Shapefile of Historical New Jersey Shoreline Data Derived from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 1839-1875 T-Sheets

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Shapefile of Historical New Jersey Shoreline Data Derived from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 1839-1875 T-Sheets
Abstract:
Historical shoreline surveys were conducted by the National Ocean Service (NOS), dating back to the early 1800s. The maps resulting from these surveys, often called t-sheets, provide a reference of historical shoreline position that can be compared to modern data to identify shoreline change. The t-sheets are stored at the National Archives and many have been scanned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and are available on the NOAA Shoreline Web site (http://www.shoreline.noaa.gov/data/datasheets/t-sheets.html). While some scanned t-sheets were georeferenced and digitized by NOAA, still others remain as non-georeferenced raster files (http://nosimagery.noaa.gov/images/shoreline_surveys/survey_scans/NOAA_Shoreline_Survey_Scans.html). New_Jersey_1839_75_Digitized_Shoreline.zip features a digitized historic shoreline for the New Jersey coastline from 1839 to 1875. The data were scanned by NOAA, but were not georeferenced. The t-sheets included in this data release are: T-121 (1839), T-119 Part 1 (1841), T-1084 (1868), T-1166 (1870), T-1333 (1871), T-1315a (1872), T-1371 (1874), T-1407 (1875). Digital files were georeferenced, corrected to a modern datum, and shorelines digitized to provide a vector polyline depicting the historical shoreline position. All shorelines, including the foreshore, backshore, mainland and island shorelines were delineated and digitized for each survey using ArcMap 10.3.1. These shorelines were digitized for use in long-term shoreline and wetland analyses for Hurricane Sandy wetland physical change assessment.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Terrano, Joseph F., and Smith, Kathryn E.L., 20160718, Shapefile of Historical New Jersey Shoreline Data Derived from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 1839-1875 T-Sheets: U.S. Geological Survey Data Release doi:10.5066/F7KH0KFX, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -74.525620272
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -74.041838758
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.072202935
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.315238553
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date:
    Ending_Date:
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Vector Digital Data Set (Polyline)
  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 (304)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 18
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -75.0
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.0
      False_Easting: 500000.0
      False_Northing: 0.0
      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Planar coordinates are specified in Meter
      The horizontal datum used is D_North_American_1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS_1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Attribute Table
    Table containing attribute information associated with the data set. (Source: Producer defined)
    T_Sheet
    Topographic sheet used to delineate and digitize the shoreline. (Source: USGS) Topographic sheet number in the "T-####" format.
    Year
    4-digit year in which the imagery was collected. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1839
    Maximum:1875
    Shoreline_
    Shoreline classification used to separate foreshore, backshore, mainland, and island shorelines. (Source: USGS) Shorelines classified as "Foreshore", "Backshore", "Mainland", and "Island" based on a visual assessment.
    Date_
    DDate imagery was collected for Breton Island using the "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS" format. If no month and day were available, 01/01 was used. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:01/01/1839 12:00:00 AM
    Maximum:01/01/1875 12:00:00 AM
    Accuracy
    A value representing the shoreline position uncertainty associated with the imagery type, t-sheets, that was used in the shoreline change statistical computations reported by Hapke and others (2010). (Source: USGS)
    ValueDefinition
    11.7Uncertainty of the shoreline position, in meters, for t-sheet shorelines.
    Notes
    Additional information about the processing steps, describing how the t-sheet was georeferenced, shifted (if necessary), and digitized. (Source: USGS) Information about the attributes.
    SHAPE_Leng
    System-generated attribute field, which was automatically created by ArcGIS to indicate the feature length. (Source: Esri)
    Range of values
    Minimum:22.915806099
    Maximum:56614.6934502
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the dataset. Please review the detailed descriptions that are provided (the individual attribute descriptions) for information on the values that appear as fields/table entries of the dataset.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    The entity and attribute information was generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the dataset. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Joseph F. Terrano
    • Kathryn E.L. Smith
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Acknowledgment of the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, as a data source would be appreciated in products developed from these data, and such acknowledgment as is standard for citation and legal practices. Sharing of new data layers developed directly from these data would also be appreciated by the U.S. Geological Survey staff. Users should be aware that comparisons with other datasets for the same area from other time periods may be inaccurate due to inconsistencies resulting from changes in photointerpretation, mapping conventions, and digital processes over time. These data are not legal documents and are not to be used as such.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Joseph F. Terrano
    Researcher I
    600 4Th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8047 (voice)
    727-502-8182 (FAX)
    jterrano@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Shoreline data are considered a crucial element in performing change analysis for erosion and accretion studies and for tracking shoreline movement over time. T-Sheets were downloaded, georeferenced and digitized to document the short and long-term changes of select study areas along the New Jersey coastline. Digitized shorelines from the t-sheets provide an accurate and measurable change in shape, area, and shoreline movement over short- and long- term periods.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    New Jersey t-sheets (source 1 of 2)
    United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS), 20141020, Non-georeferenced NOAA Shoreline Survey Scans (t-sheets and tp-sheets).

