First finished floor elevation data collected in seven Alaska communities, state plane coordinate system

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
First finished floor elevation data collected in seven Alaska communities, state plane coordinate system
Abstract:
First finished floor elevation data, as well as ground survey points for critical infrastructure, for example bridges, fuel farms, and power generators, were collected in Elim, Golovin, Kotzebue, Mekoryuk, Saint George, Stebbins, and Tununak, Alaska. The elevation data were collected with real-time kinematic global navigation satellite system (RTK-GNSS) equipment. Data are available in CSV file format. Two files are available per community: one in the Alaska State Plane coordinate system (this dataset) and the other in a geographic coordinate system (in this same data release). Additionally, the supplemental survey reports are provided.
Supplemental_Information:
Work was funded by Title VII of Division N in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117–328) to support direct recovery and rebuilding decisions in the wake of declared disasters related to hurricanes and typhoons in 2022. For more information on these efforts, see https://www.usgs.gov/supplemental-appropriations-for-disaster-recovery-activities/typhoon-merbok-coastal-community. To comply with statue requirements (AS 34.65.020. Entry Upon Land for Survey Purposes), notice was given to each community on the timing of the surveys and nature of the work being conducted. Data is referenced to North American Datum of 1983 with National Adjustment of 2011 (NAD83 [2011]). Eastings and northings are relative to the local Alaska State Plane zone. Elevations reference the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 using corrections from GEOID12B for Alaska (NAVD 88 [GEOID12B]). Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Russel, Paul, Lyons, Colin, Erikson, Li H., and Gibbs, Ann E., 20250708, First finished floor elevation data collected in seven Alaska communities, state plane coordinate system: data release DOI:10.5066/P13YIWKC, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Erikson, Li H., Gibbs, Ann E., Buzard, Richard M., Nowacki, Daniel J., Snyder, Alexander G., Engelstad, Anita C., Johnson, Cordell, Nereson, Alexander L., Over, Jin-Si R., Russel, Paul, and Lyons, Colin, 2025, In situ field data, Coastal Alaska, 2023 to 2025: data release DOI:10.5066/P13YIWKC, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested Citation: Erikson L.H., Gibbs A.E., Buzard R.M., Nowacki D.J., Snyder A.G., Engelstad A.C., Johnson C., Nereson A.L., Over J.R., Russel, P., Lyons, C., 2025, In situ field data, Coastal Alaska, 2023 to 2025: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P13YIWKC
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -169.67477
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -162.24351
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 66.90424
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 56.56750
  3. What does it look like?
    FFE_DataCollection_locations.png (PNG)
    Satellite image showing the locations where elevation data were collected.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 10-Jul-2018
    Ending_Date: 29-Jan-2025
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition at time data were collected
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: comma-delimited text
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (4520)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: State Plane Coordinate System 1983
      State_Plane_Coordinate_System:
      SPCS_Zone_Identifier: 5007
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9999
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -162
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 54
      False_Easting: 500000
      False_Northing: 0
      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.001
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.001
      Planar coordinates are specified in Survey feet
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Altitude_System_Definition:
      Altitude_Datum_Name: North American Vertical Datum of 1988
      Altitude_Resolution: 0.01
      Altitude_Distance_Units: Meters
      Altitude_Encoding_Method:
      Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    FFE_7AlaskaCommunities_AKStatePlaneCoordinates.zip
    Zip file contains first floor and ground survey measurements for seven communities (defined by CommunityName in file name) in a file with Alaska State Plane coordinates (“AKSPZ*”, where * is the zone, ranging from 7-9) (Source: Producer defined)
    ID
    Identifying point number (Source: Producer defined) Unique numbers identifying location points within each community. IDs are not unique across communities.
    Northing_ft
    Northing coordinate (Alaska State Plane Coordinate) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:937848.370
    Maximum:4716961.160
    Units:U.S. survey foot
    Resolution:0.001
    Easting_ft
    Easting coordinate (Alaska State Plane Coordinate) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1476011.960
    Maximum:1776568.570
    Units:U.S. survey foot
    Resolution:0.001
    AKSP_zone
    Alaska State Plane zone (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:7
    Maximum:9
    Units:State plane coordinate system zone
    Resolution:1
    Elev_ft
    Elevation relative to NAVD88 (GEOID12B) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:7.14
    Maximum:192.97
    Units:feet
    Resolution:0.01
    Elev_m
