SMITHSONIAN: Lithologic Descriptions of Bottom Sediments

Metadata also available as: OUTLINE - TEXT

Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?
    Title: SMITHSONIAN: Lithologic Descriptions of Bottom Sediments
    Abstract:
    These data, which comprise part of the Smithsonian Institution Master Sediment data file, were abstracted by the staff of the Smithsonian Institution from materials submitted for archival by various groups and individuals. Most of the data in this set were collected by the National Ocean Service (NOS, formerly the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey) for the purpose of charting the coastal waters and navigable waterways of the United States. Prior to 1985, the NOS data were released as part of the National Ocean Surveys Hydrographic Database. After 1985, sediment samples collected by NOS during surveys were transferred to the Smithsonian for archival and textural analysis. All of the data in this set were collected post 1985 and have been processed by the Smithsonian. These data were supplied by the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), but this data set contains fields that are only a subset of those fields available in the full Smithsonian data set. For example, the data have been clipped to eliminate those stations that were not from the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, or the shelf and slope off southeastern New England. Last update of this file was July, 2001.

  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Poppe, Lawrence J. , 2003, SMITHSONIAN: Lithologic Descriptions of Bottom Sediments:, U. S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Field Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Poppe, L.J., Paskevich, V.F., Williams, S.J., Hastings, M.E., Kelley, J.T., Belknap, D.F., Ward, L.G., FitzGerald, D.M., and Larsen, P.F., 2003, Surficial Sediment Data from the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and vicinity: a GIS Compilation: Open-File Report 03-001, U. S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Field Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Data was released via CD-ROM media. This digital publication may also be available via the web at pubs.usgs.gov

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.998060
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -67.000000
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 44.803060
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.000000

  3. What does it look like?

    smithsonian (GIF)
    Image map showing extent and distribution of data layer coverage.

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

    Beginning_Date: 1965
    Ending_Date: 06-Jan-1995
    Currentness_Reference: publication date

  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 (3188)

    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 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1927.
      The ellipsoid used is Clarke 1866.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378206.400000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/294.978698.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    smithsonian.dbf
    Shapefile Attribute Table (Source: ESRI)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    SOURCE
    Organization responsible for compiling the data (Source: Compiler)

    ValueDefinition
    SMITHSONIAN 

    CATALOG_NO
    Unique number assigned to each record by the Smithsonian Institution (Source: Compiler)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:58133
    Units:station
    Resolution:1

    SHIP
    Affilication and name of vessels used to collect samples (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 27.

    PROJECTID
    Individual project during which samples were collected. (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 27.

    DATE
    Day, month, and year when the samples were collected. (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 11; DD-Mmm-YY

    AREA
    General geographic area where samples were collected (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 27.

    STATE
    State adjacent to the area where samples were collected. (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 25.

    SPECIFIC_L
    Specific geographic area where the samples were collected (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 53.

    STATION
    Sampling station name (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 11.

    LATITUDE
    Latitutde coordinate of sample location (Source: Scientist)

    Range of values
    Minimum:41.60000
    Maximum:44.80306
    Units:Decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.00001

    LONGITUDE
    Longitude coordinate of sample location (Source: Scientist)

    Range of values
    Minimum:-71.99806
    Maximum:-67.00000
    Units:Decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.00001

    COLLECTOR
    Name of Chief Scientist who collected samples (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 18.

    BOTTOM_DES
    Brief description of bottom character (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 22.

    DEVICE
    Equipment used to collect samples (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 43.

    LITHOLOG_D
    Verbal description of the bottom-sediment lithology at the stations (Source: Scientist)

    Character string of width 73.

    LITHOLOGY
    Short textural description of the sediment (Source: Compiler)

    Character string of width 20.

    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Navigation, lithologic descriptions, and identifiers for those stations off the northeastern U.S. that comprise a portion of the Smithsonian Institution Master Sediment Database.

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?

    National Geophysical Data Center for supplying the original Smithsonian dataset. Larry Poppe for creating the ArcView shapefile.

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

    Lawrence J. Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?
The purpose of this data layer is to provide the lithologic description in the Smithsonian dataset in a form that can be more easily used to interpret surficial sediment distributions off the northeastern United States.

How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    (source 1 of 1)
    Institution, Smithsonian, Unpublished Material, Smithsonian Institution Master Sediment Data File.

    Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM

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

    Date: 18-Dec-2002 (process 1 of 1)
    The lithologic descriptions, together with navigation and survey identifiers, were clipped to cover oly a limited geographic area and selected attributes saved as an ASCII text file. The ASCII text file was imported to an ArcView table. The table was later converted to an event theme in ArcView and saved as the final shapefile.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Lawrence J. Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • smithsonian.txt

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • smithsonian.dbf
    • smithsonian.shp
    • smithsonian.shx

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    All attributes were checked by the compilers in a consistent manner.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Navigation was performed by several instruments (e.g. Loran C, GPS, DGPS) and therefore varies.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    Navigation, lithologic descriptions, bottom types, and station identifiers are provided for 3190 stations. However, many fields not germaine to the interpretation of surficial sediments distributions off the northeastern U.S. have been eliminated from the original dataset.

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

    No additional checks for topological consistency were performed

How can someone get a copy of the data set?
Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints: None

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

    Lawrence J. Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov

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

    Regional Mapping of Surficial Sediments: Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, Aggregates and Habitats Projects, smithsonian.shp

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. 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.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

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

    The data is available in ArcView shapefile format. The user must have ArcView 3.0 or greater software to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of importing data.

Who wrote the metadata?
Dates:
Last modified: 28-Mar-2003

Metadata author:
Lawrence J. Poppe
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

508-548-8700 x2314 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
lpoppe@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Generated by mp version 2.7.3 on Fri Mar 28 14:41:37 2003

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