2011_006_BISPHOTOGRAPHS: SEABOSS Images from Block Island Sound Collected During U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise 2011-006-FA in JPEG Format

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
2011_006_BISPHOTOGRAPHS: SEABOSS Images from Block Island Sound Collected During U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise 2011-006-FA in JPEG Format
Abstract:
The USGS, in cooperation with NOAA, is producing detailed maps of the seafloor off southern New England. The current phase of this cooperative research program is directed toward analyzing how bathymetric relief relates to the distribution of sedimentary environments and benthic communities. As part of this program, digital terrain models (DTMs) from bathymetry collected as part of NOAA's hydrographic charting activities are converted into ESRI raster grids and imagery, verified with bottom sampling and photography, and used to produce interpretations of seabed geology and hydrodynamic processes. Although each of the 7 continuous-coverage, completed surveys individually provides important benthic environmental information, many applications require a geographically broader perspective. For example, the usefulness of individual surveys is limited for the planning and construction of cross-Sound infrastructure, such as cables and pipelines, or for the testing of regional circulation models. To address this need, we integrated the 7 contiguous multibeam bathymetric DTMs into one dataset that covers much of Block Island Sound. The new dataset is adjusted to mean lower low water, is provided in UTM Zone 19 NAD83 and geographic WGS84 projections, and is gridded to 4-m resolution. This resolution is adequate for seafloor-feature and process interpretation, but small enough to be queried and manipulated with standard GIS programs and to allow for future growth. Natural features visible in the grid include boulder lag deposits of submerged moraines, sand-wave fields, and scour depressions that reflect the strength of the oscillating tidal currents. Bedform asymmetry allows interpretations of net sediment transport. Together the merged data reveal a larger, more continuous perspective of bathymetric topography than previously available, providing a fundamental framework for research and resource management activities off this portion of the Rhode Island coast.Interpretations were derived from the multibeam echo-sounder data and the ground-truth data used to verify them. For more information on the ground-truth surveys see <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2011-006-FA>
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Poppe, L.J., 2012, 2011_006_BISPHOTOGRAPHS: SEABOSS Images from Block Island Sound Collected During U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise 2011-006-FA in JPEG Format: Open-File Report 2012-1005, 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.

    Poppe, L.J., Danforth, W.W., McMullen, K.Y., Blankenship, M.A., Glomb, K.A., Wright, D.B., and Smith, S.M., 2012, Sea-Floor Character and Sedimentary Processes of Block Island Sound, Offshore Rhode Island: Open-File Report 2012-1005, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 DVD-ROM

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.850760
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.388135
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.316065
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.121957

  3. What does it look like?

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

    Beginning_Date: 14-Jun-2011
    Ending_Date: 21-Jun-2011
    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.

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

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Four hunderd and six images of the sea floor collected in Block Island Sound on USGS RV Rafael cruise 2011-006-FA with the mini SEABOSS system in full-resolution and mid-resolution JPEG formats are included in this dataset.

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?

    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

The purpose of this dataset is to release the mid-resolution and full-resolution JPEG images of bottom photographs acquired in Block Island Sound with a SEABOSS system during USGS survey 2011-006-FA.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    (source 1 of 1)
    Source_Contribution:
    The Mini SEABOSS was designed specifically for the USGS Woods Hole Science Center's 26-foot research vessel Rafael. This system is equipped with two video cameras, a digital still camera, and a van Veen grab sampler. This system, weighing approximately 185 lbs, can be used to depths up to 40 meters. The grab itself is raised and lowered with a 3/16-inch Aramid fiber winch-line with a breaking strength of 5,600 pounds. The davit is secured when the Mini SEABOSS is in the water. The electrical cable is on a spring-wound take-up reel with electrical slip rings that is mounted aft of the sampler. This arrangement protects the 0.38-in. multi-conductor cable and keeps the Mini SEABOSS correctly oriented with the boat. This multi-conductor cable enables communication between the ship's lab and the Mini SEABOSS system. The digital camera, a Minolta Dimage 7Hi, is mounted in a machined Delrin housing with a flat port and is set for 2560 x 1920 pixel images at the "fine" setting for compression. This allows the camera to be used for over 200 images with a 1 GB Compact Flash card without downloading. The system also has a 50 Watt/second flash unit powered by 8 AA batteries. Two battery-powered lasers are set 15 cm apart for scale measurements. The red laser dots can usually be seen in the photo depending on the bottom type and the distance to the sea floor. A third battery powered laser is positioned at an angle so that when it intersects the other lasers, the Mini SEABOSS is at the optimum height off the bottom for a still photograph. The camera is set to a manual focus and set to a default focus distance once the camera is powered up. The default focus distance is slightly less than the optimum height above the seafloor to account for optical distortion under water. For more information on the SEABOSS system please see the cross references.

