All_Swath_tracklines.shp - Tracklines of swath bathymetry collected by the U.S. Geological Survey surrounding the eastern Elizabeth Islands and northern Martha's Vineyard, MA, 2011 (Esri polyline shapefile, Geographic WGS 84)

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
All_Swath_tracklines.shp - Tracklines of swath bathymetry collected by the U.S. Geological Survey surrounding the eastern Elizabeth Islands and northern Martha's Vineyard, MA, 2011 (Esri polyline shapefile, Geographic WGS 84)
Abstract:
These data were collected under a cooperative agreement between the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC). Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for the management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of seafloor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The project is focused on the inshore waters of coastal Massachusetts, primarily in water depths of 2-30 meters. Data collected for the mapping cooperative have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports (<http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/html/current_map.html>). The data collected in this study area are located in both Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound and are primarily in the shallow water areas around the eastern Elizabeth Islands and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The data include high resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, sound velocity in water, seismic-reflection profiles, and navigation data. These data were collected during several cruises between 2007 and 2011 onboard the R/V Rafael using the following equipment: an SEA Ltd SwathPlus interferometric sonar (234 kHz), Klein 3000 dual frequency sidescan sonar, a boomer source and Geometrics 8-channel GeoEel streamer, a Knudsen 3200 subbottom profiling system, and 4 GPS antennae. More information about the cruises conducted as part of the project: Geologic Mapping of the Seafloor Offshore of Massachusetts can be found on the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Field Activity webpages: <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2011-013-FA> <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2009-068-FA> <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2007-039-FA><http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2010-100-FA><http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2010-047-FA>
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    U.S. Geological Survey, 2013, All_Swath_tracklines.shp - Tracklines of swath bathymetry collected by the U.S. Geological Survey surrounding the eastern Elizabeth Islands and northern Martha's Vineyard, MA, 2011 (Esri polyline shapefile, Geographic WGS 84): Open-File Report 2013-1020, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Pendleton, Elizabeth A., Andrews, Brian D., Danforth, William W., and Foster, David S., 2013, High-Resolution Geophysical Data From Sand Shoals of Vineyard Sound and the Sea Floor Surrounding the Eastern Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2013-1020, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.826476
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.446762
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.551059
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.434232

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1020/GIS_catalog/tracklines/subx_trks.png> (PNG)
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Swath interferometric trackline navigation surrounding the Elizabeth Islands and Martha's Vineyard, MA

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

    Beginning_Date: 05-Nov-2007
    Ending_Date: 31-Aug-2011
    Currentness_Reference:
    Middle Ground data were collected on 20071105, 20071207, and 20090922. Survey 2011-013-FA was conducted 20110802 to 20110831. Data were not collected on 20110807, 20110812-20110815, 20110821, and 20110825-20110829 due to weather.

  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):

      • String (402)

    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?

    All_Swath_tracklines
    Tracklines for swath bathymetric data (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    Filename
    line and file number for corresponding bathymetric filename. This information is used during data acquisition, storage, and processing. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Sequential line and file numbers used to distinguish tracklines

    JD
    Julian Day of trackline collection (Julian day is the integer number representing the interval of time in days since January 1 of the year) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:214
    Maximum:341
    Units:day
    Resolution:1

    year
    The calendar year that the survey data were collected (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:2007
    Maximum:2011
    Units:years
    Resolution:1

    length
    length of profile in meters (UTM Zone 19N, WGS 84) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Range of values
    Minimum:256.4
    Maximum:8984.5
    Units:meters
    Resolution:0.1

    Bckscttr
    logical field to describe if the swath backscatter was processed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    ValueDefinition
    yesSwath backscatter data were processed and mosaicked.
    noSwath backscatter data were not processed.

    Survey_ID
    WHSC Field Activity number (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character dataset defining the year and survey number of a field activity or cruise (xxxx-xxx-FA)

    VehicleID
    Survey vessel name (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

    Character string

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?

    Elizabeth A. Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2259 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This data set contains tracklines for just less than 1100 km of swath bathymetric data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, MA during geophysical cruises offshore of Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands, MA between 2007 and 2011. The swath bathymetric data will be used to characterize the seafloor within the area and these data document those locations

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    (source 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey.

