Vectorized Shoreline of Alabama Derived from 2001 LIDAR Source Data

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Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Robert Morton
Originator: Tara Miller
Originator: Abby Sallenger
Originator: Karen Morgan
Publication_Date: 2004
Title:
Vectorized Shoreline of Alabama Derived from 2001 LIDAR Source Data
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2004-1089
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place:
U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies, St. Petersburg, FL
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Online_Linkage: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1089/>
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Robert Morton
Originator: Tara Miller
Originator: Laura Moore
Publication_Date: 2004
Title:
National Assessment of Shoreline Change: Part 1, Historical Shoreline Changes and Associated Coastal Land Loss Along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2004-1043
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place:
U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Online_Linkage: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1043/>
Online_Linkage: <http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/national-assessment/>
Description:
Abstract:
There are critical needs for a nationwide compilation of reliable shoreline data. To meet these needs, the USGS has produced a comprehensive database of digital vector shorelines by compiling shoreline positions from pre-existing historical shoreline databases and by generating historical and modern shoreline data. Shorelines are compiled by state and generally correspond to one of four time periods: 1800s, 1920s-1930s, 1970s, and 1998-2002. Each shoreline may represent a compilation of data from one or more sources for one or more dates provided by one or more agencies. Details regarding source are provided in the 'Data Quality Information' section of this metadata report. Shoreline vectors derived from historic sources (first three time periods) represent the high water line at the time of the survey, whereas modern shorelines (final time period) represent the mean high water line.
Purpose:
Historical shoreline change is considered to be a crucial element in studying the vulnerability of the national shoreline. These data are used in a shoreline change analysis for the USGS National Assessment Project.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2001
Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.337457
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -87.518342
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.279954
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.223485
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Theme_Keyword: Shoreline
Theme_Keyword: Historic Shoreline
Theme_Keyword: Shoreline Change Rate
Theme_Keyword: Linear Regression Rate
Theme_Keyword: Endpoint Rate
Theme_Keyword: Baseline
Theme_Keyword: Beach Erosion
Theme_Keyword: Beach Nourishment
Theme_Keyword: LIDAR
Theme_Keyword: T-sheet
Theme_Keyword: Tp-sheet
Theme_Keyword: Coastal Survey Map
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: Gulf of Mexico
Place_Keyword: Alabama
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
This data set is not to be used for navigational purposes.

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.

Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 600 4th Street South
City: St. Petersburg
State_or_Province: FL
Postal_Code: 33701
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (727) 803-8747
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (727) 803-2032
Hours_of_Service: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Version 5.0 (Build 2195) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 8.3.0.800
Data_Quality_Information:
Logical_Consistency_Report:
The data set was checked for topological consistency using the Arc/Info command BUILD. No other checks for logical consistency were performed on this data set.
Completeness_Report:
This shoreline data adequately represented the shoreline at the time of the survey. Remaining gaps in this data, if applicable, are a consequence of non-existing data or existing data that did not meet quality assurance standards.
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
The maximum positional error for this shoreline, considered independently, is 1.5m. However, if the lidar mean high water shoreline (mhwl) is used for comparison with other high water shorelines (hwl), an additional shoreline proxy offset must be considered. When the offset error is considered, as it pertains to lidar shorelines in the Gulf of Mexico, the total maximum shoreline position error is 18m. Please visit our full report on shoreline change in the Gulf of Mexico (<http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1043/>), under the heading 'Reliability of the Results', for a complete explanation of the measurement error.
Quantitative_Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Assessment:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Value: 1.5 m
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:
Quantitative_Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Assessment:
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Value: 15 cm
Lineage:
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The USGS in collaboration with NASA, used the NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM II and III) mounted on a Twin Otter Aircraft to map coastal beaches. The raw data was georeferenced at elevation points every few square meters. The original data from ATM was collected in WGS 84, ITRF 97, in a geographic (lat/long) coordinate system with irregular spacing. The data was then converted to NAD 83 and NAVD 88. The shoreline generation involved an analysis of shore-normal profiles at 20m intervals alongshore. First, a shore-parallel reference line was digitized as a permanent baseline for any future shoreline generation. Profiles were assessed at 20m intervals perpendicular to the reference line. Each profile consisted of a 4m wide swath of data points. An algorithm determined the shoreline position for each profile based on a regression fit through the foreshore of the profile. The function was evaluated at the mean high water (mhw) level to identify the horizontal position of the shoreline. Results were only accepted if the R-squared value of the regression was significant to the 95% confidence level. The shoreline point solutions were then quality checked in ArcView GIS software against a gray scale elevation grid of the same data. Point solutions were connected to produce a continuous vector shoreline in shapefile format.
Process_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Karen L. M. Morgan
Contact_Organization:
U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 600 4th Street South
City: St. Petersburg
State_or_Province: FL
Postal_Code: 33701
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (727) 803-8747
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (727) 803-2032
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: kmorgan@usgs.gov
Hours_of_Service: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector
Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
SDTS_Terms_Description:
SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: String
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 3617
Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Geographic:
Latitude_Resolution: 0.000001
Longitude_Resolution: 0.000001
Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222
Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: al2001
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: FID
Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.
Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Shape
Attribute_Definition: Feature geometry.
Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Coordinates defining the features.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: ID
Attribute_Definition: Feature number.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 1
Range_Domain_Maximum: 3445
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: TYPE
Attribute_Definition: Type of feature.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: Shoreline
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Vector shoreline.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: Baseline
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Vector baseline.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: DATE_
Attribute_Definition: Year of survey.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 01/01/2001
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Feature surveyed in 2001.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: DESCR
Attribute_Definition: Detailed description of the feature.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Describes additional characteristics of the feature.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: SOURCE
Attribute_Definition: Agency that provided feature or data used to create feature.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: USGS
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: United States Geological Survey
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: ACCURACY
Attribute_Definition: Position accuracy of feature.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 0
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: The accuracy is not given or is not known.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: meters (m)
Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 600 4th Street South
City: St. Petersburg
State_or_Province: FL
Postal_Code: 33701
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (727) 803-8747
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (727) 803-2032
Hours_of_Service: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
Resource_Description: USGS Open-File Report 2004-1089
Distribution_Liability:
Although these data have been used by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, these data and information are provided with the understanding that they are not guaranteed to be usable, timely, accurate, or complete. Users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of these data and information before using them for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Conclusions drawn from, or actions undertaken on the basis of, such data and information are the sole responsibility of the user.

Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, 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 data, software, information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights.

Trade, firm, or product names and other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty, express or implied, by the USGS, USDOI, or U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy.

Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: ESRI Shapefile
Format_Specification:
Seven files comprise the ArcView shapefile: <filename>.dbf, <filename>.shp, <filename>.shx, <filename>.prj, <filename>.avl, <filename>.sbx, <filename>.sbn
Transfer_Size: 0.861
Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20040405
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies
Contact_Person: Tara Miller
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 600 4th Street South
City: St. Petersburg
State_or_Province: FL
Postal_Code: 33701
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (727) 803-8747
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (727) 803-2032
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: taram@usgs.gov
Hours_of_Service: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Metadata_Time_Convention: local time
Metadata_Extensions:
Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>
Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile
Generated by mp version 2.7.33 on Tue Apr 06 11:08:34 2004