2-minute Gridded Global Relief Data (ETOPO2)

Frequently-anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How should this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  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?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How should this data set be cited?

   U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis, 2001, 2-minute Gridded Global Relief Data (ETOPO2).

   Online Links:

   • <http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/gdas/gd_designagrid.html>

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -180.000000

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: 180.000000

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 83.376761

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 22.948014

3. What does it look like?

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

   Calendar_Date: REQUIRED: The year (and optionally month, or month and day) for which the data set corresponds to the ground.

   Currentness_Reference:

   REQUIRED: The basis on which the time period of content information is determined.

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

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data

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

      This is a Raster data set. It contains the following raster data types:

      • Dimensions 2050 x 2304 x 1, type Grid Cell

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

      The map projection used is Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area.

      Projection parameters:

      Longitude_of_Projection_Center: 110.000000

      Latitude_of_Projection_Center: 60.000000

      False_Easting: 0.000000

      False_Northing: 0.000000

      Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 2867.921122
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 2867.921122
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters

      The horizontal datum used is D_Sphere_ARC_INFO.
      The ellipsoid used is Sphere_ARC_INFO.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6370997.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/infinity.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   et2_l

   ObjectID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   Value

   Count

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

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

Why was the data set created?

Provide bathymetric base for offshore geologic and geophysical data layers.

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

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

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

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

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

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

Access_Constraints:

REQUIRED: Restrictions and legal prerequisites for accessing the data set.

Use_Constraints:

REQUIRED: Restrictions and legal prerequisites for using the data set after access is granted.

1. Who distributes the data set?[Distributor contact information not provided.]

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

   Downloadable Data

3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	Size: 0.965

   • Cost to order the data:

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 07-Apr-2006

Metadata author:

REQUIRED: The organization responsible for the metadata information.
c/o REQUIRED: The person responsible for the metadata information.
REQUIRED: The city of the address., REQUIRED: The state or province of the address. REQUIRED: The ZIP or other postal code of the address.

REQUIRED: The telephone number by which individuals can speak to the organization or individual. (voice)

Metadata standard:

FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Metadata extensions used:

• <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>