    Elevation relative to NAVD88 (GEOID12B) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2.18
    Maximum:58.82
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.01
    Description
    Description of point (Source: Producer defined) Descriptive text. FF stands for first floor and GS for ground survey.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview: The first line of the csv file is a header line.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Paul Russel
    • Colin Lyons
    • Li H. Erikson
    • Ann E. Gibbs
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This product was created to help advance coastal storm response and recovery in Alaskan coastal communities in the wake of the September 2022 extratropical Typhoon Merbok disaster. It is being used by the USGS to establish a baseline of current conditions and integrate them with forecasted coastal flood extents to inform proactive planning, strengthen community resilience, and support the development of targeted policies that mitigate the impacts of future storm events. This product is intended for reuse by scientists, managers, and the general public.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 11-Feb-2025 (process 1 of 1)
    Survey teams from or contracted by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium traveled to seven communities and surveyed first finished floor elevations (FFEs) of all critical buildings and base elevations for critical infrastructure that are within anticipated coastal erosion and flood zones. Surveyed infrastructure FFEs include the airport runway corners and center, schools, clinics, fuel tank farms, offices, washeterias, public buildings, homes, landfills, sewage lagoons, water treatment plants, power plants, cemeteries, fish processing plants, bridges, barge landings, public safety buildings, and other structures identified as critical by local government. To comply with statue requirements (AS 34.65.020. Entry Upon Land for Survey Purposes), notice was given to each community on the timing of the surveys and nature of the work being conducted. Surveys were conducted under the supervision of a licensed land surveyor using Trimble survey grade receivers. Elevation data were collected using a real-time-kinematic global navigation satellite system (RTK-GNSS) positioning technique. Surveys were tied into existing control benchmarks, where available, as documented by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The base station data were post-processed using the NGS online positioning user service (OPUS) tool. All data were post-processed and quality checked using Trimble Business Center software. Additional information is available in the supplementary survey reports provided (see FFE_supplemental_SurveyReports.zip).
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    No formal accuracy assessment was performed.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    The estimated horizontal accuracy of these points ranges from 0.011 meters to 0.094 meters. These values are derived by summing the manufacturer reported vertical uncertainty (0.008 meters) and the horizontal accuracy of the NGS OPUS-derived position of the GNSS base station operating on temporary benchmark at the 95 percent confidence level in quadrature. The mean estimated horizontal accuracy for all points is 0.036 meters.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    The estimated vertical accuracy of these points ranges from 0.353 meters to 0.364 meters. These values are derived by summing the manufacturer report vertical uncertainty (0.015 meters) and, where available, the vertical precision for each point (calculated at the 95 percent confidence level by the post-processing software, and reported as the Network accuracy at the 95 percent confidence level), and the vertical accuracy of the NGS OPUS-derived position of the GNSS base station operating on temporary at the 95 percent confidence level (0.352-0.360 meters, of which the geoid error (GEOID12B) accounts for 0.352 meters) in quadrature. The mean estimated vertical accuracy for all points is 0.356 meters.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    All data fall within expected ranges.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints
Use_Constraints USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator(s) of the dataset and in products derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - CMGDS
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? These data are available in csv format
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
    • Availability in digital form:
      Data format: zip file (FFE_7AlaskaCommunities_AKStatePlaneCoordinates.zip) contains seven CSVs with location and elevation data in format comma-delimited text Size: 0.1
      Network links: https://doi.org/10.5066/P13YIWKC
      Data format: zip file (FFE_supplemental_SurveyReports.zip) contains survey reports in Portable Document Format (PDF) in format Portable Document Format Size: 1
      Network links: https://doi.org/10.5066/P13YIWKC
    • Cost to order the data: None.

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The CSV data can be viewed with any text reading software. The PDF files can be viewed with Acrobat Reader or similar software.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 08-Jul-2025
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA

831-427-4747 (voice)
pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/CMGDS_DR_tool/DR_P13YIWKC/FFE_AKStatePlaneCoordinates_metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Fri Jul 18 11:07:49 2025