NorthShoreA_shorelines.shp - Shorelines used to calculate shoreline change statistics from the North Shore A coastal region from North Salisbury at the New Hampshire border to the Annisquam River in Gloucester

Metadata also available as

Metadata:

Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
NorthShoreA_shorelines.shp - Shorelines used to calculate shoreline change statistics from the North Shore A coastal region from North Salisbury at the New Hampshire border to the Annisquam River in Gloucester
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2012-1183
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/2012/1183/data/NorthShore/NorthShoreA_shorelines.zip>
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Theresa L. Smith
Originator: Emily A. Himmelstoss
Originator: E. Robert Thieler
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the 2012 update
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2012-1183
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/2012/1183/>
Description:
Abstract:
Due to continued coastal population growth and increased threats of erosion, current data on trends and rates of shoreline movement are required to inform shoreline and floodplain management. The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management launched the Shoreline Change Project in 1989 to identify erosion-prone areas of the coast. In 2001, a 1994 shoreline was added to calculate both long- and short-term shoreline change rates at 40-meter intervals along ocean-facing sections of the Massachusetts coast.

The Coastal and Marine Geology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, has compiled reliable historical shoreline data along open-facing sections of the Massachusetts coast under the Massachusetts Shoreline Change Mapping and Analysis Project 2013 Update. Two oceanfront shorelines for Massachusetts (approximately 1,800 km) were (1) delineated using 2008/09 color aerial orthoimagery, and (2) extracted from topographic LIDAR datasets (2007) obtained from NOAA's Ocean Service, Coastal Services Center. The new shorelines were integrated with existing Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (MA CZM) and USGS historical shoreline data in order to compute long- and short-term rates using the latest version of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS).