    Type_of_Source_Media: disc
    Source_Contribution:
    Trackline acquisition at sea: These bathymetric data were collected with a SEA Ltd Swathplus interferometric sonar (234 kHz) mounted on the bow of the R/V Rafael of Woods Hole, MA. The data were acquired with SwathPlus Software (versions: 3.7.10 (2011-013-FA), 3.6.0 (2009-068-FA), and 3.3.0 (2007-039-FA)). Tracklines are spaced 0-100 m apart in the shore parallel direction.

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

    Date: 2013 (process 1 of 5)
    Navigation was extracted from the bathymetric data (raw *SXR format) in SwathPlus (version: 3.7.10) using the 'output position file' function.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Elizabeth A. Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700x2259 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov

    Date: 2013 (process 2 of 5)
    Navigation output from Swathplus (version: 3.7.10) was concatenated together for all files within a survey and converted to comma-separated value text using AWK for input to ArcGIS (version 9.3.1). In ArcCatalog (9.3.1), navigation text was converted to a point feature class by right-clicking on the comma separated text file -- Create Feature Class -- from XY table and choosing UTM, Zone 19N, WGS 84 as the projection

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Elizabeth A. Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700x2259 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov

    Date: 2013 (process 3 of 5)
    XTools Pro (version 7.1.0) was then used within ArcMap (version 9.3.1) to convert the navigation points to a trackline shapefile. The trackline shapefiles were edited to remove spurious fixes, and a length field was created and populated using 'Calculate Geometry', which can be accessed by right-clicking on the attribute field name in the table view. The calculation was based on UTM, Zone 19N, WGS 84 in the units of meters.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Elizabeth A. Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2259 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov

    Date: 2013 (process 4 of 5)
    Each of the 3 surveys (2011-013-FA, 2009-068-FA and 2007-039-FA) had a trackline shapefile. The 3 tracklines were combined into one file using the Merge function in ArcToolBox (version 9.3.1), and the file was reprojected to GCS WGS 84 using ArcToolBox.

    Date: 2013 (process 5 of 5)
    Additional fields were created for the trackline file in ArcMap (version 9.3.1) by selecting options on the attribute table, then 'Add field'. New field 'Bckscttr' is a yes or no field that indicates if swath lines were used to generate a backscatter mosaic image. The Klein side-scan was not operational for 5 lines during 2011-013-FA, and all swath lines from 2007-039-FA and 2009-068-FA were used to complete backscatter coverage over Middle Ground, where Klein data were not collected. Survey_ID and VehicleID are used to determine which survey the lines are associated with and which vessel was used to collect the data.

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

    Andrews, B.D., Ackerman, S.D., Baldwin, W.E., Foster, D.S., and Schwab, W.C., 2013, High-Resolution Geophysical Data From the Inner Continental Shelf at Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2012-1006, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

    Online Links:

    Ackerman, S.D., Andrews, B.D., Foster, D.S., Baldwin, W.E., and Schwab, W.C., 2013, High-Resolution Geophysical Data from the Inner Continental Shelf: Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2012-1002, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Pendleton, E.A., Twichell, D.C., Foster, D.S., Worley, C.R., Irwin, B.J., and Danforth, W.W., 2012, High-Resolution Geophysical Data From the Sea Floor Surrounding the Western Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2011-1184, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine 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?

    The navigation for these data was acquired with a Coda Octopus F180 Differential Global Positioning System + Wide Area Augmentation System (DGPS+WAAS); they are accurate to + or - 1 to 2 meters, horizontally. All DGPS data are referenced to WGS 84, and vertical distance between the pole-mounted interferometric sonar head, 0.5m below the sea surface, and the DGPS antenna located on the same pole on the bow of the R/V Rafael, 2.5 m above the sea surface, are corrected.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    Swathplus navigation data from all the bathymetric tracklines from cruises 2007-039-FA, 2011-013-FA & 2009-068-FA were used to generate this shapefile.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Any spurious navigation points were removed during processing.

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 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.

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

    Elizabeth A. Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700x2259 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@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 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.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    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.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 30-Oct-2013
Metadata author:
Elizabeth Pendleton
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

(508) 548-8700x2259 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
ependleton@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.9.21 on Wed Oct 30 15:11:19 2013