Identification_Information: Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: U.S. Geological Survey Publication_Date: 2013 Title: composite_nhatt.tif: 4 meter sidescan-sonar GeoTIFF image of inner shelf from Virginia border to Cape Hatteras, NC (UTM, Zone 18N, WGS84) Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image Series_Information: Series_Name: Open-File Report Issue_Identification: 2011-1015 Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program Online_Linkage: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data/backscatter/innershelf/composite_nhatt.zip Online_Linkage: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data_catalog.html Larger_Work_Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: E.R. Thieler Originator: D.S. Foster Originator: D.M. Mallinson Originator: E.A. Himmelstoss Originator: J.E. McNinch Originator: J.H. List Originator: E.S. Hammar-Klose Publication_Date: 2013 Title: Quaternary Geophysical Framework of the Northeastern North Carolina Coastal System Edition: 1 Series_Information: Series_Name: Open-File Report Issue_Identification: 2011-1015 Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole MA Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program Online_Linkage: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/ Description: Abstract: The northeastern North Carolina coastal system, from False Cape, Virginia, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, has been studied by a cooperative research program that mapped the Quaternary geologic framework of the estuaries, barrier islands, and inner continental shelf. This information provides a basis to understand the linkage between geologic framework, physical processes, and coastal evolution at time scales from storm events to millennia. The study area attracts significant tourism to its parks and beaches, contains a number of coastal communities, and supports a local fishing industry, all of which are impacted by coastal change. Knowledge derived from this research program can be used to mitigate hazards and facilitate effective management of this dynamic coastal system. This regional mapping project produced spatial datasets of high-resolution geophysical (bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic reflection) and sedimentary (core and grab-sample) data. The high-resolution geophysical data were collected during numerous surveys within the back-barrier estuarine system, along the barrier island complex, in the nearshore, and along the inner continental shelf. Sediment cores were taken on the mainland and along the barrier islands, and both cores and grab samples were taken on the inner shelf. Data collection was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and several other institutions including East Carolina University (ECU), the North Carolina Geological Survey, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The high-resolution geophysical data of the inner continental shelf were collected during six separate surveys conducted between 1999 and 2004 (four USGS surveys north of Cape Hatteras: 1999-045-FA, 2001-005-FA, 2002-012-FA, 2002-013-FA, and two USGS surveys south of Cape Hatteras: 2003-003-FA and 2004-003-FA) and cover more than 2600 square kilometers of the inner shelf. Single-beam bathymetry data were collected north of Cape Hatteras in 1999 using a Furuno fathometer. Swath bathymetry data were collected on all other inner shelf surveys using a SEA, Ltd. SwathPLUS 234-kHz bathymetric sonar. Chirp seismic data as well as sidescan-sonar data were collected with a Teledyne Benthos (Datasonics) SIS-1000 north of Cape Hatteras along with boomer seismic reflection data (cruises 1999-045-FA, 2001-005-FA, 2002-012-FA and 2002-013-FA). An Edgetech 512i was used to collect chirp seismic data south of Cape Hatteras (cruises 2003-003-FA and 2004-003-FA) along with a Klein 3000 sidescan-sonar system. Sediment samples were collected with a Van Veen grab sampler during four of the USGS surveys (1999-045-FA, 2001-005-FA, 2002-013-FA, and 2004-003-FA). Additional sediment core data along the inner shelf are provided from previously published studies. A cooperative study, between the North Carolina Geological Survey and the Minerals Management Service (MMS cores), collected vibracores along the inner continental shelf offshore of Nags Head, Kill Devils Hills and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1996. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected vibracores along the inner shelf offshore of Dare County in August 1995 (NDC cores) and July-August 1995 (SNL cores). These cores are curated by the North Carolina Geological Survey and were used as part of the ground validation process in this study. Nearshore geophysical and core data were collected by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The nearshore is defined here as the region between the 10-m isobath and the shoreline. High-resolution bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and chirp seismic data were collected between June 2002 and May 2004. Vibracore samples were collected in May and July 2005. Shallow subsurface geophysical data were acquired along the Outer Banks barrier islands using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system. Data were collected by East Carolina University from 2002 to 2005. Rotasonic cores (OBX cores) from five drilling operations were collected from 2002 to 2006 by the North Carolina Geological Survey as part of the cooperative study with the USGS. These cores are distributed throughout the Outer Banks as well as the mainland. The USGS collected seismic data for the Quaternary section within the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system between 2001 and 2004 during six surveys (2001-013-FA, 2002-015-FA, 2003-005-FA , 2003-042-FA, 2004-005-FA, and 2004-006-FA). These surveys used Geopulse Boomer and Knudsen Engineering Limited (KEL) 320BR Chirp systems, except cruise 2003-042-FA, which used an Edgetech 424 Chirp and a boomer system. The study area includes Albemarle Sound and selected tributary estuaries such as the South, Pungo, Alligator, and Pasquotank Rivers; Pamlico Sound and trunk estuaries including the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers; and back-barrier sounds including Currituck, Croatan, Roanoke, Core, and Bogue. Purpose: This GeoTIFF (Tagged Image File Format) contains sidescan-sonar backscatter data collected from the northern half of the inner continental shelf study area from Cape Hatteras to the Virginia border. Grayscale values correspond to the varied strength of the returned acoustic signal. The intensity of the sound received from the seafloor by the sonar tow vehicle (backscatter) is digitally represented as light-tones (high backscatter) and dark tones (low backscatter) within the grayscale GeoTIFF. High backscatter indicates a strong reflection off the seafloor and generally can be associated with coarse-grained material. Low backscatter represents a weak reflection off the seafloor and is generally associated with finer-grained material. Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 19991007 Ending_Date: 20020720 Currentness_Reference: ground condition Status: Progress: Complete Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned Spatial_Domain: Bounding_Coordinates: West_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.864069 East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.295332 North_Bounding_Coordinate: 36.637947 South_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.154464 Keywords: Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: General Theme_Keyword: sidescan-sonar Theme_Keyword: sidescan Theme_Keyword: backscatter Theme_Keyword: greyscale Theme_Keyword: grayscale Theme_Keyword: GeoTIFF Theme_Keyword: U.S. Geological Survey Theme_Keyword: USGS Theme_Keyword: Coastal and Marine Geology Program Theme_Keyword: CMGP Theme_Keyword: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Theme_Keyword: WHCMSC Theme_Keyword: seafloor mapping Theme_Keyword: seafloor Theme_Keyword: marine geology Theme_Keyword: field activity serial number 1999-045-FA Theme_Keyword: field activity serial number 2001-005-FA Theme_Keyword: field activity serial number 2002-012-FA Theme_Keyword: field activity serial number 2002-013-FA Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category Theme_Keyword: oceans Theme_Keyword: oceans and estuaries Theme_Keyword: oceans and coastal Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover Theme_Keyword: geoscientificInformation Place: Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: General Place_Keyword: Corolla Place_Keyword: Duck Place_Keyword: Kill Devil Hills Place_Keyword: Nags Head Place_Keyword: Oregon Inlet Place_Keyword: Rodanthe Place_Keyword: Salvo Place_Keyword: Avon Place_Keyword: North Carolina Place_Keyword: NC Place_Keyword: Outer Banks Place_Keyword: Oregon Inlet Place_Keyword: Cape Hatteras Place_Keyword: Cape Hatteras National Seashore Place_Keyword: Wright Brothers National Memorial Place_Keyword: United States Place_Keyword: North America Place_Keyword: Atlantic Ocean 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 as the originator of the dataset. Point_of_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Person_Primary: Contact_Person: E. Robert Thieler Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey Contact_Position: Research Geologist Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 384 Woods Hole Road City: Woods Hole State_or_Province: MA Postal_Code: 02543-1598 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: 508-548-8700 x2350 Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: rthieler@usgs.gov Native_Data_Set_Environment: Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.1850 Cross_Reference: Citation_Information: Originator: W.W. Danforth Originator: T.F. O'Brien Originator: W.C. Schwab Publication_Date: 1991 Title: USGS image processing system: near real-time mosaicking of high-resolution sidescan-sonar data Series_Information: Series_Name: Sea Technology Issue_Identification: Jan. 1991 Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Arlington, VA Publisher: Sea Technology Cross_Reference: Citation_Information: Originator: W.W. Danforth Publication_Date: 1997 Title: Xsonar/ShowImage; a complete system for rapid sidescan-sonar processing and display Series_Information: Series_Name: Open-File Report Issue_Identification: 1997-686 Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program Cross_Reference: Citation_Information: Originator: V.F. Paskevich Publication_Date: 1992 Title: Digital mapping of sidescan sonar data with the Woods Hole Image Processing System software Series_Information: Series_Name: Open-File Report Issue_Identification: 92-536 Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey Cross_Reference: Citation_Information: Originator: Valerie Paskevich Publication_Date: 1996 Title: MAPIT: An improved method for mapping digital sidescan sonar data using the Woods Hole Image Processing System (WHIPS) Software Series_Information: Series_Name: Open-File Report Issue_Identification: 96-281 Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey Data_Quality_Information: Attribute_Accuracy: Attribute_Accuracy_Report: Image pixel values contain acoustic reflectivity values normalized to an 8-bit data range (0-255). Low-backscatter is represented by dark tones (low values) and high-backscatter is represented by bright tones (high values). Logical_Consistency_Report: This image represents shore-parallel sidescan-sonar data; no crossline data were included in this image. Gaps may occur along-track due to system malfunction and between adjacent lines due to obstacle avoidance. Completeness_Report: Only the subset of sidescan-sonar backscatter data collected north of Cape Hatteras have been included in this spatial dataset. Additional sidescan-sonar backscatter data collected south of Cape Hatteras are included in a separate file [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data/backscatter/inner_shelf/composite_shatt.zip]. Some sections of sonar data with excess noise were clipped during processing. Variable sea state and weather conditions introduced noise in the sonar record resulting in tonal variations (artifacts) within the composite sonar image. Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report: The ship was navigated with differential GPS (DGPS), and location of the sidescan-sonar tow vehicle was calculated in a variety of ways. In shallow water an acoustic ranging system was used in concert with vehicle depth and ship heading to compute vehicle location. In deeper water depths where the acoustic ranging system did not work, vehicle location was calculated based on the amount of wire out instead of the acoustic range. Vehicle location was interpolated between the measured points. Differential GPS navigation is assumed to be accurate within 1-2 meters. All DGPS data are referenced to WGS84. Slant-range distance is recorded between the sidescan-sonar tow vehicle and a sidemount rigged with an acoustic transponder. Offset between the sidemount and DGPS antennae is measured. Basic trigonomic calculations use the slant-range offset to calculate 'fish' (tow-vehicle) navigation. An assumption in these calculations is that the tow-vehicle is traveling directly behind the vessel; movement to port or starboard is not accounted for within 'fish' navigation. Lineage: Source_Information: Source_Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: U.S. Geological Survey Type_of_Source_Media: disc Source_Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 19991007 Ending_Date: 19991027 Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition Source_Contribution: Data acquisition at sea: Sidescan-sonar data were collected with a Teledyne Benthos (Datasonics) SIS-1000 (100 - 120 kHz frequency range) sidescan-sonar system and digitally recorded using a Triton Elics International ISIS data acquisition in QMIPS format. During the surveys the sonar was towed from the stern A-frame of the R/V Atlantic Surveyor. Data were acquired roughly parallel to the shoreline at an average speed of 5 knots. Geophysical survey tracklines were spaced 300 meters apart. The 400 meter width of each sidescan-sonar swath produced 100 meters of overlap between adjacent lines resulting in 100% coverage of the seafloor. Data from a small area at the southern end of the mosaic was collected with an 800 meter swath width. Source_Information: Source_Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 20010701 Ending_Date: 20010718 Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition Source_Information: Source_Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 20020620 Ending_Date: 20020705 Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition Source_Information: Source_Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 20020707 Ending_Date: 20020720 Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition Process_Step: Process_Description: Sidescan-sonar data were collected using a Teledyne Benthos (Datasonics SIS-1000) 100-120 kHz sidescan-sonar system and logged digitally at a sample rate resulting in a 0.18-m pixel size in the across-track direction and approximately 0.14-m in the along-track direction following the methodology outlined in Danforth and others (1991). Process_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Person_Primary: Contact_Person: E. Robert Thieler Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey Contact_Position: Geologist Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 384 Woods Hole Road City: Woods Hole State_or_Province: MA Postal_Code: 02543-1598 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: 508-548-8700 x222350 Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: rthieler@usgs.gov Process_Step: Process_Description: Within XSonar/ShowImage Processing Software a median filtering routine (4 pixels across track by 3 pixels along track) was applied to the raw sidescan-sonar data to remove speckle noise (Danforth and others, 1991). The data were further processed to correct for fish altitude, slant range and beam pattern artifacts, and merged with the navigation after the data were edited for spurious fixes (Danforth, 1997). Adjacent sidescan-sonar lines were mapped into two separate mosaics (north-heading and south-heading) at 2 meter/pixel resolution using Xsonar/Showimage. The survey area was divided into subareas with similar line orientations and to keep file sizes manageable. This process step and all subsequent process steps were performed by the same person: Emily Himmelstoss. Process_Date: 200310 Process_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Person_Primary: Contact_Person: Emily Himmelstoss Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey Contact_Position: Geologist Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 384 Woods Hole Road City: Woods Hole State_or_Province: MA Postal_Code: 02543-1598 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: 508-548-8700 x2262 Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: ehimmelstoss@usgs.gov Process_Step: Process_Description: PCI Geomatica is a commercially available software package used to digitally mosaic sidescan-sonar data. A PCI Geomatica project was created for subareas of the inner shelf of North Carolina (16 total). The north and south-heading working mosaics were imported into PCI Geomatica and digitally mosaicked using PCI's OrthoEngine following procedures described in Paskevich (1992, 1996). The geographically-oriented raster imagery (north-heading and south-heading) for each area were imported as separate files. Adjacent sidescan-sonar records were compared to establish ground control points at common target locations. This helps to correct for navigational errors and potential feature offset due to undefined layback of the tow vehicle. The north-heading mosaic was used as the control and a stencil line was drawn around individual swath records in the south-heading mosaic to cut and paste on an adjacent swath in the north-heading mosaic. This procedure was repeated for each south-heading sidescan-sonar