Purpose:
This dataset includes shorelines from 157 years ranging from 1851 to 2008 within the North Shore A coastal region from North Salisbury at the New Hampshire border to the Annisquam River in Gloucester. Shorelines were compiled from T-sheets and air-photos obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (MA CZM), and lidar obtained from the US Geological Survey (USGS). Historical shoreline positions serve as easily understood features that can be used to describe the movement of beaches through time. These data are used to calculate rates of shoreline change for the MA CZM Shoreline Change Project. Rates of long-term and short-term shoreline change were generated in a GIS using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 4.3. DSAS uses a measurement baseline method to calculate rate-of-change statistics. Transects are cast from the reference baseline to intersect each shoreline, establishing measurement points used to calculate shoreline change rates. For publication purposes, the shoreline data for Massachusetts were organized by region in order match the extent of previously published uncertainty files used in shoreline change calculations.
Supplemental_Information:
Cross-referenced citations are applicable to the dataset as a whole. Additional citations are located within individual process steps that pertain specifically to the method described in that step.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2013
Currentness_Reference: publication date
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.821472
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.679981
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.875215
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.646323
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Theme_Keyword: WHCMSC
Theme_Keyword: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Theme_Keyword: Coastal Services Center
Theme_Keyword: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Theme_Keyword: USACE
Theme_Keyword: National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project
Theme_Keyword: Linear Regression Rate
Theme_Keyword: Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management
Theme_Keyword: MA CZM
Theme_Keyword: Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project
Theme_Keyword: DSAS
Theme_Keyword: Endpoint Rate
Theme_Keyword: CMGP
Theme_Keyword: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Theme_Keyword: CSC
Theme_Keyword: Shoreline Change Rate
Theme_Keyword: USGS
Theme_Keyword: Digital Shoreline Analysis System
Theme_Keyword: NOAA
Theme_Keyword: U.S. Geological Survey
Theme_Keyword: Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: geoscientificInformation
Theme_Keyword: oceans
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme_Keyword: oceans and coastal
Theme_Keyword: oceans and estuaries
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: Atlantic Coast
Place_Keyword: New England
Place_Keyword: Massachusetts
Place_Keyword: North Shore
Place_Keyword: Salisbury
Place_Keyword: Gloucester
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, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant Program as the originators of this dataset.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Person: Theresa Smith
Contact_Position: Contract 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
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: theresasmith@usgs.gov
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Microsoft Windows Vista Version 6.1 (Build 7601) Service Pack 1; Esri ArcCatalog 9.3.1.1850
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: E.R. Thieler
Originator: T.L. Smith
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
Massachusetts Shoreline Change Mapping and Analysis Project, 2012 Update
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2012-1189
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/2012/1189/>
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: E.R. Thieler
Originator: E.A. Himmelstoss
Originator: J.L. Zichichi
Originator: A. Ergul
Publication_Date: 2009
Title:
Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 4.0: an ArcGIS extension for calculating shoreline change
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2008-1278
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Other_Citation_Details: Current version is 4.3
Online_Linkage:
<http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/dsas/version4/index.html>
Online_Linkage: <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/dsas/>
Online_Linkage: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1278/>
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: James F. O'Connell
Originator: Courtney A. Schupp
Originator: E. Robert Thieler
Publication_Date: 2001
Title:
The Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project: 1800s to 1994 Technical Report
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Administrative Report
Issue_Identification: 1
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://www.mass.gov/czm/hazards/pdf/sc_technical_report.pdf>
Online_Linkage:
<http://www.mass.gov/czm/hazards/shoreline_change/shorelinechangeproject.htm>
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Emily A. Himmelstoss
Originator: Meredith G. Kratzmann
Originator: Cheryl J. Hapke
Originator: E. Robert Thieler
Originator: Jeffrey List
Publication_Date: 20110119
Title:
The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2010-1119
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/2010/1119/>
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS)
Publication_Date: Unknown
Title:
Scanned National Ocean Service (NOS) Coastal Survey Maps (also known as Topographic Survey sheets, or T-sheets)
Series_Information:
Series_Name: NOAA shoreline manuscripts (T-sheets)
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Department of Commerce
Originator: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Originator: National Ocean Service
Originator: Coastal Services Center
Publication_Date: Unknown
Title:
1996-2000 NOAA/USGS/NASA Airborne LiDAR Assessment of Coastal Erosion (ALACE) Project for the U.S. Coastline
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Charleston, SC
Publisher: NOAA's Ocean Service, Coastal Services Center (CSC)
Online_Linkage: <http://www.csc.noaa.gov/ldart>
Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
The data provided here are a compilation of shorelines from multiple sources, spanning 157 years. The attributes are based on the requirements of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) software and have gone through a series of quality assurance procedures.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
Adjacent shoreline segments do not overlap and are not necessarily continuous. Shorelines were quality checked for accuracy. Any slight offsets between adjacent segments due to georeferencing and digitizing error are taken into account in the uncertainty calculations included in the corresponding report (U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012-1189). These data contain some short line segments (less than 30 meters) that were part of how the data were originally compiled and are in fact continuous with other segments of a given shoreline.
Completeness_Report:
This shoreline file is complete and contains all shoreline segments used to calculate shoreline change rates along sections of the North Shore A coastal region where shoreline position data were available. These data adequately represented the shoreline position at the time of the survey. Remaining gaps in these data, if applicable, are a consequence of non-existing data or existing data that did not meet quality assurance standards.
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
Shoreline data have been acquired from 1857 to 2008, the horizontal accuracy of which varies with respect to data source from which the shorelines were digitized, the lidar data from which the shorelines were extracted, and the time period. Shorelines prior to 1959 have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 10.8 meters. Air photo-derived shorelines from 1960-1994 have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 5.1 meters. Shorelines derived from 15cm 2008 orthophotos have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 1.0 meters. Shorelines derived from 30cm 2008 orthophotos have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 2.3 meters. The lidar shorelines from 2000 have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 1.3 meters. Please visit the Estimation of Shoreline Position Uncertainty section in the corresponding USGS Open-File Report (<http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1189/>) for a complete explanation of the measurement uncertainties associated with these shorelines.
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
The historic shorelines are proxy-based and estimate the HWL. The lidar shoreline is tidal-based and estimates MHW. While the proxy-based HWL shorelines are not shifted to the MHW datum, the distance measurements established by the transects and used by DSAS to compute rate-of-change statistics are adjusted to account for the unidirectional offset between HWL and MHW. Therefore, all distance measurements along DSAS transects in this region are referenced to the MHW datum before rates are calculated.
Lineage:
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Applied Geographics Inc.
Originator: Photo Science, Inc. (renamed EarthData International)
Publication_Date: 19950730
Publication_Time: Unknown
Title: Statistical Analysis of Shoreline Change in Massachusetts
Edition: 1
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: 100 Franklin Street, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02110
Publisher: Applied Geographics Inc.
Online_Linkage: <http://www.appgeo.com/homepage/header_source/proj_fr.html>
Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 19950508
Source_Currentness_Reference: 19950508
Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Statistical Analysis of Shoreline Change in Massachusetts
Source_Contribution: Arc coverage of Massachusetts shorelines 1844-1978
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: National Ocean Services
Originator: Photo Science, Inc. (renamed EarthData International)
Publication_Date: 19970508
Publication_Time: unknown
Title: Massachusetts Coastal Orthophotographs
Edition: 1
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: 45 West Watkins Mill Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Publisher: Photo Science, Inc.
Online_Linkage: Not Available
Type_of_Source_Media: CD-ROM
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 19940901
Source_Currentness_Reference: Unknown
Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Massachusetts Coastal Orthophotographs
Source_Contribution:
Full-color, digital orthophotographs were provided by MCZM on CD-ROM. The photos have a resolution of 1 meter per pixel. The aerial photography was flown in September/October 94 by the National Ocean Service (NOS photographic missions 94061, 94062, 94063, and 94064) at a nominal scale of 1:48,000. The photographs were scanned and orthorectified by EarthData International (Gaithersburg, MD) using camera station information supplied to EarthData by NOS. The CD-ROMs supplied by MCZM contained mosaicked orthophotos at 1-meter/pixel resolution, with boundaries corresponding to the existing MCZM shoreline change maps, as well as ArcInfo TIF World File (TFW) georeferencing information.
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Shoreline data were sought in an effort to compile as many quality shorelines as possible for the region. Digital shorelines were acquired from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts office of Coastal Zone Management (MA CZM). Historic shoreline positions obtained from USGS were projected in Esri's ArcToolbox (v.9.3)>Data Management Tools>Projections and Transformations>Feature>Project. Parameters: input projection = Geographic Coordinate System (WGS 1984); output projection = State Plane Massachusetts Mainland FIPS 2001 (NAD83); transformation = NAD_1983_To_WGS_1984_5.

