Locations and Geotagged sea-floor images collected in May and June 2023 using the SEABOSS 2.0 in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal, by the U.S. Geological Survey during field activity 2023-001-FA (JPEG images, point shapefile, and CSV file; GCS WGS 84)

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Locations and Geotagged sea-floor images collected in May and June 2023 using the SEABOSS 2.0 in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal, by the U.S. Geological Survey during field activity 2023-001-FA (JPEG images, point shapefile, and CSV file; GCS WGS 84)
Abstract:
In May and June 2023, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, collected high-resolution geophysical and seafloor sampling data, in Nantucket Sound to understand the regional geology in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal. Geophysical data collected include swath bathymetry, backscatter, and seismic reflection profile data. Ground-truth data, including sediment samples, underwater video, and bottom photographs were also collected. This effort is part of a long-term collaboration between the USGS and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to map the State’s waters. In addition to resolving coastal hazards, habitats and resources, these data can be used to better understand the Quaternary history of coastal Massachusetts including the influence of sea-level change and sediment supply on coastal evolution. This collaboration produces high-resolution geologic data that serve the needs of research, management, and the public. Data collected as part of this mapping cooperative continue to be released in a series of USGS Reports and Data Releases https://www.usgs.gov/centers/whcmsc/science/geologic-mapping-massachusetts-seafloor
Supplemental_Information:
See the larger work citation to view the sea-floor videos, locations of bottom video tracklines, locations and grain-size analysis results of sediment samples, and geophysical survey data collected during the field activity. Support for field activity 2023-001-FA was provided to the USGS by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. For more information on the field activities associated with this project, see https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2022-001-FA and https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2023-001-FA
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Ackerman, Seth D., 20260521, Locations and Geotagged sea-floor images collected in May and June 2023 using the SEABOSS 2.0 in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal, by the U.S. Geological Survey during field activity 2023-001-FA (JPEG images, point shapefile, and CSV file; GCS WGS 84): data release DOI:10.5066/P14NWTX8, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Andrews, Brian D., Baldwin, Wayne E., Ackerman, Seth D., Worley, Charles R., Moore, Eric M., Nichols, Alex R., Berube, Patrick J., Huntley, Emily C., and Brothers, Laura L., 2026, High-resolution geophysical and sampling data collected in Nantucket Sound Massachusetts in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal, during USGS Field Activity 2023-001-FA: data release DOI:10.5066/P14NWTX8, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Andrews, B.D., Baldwin, W.E., Ackerman, S.D., Worley, C.R., Moore, E.M., Nichols, A.R., Berube, P.J., Huntley, E.C., and Brothers, L.L., 2026, High-resolution geophysical and sampling data collected in Nantucket Sound Massachusetts in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal, during USGS Field Activity 2023-001-FA: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P14NWTX8
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.479597
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.291408
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.575500
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.503336
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/68badfc6d4be0209bab077d9?name=2023-001-FA_images_browse.jpg (JPEG)
    Thumbnail image of the sea-floor image locations in the survey area in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 12-May-2023
    Ending_Date: 14-Jun-2023
    Currentness_Reference:
    Data were collected on the following dates: 20230512, 20230613, and 20230614.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster, vector, and tabular digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    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?
    2023-001-FA_images
    Shapefile and CSV file of bottom image locations collected in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal in May and June 2023 during USGS field activity 2023-001-FA (123 point features and 123 table records, respectively). The shapefile and CSV file have the same attributes, except for FID, which is not included in the CSV file. Geotagged sea-floor images are also included in this dataset; see the Entity and Attribute Overview section for a description of the JPEG images. (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.
    PICNAME
    Name of bottom image used to uniquely identify between cameras and images: e.g., 2023-001-001_Flir_20230512T145753Z.jpg where 2023-001-001 refers to the field activity and site number (in the format YYYY-XXX-ZZZ where YYYY is the survey year, XXX is the number assigned to the activity within that year, and ZZZ is the site number as assigned in the field), Flir refers to the camera, and 20230512T145753Z refers to the image GPS date and time in the ISO 8601 standard (YYYYMMDD T [time separator] HHMMSS Z [Zulu/UTC time]). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to distinguish images.
    CAMERA
    Camera used to collect bottom image. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to distinguish between different camera models mounted on the sampling system.
    GPSTIME
    UTC time of bottom image from GPS navigation file in the format HH:MM:SS. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to distinguish the UTC times of the bottom images determined by the GPS.
    JD
    Julian day that the bottom image was collected based on UTC time; 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:132
    Maximum:165
    Units:Julian days
    Resolution:1
    YEAR
    Year that the bottom image was collected. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2023
    Maximum:2023
    Units:years
    Resolution:1
    DATE
    Date based on UTC time that the bottom image was collected in the format YYYY:MM:DD. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to distinguish dates.
    LAT
    Latitude of bottom image in geographic coordinates, WGS 84. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:41.503336
    Maximum:41.575500
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.000001
    LONG
    Longitude of bottom image in geographic coordinates, WGS 84. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-70.479597
    Maximum:-70.291408
    Units:decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.000001
    FIELD_NO
    Site number as assigned in the field. This value is in the format YYYY-XXX-### where YYYY is the survey year, XXX is the number assigned to the activity within that year, ### are sequential numbers assigned to the sample site. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to distinguish site numbers.
    FA_ID
    Serial number assigned to the field activity during which the bottom image was collected. This value is in the format YYYY-XXX-FA where YYYY is the survey year, XXX is the number assigned to the activity within that year, and FA indicates Field Activity. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to distinguish field activities by year and ID number.
    DEVICE_ID
    Sampling device used to collect the bottom image. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to identify the sampling configuration used during the survey.
    VEHICLE_ID
    Vehicle (ship) used to collect data during the field activity. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) String used to identify the survey vessel.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    This dataset contains 123 geotagged JPEG images of the sea floor from a FLIR Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C camera and DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video camera collected in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal in May and June 2023 during USGS field activity 2023-001-FA, and a shapefile and CSV file of the locations of these images (see the Detailed Description section above for definitions of the shapefile and CSV file attributes). Survey information was also incorporated into the metadata embedded in the header of each JPEG image.
    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)
    • Seth D. Ackerman
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

These data were collected to characterize the sea floor by identifying sediment texture and to ground-truth acoustic data collected during the both 2022-001-FA, and 2023-001-FA. This dataset contains the locations and geotagged sea-floor images acquired using the SEABed Observation and Sampling System (SEABOSS) 2.0. One hundred twenty-three images were acquired at 60 sampling locations covering both the 2022-001-FA, and 2023-001-FA survey areas in Nantucket Sound.
The SEABOSS 2.0 is equipped with a FLIR Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C camera and DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video camera and was deployed from the Research Vessel (R/V) Rafael during USGS field activity 2023-001-FA (May 12 and June 13-14, 2023). These data were collected to characterize the sea floor by identifying sediment texture and to ground-truth acoustic data collected during the field activity. Bottom imagery serves as a means to visually classify grain size and identify sea-floor habitats, and they are especially important for sample sites where no physical sediment sample was collected.

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: 14-Jun-2023 (process 1 of 11)
    STEP 1: COLLECTED DATA.
    A marine geophysical and sampling survey (field activity 2023-001-FA) was conducted in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal in May and June 2023. The ground validation data was collected while the R/V Rafael occupied one of the target sites, and the SEABOSS 2.0 was deployed off the vessel's portside. The SEABOSS was equipped with a modified Van Veen grab sampler, a FLIR Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C digital camera with a topside feed, an oblique downward-looking DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video camera with a topside feed, and DeepSea Power & Light LED SeaLites to illuminate the sea floor for video and photograph collection. The elements of this particular SEABOSS were held within a stainless-steel frame that measured ~1 x 1 meter. The frame had a stabilizer fin that oriented the system as it drifted over the seabed. Two red lasers were set 20 centimeters apart (both as they were mounted on the SEABOSS frame and as seen in photographs and video on the seabed) for scale measurements. The red laser dots can usually be seen in the sea-floor photos and videos depending on the bottom type, water clarity, and distance to the sea floor. The winch operator lowered the SEABOSS until the sea floor was observed in the topside live video feed. Generally, the vessel and SEABOSS drifted with wind and current for up to a few minutes to ensure a decent photo with a clear view of the sea floor was acquired. A scientist monitored the real-time bottom video and acquired bottom photographs at points of interest by remotely triggering the FLIR camera shutter. The photographed area is most often within 0.5 to 1.25 meters from left to right. Bottom video was also recorded during the drift from the oblique downward-looking DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video camera directly to a solid-state drive using an Odyssey7 video recorder. Due to equipment overheating issues, the FLIR camera stopped working after site 2023-001-050, so still-image frame grabs were captured from the DeepSea Power & Light bottom videos for the last 10 sites (sites 2023-001-051 through 2023-001-060) described in a subsequent process step.
    After drifting for up to a few minutes, the winch operator lowered the SEABOSS sampler until it rested on the sea floor. When the system was raised, the Van Veen grab sampler closed and collected a sample as it was lifted off the sea floor. The sampler was recovered to the deck of the survey vessel where a subsample was taken for grain-size analysis at the sediment laboratory at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.
    During the survey, DGPS navigation from a Hemisphere R131 DGPS receiver (see Positional_Accuracy statement above for more info). Dates and times were recorded in UTC. When the FLIR camera shutter was remotely triggered to take a photo, the photo filename and navigation data for that timestamp were saved to a CSV file, which was used to geotag the images in a subsequent process step. The DGPS data were also overlaid onto the video using a Proteus-V Pro video overlay device. A survey log was maintained during the field activity by the technical and scientific staff as an Excel spreadsheet. It contains information about bottom photo and video acquisition, sediment sampling, and other miscellaneous notes from the survey.
    A total of 123 bottom photos were collected using the SEABOSS 2.0 at 60 sites during field activity 2023-001-FA. Person who carried out this activity:
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Original FLIR TIFF photographs
    • DeepSea Power & Light bottom videos
    • Photo navigation CSV files
    • Survey log
    • Raw navigation data
    • Sediment samples
    Date: Feb-2024 (process 2 of 11)
    STEP 2: GEOTAGGED THE FLIR PHOTOS.
    The photo navigation CSV files from the three survey days were combined into one CSV file and the coordinates were rounded to six decimal places. The FLIR photos were then geotagged. To geotag the images, the following command was used with ExifTool (version 11.86) to populate the GPS tags (GPSLatitudeRef, GPSLatitude, GPSLongitudeRef, GPSLongitude, GPSTimeStamp, and GPSDateStamp) in the metadata embedded in the header of each TIFF image: 
    > exiftool -P -csv="images_nav.csv" -overwrite_original *.tif
    The GPS information was not recorded in the photo navigation file for two drifts on the first survey day (the second drift at site 2023-001-001 and the drift at site 2023-001-002). The photos from these two drifts that were selected for publication were geotagged in a later process step.
    This process step and the subsequent process steps were performed by the same person, Emily Huntley. Person who carried out this activity:
    Emily Huntley
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geographer/Database Specialist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ehuntley@contractor.usgs.gov
    Data sources used in this process:
    • Original FLIR TIFF photographs
    • Photo navigation CSV files
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Final photo navigation CSV file
    • Geotagged FLIR TIFF photographs
    • FLIR TIFF photographs with no recorded navigation data
    Date: Feb-2024 (process 3 of 11)
    STEP 3: RENAMED THE FLIR PHOTOS.
    The original filenames for the photos generally included the site name followed by the GPS date and time. The images were renamed to include the field activity identifier and site ID, camera, and GPS date and time in the ISO 8601 standard (YYYYMMDD T [time separator] HHMMSS Z [Zulu/UTC time]) in the filename. To do this, the GPS date and time information was parsed from the image's Exif metadata tags using the following ExifTool (version 11.86) command: 
    > exiftool -csv -filename -EXIF:GPSTimeStamp -EXIF:GPSDateStamp -GPSLatitude -GPSLongitude -n *.tif > out.csv A spreadsheet was then made to concatenate the new filename using the parsed GPS information in Microsoft Excel for Mac (version 16.16.27).
    The images were then renamed by running a shell script to rename the original image names with the new filenames. The survey log noted several sites that included the wrong site number in the original filenames, so these filenames were corrected. Data sources used in this process:
    • Geotagged FLIR TIFF photographs
    • FLIR TIFF photographs with no recorded navigation data
    • Survey log
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Renamed geotagged FLIR TIFF photographs
    • Renamed FLIR TIFF photographs with no recorded navigation data
    Date: Mar-2024 (process 4 of 11)
    STEP 4:CULLED THE FLIR PHOTOS.
    The FLIR bottom photographs were culled to select one to three representative images for each drift at a site for publication. To do this, the photos were reviewed to choose representative images with a clear view of the sea floor. If a site had many images with a clear view of the sea floor, then two or three photos taken at least 10 seconds apart were selected for publication. One site, site 2023-001-035, had a longer drift, so five photos were selected for it. Two sites, sites 2023-001-003 and 2023-001-042, did not have any photos with a clear view of the sea floor, so the best available photo from each of the sites was selected for publication. Data sources used in this process:
    • Renamed geotagged FLIR TIFF photographs
    • Renamed FLIR TIFF photographs with no recorded navigation data
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Selected FLIR TIFF photographs
    • Selected FLIR TIFF photographs with no recorded navigation data
    Date: Apr-2024 (process 5 of 11)
    STEP 5: GEOTAGGED THE FLIR PHOTOS THAT WERE MISSING NAVIGATION DATA.
    The GPS information was not recorded in the photo navigation file for two drifts on the first survey day (the second drift at site 2023-001-001 and the drift at site 2023-001-002). The missing navigation data for the photo times for the selected photos for publication were extracted from the GPRMC navigation strings from the ship's raw navigation. Navigation data were not available for the time of one photo (2023-001-002_Flir_20230512T153514Z.jpg), so the coordinates from the closest timestamp available (15:35:15) were extracted instead. The extracted navigation data were added to a CSV file with the SourceFile (photo filename), GPSDateStamp, GPSTimeStamp, GPSLatitude, GPSLatitudeRef, GPSLongitude, and GPSLongitudeRef. The images from the two drifts were then geotagged using the following ExifTool (version 11.86) command: 
    > exiftool -P -csv="2023-001-001a-and-002_nav.csv" -overwrite_original *.tif
    Data sources used in this process:
    • Selected FLIR TIFF photographs with no recorded navigation data
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • FLIR TIFF photographs geotagged with ship's navigation data
    Date: Apr-2024 (process 6 of 11)
    STEP 6: SELECTED BOTTOM VIDEO FRAME GRABS FOR PUBLICATION.
    The FLIR camera stopped working after site 2023-001-050 due to equipment overheating issues, so still-image frame grabs were captured from the DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video for the last 10 sites (sites 2023-001-051 through 2023-001-060) to supplement this dataset. This was a manual process whereby the video was viewed in VLC media player (version 3.0.20) and two or three clear images of the sea floor throughout each drift were captured using the Video > Snapshot function. The images were renamed to include the field activity identifier and site ID, camera, and GPS date and time in the ISO 8601 standard (YYYYMMDD T [time separator] HHMMSS Z [Zulu/UTC time]) in the filename. Data sources used in this process:
    • DeepSea Power & Light bottom videos
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Bottom video frame grabs
    Date: Aug-2024 (process 7 of 11)
    STEP 7: AUTO-ADJUSTED THE FLIR PHOTOS' TONE AND CONVERTED TO JPEGs.
    To enhance the sea-floor visibility, the FLIR images were adjusted using the Auto Tone command in Adobe Photoshop 2024 (version 25.7.0) and then converted to JPEG files. When the photos were saved as JPEGs, Photoshop added tags to the metadata embedded in the header of each JPEG image. The following ExifTool (version 11.86) command was run to remove all the metadata tags except for the GPS tags and modify date: 
    > exiftool -P -overwrite_original -all= -tagsfromfile @ -gps:all -EXIF:ModifyDate -overwrite_original *.jpg
    Data sources used in this process:
    • Selected FLIR TIFF photographs
    • FLIR TIFF photographs geotagged with ship's navigation data
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • FLIR JPEG photographs
    Date: Aug-2024 (process 8 of 11)
    STEP 8: INCORPORATED SURVEY INFORMATION INTO THE FLIR PHOTOS' METADATA.
    Additional survey information was incorporated into the metadata embedded in the header of each JPEG image. Images may have different metadata formats embedded in their headers, and the commands below incorporated survey information into the following three image metadata formats: Exchangeable image file format (Exif), International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC), and Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP). The second command below duplicates values from Exif and IPTC metadata tags to XMP tags because various software packages read different tags. Please note that only a subset of these tags may be accessed depending on the software used to view the image metadata. Command to incorporate survey information into the metadata embedded in the header of each JPEG image using ExifTool (version 11.86): 
    > exiftool -P -m "-XMP:PreservedFileName<Filename" -IPTC:Credit="U.S. Geological Survey" -IPTC:Contact="WHSC_data_contact@usgs.gov" -EXIF:Copyright="Public Domain" -XMP:UsageTerms="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 for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty." -EXIF:ImageDescription="https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2023-001-FA; Photograph of the sea floor in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, from USGS field activity 2023-001-FA" -XMP:AttributionURL="https://doi.org/10.5066/P14NWTX8" -EXIF:GPSAreaInformation="position post-processed from nearby GPS" -EXIF:GPSMapDatum="EPSG:4326 (WGS 84)" "-EXIF:DateTimeOriginal<Composite:GPSDateTime" -EXIF:Artist="Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) Sea Floor Mapping Group (SFMG)" -EXIF:Make="FLIR" -EXIF:Model="Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C" -overwrite_original *.jpg
    Command to duplicate metadata from the Exif and IPTC formats to XMP using ExifTool: 
    > exiftool -P -m "-XMP-photoshop:Credit<IPTC:Credit" "-XMP-iptcCore:CreatorWorkEmail<IPTC:Contact" "-XMP-dc:Rights<EXIF:Copyright" "-XMP-dc:Description<EXIF:ImageDescription" "-XMP-exif:all<GPS:all" "-XMP-exif:GPSLatitude<Composite:GPSLatitude" "-XMP-exif:GPSLongitude<Composite:GPSLongitude" "-XMP-exif:GPSDateTime<Composite:GPSDateTime" "-XMP-photoshop:DateCreated<EXIF:DateTimeOriginal" "-XMP-xmp:ModifyDate<EXIF:ModifyDate" "-XMP-dc:Creator<EXIF:Artist" "-XMP-tiff:Make<EXIF:Make" "-XMP-tiff:Model<EXIF:Model" -overwrite_original *.jpg
    The following metadata tags were populated in the image headers using the above ExifTool commands:
    Exif tags and the information used to populate these tags: 
    Artist: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) Sea Floor Mapping Group (SFMG)
Copyright: Public Domain
DateTimeOriginal: duplicated using the composite of Exif GPSDateStamp and Exif GPSTimeStamp
GPSAreaInformation: position post-processed from nearby GPS
GPSMapDatum: EPSG:4326 (WGS 84)
ImageDescription: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2023-001-FA; Photograph of the sea floor in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, from USGS field activity 2023-001-FA
Make: FLIR
Model: Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C
    IPTC tags and the information used to populate these tags: 
    Contact: WHSC_data_contact@usgs.gov
Credit: U.S. Geological Survey
    XMP tags and the information used to populate these tags: 
    AttributionURL: https://doi.org/10.5066/P14NWTX8
Creator: duplicated from Exif Artist
CreatorWorkEmail: duplicated from IPTC
Contact Credit: duplicated from IPTC Credit
DateCreated: duplicated from Exif
DateTimeOriginal Description: duplicated from Exif ImageDescription
GPSAreaInformation: duplicated from Exif GPSAreaInformation by copying all the Exif GPS tags to the same-named tags in XMP (-XMP-exif:all<GPS:all)
GPSDateTime: duplicated using the composite of Exif GPSDateStamp and Exif GPSTimeStamp
GPSLatitude: duplicated using the composite of Exif GPSLatitude and Exif GPSLatitudeRef
GPSLongitude: duplicated using the composite of Exif GPSLongitude and Exif GPSLongitudeRef
GPSMapDatum: duplicated from Exif GPSMapDatum by copying all the Exif GPS tags to the same-named tags in XMP (-XMP-exif:all<GPS:all)
Make: duplicated from Exif Make
Model: duplicated from Exif Model
ModifyDate: duplicated from Exif ModifyDate
PreservedFileName: original image filename, which is unique for each image
Rights: duplicated from Exif Copyright
UsageTerms: 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 for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
    To extract the geotagging and survey information (except for the duplicated tags) from the image metadata using ExifTool, the following command can be used (tested with ExifTool version 11.86): 
    > exiftool -csv -filename -EXIF:GPSTimeStamp -EXIF:GPSDateStamp -GPSLatitude -GPSLongitude -n -IPTC:Credit -IPTC:Contact -EXIF:Copyright -XMP:UsageTerms -EXIF:ImageDescription -XMP:AttributionURL -EXIF:GPSAreaInformation -EXIF:GPSMapDatum -EXIF:Artist *.jpg > out.csv
    The "-csv" option writes the information to a CSV file. The "-n" option formats the latitude and longitude as signed decimal degrees. Please note that the above command was tested on macOS; Windows users may need to use "exiftool.exe" instead of "exiftool." Data sources used in this process:
    • FLIR JPEG photograph
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Final FLIR JPEG photographs
    Date: Aug-2024 (process 9 of 11)
    STEP 9: GEOTAGGED THE BOTTOM VIDEO FRAME GRABS.
    The videos were recorded with an overlay of the latitude, longitude, GPS time, and GPS date. Several scripts were run to extract the information from each screen grab and save it to a CSV file along with the filename. To geotag the images, the following command was used with ExifTool (version 11.86) to populate the GPS tags (GPSLatitudeRef, GPSLatitude, GPSLongitudeRef, GPSLongitude, GPSTimeStamp, and GPSDateStamp) and to copy the file modify date to the Exif modify date tag in the metadata embedded in the header of each JPEG image: 
    > exiftool -P "-EXIF:ModifyDate<FileModifyDate" -csv="vidframes_nav.csv" -overwrite_original *.jpg
    Data sources used in this process:
    • Bottom video frame grabs
    • Final CSV navigation file
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Geotagged bottom video frame grabs
    Date: Aug-2024 (process 10 of 11)
    STEP 10: INCORPORATED SURVEY INFORMATION INTO THE BOTTOM VIDEO FRAME GRABS' METADATA.
    Additional survey information was incorporated into the Exif, IPTC, and XMP metadata embedded in the header of each JPEG image using the following ExifTool command: 
    > exiftool -P -m "-XMP:PreservedFileName<Filename" -IPTC:Credit="U.S. Geological Survey" -IPTC:Contact="WHSC_data_contact@usgs.gov" -EXIF:Copyright="Public Domain" -XMP:UsageTerms="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 for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty." -EXIF:ImageDescription="https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2023-001-FA; Video frame grab of the sea floor in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, from USGS field activity 2023-001-FA" -XMP:AttributionURL="https://doi.org/10.5066/P14NWTX8" -EXIF:GPSAreaInformation="position post-processed from nearby GPS" -EXIF:GPSMapDatum="EPSG:4326 (WGS 84)" "-EXIF:DateTimeOriginal<Composite:GPSDateTime" -EXIF:Artist="Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) Sea Floor Mapping Group (SFMG)" -EXIF:Make="DeepSea Power & Light" -EXIF:Model="HD Multi SeaCam" -overwrite_original *.jpg The following command was then run to duplicate metadata from the Exif and IPTC formats to XMP using ExifTool: exiftool -P -m "-XMP-photoshop:Credit<IPTC:Credit" "-XMP-iptcCore:CreatorWorkEmail<IPTC:Contact" "-XMP-dc:Rights<EXIF:Copyright" "-XMP-dc:Description<EXIF:ImageDescription" "-XMP-exif:all<GPS:all" "-XMP-exif:GPSLatitude<Composite:GPSLatitude" "-XMP-exif:GPSLongitude<Composite:GPSLongitude" "-XMP-exif:GPSDateTime<Composite:GPSDateTime" "-XMP-photoshop:DateCreated<EXIF:DateTimeOriginal" "-XMP-xmp:ModifyDate<EXIF:ModifyDate" "-XMP-dc:Creator<EXIF:Artist" "-XMP-tiff:Make<EXIF:Make" "-XMP-tiff:Model<EXIF:Model" -overwrite_original *.jpg
    The same information that was incorporated into the FLIR photos' metadata was populated in the headers of the video frame grabs with the following exceptions for the Exif tags: ImageDescription: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2023-001-FA; Video frame grab of the sea floor in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, from USGS field activity 2023-001-FA Make: DeepSea Power & Light Model: HD Multi SeaCam To extract the geotagging and survey information (except for DateTimeOriginal, ModifyDate, and the duplicated tags) from the image metadata using ExifTool, the following command can be used (tested with ExifTool version 11.86): 
    > exiftool -csv -filename -EXIF:GPSTimeStamp -EXIF:GPSDateStamp -GPSLatitude -GPSLongitude -n -IPTC:Credit -IPTC:Contact -EXIF:Copyright -XMP:UsageTerms -EXIF:ImageDescription -XMP:AttributionURL -EXIF:GPSAreaInformation -EXIF:GPSMapDatum -EXIF:Artist *.jpg > out.csv
    The "-csv" option writes the information to a CSV file. The "-n" option formats the latitude and longitude as signed decimal degrees. Please note that the above command was tested on macOS; Windows users may need to use "exiftool.exe" instead of "exiftool." Data sources used in this process:
    • Geotagged bottom video frame grabs
    • Final CSV navigation file
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Final bottom video frame grabs
    Date: Oct-2024 (process 11 of 11)
    STEP 11: CREATED A CSV FILE AND SHAPEFILE OF THE BOTTOM IMAGE LOCATIONS.
    The GPS information from the image metadata tags was extracted using the following ExifTool (version 11.86) command: 
    > exiftool -csv -f -GPSTimeStamp -GPSDateStamp -GPSLatitude -GPSLongitude -n *.jpg > out.csv
    Microsoft Excel for Mac (version 16.88) was used to rename the field names for the filename (PICNAME), GPS time (GPSTIME), GPS date (DATE), latitude (LAT), and longitude (LONG); and add new fields for the camera (CAMERA), Julian day of collection (JD), year of collection (YEAR), site number (FIELD_NO), survey ID (FA_ID), sampling device used to collect the image (DEVICE_ID), and survey vessel (VEHICLE_ID). A shapefile was created from the bottom image locations CSV file using QGIS (version 3.10.9). The CSV file was added as a delimited text layer and then saved as an Esri shapefile vector layer. Data sources used in this process:
    • Final FLIR JPEG photographs
    • Final bottom video frame grabs
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • 2023-001-FA_images.csv CSV file
    • 2023-001-FA_images.shp shapefile
  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?
    Most of the sea-floor images were acquired with a FLIR Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C camera using the default settings. The original FLIR images were TIFF files that were each 15.1 MB on disc. The FLIR images were adjusted using the Auto Tone command in Photoshop to enhance sea-floor visibility, and then converted to JPEG files.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    The seafloor survey was conducted with the SEABOSS 2.0 system, and the original images were geolocated during post-processing. This was done by populating the metadata of each image with coordinate data from the vessel's navigation system. The estimated horizontal positional accuracy of the bottom image locations is approximately 5 meters. This is a conservative estimate that accounts for the various sources of horizontal offsets and inaccuracies.
    Navigation Data and Processing: During field activity 2023-001-FA, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) navigation was used. For the May survey day, the DGPS was set to receive fixes at 4 hertz (Hz) or 4 records per second in geographic coordinates (Geographic Coordinate System [GCS] World Geodetic System of 1984 [WGS 84]). For the June survey days, the DGPS was set to receive fixes at 2 Hz or 2 records per second.
    A key factor of potential inaccuracy is the location of the recorded position. The coordinates embedded in each image's metadata correspond to the position of the DGPS antenna on the survey vessel, not the exact location of the SEABOSS on the seafloor. For the survey day in May, the DGPS antenna was located on the R/V Rafael's aft starboard side of the wheelhouse and for the June survey days the antenna was on the aft port side of the wheelhouse. In both cases, the antenna was approximately 2-3 meters from the SEABOSS deployment location. No layback or offset was applied to correct for this physical separation or for the SEABOSS potentially drifting away from the vessel when deployed to the seafloor.
    Data Management and Discrepancies: Specific navigation data were not recorded for two drifts on the first survey day (the second drift at site 2023-001-001 and the drift at site 2023-001-002). These photos were geolocated using the ship's general navigation, which used a different antenna than the SEABOSS's DGPS receiver. For photo 2023-001-002_Flir_20230512T153514Z.jpg, the ship's navigation data were unavailable, so coordinates from the closest available timestamp in the ship’s navigation (15:35:15) were used. A comparison of the SEABOSS's DGPS and the ship's navigation data at three locations on the first day showed them to be less than one meter apart.
    It is important to note that the navigation data were processed differently for the bottom photos and the video tracklines, meaning the two datasets may not always intersect. May Data (JD 132; sites 2023-001-001 through 2023-001-006): Video tracklines were mapped using the ship's navigation. The SEABOSS's DGPS receiver data were not recorded into the video files. June Data (JDs 164 and 165; sites 2023-001-007 through 2023-001-060): Both photos and videos were mapped using the SEABOSS's DGPS receiver data. However, the data were recorded differently: 
     Photos: GPS information was recorded with a program called **Marfac (no version number), which saved the photo filename and navigation data when the camera was remotely triggered.
 Videos: GPS data were overlaid using a Proteus-V Pro video overlay device. This device likely truncated and rounded the GPS coordinates, causing them to not exactly match the photo's coordinates, even though both came from the same DGPS receiver.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This dataset includes geotagged sea-floor images in JPEG format and a shapefile and CSV file of the locations of images collected during field activity 2023-001-FA. Sixty sites were occupied within the study area which covered the extent of both 2022-001-FA, and 2023-001-FA (see supplemental information above for links to both surveys.) Each deployment of the SEABOSS is generally considered a unique site. Two sites (sites 2023-001-001 and 2023-001-008), however, had two separate deployments because a sediment grab was not successfully collected during the first deployment; FLIR photos were taken during both deployments at these sites. Sea-floor images were acquired at most sites with a FLIR Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C camera mounted on the SEABOSS. The FLIR bottom photographs were culled to select one to three representative images for each drift at a site for publication. If a site had many images with a clear view of the sea floor, then two or three photos taken at least 10 seconds apart were selected for publication. One site, site 2023-001-035, had a longer drift, so five photos were selected for it. Due to water turbidity, site 2023-001-003 did not have any photos with a clear view of the sea floor. During the drift at site 2023-001-042, both the still and video cameras stopped working. Since these two sites (sites 2023-001-003 and 2023-001-042) did not have any photos with a clear view of the sea floor, the best available photo from each of the sites was selected for publication. Due to equipment overheating issues, the FLIR camera stopped working after site 2023-001-050, so still-image frame grabs were captured from the DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video for the last 10 sites (sites 2023-001-051 through 2023-001-060) to supplement this dataset. A total of 123 images for all 60 sites are included in this dataset.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Most of the sea-floor images were acquired with a FLIR Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C camera on the SEABOSS 2.0. The FLIR camera stopped working on June 14 (JD165) after site 2023-001-050, so still-image frame grabs were captured from the DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video for the last 10 sites (sites 2023-001-051 through 2023-001-060) to supplement this dataset. The images acquired with the FLIR and DeepSea Power & Light cameras have different fields of view and image dimensions. The fields of view of the two cameras overlap, but the DeepSea Power & Light images show a larger extent than the FLIR photos. The image dimensions of the FLIR photos are 2448 x 2048 pixels, and the DeepSea Power & Light still-image frame grabs are 1920 x 1080 pixels. The DeepSea Power & Light images have an overlay of the latitude, longitude, GPS time, and GPS date.

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. Please see 'Distribution Information' for details.
Use_Constraints These data are marked with a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal License. These data are in the public domain and do not have any use constraints. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Geotagged sea-floor images and locations of bottom images collected in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal in May and June 2023 by the U.S. Geological Survey during field activity 2023-001-FA. This dataset contains the following files: a shapefile of the bottom image locations (2023-001-FA_images.shp); a CSV file of the bottom image locations (2023-001-FA_images.csv); 123 geotagged bottom images from a FLIR Blackfly S BFS-PGE-50S5M-C camera and DeepSea Power & Light HD Multi SeaCam video camera; a browse graphic of bottom image locations (2023-001-FA_images_browse.jpg); and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) metadata file in the XML format (2023-001-FA_images_meta.xml).
  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 for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product 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 dataset contains data available as a point shapefile, a CSV file, and JPEG image files. The user must have software capable of reading shapefile format to use the point shapefile. The CSV file can be read with a text editor. An image viewer can be used to see the JPEG images.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 21-May-2026
Metadata author:
Seth Ackerman
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA
USA

508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
Contact_Instructions:
The metadata contact email address is a generic address in the event the person is no longer with the USGS.
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_P14NWTX8/2023-001-FA_images_meta.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Tue May 26 15:03:13 2026