Lake Pontchartrain Basin: Bottom Sediments and Related Environmental Resources
U.S. Geological Survey
2002

USING THIS CD-ROM

This CD-ROM was designed for computers equipped with a CD-ROM reader, mouse, and either the Windows or Macintosh operating system. It can be read with any HTML-compatible browser, like Netscape or Internet Explorer. With Windows, the Autoplay menu should automatically open on inserting the CD-ROM into the drive. Alternatively, the Table of Contents can be displayed by opening the file "start.htm" located at the root directory of the CD-ROM.

LandView IV Installion under Windows:

Refer to the installation instructions contained in the \INSTALL\WINDOWS\INSTALL.TXT file.

LandView IV Installion for the Macintosh:

Refer to the installation instructions contained in the \INSTALL\MAC\INSTALL.TXT file.

Also contained in this readme file:

   TIPS ON BROWSING THIS CD-ROM
   FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
   QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS (CONTACT INFO)
   DISCLAIMER


TIPS ON BROWSING THIS CD-ROM

The document is divided into two main parts.

Together, these parts contain 12 sections that can be clicked on and searched from the Contents table. The first page of each section contains a drop-down menu at the bottom listing all the sections plus Home page and the Participants page. This is a convenient way to go to another section without using the back arrow in the browser to get back to the home page. Some sections have multiple pages like a print publication. Any page beyond the first one has an arrow at the bottom to facilitate navigation to other pages within that section. Address information for participating organizations is listed at the top following the preface.

The Science sections provide historical information, shipboard, field, and remote sensing studies. Included is a comprehensive sediment database and geochemical and environmental review of sea-floor sediments. The Sediment Database is accessible from Appendix D in the section Sediment Database and Geochemical Assessment of Lake Pontchartrain Basin. Also accessible from this section are GIS layers and metadata and GIS Project files.

The Multimedia Tools and Regional Resources sections include: a video (sound-equipped) guide to vibracore sampling based on actual field studies on Lake Pontchartrain, abstracts from four Basics of the Basin symposia, the GIS data and two mapping programs: LandView IV and ESRI's ArcExplorer. LandView IV is a Federal interagency product that contains data from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey. LandView IV also incorporates an entry-level plotting and mapping system that can be installed from this CD-ROM to plot both the Federal agency data and new data provided here. ArcExplorer is ESRI's simplified GIS data viewer, available on this CD as well as on the ESRI web site, www.esri.com. Individual shapefiles and images can be displayed in ArcExplorer, or pre-made project files containing many data layers demonstrating the sediment data can be loaded.


FAQS about this CD-ROM

1.  Will this CD work on any platform?

This CD was designed on a PC with Windows 9x/NT/2K/XP or Mac OS in mind. Most features should work on any platform, but there will always be exceptions.
A few known limitations:

2.  Do I have to have software to view the GIS layers?

No, you can install the LandView IV software included on the CD for both the Mac and Windows operating systems, or ArcExplorer for Windows. If you already have MapInfo or ArcView installed, there are more format options available for download and viewing.

3.  Where can I get the free software mentioned?

4.  I successfully installed the LandView IV already, but now I am having problems getting the program started or seeing data.

There is no link to start the software from the HTML documents. The program itself is on your hard drive if you successfully installed it already, and the data reside on the CD-ROM. Find Database (Mac OS) or Database.exe (Windows) on your hard drive and double-click it to start. Make sure the Lake Pontchartrain Basin CD is in the drive so that all the data are available from within LandView IV.

5.  When I click on a link to a text file or an Excel file, it appears in my browser, but how do I save the file to my hard drive?

If it is already showing in your browser, on the Mac OS choose File-Save As from the menu. In Windows, you can right click on the link to the file and choose Save Link As(Netscape) or Save Target As (Internet Explorer).

6.  Why does ArcView (or MapInfo or ArcExplorer) ask repeatedly, "Where is...?" when I try to open the GIS project files?

Project files (.aep, .apr, or .wor) are text files that contain references to the individual GIS layers that appear in the project. These references are set up to be relative path names, and therefore, the project automatically looks for those files in the same location as the project file exists.

You will run into problems if a project file is saved to a hard drive and the GIS layers are still on the CD. The application will not be able to find the layers, since the project file is instructing it to look on the hard drive also. The project files must be run from the CD, or all the layers and the project files must be copied to hard drive.

You also may experience problems opening the project files from the hyperlinks. This is because some browsers use a "temp" directory on your hard drive to temporarily place the project and run it. Again, this physically separates the project file from its GIS layers. If this happens, try the link from another browser, if possible. Or, navigate to the CD drive's file list and open the project files from there (instead of through the HTML links).

7.  I have RealPlayer installed already, but I can't seem to view the Vibracore video.

Make sure you have the most recent version of the RealPlayer (http://www.real.com/player). If it still does not work, try accessing it from a different browser. Or, check to be sure you have the most recent version of your browser.

8.  Why don't the drop-down menus at the bottom of the pages work?

Since the menus that allow you to select and go to a different page use a JavaScript, you need to have a Java-enabled browser. Some older versions of web browsers are not Java-enabled, so check to see if there is a more recent version available. Also ensure that the settings of your browser are enabled for JavaScript.


QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

Questions or suggestions about the content of this CD-ROM may be directed to:

Frank T. Manheim, 703-648-6150, fmanheim@usgs.gov
Laura Hayes, 603-226-7835,
lhayes@usgs.gov or
Chris Polloni, 508-457-2280,
cpolloni@usgs.gov.

Questions pertaining to the LandView segment may be directed to:

Jerry McFaul, 703-648-7126, jmcfaul@usgs.gov.


DISCLAIMER

This Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, products, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe on privately-owned rights. References to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, does not constitute or imply its endorsement by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency.