RB2003august: 150-meter bathymetry grid acquired in August and September 2003 aboard the Ronald H. Brown on U.S. Geological Survey Cruise 2003-032-FA from the Puerto Rico Trench region (Esri binary and ASCII grid, UTM zone 19, WGS84)

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
RB2003august: 150-meter bathymetry grid acquired in August and September 2003 aboard the Ronald H. Brown on U.S. Geological Survey Cruise 2003-032-FA from the Puerto Rico Trench region (Esri binary and ASCII grid, UTM zone 19, WGS84)
Abstract:
In 2002 and 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), conducted three exploration cruises (USGS Cruise 02051, NOAA RB0208, September 24 to 30, 2002; USGS Cruise 03008, NOAA RB0303, February 18 to March 7, 2003 and USGS Cruise 03032, NOAA RB0305, August 28 to September 4, 2003). These cruises mapped for the first time the morphology of this entire tectonic plate boundary stretching from the Dominican Republic in the west to the Lesser Antilles in the east, a distance of approximately 700 kilometers (430 miles). Observations from these three exploration cruises, coupled with computer modeling and published Global Positioning System (GPS) results and earthquake focal mechanisms have provided new information that is changing the evaluation of the seismic and tsunami hazard from this plate boundary. The observations collected during these cruises also contributed to the basic understanding of the mechanisms that govern plate tectonics, in this case, the creation of the island of Puerto Rico and the deep trench north of it. Results of the sea floor mapping have been an important component of the study of tsunami and earthquake hazards to the northeastern Caribbean and the U.S. Atlantic coast off the United States. For additional information on the cruises see:
<http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2002-051-FA>
<http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2002-051-FA>
<http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2002-051-FA>
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    U.S. Geological Survey, 2013, RB2003august: 150-meter bathymetry grid acquired in August and September 2003 aboard the Ronald H. Brown on U.S. Geological Survey Cruise 2003-032-FA from the Puerto Rico Trench region (Esri binary and ASCII grid, UTM zone 19, WGS84): Open-File Report 2006-1210, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Science Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Brink, Uri ten , Danforth, William W. , and Polloni, Christopher F. , 2013, Final report and archive of the swath bathymetry and ancillary data collected in the Puerto Rico Trench region in 2002 and 2003: Open-File Report 2006-1210, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    suggested citation: ten Brink, U., Danforth, W.W., and Polloni, C.F., 2013, Final report and archive of the swath bathymetry and ancillary data collected in the Puerto Rico Trench region in 2002 and 2003: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1210, available online at <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1210/>.

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.557758
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -61.662441
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 20.658342
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 16.722954

  3. What does it look like?

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

    Beginning_Date: 28-Aug-2003
    Ending_Date: 04-Sep-2003
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

  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 2775 x 6976 x 1, type Grid Cell

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

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 19
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -69.000000
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000
      False_Easting: 500000.000000
      False_Northing: 0.000000

      Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 150.021783
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 150.021783
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters

      The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.25722356300003.

      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Depth_System_Definition:
      Depth_Datum_Name: local sea level
      Depth_Resolution: 0.1
      Depth_Distance_Units: meters
      Depth_Encoding_Method: Explicit depth coordinate included with horizontal coordinates

  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?

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

    Chris Polloni
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Technology Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole Road, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2280 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    cpolloni@usgs.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8:00AM to 5:00PM

Why was the data set created?

This grid is used in Geographic Information Science, i.e. discipline, which uses Geographic Information Systems as a tool to understand features in the trench and make interpretations of the geologic/bathymetric aspects therein. The intentions of this data set are to provide qualitative and quantitative visual information about the trench so that natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis can be better understood.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    SeaBeam (source 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unpublished Material, Multibeam bathymetric survey data collected by USGS in the Puerto Rico trench area, 2003.

    Type_of_Source_Media: disc
    Source_Contribution: The raw data files were processed to create a bathymetric grid

