BISOUND_INTERP.SHP: Interpretation of Bottom Features from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Surveys H12009, h12010, H12011, H12015, H12033, H12137, and H12139 and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise 2011-006-FA in Block Island Sound (Geographic, WGS84)

Metadata also available as - [Outline] - [Parseable text]

Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
BISOUND_INTERP.SHP: Interpretation of Bottom Features from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Surveys H12009, h12010, H12011, H12015, H12033, H12137, and H12139 and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise 2011-006-FA in Block Island Sound (Geographic, WGS84)
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?

    U.S. Geological Survey, 2012, BISOUND_INTERP.SHP: Interpretation of Bottom Features from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Surveys H12009, h12010, H12011, H12015, H12033, H12137, and H12139 and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise 2011-006-FA in Block Island Sound (Geographic, WGS84): 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., Wright, D.B., 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: -71.859377
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.368152
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.330142
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.115623

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1005/data/interp/bisound_interp.gif> (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing the interpreted bottom features within NOAA surveys H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12033, H12137, and H12139

  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, however, calendar date is for the bottom samples and photography. Multibeam bathymetry used in the interpretation were collected during 2009.

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

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

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

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

      • G-polygon (183)

    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?

    bisound_interp
    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.

    ID
    Internal feature number (Source: ESRI)

    FEATURE
    Interpreted sea-floor feature (Source: Scientist)

    ValueDefinition
    BouldersAreas of the sea floor characterized by exposed boulders identified by the presence of small (<20 m), isolated, rounded, pronounced bathymetric highs.
    Sand waves and megaripplesAreas of the sea floor characterized by bedforms greater that 20 cm in relief
    Storm-induced scourDepressions in the seabed (~0.5-m deep bathymetric lows with distinct sides) formed by storm-wave related forces
    ShipwreckWreckage of a marine vessel

    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Shapefile containing interpretations of the seafloor in Block Island Sound. Shapefile shows distributions of shipwrecks, boulders, sand waves and megaripples, and storm-induced scour.

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 Larry Poppe
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

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

Why was the data set created?

To release interpretations of bottom features based on bathymetry data collected during NOAA surveys H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12033, H12137, and H12139 and sediment samples and bottom photography collected during USGS survey 2011-006-FA in Block Island Sound, in a geographic, WGS84 coordinate system.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    (source 1 of 1)
    Type_of_Source_Media: DVD-ROM
    Source_Contribution:
    The original acoustic data acquired during NOAA surveys H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12033, H12137, and H12139 aboard the NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson and the sediment samples and bottom photography collected during USGS survey 2011-006-FA aboard the RV Rafael.

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

    Date: 2011 (process 1 of 3)
    The geographic GeoTIFF image of the multibeam data from NOAA surveys H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12033, H12137, and H12139 and the point data layers from grain-size analyses of sediments and bottom photography collected from USGS survey 2011-006-FA in Block Island Sound were imported into the ArcView 3.3 GIS project view. Bottom features were interpreted based on geomorphology of the bathymetry, bottom photography, and textural analyses. The individually interpreted features (storm-induced scour, sand waves and megaripples (bedforms), boulders, and shipwrecks) were outlined using the available graphic tools then converted to an ESRI shapefile using ArcView 3.3.

    Person who carried out this activity:

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

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

    Data sources used in this process:
    • bisound_4mmb_geo.tif
    • 2011_006bisseddata.shp
    • 2011_006_bisbotphotos.shp

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • bisound_interp.shp

    Date: 2011 (process 2 of 3)
    ArcGIS 9.2 was used to define the projection of the ESRI shapefile and to create the .prj file.

    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

    Data sources used in this process:
    • bisound_interp.shp

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • bisound_interp.prj

    Date: 2012 (process 3 of 3)
    ArcGIS 9.2 was used to remove overlaps (all polygons with a specific FEATURE attribute value were combined using the Merge command, working from the topmost attribute layer the overlap was removed using the Clip command, and then the merged polygons were exploded to recreate the original individual polygons without overlaps) and extraneous "slivers."

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    woods Hole, MA 02543

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

    Data sources used in this process:
    • bisound_interp.shp

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • bisound_interp.shp

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

    Poppe, L.J., Ackerman, S.D., Foster, D.S., Blackwood, D.S., Butman, B., Moser, M.S., and Stewart, H.F., 2007, Sea-floor character and surface processes in the vicinity of Quicks Hole, Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2006-1357, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Poppe, L.J., Ackerman, S.D., Foster, D.S., Blackwood, D.S., Williams, S.J., Moser, M.S., Stewart, H.F., and Glomb, K.A., 2007, Sea-floor character and sedimentary processes of Great Round Shoal Channel, offshore Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2007-1138, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Poppe, L.J., McMullen, K.Y., Foster, D.S., Blackwood, D.S., Williams, S.J., Ackerman, S.D., Barnum, S.R., and Brennan, R.T., 2008, Sea-floor character and sedimentary processes in the vicinity of Woods Hole, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2008-1004, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Poppe, L.J., McMullen, K.Y., Foster, D.S., Blackwood, D.S., Williams, S.J., Ackerman, S.D., Moser, M.S., and Glomb, K.A., 2010, Geological interpretation of the sea floor offshore of Edgartown, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2009-1001, 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
    Poppe, L.J., McMullen, K.Y., Ackerman, S.D., Blackwood, D.S., Irwin, B.J.,, Schaer, J.D., and Forrest, M.R., 2011, Sea-floor geology and character of eastern Rhode Island Sound west of Gay Head, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2011-1004, 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
    McMullen, K.Y., Poppe, L.J., Ackerman, S.D., Blackwood, D.S., Schaer, J.D., Nadeau, M.A., and Wood, D.A., 2011, Surficial geology of the sea floor in central Rhode Island Sound southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island: Open-File Report 2011-1005, 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
    McMullen, K.Y., Poppe, L.J., Ackerman, S.D.,, Worley, C.R., Nadeau, M.A., and Van Hoy, M.V., 2012, Sea-floor geology in central Rhode Island Sound south of Sakonnet Point, Rhode Island: Open-File Report 2012-1004, 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

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?

    Navigation was by differential GPS. Interpretation good to 1:24,000.

  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 these 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:
The interpretation was completed at map scales of between 1:4,000 to 1:5,000, but it is not intended for use at map scales smaller than 1:24,000. 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

    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

  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?

    The user must be capable of uncompressing WinZip files. Also, these data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) shapefile format. The user must have ArcGIS or ArcView 3.0 or greater software to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView or ArcGIS, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of importing data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from ESRI at www.esri.com.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 03-May-2012
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Larry Poppe
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

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 2.8.25 on Thu May 03 11:47:18 2012