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital and/or Hardcopy Resources
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 1500
    Source_Contribution:
    T-sheets were used to identify the shoreline location for shoreline delineation and digitization.
    Hapke and others (2010) (source 2 of 2)
    Hapke, C.J., Himmelstoss, E.A., Kratzmann, M., List, J.H., and Thieler, E.R., 2010, National Assessment of Shoreline Change: Historical Shoreline Change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts: U.S. Geological Survey open file report 2010-1118, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital report in the Portable Document Format (PDF)
    Source_Contribution:
    Report contains values representing the shoreline position uncertainty associated with the t-sheets, that was used in the shoreline change statistical computations.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 09-Jun-2016 (process 1 of 2)
    T-sheet maps created for the New Jersey coastline from 1839 to 1875 were downloaded from the NOAA shoreline website as non-georeferenced t-sheets. Downloaded t-sheets include: T-121 (1839), T-119 Part 1 (1841), T-1084 (1868), T-1166 (1870), T-1333 (1871), T-1315a (1872), T-1371 (1874), T-1407 (1875). Since T-1315b was not available T-119 Part 1 and T-121 were used to fill in the missing area. The t-sheets were projected into "NAD_1983_StatePlane_New_Jersey_FIPS_2900_Feet" as determined by using metadata provided with georeferenced New Jersey 1915 t-sheets that was previously completed by NOAA. The t-sheets were then reprojected into the North American Datum of 1927 for georeferencing. Each t-sheet was georeferenced on a case by case basis, see "Notes" field in the attribute table for more information. To digitize the shorelines, the georeferenced t-sheets were added to ArcMap 10.3.1. Using the ArcMap editor toolbar, the foreshore, backshore, mainland and islands were digitized based on a visual assessment of shoreline locations within the imagery at a scale of 1:1500. For consistency, small islands and creeks were not digitized, since they were not necessary for the shoreline change analysis. In addition, the following fields were added to the shoreline’s attribute table and calculated as necessary: "T_Sheet" (Text/25), "Year" (Text/10), "Shoreline_Location" (Text/50), "DATE_" (Text/25), "Accuracy" (Double), and "Notes" (Text/500).
    Date: 13-Oct-2020 (process 2 of 2)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  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 attribute accuracy tests were conducted.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the dataset has not been conducted.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the vertical positional information in the dataset has either not been conducted, or is not applicable.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Digitized shorelines were checked to ensure they were one continuous line, with the exception of the 1839 and 1841 shorelines. The 1839 and 1841 shorelines were earlier dates than surrounding shorelines (1866-75), so they were not connected and were left “as is”, with some overlap of the shoreline positions to ensure no gaps were present. The remaining shorelines were checked for dangles (or extra line segments), which were removed, when necessary. The shorelines were split into foreshore, backshore, mainland, and islands based on a visual assessment. Small islands and creeks were not digitized as they were not necessary for this study. Larger creeks and rivers were digitized as much as necessary to ensure a complete shoreline for later use within shoreline change programs.

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 U.S. Geological Survey requests to be acknowledged as originator of the data in future products or derivative research.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Joseph F. Terrano
    Researcher I
    600 4Th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8047 (voice)
    727-502-8182 (FAX)
    jterrano@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    This digital publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution imply any such warranty. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and (or) contained herein. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 13-Oct-2020
Metadata author:
Joseph F. Terrano
U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Science Center
Researcher I
600 4Th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL
USA

727-502-8047 (voice)
727-502-8182 (FAX)
jterrano@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/spcmsc/New_Jersey_1839_75_Shoreline_Metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Tue Sep 21 18:18:51 2021