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

    Date: 2003 (process 1 of 3)
    Bathymetric data were collected using a SeaBeam 2112 (12 kHz) mulitbeam echo sounding system. The system, originally used for high accuracy (SeaBeam Classic) charting of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), is capable of hydrographic charting and seafloor acoustic backscatter imaging in water depths of 50 to 11,000 meters with up to 151 beams (2 degree transmit and receive). Swath coverage varies as a function of depth, from 150 degrees at 1,000 meters, to 120 degrees at 5,000 meters, and 90 degrees at 11,000 meters, with a resolution of two degrees. The swath of coverage on the ocean floor is approximately 75% of the water depth. The system operates at an acoustic frequency of 12 kHz and uses transducer arrays that are flush-mounted on the hull in a T-shaped configuration centered on the ship's keel. The horizontal positions for soundings were acquired with several Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) receivers and one P-Code receiver: a Trimble Centurian P-code GPS, a Magnavox MX-200 GPS, and a Northstar 941x differential GPS. Horizontal sounding positions were recorded to raw multibeam echo sounder data files via SeaBeam's Sea Survey data acquisition software. A conservative estimate of the positional accuracy of the GPS and P-Code receivers is +/- 3 meters. The data pipeline included transferring the SeaBeam MB41 raw data files from the SGI computer to a processing laptop via file transfer protocol (FTP). The raw files were converted using CARIS 5.3 Hips Sips software. The processing crew maintained the same processing procedures as employed by NOAA hydrographic field units. Once the data were converted, a Digital Terrain Model was generated for visual detection of artifacts and missed depths. The next step entailed reviewing and editing the data with CARIS Swath Edit, followed with CARIS Sub Set mode editing. Both editing processes allowed the hydrographer to eliminate data points that were considered artifacts or out of context with the immediate benthic area. After editing, the weighted mean grid was re-generated with a grid resolution of 150 meters. No tide corrections were applied. Comparison of the present survey depth with depths obtained during cruise RB03-02 along overlapping portions of the lines, revealed that the new data were on average 100 meters shallower but that the difference was probably not constant. Despite the presence of SeaBeam engineers on board, it took 2 days to find the source of the problem. The new software version (1.2.7) that was installed on the ship in Madeira, contained an option called Apparent depth mode (see <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1210/data/multibeam/raw_data/raw_data_RB0305/L3_Trip_summary_Aug-Sep_2003.pdf> ). This option was turned on as a default. The apparent depth mode option takes the true depth of each beam and calculates the vertical travel time to the sea surface using the sound velocity profile that is in use at that time of acquisition. It then multiplies the travel time by a generic constant water speed of 1500 m/s to calculate an apparent depth, which is the depth that would have been measured by a standard depth finder. The true depth can be back-calculated as follows: (1) Vertical travel time = (apparent depth-ship's draft)/1500 (2) True depth = vertical travel time*true sound velocity profile+ ship's draft, where the ship's draft is 5.6 meters. These procedures were applied to this dataset and the resultant grid produced complies with previous surveys.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    William Danforth
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1589
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2274 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    bdanforth@usgs.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 9AM to 5PM; M- F
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • CARIS HIPS database

    Date: Unknown (process 2 of 3)
    The CARIS base surface was opened with Fledermaus Ver 6 and exported as an ESRI ASCII raster grid file with a cell size of 150 meters

    Person who carried out this activity:

    William Danforth
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1589
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2274 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    bdanforth@usgs.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 9AM to 5PM; M- F
    Data sources used in this process:
    • CARIS HIPS database

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • rb2003a1.txt

    Date: 2003 (process 3 of 3)
    The ESRI ASCII raster grid file was imported using the ASCII to RASTER tool in ArcMap 9.2 and exported as an ESRI binary grid.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Chris Polloni
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1589
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2280 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    cpolloni@usgs.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 9AM to 5PM; M- F
    Data sources used in this process:
    • rb2003a1.txt

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • rb2003august

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

    Brink, Uri ten , Danforth, William W. , Polloni, Christopher F. , Parker, Castle Eugene , Uozumi, Toshihiko, and Williams, Glynn F. , 2005, Project PROBE Leg II - Final Report and Archive of Swath Bathymetric Sonar, CTD/XBT and GPS Navigation Data Collected During USGS Cruise 03008 (NOAA Cruise RB0303) Puerto Rico Trench 18 February - 7 March, 2003: Open-File Report 2004-1400, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Brink, Uri ten , Worley, Charles R. , Smith, Lt. Shep , Stepka, Thomas, and Williams, Glynn F. , 2006, Project PROBE Leg I - Report and Archive of Multibeam Bathymetry and Acoustic Backscatter, CTD/XBT and GPS Navigation Data Collected During USGS Cruise 02051 (NOAA Cruise RB0208) Puerto Rico Trench, September 24, 2002 to September 30, 2002.: Open-File Report 2005-1066, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

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?

    These data were navigated with Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS) and a P-code receiver. These systems have an estimated horizontal accuracy of to +/- 3 meters horizontally.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

    These data have been corrected for vessel motion (roll, pitch, heave, yaw) and referenced to local sea level (no tide correction). The theoretical vertical resolution of the Sea Beam 2112 multibeam echosounder is 1 % of water depth, approximately 40 - 80 meters within the study area.

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

    All collected data were processed and used to produce this dataset.

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

    No additional checks for consistency were performed on this 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:
Not to be used for navigation. 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) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the source of this information.

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

    Uri ten Brink
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Research Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1589
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2396 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    utenbrink@usgs.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8AM to 5 PM; M-F
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data: Open-File Report 2006-1210: raster grid

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this dataset has been used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA or 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 NOAA or 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) Raster GRID format (both binary and ASCII). The user must have software capable of importing and processing the data. The ASCII grid format is only available in the WinZip file.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 30-Apr-2012
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Chris Polloni
Information Technology Specialist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2280 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
cpolloni@usgs.gov

Hours_of_Service: 8:00AM to 5:00PM; M-F
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.9.6 on Wed Oct 17 13:31:39 2012