Data Elements to
Identify a Ground-Water Site
D 5911 Practice for Minimum Set of Data Elements to
Identify a Soil Sampling Site
D 7384 Practice for Minimum Geospatial Data for a Coal
Surface Mining Permit Boundary
2.2 ANSI Standards:4
ANSI INCITS 61-1986 (R2002) Geographic Point Loca-
tions for Information Interchange, Representation of (for-
merly ANSI X3.61-1986 (R1997))
ANSI INCITS 320-1998 (R2003) Information technology-
Spatial Data Transfer
2.3 Federal Geographic Data Committee Standards:5
FGDC-STD-001 Content Standard for Digital Geospatial
Metadata
2.4 Code of Federal Regulations:6
30 CFR Part 700 et seq.
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions: Except as listed or noted below, all defini-
tions are in accordance with Terminology D 653.
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
3.2.1 active UCMO—a UCMO that has ongoing under-
ground coal production, reclamation activities, or both.
3
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
the ASTM website.
4
Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,
4th Floor, New York, NY 10036, http://www.ansi.org.
5
Available from Federal Geographic Data Committee, 590 National Center,
Reston, VA 20192, http://www.fgdc.gov.
6
Available from U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents,
732 N. Capitol St., NW, Mail Stop: SDE, Washington, DC 20401, http://
www.access.gpo.gov.
 D 7443 – 08
3.2.2 attribute—a defined characteristic of a feature type
(for example, an attribute of Permit Status feature type =
active).
3.2.3 attribute value—a specific quality or quantity as-
signed to an attribute for a specific feature instance.
3.2.4 contact—jurisdictional regulatory authority respon-
sible for issuance and compliance of a coal-mining permit.
3.2.5 data status—date when state and tribal data, or fea-
ture, was edited in national UCMO permit data set.
3.2.6 domain—a finite list (or range) of permissible values
for a specified attribute. Included are tables of: units of
measure, types, styles, status, names, methods, materials,
dispositions, sources, dimensions, data, classes, etc. (for ex-
ample, active, inactive, NA).
3.2.7 feature class—a logical group of related feature types
(for example, grouping of water system components feature
types such as water hydrant, water line, water pump, water
reservoir, water tank, etc. into a water system feature class).
3.2.8 feature instance—real-world spatial phenomenon
about which data is collected, maintained, and disseminated.
Feature instances are the geospatial objects that are graphically
delineated in a spatial database.
3.2.9 feature type—definition and description of a set (class
of real world phenomena) into which similar feature instances
are classified (for example, water reservoir).
3.2.10 g-ring—a ring created from strings, arcs, or both.
3.2.11 g-polygon—an area consisting of an interior area,
one outer g-ring and zero or more non-intersecting, non-nested
inner g-rings. No ring, inner or outer, must be collinear or
intersect any other ring of the same g-polygon.
3.2.12 inactive UCMO—a UCMO that has no coal extrac-
tion or reclamation activity taking place.
3.2.13 national ID—permit ID assigned to UCMO by RA,
prefixed with state or tribal abbreviation.
3.2.14 National Mine Map Repository—the National Mine
Map Repository (NMMR), is part of the United States Depart-
ment of the Interior (DOI), Office of Surface Mining Recla-
mation and Enforcement (OSM). It is the central location
where OSM collects, archives and maintains over 134 000
abandoned (coal and non-coal) mine map images and informa-
tion on microfilm and in their database for the entire country.
This information is available to the public.
NOTE 1—Images are archived on microfilm or in electronic format at
the repository, but the actual maps are returned to their owners.
3.2.15 line segment—a direct line between two points.
3.2.16 permit—written authorization to conduct coal min-
ing and reclamation operations issued by a RA to a permittee.
3.2.17 permit area—the area of land, indicated on the latest
map approved by the RA, upon which the permittee may
conduct coal mining and reclamation operations.
3.2.18 permit boundary—the border of potential coal min-
ing operations indicated on the latest map approved by the RA.
3.2.19 permit ID—unique identifier assigned by the RA for
administrative purposes.
3.2.20 permit status—to distinguish between active and
inactive UCMO.
2
3.2.21 permittee—an entity to whom a permit has been
issued by a RA to conduct underground coal mining and
reclamation operations.
