This report contains data layers (or themes) that can be used to create views of the sidescan-sonar imagery. Enhanced grayscale GeoTIFFs produced from the NOAA sidescan-sonar surveys are provided in geographic and Universal Transverse Mercator (Zone 19). Supplied vector data consists of a polygon data layer that provides the coastline for the Massachusetts project area.

Data layers are provided with geographic coordinates to allow the data to be integrated into a GIS (Geographic Information System).  A GIS is defined as a system of hardware and software to support the display, manipulation, and analysis of spatial data for mapping and complex data solving.  This integrated package provides researchers with the ability to integrate, analyze, and map data sets, and support the process of making economic and social policy decisions regarding the environment.

Data layers archived here should not require additional processing to be utilized within the Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcView and ArcGIS software. This does not mean that a user will not wish to do additional processing, especially if utilizing a different GIS software package or spheroid, but this effort is not necessary simply to utilize the data in its minimum archive format.

For those who do not have the ESRI software or a compatible GIS data browser available on their computer, a free viewer, ArcExplorer, is available from ESRI. Please note that the ArcExplorer software must be used with the Microsoft Windows operating systems.  The key functionality of ArcExplorer is the viewing of spatial data. The user will need to add the selected data layers by using ArcExplorer's add data button. 

Each GIS data layer from this publication is cataloged and described below for easy access. The individual data layers include the GeoTIFF, grid, or shapefile name (for example, h11079_utm19_1mrsss.tif), which is linked to a browse graphic showing the data layer extent and coverage. Selecting the data layer name will result in the browse graphic being displayed in a separate browser window.

When this report is accessed from the DVD-ROM, the top level contains an ArcView project file (ofr2008_1196.apr) created in ArcView 3.3 and an ESRI ArcMap document (ofr2008_1196.mxd) created in ArcMap 9.2 but saved as an ArcMap 9.0/9.1 document to make it accessible by older versions of the software.

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata for the individual data layers is provided in HTML, FAQ, and text versions. Selecting associated metadata files from the table below will open the information in a new browser window.

A compressed, downloadable, archive ZIP file containing the components of the ArcView shapefile for each data layer is also provided. Compressed downloadable files were created by the Windows program WINZIP v. 8.0. Users who do not have software capable of uncompressing the archived ZIP files may obtain a free version of the software from Winzip Computing, Inc. or Pkware, Inc.

SIDESCAN-SONAR IMAGERY

BASE-MAP DATA