composite_shatt_str.tif: 4 meter sidescan-sonar GeoTIFF image of inner shelf with stretched histogram, from Cape Hatteras, NC to Cape Lookout, NC (UTM, Zone 18N, WGS84)

Metadata also available as - [Parseable text]

Metadata:

Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
composite_shatt_str.tif: 4 meter sidescan-sonar GeoTIFF image of inner shelf with stretched histogram, from Cape Hatteras, NC to Cape Lookout, 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:
<https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data/backscatter/innershelf/composite_shatt_str.zip>
Online_Linkage: <https://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: <https://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 contains sidescan-sonar backscatter data from the southern half of the inner continental shelf study area from Cape Hatteras to Cape Lookout, NC. Grayscale values correspond to the varied strength of the returned beam 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: 20030617
Ending_Date: 20040709
Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -76.538429
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.479329
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.237621
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 34.503150
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 2003-003-FA
Theme_Keyword: field activity serial number 2004-003-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: Hatteras
Place_Keyword: Ocracoke
Place_Keyword: Portsmouth
Place_Keyword: Long Point
Place_Keyword: North Carolina
Place_Keyword: NC
Place_Keyword: Outer Banks
Place_Keyword: Cape Hatteras
Place_Keyword: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Place_Keyword: Hatteras Inlet
Place_Keyword: Ocracoke Inlet
Place_Keyword: Drum Inlet
Place_Keyword: Cape Lookout
Place_Keyword: Cape Lookout National Seashore
Place_Keyword: Core Banks
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: North America
Place_Keyword: Raleigh Bay
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 south of Cape Hatteras have been included in this spatial dataset. Additional sidescan-sonar backscatter data collected north of Cape Hatteras are included in a separate file [<https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data/backscatter/inner_shelf/composite_nhatt_str.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 Klein 3000 was towed from the stern A-frame of the survey vessel (R/V Atlantic Surveyor in 2003 and R/V Megan T. Miller in 2004). Differential GPS (DGPS) was recorded to the raw data files (XTF) on the sonar acquisition computer. Layback (the linear distance between the shipboard DGPS receiver and the towed sonar vehicle) was estimated to be 100 meters and accounted for during processing. Positional uncertainty arises because the layback is estimated, not measured directly, and does not account for fish motion behind the vessel, which can be caused by sea state and vessel speed-induced changes in the angle and scope of the tow cable.
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: 20030617
Ending_Date: 20030701
Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Source_Contribution:
Data acquisition at sea: Sidescan-sonar data were collected with a Klein 3000 (100/500 kHz dual frequency) sidescan-sonar towfish and digitally recorded using Edgetech SonarPro acquisition software in XTF format. The raw sidescan-sonar files were converted from *.xtf to *.dat format using a Windows DOS script. The *.dat format is directly readable by the XSonar/ShowImage processing software.
During the surveys the sonar was towed from the stern A-frame of either the R/V Atlantic Surveyor (2003) or the Megan T Miller (2004). Data were acquired roughly parallel to the shoreline at an average speed of 5 knots.
Source_Information:
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 20040616
Ending_Date: 20040709
Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Sidescan-sonar data were collected using a Klein 3000 (100/500 kHz dual frequency) sidescan-sonar towfish and digitally recorded using Edgetech SonarPro acquisition software in XTF format.
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 x2250
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 13 through 16 were imported into the composite image south 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 south of Cape Hatteras, was exported as a GeoTIFF image at 4 meter/pixel resolution.
Process_Date: 200411
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
An offset was discovered in area 14 of the composite backscatter image and was re-mosaicked using PCI Geomatica (v.10.1). The original area 14 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: 20110511
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: 20110512
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
A linear contrast stretch was applied to the final composite mosaic using Photoshop (CS5). The lightest and darkest pixel levels were clipped to the upper and lower limits of the image's histogram. This redistributed the remaining levels between 0-254 (note in last step NODATA were given a unique value of 255). This redistribution increases the tonal range of the image, improving the visual contrast between areas that originally had small tonal differences.
Process_Date: 20110512
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Raster
Raster_Object_Information:
Raster_Object_Type: Pixel
Row_Count: 20125
Column_Count: 24000
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: 4.000000
Ordinate_Resolution: 4.000000
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. This does not include small areas of NODATA within the sidescan mosaic.
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 of side-scan sonar data from Cape Hatteras to the Cape Lookout, NC.
File_Decompression_Technique: Use WinZip or pkUnzip
Transfer_Size: 95.3 MB
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name:
<https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1015/data/backscatter/innershelf/composite_shatt_str.zip>
Network_Resource_Name: <https://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: 20110104
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
Generated by mp version 2.9.6 on Mon Jun 17 11:16:19 2013