3.2.22 point—a zero-dimensional geometric object that
specifies geographic location.
3.2.23 polygon—a two-dimensional closed geometric shape
that specifies a geographic area.
3.2.24 reclamation—those actions taken to restore mined
land to the post-mining land use approved by the RA.
3.2.25 regulatory authority—entity with exclusive jurisdic-
tion over the regulation of coal mining and reclamation
operations under a program approved by the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of the Interior.
3.2.26 underground coal mining extents—underground
mining areas where coal extraction has occurred; the perimeter
of mine workings or coal extraction areas in an UCMO.
3.3 Acronyms:
3.3.1 UCMO—Underground Coal Mining Operations(s)
3.3.2 NMDS—National Map Data Steward, the OSM des-
ignated liaison with the RA
3.3.3 OSM—Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement, U.S. Department of the Interior
3.3.4 RA—Regulatory Authority
3.3.5 SMCRA—Surface Mining Control and Reclamation
Act of 1977, as amended
3.3.6 MSHA—Mine Safety and Health Administration
3.3.7 NMMR—National Mine Map Repository
4. Significance and Use
4.1 This practice addresses underground coal mining extent
geospatial data relative to the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). This practice is signifi-
cant to the coal mining community because it provides for
uniformity of geospatial data pertaining to underground coal
mine extents for mines located throughout the United States.
These standards will help ensure uniformity of data contributed
by each RA and assist organizations in future efforts to create
and utilize geospatial data relative to underground coal mining
extents in the United States. The first standard developed is
Practice D 7384, Practice for Minimum Geospatial Data for a
Coal Surface Mining Permit Boundary.
4.2 Underground mine geospatial data shall be obtained
from State and Federal regulatory authorities for underground
mining extents. The coal mining community encompasses all
entities directly and indirectly affected by coal mining activi-
ties, including industry, environmental groups and the govern-
ment at all levels within the United States. Use of this standard
will help create consistent maps and increase awareness of
underground mining extents throughout the United States. This
standard creates well organized and easily accessible under-
ground coal mining extents data, and it will lead to better
communication between the RAs and federal offices, the
public, industry and environmental groups.
4.3 As used in this practice, the geospatial data represents an
area where coal removal occurred within a defined UCMO. An
underground mine extent is defined as a polygon or polygons.
A lack of data from any RA will create a gap in the national
underground mining extents geospatial data set. This national
coal mining data set consists of underground coal mining
 D 7443 – 08
extents data from each RA, which will show the locations of
underground coal mines throughout the United States. Cur-
rently, each coal producing state organizes their data in a
different method, and their own naming conventions and
terminology. By establishing national geospatial data stan-
dards, guidance is provided to RA coal mining programs that
do not have any geospatial data standards of their own. This
practice creates an easier and more efficient way to utilize and
share underground mining extent geospatial data between RAs
and the coal mining community.
4.4 If there is a lack of uniform practices among RAs,
certain attributes of the underground coal mining extents data
may not be present in some RAs’s geospatial data. If this is the
case, the finished data set for underground coal mining extents
will appear to be incomplete for certain states, but in reality,
some underground coal mining extents geospatial data will not
be collected for those states, since it may not be applicable to
them.
4.5 This standard conforms to the definition of a Data
Content Standard as promulgated by the U.S. Federal Geo-
graphic Data Committee (FGDC). Terminology and definitions
for identifying geographical features and describing the data
model have been adopted from the FGDC Spatial Data
Transfer Standard.
4.6 Although this standard is written specifically for the
underground coal mining industry, its general purpose and
content may be applicable to other underground mining ex-
tents.
5. Procedure
5.1 Introduction—The list of underground coal mining ex-
tents’ individual location characteristics (also known as at-
tributes) represent the minimum data elements necessary to
develop and maintain a nationwide geospatial data set depict-
ing underground coal mining extents. The data set may serve as
a layer in The National Map, an online, interactive map service
sponsored by a consortium of US Federal, State, and local
partners and hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The National Map provides a consistent framework for high-
quality, geospatial data and information from multiple partners
to enhance America’s ability to access, integrate, and apply
current, accurate, and nationally consistent digital data at
global, national, and local scales.