All MA CZM shoreline data for the North Shore A region were appended to the USGS NewEnglandN_shorelines shapefile in ArcToolbox >Data Management Tools>General>Append and was renamed NorthShoreA_shorelines. The appended shoreline dataset was coded with the following attribute fields: ID, Route ID, Source, Date, Uncertainty (Uncy), Shape Length (Shape_Leng), Year, and Original ID.

This process step and all subsequent process steps were performed by the same person - Theresa Smith.

Process_Date: 2011
Process_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Theresa Smith
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Position: Contract 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
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: theresasmith@usgs.gov
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Redundant shorelines were eliminated from the appended dataset in an ArcMap v9.3 by selecting the area and comparing the year. Edits were checked for overlapping data and unnecessary gaps between adjacent shorelines. No edgematching between adjacent shorelines was attempted.
Process_Date: 2011
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Vector high water line (HWL) 2008 shorelines were digitized from 15 cm and 30 cm resolution, 4-band (RGB natural and IR) color orthophotographs using the sketch tool in ArcEditor/ArcMap v9.3. The shorelines were digitized at a scale of 1:300 for the 15 cm and 1:500 for the 30 cm orthophotos. The shorelines were delineated using the following indicators as proxies for the high water line, after Thieler and others (2001) and Boak and Turner (2005): 1) the previous high tide line seaward of the storm debris wrack line, as indicated by the tonal changes between wet and dry beach material (i.e., sand, gravel, cobble), a seaweed or debris line or a combination of both; 2) the high-tide wrack line, created when the high tide deposits seaweed and debris on the upper beach; 3) the vegetation change between Spartina patens in the upper marsh and Spartina alterniflora in the lower marsh, or the outer limits of emergent marsh vegetation (when vegetation types were not discernible); 4) the algal line on rocky outcrops, indicated by the tonal change between wet surfaces that host algae and dry surfaces with no algae; 5) the maximum wave runup limit at or near high tide indicated by the interface between the land and water; and 6) the interface between vertical seawalls/bulkheads and open water.

Boak, E.H., and Turner, I.L., 2005, Shoreline definition and detection: a review: Journal of Coastal Research, v. 21, n. 4, p. 688703.

Thieler, E.R., J.F. OConnell, and C.A. Schupp, 2001, The Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project: 1800s to 1994: USGS Administrative Report to the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, Boston, MA, 26 p. + Appendices.

