USGS CoastCam CACO-01 at Head of the Meadow Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts (2019 to 2024): Imagery Data

Frequently anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How might this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  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?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How might this data set be cited?
   Over, Jin-Si R., Sherwood, Christopher R., Marsjanik, Eric D., Borden, Jonathan S., Martini, Marinna A., and Lange, Athina M.Z., 20260205, USGS CoastCam CACO-01 at Head of the Meadow Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts (2019 to 2024): Imagery Data: data release doi:10.5066/P95C0DGM, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/P95C0DGM
   • https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/60d6125bd34e9603936761eb

   This is part of the following larger work.
   Over, Jin-Si R., Sherwood, Christopher R., Marsjanik, Eric. D., Borden, Jonathan S., Martini, Marinna A., and Lange, Athina M.Z., 2026, USGS CoastCam CACO-01 at Head of the Meadow Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts (2019 to 2024): Imagery and Calibration Data: data release doi:10.5066/P95C0DGM, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/P95C0DGM
   • https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/60d5fd5bd34e960393670e8a

   Other_Citation_Details:

   Suggested citation: Over, J.R., Sherwood, C.R., Marsjanik, E.D., Borden, J.S., Martini, M.A., and Lange, A.M.Z., 2026, USGS CoastCam CACO-01 at Head of the Meadow Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts (2019 to 2024)—Imagery and Calibration Data: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P95C0DGM.

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.0812320
   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.0733245
   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.0564112
   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.0504522
   

3. What does it look like?

   https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/60d5fd5bd34e960393670e8a?name=CACO01_CoastCam_browse.png&allowOpen=true (PNG)

   Location map and field of view of CoastCam CACO01.

   https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/60d6125bd34e9603936761eb?name=CACO01_imagery_browse.png&allowOpen=true (PNG)

   Example image products (snap, timex, variance, bright, and dark) from camera 1 and 2.

4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Beginning_Date: 13-Dec-2019

   Ending_Date: 22-Mar-2024

   Currentness_Reference:

   ground condition, photos were not collected continuously between dates provided due to the occasional malfunction of the camera.

5. What is the general form of this data set?

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: JPEGS and tabular digital data
   

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Raster data set. It contains the following raster data types:
      • Dimensions 2048 x 2448, type Grid Cell
   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 0.0000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.0000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983 (National Spatial Reference System 2011).
      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?

   CACO01_ImageList.csv

   The CSV file contains the complete list of images uploaded onto the IDS and the date and time they were collected. (Source: producer defined)

   ImageName

   File names of individual images, see the Process Description for file naming convention. (Source: USGS) Character string.

   DateTimeOriginal

   Calendar date of collection in MM/dd/YYYY HH:MM:SS in GMT (Source: USGS)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	12/13/2019 18:00:00
   Maximum:	03/22/2024 21:00:00

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   Users are advised to read the EXIF and other imagery headers for more information about the dataset. A total of 221,365 Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) images included in this release were uploaded to the Imagery Data System. There are 2,704 JPEG images from 2019, 72,483 images from 2020, 58,913 images from 2021, 50,012 images from 2022, 25,831 JPEG images from 2023, and 11,985 images from 2024. They can be searched by collection, where the images were uploaded by camera number (c1 and c2) and type (snap, timex, var, bright, dark), by DateTimeOriginal of when the image was taken, or by GPSDateTime which tells you which extrinsic calibration dataset is more appropriate for each image. Images can be filtered, searched, viewed, and downloaded here: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/idsviewer/data_release/10.5066-P95C0DGM.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: USGS
   

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Jin-Si R. Over
   • Christopher R. Sherwood
   • Eric D. Marsjanik
   • Jonathan S. Borden
   • Marinna A. Martini
   • Athina M.Z. Lange
2. Who also contributed to the data set?
3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   Jin-Si R. Over

   U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Geographer

   384 Woods Hole Rd.

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   508-548-8700 x2297 (voice)

   jover@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

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: 12-Dec-2019 (process 1 of 6)