5.2 Coordinates and Related Data—Coordinates and re-
lated geospatial data allow underground coal mining extents to
be accurately positioned on the earth’s surface in a variety of
recognized datums, grid systems, and geographic projections.
The underground coal mining extents are compiled from
various SMCRA state and tribal data resources that utilize
different datums and coordinate and projection systems. All
data will have identified datums and coordinate and projection
systems with associated precision or accuracy (or both) values
and will be re-projected to match the spatial reference param-
eters utilized in The National Map. The North American Datum
of 1983 (NAD 83) should be used as the datum. ANSI INCITS
61-1986 (R2002) contains additional guidance on representa-
tion of coordinates.
5.3 OSM will coordinate with the National Map Data
Steward (NMDS) to make available a service containing access
to a national data set of underground coal mining extents. This
national data set will have the minimum attributes specified in
Table 1. Extraneous attributes or fields will be removed. The
NMDS will perform a format check to determine if the
submittal meets the standard. The NMDS also will conduct a
technical review of the data to assess the accuracy and
characteristics of the data files.

Underground
Coal Mining Definition Example Data Type Domain Comment
Extent Attribute
State/Tribe Unique identifier 2939829 Text Alphanumeric
Mine ID
MSHA ID Not unique but does link 39-39022 Text Alphanumeric
to other data sets
Company Responsibility XYZ Coal Co. Text Alphanumeric
Mine Name Common name for mine Peterson Mine Text Alphanumeric
Coal Bed Name Geologic name, as reported in the Appleton no. 2 Text Alphanumeric
permit document, or determined
by the RA or unknown/undetermined
Source Map Year* Latest year on map 1977 Text Year The source document
may not represent
the “final” mine extent
National ID State/tribal Abbrev. WV1201834 Text Alphanumeric
+ Mine ID
Contact Source for Data West Virginia Department Text Alphanumeric,
of Environmental Protection added automatically
Data Status Last Edit Date 01/30/2007 Date Last Updated/ Changed To determine last
update of data
Comment Any additional comment, Multi seam, Text Alphanumeric
as reported by combined surface &
the RA underground operation
Mine Status Status Active Text Active, inactive, abandoned
Mine Type Type of underground Longwall Text Longwall, Room & Pillar
mining operation
National Mine Map National Mine Map 700000 Text Alphanumeric This ID is generated by
Repository ID Repository ID the NMMR after submittal and
(NMMR ID) acceptance of a map
into the repository collection

3
 D 7443 – 08
5.3.1 X-Coordinate—Universally longitude, however, most
coordinate systems are convertible to longitude (See Practices
D 5254 and D 5911).
5.3.2 Y-Coordinate—Universally latitude, however, most
coordinate systems are convertible to latitude (See Practices
D 5254 and D 5911).
5.3.3 Size Measurements—Distance in feet or meters, or
land area in acres or hectares, derived from the X and Y
coordinate positions for length and width of an UCMO.
5.3.4 Character Limitation—Use no special characters or
blanks in the layer name.
5.3.5 Consistent and Unique Naming Conventions—Use
consistent and unique layer names, for example, consistent—
use countyroads and cityroads, as opposed to roadscounty and
cityroads; for example, unique—there can only be one “coun-
ties” layer in the entire database.
5.3.6 Origin of Underground Coal Mining Extents
Geometry—The feature geometry must originate from the best
data available to the RA. For contemporary, post-SMCRA,
underground coal mining extents, feature geometry and at-
tributes will be captured using the most recent approved map
submitted to the RA. For many older, pre-SMCRA under-
ground mining extents, capture of feature geometry and at-
tributes will have to be completed utilizing the best available
map resources.
5.3.7 Geometry Type—Required geometry is closed poly-
gon and vector feature type.
5.3.8 Data Type—Data can be provided as a shapefile,
coverage, geodatabase feature class, or xml recordset. RAs are
strongly encouraged to adopt enterprise geodatabase methods
where practicable to maximize efficiency.
5.3.9 Datum and Projection—Datum (for example,
NAD27, NAD83, WGS84) and projection (for example, state
plane) specified in metadata record; provide the projection file,
if available.
