H11310SS_GEO1M_INV.TIF: Enhanced Composite Sidescan Sonar Mosaic of NOAA Survey H11310 in Central Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island (Geographic)

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
H11310SS_GEO1M_INV.TIF: Enhanced Composite Sidescan Sonar Mosaic of NOAA Survey H11310 in Central Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island (Geographic)
Abstract:
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is working cooperatively with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to interpret the surficial geology in estuaries along the coast of the northeastern United States. The purpose of our present study is to interpret the distributions of surficial sediments and sedimentary environments in an area of Narragansett Bay using sidescan sonar imagery, high-resolution bathymetry, and sediment data. The mosaic presented herein covers an area of the sea floor in central Narragansett Bay. The mosaic and their interpretations serve many purposes, including: (1) defining the geological variability of the sea floor, which is one of the primary controls of benthic habitat diversity; (2) improving our understanding of the processes that control the distribution and transport of bottom sediments and the distribution of benthic habitats and associated infaunal community structures; and (3) providing a detailed framework for future research, monitoring, and management activities. The sidescan sonar mosaics also serve as basemaps for subsequent sedimentological, geochemical, and biological observations, because precise information on environmental setting is important for selection of sampling sites and for accurate interpretation of point measurements.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    U.S. Geological Survey, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2007, H11310SS_GEO1M_INV.TIF: Enhanced Composite Sidescan Sonar Mosaic of NOAA Survey H11310 in Central Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island (Geographic): Open-File Report 2006-1199, 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.

    McMullen, K.Y., Poppe, L.J., Signell, R.P., Denny, J.F., Crocker, J.M., Beaver, A.L., and Schattgen, P.T., 2007, Surficial Geology in Central Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island: Interpretations of Sidescan Sonar and Multibeam Bathymetry: Open-File Report 2006-1199, 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: -71.426993
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.282024
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.600755
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.520796

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1199/data/sidescan/geo/h11310ss_geo1m_inv/h11310ss_geo1m_inv.gif> (GIF)
    Overview of enhanced composite sidescan sonar mosaic of NOAA survey H11310

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

    Calendar_Date: 2004
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

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

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image

  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 8895 x 16127 x 1, type Pixel

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

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. 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?

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?

    The NOAA Ship RUDE collected the sidescan data, J.M. Crocker (NOAA), R.P. Signell, J.F. Denny, and K.Y. McMullen processed the data.

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

    U.S. Geological Survey
    c/o Katherine McMullen
    Sediment Lab Technician
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2277 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    kmcmullen@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This GIS overlay is a component of NOAA Survey H11310, Narragansett Bay, ArcView GIS database and contains the completed sidescan sonar mosaic for the study area. This image has been inverted and enhanced for better viewing. Light tones represent relatively harder returns, higher backscatter, and generally coarser sediments. Dark tones represent relatively softer returns, lower backscatter, and generally finer grained sediments.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    h11310_1m_sss_utm19nad83.tif (source 1 of 1)
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, h11310_1m_sss_utm19nad83.

    Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM
    Source_Contribution:
    Original sidescan sonar mosaic created by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

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

    (process 1 of 3)
    The sidescan sonar imagery contained in this report was produced from data collected during 2004 as part of NOAA survey H11310 aboard the NOAA Ship RUDE. The data for these surveys were acquired in XTF (extended Triton data format) using a high-resolution Klein 5500. The Klein 5500 tow fish emits five beams on each side of the ship track and transmits at 455 kHz. The sidescan sonar data were digitally recorded in XTF format using an ISIS data acquisition software package. Once digitally recorded, the XTF data were processed using CARIS HIPS/SIPS software. The sidescan sonar data were multiplexed and filtered to convert the data into the desired processing format and to remove speckle noise and corrected for slant-range distortions. The mosaic include the following standards: 1 meter resolution, image 'shine through', and auto contrast adjustment. The final image was projected in Universal Transverse Mercator to maintain the aspect ratio.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    James M. Crocker
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    Office of Coast Survey
    Norfolk, VA 23510
    USA

    (757) 441-6726 (voice)
    james.m.crocker@noaa.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • XTF sidescan sonar data

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • h11310_1m_sss_utm19nad83.tif

    Date: 2006 (process 2 of 3)
    Original file was converted from UTM to geographic coordinates.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Katherine McMullen
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Sediment Lab Technician
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2277 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    kmcmullen@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • h11310_1m_sss_utm19nad83.tif

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • h11310ss_geo1m.tif

    Date: 2006 (process 3 of 3)
    Sidescan sonar image was changed to 8-bit grayscale, enhanced, and color tones were inverted such that dark tones represent low backscatter and light tones represent high backscatter.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Katherine McMullen
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Sediment Lab Technician
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2277 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    kmcmullen@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • h11310ss_geo1m.tif

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • h11310ss_geo1m_inv.tif

  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?

    Navigation was by differential GPS; postional accuracy to less than 10 m.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    All collected data were processed and used to generate the digital mosaic.

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

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:
Public domain data are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the originators of this dataset.

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

    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543
    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?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS or NOAA 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 or NOAA 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?

    This image is available as a GEOTIFF image with an accompanying world file. To utilize this data, the user must have an image viewer, image processing or GIS software package capable of importing a GeoTIFF image.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 14-Nov-2006
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Katherine McMullen
Sediment Lab Technician
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2277 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
kmcmullen@usgs.gov

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

Generated by mp version 2.8.6 on Tue Nov 14 09:05:35 2006