SB_PHOTOLOCS (Shapefile): Geographic Locations of Images in the USGS Collection of Photographs from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
SB_PHOTOLOCS (Shapefile): Geographic Locations of Images in the USGS Collection of Photographs from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region
Abstract:
The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program, conducted seabed mapping and related research in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region from 1994 to 2004. The mapped area is approximately square 3,700 km (1,100 square nm) in size and was subdivided into 18 quadrangles. Several series of sea floor maps of the region based on multibeam sonar surveys have been published. In addition, 2,628 seabed sediment samples were collected and analyzed and approximately 10,600 still photographs of the seabed were acquired during the project. These data provide the basis for scientists, policy makers, and managers for understanding the complex ecosystem of the sanctuary region and for monitoring and managing its economic and natural resources.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Gallea, Leslie B. , 2009, SB_PHOTOLOCS (Shapefile): Geographic Locations of Images in the USGS Collection of Photographs from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 469, Version 1.0, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Valentine, Page C. , Gallea, Leslie B. , Blackwood, Dann S. , and Twomey, Erin R. , 2009, Seabed Photographs, Sediment Texture Analyses, and Sun-illuminated Sea Floor Topography in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region off Boston, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 469, Version 1.0, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.611900
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.033432
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.798817
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.084702

  3. What does it look like?

    <https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/469/DataCatalog/sb_photolocs.jpg> (JPEG)
    thumbnail image of bottom photo locations

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning_Date: 1994
    Ending_Date: 2004
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Entity point (10687)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    sb_photolocs
    Seabed photographs (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    Station_No
    Number assigned to station. In a few instances, when multiple photographic transects were conducted at approximately the same site, the stations were named using a number and in some instances a letter (e.g. 3131a) or a decimal number (e.g. 3131.1) suffix was appended. During the project, this station numbering scheme was not consistent, so that some station names used one format and some the other. For the purpose of this shapefile, all photographic images were renamed using the number and letter format for the station name where necessary. For example, station 3131.1 is now named 3131a. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Image_No
    File name of photo image: example, andr95036_q6_1128a_025.jpg: andr is the vessel name code (andr is short for Peter W. Anderson); 95036 is USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Field Activity number, where 95 is last two digits of the year, and 036 is the thirty-sixth field activity of the year; q6 is the quadrangle location, in this case Quadrangle 6; 1128a is the station number where the photograph was acquired; 025 is the image number on the archived CD ROM from the cruise that acquired the photo (NOTE: multiple images at a station are numbered in the sequence they were collected); jpg is the file extension. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Water_Dept
    Depth of water at some station locations measured by the ship's fathometer and at other station locations by the SEABOSS depth sensor. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:15
    Maximum:190
    Units:meters

    Field_of_V
    Field of View: Approximate dimensions of area of seabed in image displayed in centimeters. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Geographic
    Geographic Location: Quadrangle Number in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Time_Zone
    Time zone of the times present in the Julian_Dat field. GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Year
    Year photo collected (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1994
    Maximum:2004

    Month
    Month photo collected. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:3
    Maximum:11

    Day
    Day photo collected. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:31

    Julian_Dat
    Julian Date and Time GMT: Julian Day:HH:MM:SS photo collected (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Latitude_N
    Latitude north (decimal degrees, NAD83) of photo location (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:42.084702
    Maximum:42.798817

    Longitude_
    Longitude west (decimal degrees, NAD83) of photo location (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:-70.611900
    Maximum:-70.033432

    Instrument
    Instrument used to collect photo; down-looking still camera on USGS SEABOSS sampling system. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Organizati
    Organization that collected the data. All photos were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    WHCMSC_Fie
    USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Field Activity (cruise) number represented as a text field to retain leading zeros. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:97020
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1997/97020/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:95036
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1995/95036/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:00065
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2000/00065/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:98022
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1998/98022/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:01060
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2001/01060/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:03014
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2003/03014/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:96025
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1996/96025/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:99011
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1999/99011/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:00011
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2000/00011/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:02029
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2002/02029/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:94004
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1994/94004/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:96038
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1996/96038/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:97033
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1997/97033/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:98029
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1998/98029/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:98017
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1998/98017/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:99024
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1999/99024/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:97020
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1997/97020/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:04010
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2004/04010/>

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:94014
    Codeset Source:<http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/1994/94014/>

    Principal_
    Principal Investigator: Page Valentine. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Photo_Cred
    The agency to which photo credit should be given if the photo is in other venues. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Hotlink
    URL links individual photographs to their respective locations in the online photograph collection. To access the photographs users must be connected to the internet. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character set

