xbt_aug2003.shp: Oceanographic temperature profiling device sampling location for joint cruise U.S. Geological Survey 03032 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RB0305 in the Puerto Rico Trench region in August 2003 (point shapefile, geographic, WGS84 and original text files)

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
xbt_aug2003.shp: Oceanographic temperature profiling device sampling location for joint cruise U.S. Geological Survey 03032 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RB0305 in the Puerto Rico Trench region in August 2003 (point shapefile, geographic, WGS84 and original text files)
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?

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2013, xbt_aug2003.shp: Oceanographic temperature profiling device sampling location for joint cruise U.S. Geological Survey 03032 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RB0305 in the Puerto Rico Trench region in August 2003 (point shapefile, geographic, WGS84 and original text files): 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:

    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: -66.970000
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -62.120000
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 20.230000
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 18.950000

  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: 31-Aug-2003
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

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

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: point digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

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

      This is a point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Entity point (2)

    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 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. 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?

    xbt_aug2003
    Shapefile Attribute Table (Source: ESRI)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    XBTNUM
    Sequential number assigned to the XBT deployments. (Source: NOAA)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:4

    DATE
    The recorded date when the device/equipment was launched into the water (Source: NOAA)

    Character string in the form of mm/dd/yyyy

    TIME
    The recorded time when the device/equipment was launched into the water; recorded as Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) (Source: NOAA)

    Character string in the form of hh:mm

    LAT
    The north/south coordinate system reference point (location) where the XBT device was launched into water. (Source: NOAA shipboard technician)

    Range of values
    Minimum:18.95
    Maximum:20.23
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.0001

    LON
    The east/west coordinate system reference point (location) where the XBT device was launched into water. (Source: NOAA shipboard technician)

    Range of values
    Minimum:-66.97
    Maximum:-62.12
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.00001

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 Chris Polloni
    Information Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543-2310
    USA

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

    Hours_of_Service: 8:00AM to 5:00PM; M- F

Why was the data set created?

To show the location stations by longitudes, latitudes, and the dates where and when XBT equipment was set up to take water measurements.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    XBTs (source 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unpublished Material, XBT sample locations for the Puerto Rico Trench Cruise 03032 (NOAA 0305) August 28 to September 4, 2003..

    Type_of_Source_Media: disc
    Source_Contribution:
    The raw XBT data header files were processed to create a point location shapefile

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

    Date: 2004 (process 1 of 3)
    The XBT data files (T5_2PRT00* 1 to 4 Export Data Files [.EDF]) were received from the R/V Ron Brown Oceanographic data network, converted to text files and sent directly to the central storage system and logged to a spreadsheet file.

    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: 8AM to 5PM; M-F
    Date: 2004 (process 2 of 3)
    The coordinate fix for each XBT was extracted from the spreadsheet file and reformatted as a text input file for ArcView 3.2.

    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: 8AM to 5PM; M-F
    Date: 2004 (process 3 of 3)
    XBT table location file saved as ArcView shapefile. ArcView 3.2 used to process shapefile. ArcGIS was used to define the projection as geographic, WGS84.

    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: 8AM to 5PM; M-F
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • xbt_aug2003.dbf
    • xbt_aug2003.shp
    • xbt_aug2003.shx
    • xbt_aug2003.prj

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

    Brink, Uri ten , Danforth, William, 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?

  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:
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 data set.

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

    Downloadable Data: Open-File Report 2005-1066 - xbt_aug2003

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 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 information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights.
    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?

    The data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) shapefile format. The user must have ArcView 3.+ or ArcGIS 8.+ to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView/ArcGIS, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of importing data.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 23-May-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 13:33:49 2012