Geographic Information System

This report contains Geographic Information System (GIS) data in both vector and raster format. The vector data are provided in a shapefile format compatible with Environmental System Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcView and ArcGIS software. These data are in the Geographic Coordinate System (GCS) in World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84). The raster data are provided in GeoTIFF format and ESRI binary grid format. These raster data are provided in GCS WGS84 and a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), Zone 19, North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) projection. Data layers archived here should not require additional processing to be used in ESRI software.

For users who do not have the ESRI software or a compatible GIS data browser available, a free viewer, ArcExplorer, is available from ESRI. The key functionality of ArcExplorer is the displaying of spatial data. The user will need to add the selected data layers by using ArcExplorer's add data button. 

Data Description

This report includes links to several data layers (or themes) that can be used to create views of the Rhode Island Sound study area. GeoTIFF files produced from the NOAA bathymetric survey are provided in GCS WGS84 and UTM, Zone 19 NAD 83 projections. GeoTIFFs of the bathymetry are in color and are hill-shaded. ArcRaster grids of the multibeam bathymetric data are provided at 2-m resolution in both GCS WGS84 and UTM, Zone 19 NAD 83 projections.

Ancillary vector data that are provided in the GCS WGS84 datum consist of polygon data layers that provide: (1) a base map of the coastline for the Rhode Island Sound GIS project area, (2) an outline of the study area, and (3) interpretations of sea-floor features. Point data layers, also in GCS WGS84, are provided for the sediment data and locations of bottom photos. The photographic data are provided in both mid- and full-resolution JPEG image format. The bottom photos shapefile can be hyperlinked to mid-resolution images in ArcGIS. Instructions for using this feature are in the metadata for this shapefile.

The top level of this report on the DVD-ROM contains an ArcView project file (h11996.apr) created in ArcView 3.3 and an ESRI ArcMap document (h11996.mxd) created in ArcMap 9.2, but saved as an ArcMap 9.0/9.1 document to make it accessible to older versions of the software.

Each GIS data layer from this publication is cataloged below for easy access. The individual data layers are described below and include the GeoTIFF, grid, or shapefile name (for example, h11996_mb2m_utm.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 (there is no browse graphic for the navigation data).

Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata for the individual data layers is provided in HTML, FAQ HTML, and text versions in the table below. In addition to these formats of the metadata, the WinZip files contain the XML version of the metadata viewable in ArcCatalog. Selecting associated metadata files from the table below will open the information in a new browser window.

A compressed (.zip), downloadable archive file containing the components of the shapefile, grid, or image for each data layer is also provided. Compressed, downloadable files were created by using the Windows program WINZIP v8.0. Users who do not have software capable of uncompressing the archived files may obtain a free version from Pkware, Inc.

BATHYMETRIC IMAGERY

BATHYMETRIC GRIDS

SEDIMENT AND PHOTOGRAPHIC DATA LAYERS

NAVIGATION DATA LAYER

INTERPRETIVE DATA LAYER

BASE-MAP DATA

Individuals interested in accessing the NOAA Descriptive Report, which contains detailed descriptions of the data-acquisition and data-processing methods, can view them as h11996_dr.pdf

To view files in PDF format, download a free copy of Adobe Reader.