    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    sb_photolocs represent every location where a seabed photograph was taken in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Page C. Valentine
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Research Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2339 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    pvalentine@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This shapefile provides the locations of seabed photographs taken in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region from 1994 to 2004. In addition to location information, the shapefile also provides attribute information of each photograph. See attribute section for complete description.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    (source 1 of 1)
    Source_Contribution:
    The SEABed Observation and Sampling System (SEABOSS) was designed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for rapid and effective collection of seabed images and sediment samples in coastal regions. The observations from video and still cameras and the sediment data are used to explore the nature of the seafloor and, in conjunction with high-resolution geophysical data, to make interpretive maps of sedimentary environments and validate the acoustic remote sensing data. The SEABOSS is a simple system that can be deployed from both small and large surface vessels and operates in water depths up to 200 m. It incorporates two video cameras, a still camera, a depth sensor, and a modified Van Veen sediment sampler. The elements of the SEABOSS system used on Stellwagen Bank are housed within a stainless steel framework that measures 1.2 x 1.2 meters and weighs approximately136 kilograms overall. The frame has a stabilizer fin that orients the system as it drifts over the seabed. The height of the camera above the seabed (76 cm; 30 in) initially was determined by viewing an object hanging from the SEABOSS below the video camera; when the object touched the seabed, the camera height was appropriate for still photography. Later in the project, the camera height was determined by viewing a pattern of laser beams on the seabed. Two parallel lasers are set 20 cm apart on the SEABOSS frame and project onto the seabed for scale measurements. The red laser dots can usually be seen in the photo depending on the bottom type and the distance to the sea floor. A third laser is positioned at an angle on the SEABOSS frame so that when all three laser dots on the seabed are in alignment, the SEABOSS is at the optimum height (approximately 75 cm) off the bottom for a still photograph. All of the system's elements are powered from the surface vessel through a conducting cable. Video displays include station number, water depth (from the depth sensor), and date, time, and geographic position (provided by a shipboard navigation system). During deployment, the camera system hangs directly below the side of the ship, and the recorded navigation data closely approximates the position of the camera system near the seabed. The ship is oriented so that wind and waves will not cause it to drift over the conducting cable attached to the SEABOSS. The winch operator uses a video feed from the system to maintain the camera at the proper height above the seabed and to avoid obstacles; the scientist uses the video to decide when to trigger the still camera and record the time the photo was taken.

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 1994 (process 1 of 5)
    Annual research cruises visited 1616 stations from 1994-2004 and took seabed photographs using the SEABOSS that was equipped with a modified Van Veen grab sampler, a still camera and video cameras. Photographic images were acquired by a system having the following specifications: Photosea underwater still camera model no. 1000A; rated to 305 m (1,000ft); Photosea strobe model no. 1500S, rated to 457 m (1,500 ft) with a flash interval of 1/750 s; lens: Nikkor underwater 28 mm lens with a +1 diopter lens attachment, with aperture set between f11 and f16, and focus set at 0.8 m (2.5 ft); Kodak Portra 400 NC color film in bulk rolls 10 m (33 ft) long with 250 exposures, using an exposure time 1/150 s. The data chamber on the right-hand margin of the image (LED number) displays information in the following format: NNNYYHHMM, where NNN is the consecutive number of the exposure on the film roll, YY is the last 2 digits of the year, and HH and MM are time in hours and minutes. LED numbers are used for identification only as the time is not always accurate. Inaccuracies are a function of operator error (setting the clock to the incorrect time) or system error due to drift in the camera's clock. In addition, the display shows only hours and minutes, not seconds and in many cases more than one photograph is taken within a minute. The UTC (including seconds) and Julian Day of each image are recorded in a logbook with data acquired from the shipboard navigation system and this time is the definitive time of the photos. The GPS navigation was also recorded digitally.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Page C. Valentine
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Research Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2339 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    pvalentine@usgs.gov

    Date: 2009 (process 2 of 5)
    A photographic database for the Stellwagen Bank region was created using Microsoft Access 2003 to store all station point data. Photograph characteristics were entered into the database using logbook information. The geographic coordinates, Julian Day, and UTC time of each photograph were entered into the database. Photograph data was exported to Excel files using Microsoft Access 2007.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Leslie B. Gallea
    U.S. Geological Survey
    GIS Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2341 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lgallea@usgs.gov

    Date: 2009 (process 3 of 5)
    EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) metadata was created in Microsoft Excel 2007 (12.0.6504.5001) SP2 MSO (12.0.6425.1000) by applying headers to the exported photograph Excel files. Eighteen EXIF metadata and comment MS Excel files (one for each pre-defined quadrangle) were generated and later combined into one spreadsheet to import into ArcGIS. All station numbers and cruise vessels were converted to lowercase where necessary so that the shapefile data and hotlinked images can be viewed using UNIX.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Leslie B. Gallea
    U.S. Geological Survey
    GIS Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2341 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lgallea@usgs.gov