5.3.10 Metadata—Metadata documentation meets FGDC
standards such as FGDC-STD-001 and is in .txt, .xml, or. sgml
format. Metadata is generally created in a FGDC text format;
data in shapefile or coverage format can generate metadata
documentation in .xml format.
5.4 SMCRA Entities—State and tribal regulatory entities
established under SMCRA and recognized by a national
governmental agency for the purpose of regulating a land area
upon which coal mining operations are conducted.
5.4.1 Introduction—A description of SMCRA governmental
divisions helps in identification and organization of UCMO
Permit Boundary data.
5.4.2 Offıce of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforce-
ment (OSM)—OSM is a federal government division within
the United States Department of Interior (DOI). The SMCRA
gives primary responsibility for regulating UCMOs to the
States and Indian Tribes. Twenty-four coal resource states have
been granted primary regulatory authority over UCMOs, also
known as “primacy”. On federal lands, some Indian lands, and
in the coal producing states that have not set up regulatory
programs of their own (Tennessee and Washington), the OSM
issues the coal mine permits, conducts the inspections, and
handles the enforcement responsibilities.
4
5.4.3 State—This is the first political subdivision below the
federal government. The twenty-four “primacy” states include
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Mis-
souri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyo-
ming.
5.4.4 Tribe—Any Native American tribe, band, group, or
community having a governing body recognized by the DOI
Secretary that has assumed full regulatory authority over the
administration and enforcement of regulation of UCMOs on
Native American lands. The recognized Native American
Tribes include Navajo, Hopi, Northern Cheyenne, and Crow.
5.5 Underground Coal Mining Extents Individual Location
Characteristics—Individual location characteristics, or at-
tributes, are information about a particular polygon. Each
attribute associated with a polygon contributes to the unique
identity of the site and helps in analysis and retrieval of
additional information.
5.5.1 Introduction—The data set is subject to change as a
result of regulatory actions that may change the boundary area
or change feature attribute data. If detailed underground coal
mining extents information is needed, the appropriate regula-
tory entity should be contacted for additional information.
5.5.2 Object ID—A GIS system-managed value that
uniquely identifies a record or feature geometry.
5.5.3 State/Tribe Mine ID—The unique identifier assigned
by the regulatory entity which issues a coal mining and
reclamation permit; the identifier is usually a number or
alphanumeric combination.
5.5.4 MSHA ID—The unique identifier assigned by the
Mine Safety and Health Administration. The identifier is
usually a number or alphanumeric combination.
5.5.5 Company—The name of the coal company that oper-
ated the underground mine.
5.5.6 Mine Name—The common name for the underground
coal mine.
5.5.7 Coal Bed Name—The geologic name of the coal seam
extracted, as reported in the permit document, determined by
the RA, or unknown/undertermined.
5.5.8 Source Map Year—The date of the source document
that was used to generate the underground coal mining extent
data. The source document may not represent the “final” mine
extent.
5.5.9 National ID—A unique identifier created by combin-
ing the standard state or tribal abbreviation code and the
State/Tribe Mine ID assigned by the regulatory entity; this
unique identifier helps in organization, retrieval, and analysis
of individual state or tribal data combined into the nationwide
data set.
5.5.10 Contact—The contact information for the regulatory
entity responsible for overseeing the permitted mining opera-
tions and for creating or maintaining the underground coal
mining extent data.
5.5.11 Data Status—Represents the last edit date (the last
time the record was updated or changed) for a particular
polygon shape included in the underground coal mining extent
data as recorded by the RA.
 D 7443 – 08
5.5.12 Comment—Any additional comment relevant to the
underground mining operation, as reported by the RA.
5.5.13 Mine Status—The regulatory status of the under-
ground mining operation, as reported by the RA, that is, active,
inactive, or abandoned.
5.5.14 Mine Type—The type of underground mining opera-
tion, as reported in the permit document, that is, longwall or
room and pillar.
5.5.15 National Mine Map Repository ID—The unique
identifier assigned by the NMMR when a map is added to the
repository collection; the identifier is usually a number or
alphanumeric combination.
6. Keywords
6.1 coal mine limits; coal mining permit; coal permit
boundary; SMCRA; underground coal design; underground
coal mining extents; underground coal mining operations;
underground coal workings

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