line to form a composite digital mosaic of the subarea. The final mosaic was exported as a TIFF image, with an associated world file. The mosaicking process produced an enhanced, geographically correct, sidescan-sonar mosaic with 2 meter/pixel resolution (UTM Zone 18N, WGS84) for each of the sixteen subareas. Process_Date: 2004 Process_Step: Process_Description: The sixteen individual subarea mosaics were then compiled into two larger composite images within PCI Geomatica. Individual subarea files numbered 1 through 12 were imported into the composite image north by defining their position in pixel space. Stencil lines were again used to cut and paste adjacent areas to create a sidescan-sonar composite. The composite mosaic of sidescan-sonar north of Cape Hatteras, was exported as a 4 meter/pixel resolution GeoTIFF image. Process_Date: 200409 Process_Step: Process_Description: An offset was discovered in area 6 of the composite backscatter image and was re-mosaicked using PCI Geomatica (v.10.1). The original area 6 mosaic was quality checked and confirmed to be properly georeferenced. It is assumed an offset error was introduced during the compilation of the composite mosaic. The composite mosaic TIFF was imported to a new project file using the Orthoengine. A new stencil line was drawn to cut and replace the problem area with the originally-processed subarea file. The file was then exported as a GEOTIFF. Process_Date: 20110715 Process_Step: Process_Description: Most of the NODATA area in the GeoTIFF image (outside the survey bounds) has a pixel value of 255. But as a result of the mosaicking process, some areas of NODATA have a pixel value of 254. Using Adobe Photoshop (CS5), all of the NODATA areas were selected and assigned a single NODATA value of 255. All backscatter data within the survey area have pixel values ranging from 0 to 254 although some small data gaps (NODATA) do occur within the survey area as well. Process_Date: 20110715 Spatial_Data_Organization_Information: Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Raster Raster_Object_Information: Raster_Object_Type: Pixel Row_Count: 41062 Column_Count: 12587 Vertical_Count: 1 Spatial_Reference_Information: Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition: Planar: Grid_Coordinate_System: Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator Universal_Transverse_Mercator: UTM_Zone_Number: 18 Transverse_Mercator: Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600 Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -75.000000 Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000 False_Easting: 500000.000000 False_Northing: 0.000000 Planar_Coordinate_Information: Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: row and column Coordinate_Representation: Abscissa_Resolution: 4.000159 Ordinate_Resolution: 4.000049 Planar_Distance_Units: meters Geodetic_Model: Horizontal_Datum_Name: D_WGS_1984 Ellipsoid_Name: WGS_1984 Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000 Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257224 Entity_and_Attribute_Information: Overview_Description: Entity_and_Attribute_Overview: There are no attributes associated with a GeoTIFF image. Image pixel values contain acoustic reflectivity values normalized to an 8-bit data range (0-255) with the data range 0-254. Low-backscatter is represented by dark tones (low values) and high-backscatter is represented by bright tones (high values). The background color is set to 255 and can be turned off without removing data values. Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey Distribution_Information: Distributor: Contact_Information: Contact_Person_Primary: Contact_Person: E. Robert Thieler Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey Contact_Position: Research Geologist Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 384 Woods Hole Road City: Woods Hole State_or_Province: MA Postal_Code: 02543-1598 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: 508.548.8700 x2350 Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508.457.2310 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: rthieler@usgs.gov Resource_Description: Downloadable Data Distribution_Liability: Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, 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. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey 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. Standard_Order_Process: Digital_Form: Digital_Transfer_Information: Format_Name: WinZip Format_Version_Number: 9.0 Format_Information_Content: This WinZip file contains a GeoTIFF image (UTM, Zone 18N, WGS84) of side-scan sonar data from Cape Hatteras, NC to the Virginia border. File_Decompression_Technique: Use WinZip or pkUnzip Transfer_Size: 142.2 MB Digital_Transfer_Option: Online_Option: Computer_Contact_Information: Network_Address: Network_Resource_Name: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data/backscatter/innershelf/composite_nhatt.zip Network_Resource_Name: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data_catalog.html Access_Instructions: Data are downloadable via the World Wide Web (WWW). Fees: None Technical_Prerequisites: This zip file contains 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. A free spatial data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from ESRI at www.esri.com. Metadata_Reference_Information: Metadata_Date: 20110103 Metadata_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Person_Primary: Contact_Person: Emily Himmelstoss Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey Contact_Position: Geologist Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 384 Woods Hole Road City: Woods Hole State_or_Province: MA Postal_Code: 02543-1598 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: 508-548-8700 x2262 Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: ehimmelstoss@usgs.gov Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998 Metadata_Time_Convention: local time Metadata_Extensions: Online_Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile