Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
Publication_Date: 2008
Title: EAARL Topography-Natchez Trace Parkway 2007: First Surface
Edition: first
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
Series_Information:
Series_Name: U.S. Geological Data Series
Issue_Identification: 392
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Saint Petersburg, FL
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
Online_Linkage: http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/392/
Description:
Abstract:
A first surface elevation map (also known as a Digital Elevation Model, or DSM) of a portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Park Service (NPS), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed-laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters. The EAARL, developed by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be easily surveyed within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When subsequent elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide resource managers with a useful tool regarding land development.
For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see
http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and
http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .
The purpose of this project was to produce a highly detailed and accurate first surface elevation map of a portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi for natural resource managers and research scientists.
Supplemental_Information:
Raw Lidar data are not in a format that is generally usable by Park Service resource managers and scientists for scientific analysis. Converting dense Lidar elevation data into a readily usable format without loss of essential information requires specialized processing. The U.S. Geological Survey's Coastal and Marine Geology (CMG) Program has developed custom software to convert raw Lidar data into a GIS-compatible map product to be provided to GIS specialists, managers, and scientists. The primary tool used in the conversion process is Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a multi-tiered processing system developed by a USGS-NASA collaborative project. Specialized processing algorithms are used to convert raw waveform Lidar data acquired by the EAARL to georeferenced spot (x,y,z) returns for "first surface" and "bare earth" topography. These data are then converted to the North American Datum of 1983 and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (using the GEOID03 model). Each file contains data located in a 2-km by 2-km tile, where the upper-left bound can be assessed quickly through the file name. The first 3 numbers in the file name represent the left-most UTM easting coordinate (e###000) in meters, the next 4 numbers represent the top-most UTM northing coordinate (n####000) in meters, and the last 2 numbers (##) represent the UTM zone in which the tile is located (for example, fs_e123_n4567_15).The development of custom software for creating these data products has been supported by the USGS CMG Program's Decision Support for Coastal Parks, Sanctuaries, and Preserves Project. Processed data products are used by the USGS CMG Program's National Assessments of Coastal Change Hazards Project to quantify the vulnerability of shorelines to coastal change hazards such as severe storms, sea-level rise, and shoreline erosion and retreat.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 20070914
Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -90.827084
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -89.925039
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 32.551291
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 32.050511
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Metadata Identifier
Theme_Keyword: USGS:299848ce-6078-4f95-b6f4-2d08f1b7497d
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO Topic Keywords 19115
Theme_Keyword: elevation
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: http://remotesensing.usgs.gov
Theme_Keyword: Advanced Lidar Processing System
Theme_Keyword: ALPS
Theme_Keyword: Digital Elevation Model
Theme_Keyword: DEM
Theme_Keyword: EAARL
Theme_Keyword: Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar
Theme_Keyword: laser altimetry
Theme_Keyword: Lidar
Theme_Keyword: remote sensing
Theme_Keyword: topography
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Data Categories for Marine Planning
Theme_Keyword: distributions
Theme_Keyword: bathymetry and elevation
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB) Keywords
Theme_Keyword: altimetry
Theme_Keyword: topographic mapping
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: LIDAR
Theme_Keyword: topography
Theme_Keyword: digital elevation models
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: http://nationalmap.gov
Place_Keyword: Natchez Trace Parkway
Place_Keyword: Natchez Trace
Place_Keyword: Mississippi
Stratum:
Temporal:
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
The U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration request to be acknowledged as originators of this dataset in future products or derivative research.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Amar Nayegandhi
Contact_Organization:
Jacobs Technology, U.S. Geological Survey, FISC, St. Petersburg, FL
Contact_Position: Computer Scientist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 600 4th Street South
City: Saint Petersburg
State_or_Province: FL
Postal_Code: 33701
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 727 803-8747 (x3026)
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 727-803-2031
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: anayegandhi@usgs.gov
Hours_of_Service: M-F, 8:00-5:00 EST
Browse_Graphic:
Data_Set_Credit:
Acknowledgment of the U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated 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 for data source is expected. 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.
Security_Information:
Security_Classification_System: Unclassified
Security_Classification: Unclassified
Security_Handling_Description: None
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.2.2.1350