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

    Date: 2011 (process 1 of 4)
    The USGS Mini SEABOSS system was deployed to capture still photos and bottom imagery in Block Island Sound as part of USGS RV Rafael cruise 2011-006-FA.This system was used to obtain 3 to 7 still photographs at each station as the vessel drifted over the seabed for 2 to 5 minutes. Two lasers were set to provide scale; the third laser on the system was set to an angle such that the optimum photograph height was 50 cm. The default focus on the camera was set to 50 cm. The imaged area is most often within 0.4 to 0.7 meter from left to right. Other camera settings on the Mini SEABOSS are as follows: aperture is set at f/8; shutter speed is 1/250 second; digital Effects settings are Color +1, Contrast +1, and Filter +1 (Warming). The camera time is set to GMT. A total of 406 images of the sea floor were acquired. Although the images themselves have no georeferencing information, the time in the EXIF header of each image is related to the navigation available in an ESRI formatted shapefile: 2011_006_bisbotphotos.shp. This data can be downloaded from the following locations: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1005/data/botphotos/2011_006_bisbotphotos.zip> and <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1005/html/catalog.html>

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Chuck Worley
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Marine Technician
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2250 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    cworley@usgs.gov

    Date: 2011 (process 2 of 4)
    The digital images were recorded on a flash card within the camera and transferred from the camera at the end of the day. This transfer was accomplished by removing the card from the camera and using a card reader connected to a Mac OSX system.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Chuck Worley

    Date: 2011 (process 3 of 4)
    The original JPEG images were renamed from the sequential, camera automatic filename to a filename reflecting station location. This was done for each individual file in Windows Explorer.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02536
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov

    Date: 2011 (process 4 of 4)
    The full-resolution JPEG images (2560x1920 pixels with the Mini SEABOSS) were downsampled using Photoshop CS to create mid-resolution JPEG images with 600 x 450 pixels. As part of this process, brightness levels of some of the mid-resolution images were adjusted to optimize image quality. The filename indicates that the image is the mid-resolution version. For instance, the full-resolution JPEG image - bis1a.jpg - was downsampled to produce bis1a_mr.jpg.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Larry Poppe

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

    Blackwood, D.S., and Parolski, K.F., 2001, Seabed observation and sampling system: Sea Technology February 2001, v. 44, no. 2, Sea Technology.

    Valentine, P.C., Blackwood, D.S., and Parolski, K.F., 2002, Seabed observation and sampling system: Fact Sheet 136-01, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole 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?

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    All 406 images of the sea floor collected at 86 stations in Block Island Sound on USGS RV Rafael cruise 2011-0006-FA with the mini SEABOSS system are included. Test photos taken on deck and photos taken in the upper water column during 'false trips' were deleted from the dataset; photographs taken in Rhode Island Sound and Nantucket Sound as part of this cruise are also not included.

  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 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 information.

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

    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    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 in mid and full resolutions. Photographs may be downloaded individually or as zipped mid- (59.7 MB) and full-resolution (807 MB) dataset files.

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor the 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. 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?

    These data are available as JPEG images. To utilize these data, the user must have an image viewer capable of opening JPEG images.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 15-Feb-2012
Metadata author:
Larry Poppe
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
lpoppe@usgs.gov

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 Feb 15 13:59:34 2012