Process_Date: 2011
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The 2008 shorelines were appended to the NorthShoreA_Shorelines shapefile in ArcToolbox >Data Management Tools>General>Append to produce a single shoreline file for the North Shore A region.
Process_Date: 2011
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The appended shorelines file was imported into a personal geodatabase in ArcCatalog v9.3 by right-clicking on the geodatabase > Import feature class. A topology was created for the shorelines feature class in ArcCatalog v9.3 by right clicking the feature dataset > new > topology and selecting the rule must not overlap. In ArcMap v9.3, the topology was verified and edited so that there were no overlapping shorelines of the same year using standard editing and topology tools.
Process_Date: 2011
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The entire geodatabase was upgraded to v.10 by right-clicking on the geodatabase and choosing "Properties" from the pop-up window in ArcCatalog v.10. The "Upgrade Geodatabase" button was clicked at the bottom of the General tab in the Database Properties window, for use with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) v4.3 software to perform rate calculations.
Process_Date: 2012
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The shoreline feature class was exported from the personal geodatabase back to a shapefile in ArcCatalog v.10 by right-clicking on the shoreline file > Export > To Shapefile (single) for publication purposes.
Process_Date: 2012
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The exported shorelines shapefile was projected in Esri's ArcToolbox (v.10) > Data Management Tools > Projections and Transformations > Feature > Project. Parameters: input projection - NAD_1983_StatePlane_Massachusetts_Mainland_FIPS_2001; output projection - geographic coordinates (NAD83); transformation - none.
Process_Date: 2012
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector
Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
SDTS_Terms_Description:
SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: String
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 849
Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Geographic:
Latitude_Resolution: 0.000001
Longitude_Resolution: 0.000001
Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: D North American 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: GRS 1980
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.0
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222101
Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: NorthShoreA_shorelines
Entity_Type_Definition: Vector shorelines
Entity_Type_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: FID
Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.
Attribute_Definition_Source: Esri
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Shape
Attribute_Definition: Feature geometry.
Attribute_Definition_Source: Esri
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Coordinates defining the features
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: RouteID
Attribute_Definition:
Route identification value assigned to individual lidar shoreline line segments. A unique cross-shore profile identification value is stored at each vertex of the lidar route and serves as a common attribute to the shoreline uncertainty table.
Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 0
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:
Short integer field where zeros are "no data" and automatically filled in for the remaining shoreline polylines not derived from lidar.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Source
Attribute_Definition:
Agency that provided shoreline feature or the data source used (e.g. T-sheet) to digitize shoreline feature.
Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Character string of length 25
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Date_
Attribute_Definition:
Date of shoreline position; date of survey as indicated on source material. A default date of 07/01 was assigned to shorelines where only the year was known (month and day unknown). Using July, the mid-point month of the calendar year, minimizes the potential offset to the actual shoreline date by a maximum of six months.
Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain: Character string of length 10
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Uncy
Attribute_Definition:
Estimate of shoreline position uncertainty. Actual shoreline position is within the range of this value (plus or minus, meters). Actual shoreline position is within the range of this value (plus or minus, meters). The method used to determine this uncertainty is described in the accompanying written report (Open-File Report 2012-1189) under the section titled "Estimation of Shoreline Position Uncertainty" (<http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1189>). The historic shoreline uncertainty values contain all of the measurement errors listed in Table 2 of OFR 2012-1189, except for the uncertainty of the High Water Line (HWL). The HWL uncertainty listed in Table 2 was averaged for the entire state (4.3). However, the uncertainty of the HWL at an individual transect can be determined with more precision along the shoreline route. The HWL uncertainty was added to the historic shoreline uncertainty stored in the shoreline attribute table during the DSAS rate calculation process to better account for uncertainty at individual transects alongshore as opposed to using a regionally averaged value. This was done using linear referencing that interpolates a value based on data stored in the shoreline_uncertainty dBase file (.dbf) at a specific transect/shoreline intersect alongshore. The lidar shoreline position uncertainty is also stored in the associated shoreline_uncertainty.dbf file and values are interpolated at specific transect/shoreline intersections using the same linear referencing method. The lidar uncertainty attribute field was filled with null values while residing in the geodatabase. Upon exporting the shoreline feature class to a shapefile for publication, the null values in the lidar uncertainty field were automatically converted to zero values.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 0
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:
Zeros are considered "no data" if a shoreline uncertainty table is detected (otherwise the default uncertainty value set by user in DSAS default parameters is used), additional positional uncertainty information associated with the lidar data is pulled from the shoreline_uncertainty.dbf table and is referenced in the process steps.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Year_
Attribute_Definition: Four digit year of shoreline
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 1851
Range_Domain_Maximum: 2008
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Default_D
Attribute_Definition:
Differentiates between shorelines that have known month and day attributes and those that use the default value of 07/01 when only the year is known.
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 0
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Shoreline month and day are known.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Enumerated_Domain:
Enumerated_Domain_Value: 1
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:
Shoreline month and day are unknown and default value of 07/01 was used.
Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: SHAPE_Leng
Attribute_Definition:
Length of feature/transect in meter units (State Plane Massachusetts Mainland FIPS 2001, NAD83)
Attribute_Definition_Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Science Center
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.004623
Range_Domain_Maximum: 13420.929451
Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Person: Theresa Smith
Contact_Position: Contractor
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
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310
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 USGS 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: 16.5
Format_Specification: Esri polyline shapefile
Format_Information_Content:
This WinZip file contains a shapefile of compiled shorelines for the North Shore A region of Massachusetts.
File_Decompression_Technique: Use WinZip or pkUnzip
Transfer_Size: 481.27 KB
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name:
<http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1183/data/NorthShore/NorthShoreA_shorelines.zip>
Access_Instructions: Data may be downloaded via the World Wide Web (WWW).
Fees: None
Technical_Prerequisites:
This zip file contains data available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) polyline 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 the data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from Esri at www.esri.com.
Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20130122
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Theresa Smith
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Position: Contract 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
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 508-457-2310
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: theresasmith@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 2.8.25 on Sun May 05 13:09:42 2013