SONAR_TRK - Sidescan-Sonar navigation trackline data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey offshore of the Grand Strand, South Carolina (Polyline)

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
SONAR_TRK - Sidescan-Sonar navigation trackline data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey offshore of the Grand Strand, South Carolina (Polyline)
Abstract:
In 1999, the USGS, in partnership with the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, began a study to investigate processes affecting shoreline change along the northern coast of South Carolina, focusing on the Grand Strand region. Previous work along the U.S. Atlantic coast shows that the structure and composition of older geologic strata located seaward of the coast heavily influences the coastal behavior of areas with limited sediment supply, such as the Grand Strand. By defining this geologic framework and identifying the transport pathways and sinks of sediment, geoscientists are developing conceptual models of the present-day physical processes shaping the South Carolina coast. The primary objectives of this research effort are: 1) to provide a regional synthesis of the shallow geologic framework underlying the coastal upland, shoreface and inner continental shelf, and define its role in coastal evolution and modern beach behavior; 2) to identify and model the physical processes affecting coastal ocean circulation and sediment transport, and to define their role in shaping the modern shoreline; and 3) to identify sediment sources and transport pathways; leading to construction of a regional sediment budget.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    U.S. Geological Survey, 2007, SONAR_TRK - Sidescan-Sonar navigation trackline data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey offshore of the Grand Strand, South Carolina (Polyline): Open-File Report 2005-1346, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Baldwin, W.E., Denny, J.F., Schwab, W.C., Gayes, P.T., Morton, R.A., and Driscoll, N.W., 2007, Geologic Framework Studies of South Carolina's Long Bay from Little River Inlet to Winyah Bay, 1999-2003; geospatial data release: Open-File Report 2005-1346, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -79.175150
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -78.516267
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 33.845510
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 33.143860

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1346/images/sonar_trk.jpg> (JPEG)
    Sidescan-sonar tracklines offshore of the Grand Strand, SC

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

    Beginning_Date: 29-Oct-1999, 20000313, 20010501, 20020502, 20020603, 20030501
    Ending_Date: 12-Nov-1999, 20000330, 20010515, 20020508, 20020608, 20030521
    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):

      • String (427)

    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 0.000008. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000008. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257224.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    sonar_trk
    ESRI polyline shapefile (Source: ESRI)

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    LINE
    Line name assigned for identification purposes (Source: USGS)

    Character string containing number and file of line (e.g. line 1 file1 = l1f1)

    Cruise
    WHSC Field activity serial number assigned to identify cruise (Source: USGS)

    Character string

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?

    U.S. Geological Survey
    c/o Jane Denny
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2311 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    jdenny@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This data set contains tracklines for sidescan-sonar system acquired by the U.S. Geological Survey during geophysical cruises offshore of the Grand Strand, SC.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

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

    Date: 2004 (process 1 of 1)
    Navigation was extracted from the sidescan-sonar data (raw *DAT format) and formatted as ASCII files for input to ArcGIS.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Jane Denny
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2311 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    jdenny@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • USGS

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

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    DGPS was used to navigate the sidescan-sonar system. Layback of the tow-fish was estimated; total error is 10 m.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    All systems were navigated using Differential GPS. The sidescan-sonar system is towed at some distance behind the vessel. Slant-range distance is recorded. However, due to some uncertainty, horizontal accuracy is assumed to be 10 m.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    These data contain all of the sidescan-sonar trackline navigation collected during USGS work offshore of Myrtle Beach, SC 1999 - 2003. Any spurious data were removed during processing.

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

    No additional checks for topological consistency were performed on the data.

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:
The Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator of the dataset.

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

    U.S. Geological Survey
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)

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

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although all data have been used by the USGS, 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. 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) polyline 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 importing the data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from ESRI at www.esri.com.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 23-Jan-2007
Metadata author:
Jane Denny
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

508-548-8700 x2311 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
jdenny@usgs.gov

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

Generated by mp version 2.9.2 on Wed Mar 07 14:07:13 2007