    Date: 2009 (process 4 of 5)
    Using the EXIF MS Excel spreadsheet of all photographs taken in the 18 quadrangles, a shapefile was created in ESRI ArcMap 9.3.1.1850 by adding the X/Y data columns (longitude W and latitude N respectively) from the MS excel spreadsheet to ArcMap and converting the resulting layer into a shapefile. The shapefile is projected in GCS NAD1983 (GRS 80).

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Leslie B. Gallea
    U.S. Geological Survey
    GIS Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2341 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lgallea@usgs.gov

    Data sources produced in this process:
    • sb_photolocs.zip

    Date: 2009 (process 5 of 5)
    Hotlinks were created by adding URL's for each photograph's online page in the Stellwagen photograph collection website. To activate the hotlinks, users must open the shapefile's properties and click on the display tag. Next check the box that says "Support Hyperlinks using field:" and choose Hotlink from the dropdown menu. Click the URL button and hit ok. Lastly activate the lightning bolt on the toolbar and click on desired photograph.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Leslie B. Gallea
    U.S. Geological Survey
    GIS Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 547-8700 x2341 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lgallea@usgs.gov

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

    Blackwood, D., Parloski, K., and Valentine, P., 2000, Seabed Observation and Sampling System: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-142-00 FS-142-00, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Page C. Valentine, editor, 2005, Sea floor image maps showing topography, sun-illuminated topography, backscatter intensity, ruggedness, slope, and the distribution of boulder ridges and bedrock outcrops in the Stellwagen Bank national marine Sanctuary region off Boston, Massachusetts: Scientific Investigations Map 2840, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    The photograph locations were plotted and checked in ArcMap 9.3 to ensure geographic location and station names were correct.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    These data were navigated with a Differential Global Position System (DGPS); they are accurate to +/- 10 meters horizontally. During deployment, the camera system hangs directly below the side of the ship, and the recorded navigation data closely approximates the position of the camera system near the seabed. The ship is oriented so that wind and waves will not cause it to drift over the conducting cable attached to the SEABed Observation and Sampling System (SEABOSS).

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

    Depth was acquired using the ship fathometer until 1998. After 1998 depth was acquired using the depth sensor on the SEABOSS. Depths are accurate to +/- 1 meter.

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    This shapefile has the locations for all the useable seabed photographs taken between 1994 and 2004 on Stellwagen Bank as part of this project.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    For some stations, gaps exist in the sequential image numbers that are incorporated into image filenames. Image numbers were assigned during the digitization of the film images and their storage on an archival CD-ROM. The sequence of images from some stations was split among two CD-ROMs. This process created gaps in the image numbering sequence for those stations. For example, station 3948 has images numbered 1-17 and 62-100. The first photograph taken at station 3948 was digitized as image number 62 on a CD-ROM, and subsequent images from the station recorded on that CD-ROM were assigned numbers 63 to 100. The remaining images from station 3948 were recorded onto a new CD-ROM as images numbered 1 to 17. When the last photograph from station 3948 was digitized (CD-ROM image 17), a new station's photographs were loaded onto the CD-ROM beginning with image number 18 and so on. In addition, digitized images of tests on deck or blanks caused by a strobe malfunction have not been included in the photo collection.

    The filename of each photograph includes a Quadrangle and Station designation. By convention, if the station drifted over the seabed, the location of the Station (lat/lon and Quadrangle number) was recorded at the end of the station. In a few cases, stations extended across Quadrangle boundaries. Filenames for all photographs at these stations incorporate the number of the Quadrangle where the Station ended. The lat/lon coordinates for all individual photographs are geographically correct.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints:
To access the hotlinked photographs users must be connected to the internet.
Use_Constraints:
Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the source of this information.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    Page C. Valentine
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Research Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2239 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    pvalentine@usgs.gov

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    These data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) shapefile format. The user must have ArcGIS or ArcView 3.0 or greater software to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView or ArcGIS, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of the importing data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from ESRI at www.esri.com. The data is available to download in WinZip format that was created with WinZip Version 9.0 SR-1 (6224). An Excel file for each quadrangle with photograph data, is available to download with the zipped seabed jpegs.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 27-Aug-2009
Last Reviewed: 2009
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Leslie B. Gallea
GIS Specialist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2341 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
lgallea@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.8.25 on Tue Dec 15 14:32:26 2009