   Before mounting the CoastCam at the beach, the cameras (FLIR Blackfly 50S5C-C) were used to take intrinsic camera calibration images. Please refer to the CACO01_calibration_metadata record included in this data release for more information on the calibration process. The camera consists of two cameras which were installed on a bluff overlooking Head of the Meadow Beach, approximately 200 meters southeast of the parking lot, hose clamped onto a short aluminum pole. Camera one (c1) points alongshore to the north and has a 12 mm lens while camera two (c2) points offshore with an 8 mm lens (see browse graphic CACO01_CoastCam_browse.png). The cameras are connected to an Odroid-XU4 controller with a ATandT cradlepoint modem, powered by a solar charging system comprised of lithium batteries, a Renogy Voyager solar charge controller, and two Renogy 100W solar panels. Field activities related to this step include 2019-041-FA and 2019-043-FA. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Eric D. Marsjanik

   U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Electronics Technician

   U.S. Geological Survey – Marine Operations Facility 11 Woods Hole Rd.

   Falmouth, MA
   

   508-548-8700 x2216 (voice)

   emarsjanik@usgs.gov

   Date: 22-Mar-2024 (process 2 of 6)

   The cameras were programmed in HOTM (v 3.2, https://github.com/Coastal-Imaging-Research-Network/hotm2/blob/master/hotm2.a.pdf) software to collect three-band (reg-green-blue) images every half hour and take video for 10 minutes at 2Hz. The images included in this data release were collected from December 13th, 2019 to March 22nd, 2024. Each time the camera was activated, there were five resultant image products collected: the "snapshot" ("snap") image is the first frame of the video; the time exposure ("timex") image is the average of all frames within the 10 minute video; the "variance" ("var") image shows the standard deviation of pixel intensity throughout the video; the brightest ("bright") image shows the brightest pixel values throughout the video; and the darkest ("dark") image shows the darkest pixel values throughout the video (see browse graphic CACO01_imagery_browse.png). The control computer acquires and stores the images and products produced locally and twice per hour syncs data to the AWS cloud server. The data is transmitted to the remote storage server via the cellular modem. Step was monitored and processed by E.D Marsjanik and C.R. Sherwood, date refers to the last day imagery data was collected. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Chris R. Sherwood

   U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Research Oceanographer

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   508-548-8700 x2269 (voice)

   csherwood@usgs.gov

   Date: 10-Feb-2025 (process 3 of 6)

   All the JPEG images were renamed to ensure unique filenames and compliance with the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazard and Resources Program's (CMHRP) best practices for image naming convention. Images were renamed with the image acquisition date and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in computer and human readable format, the camera location, the camera number, and the image type that distinguishes among the five camera outputs. For example, image name '1614895200.Thu.Mar.04_22_00_00.GMT.2021.CACO-01.c1.snap.jpg', where 1614895200 is the 10-digit epoch time convention of the date and time, Thu is the three character day of the week, Mar is the three character month, 04 is the two digit day of the month, 22_00_00 is the GMT time in HH_MM_SS format, 2021 is the year, CACO-01 is the camera location, c1 is the camera number, and snap is the image type. This step and all following were done by J. Over.

   Date: 12-Mar-2025 (process 4 of 6)

   Images were sorted into “Useable” and “Unusable” based on exposure and image subject. For example, image sets that were completely black because they were taken at night were deemed unusable. Images that were completely obscured by sand were also deemed unusable. This process was done manually and in batches by time. Images that are unusable may have been missed. This process was done by J. Over and identified ~90,000 unusable images.

   Date: 09-May-2025 (process 5 of 6)

   The renamed useable images were geotagged and processed to add additional information required by the USGS to the exchangeable image file format (EXIF) and other imagery headers using PyExifTool Python library (https://pypi.org/project/PyExifTool/, version: 0.5.6). A list of all the useable images is provided in CACO01_ImageList.csv.
   The following describes an example of the Python dictionary object with each entry in the dictionary being a tag-value pair written to each image in the data release: tags = { 'Copyright': 'Public Domain', 'CopyrightNotice': 'Public Domain - please credit U.S. Geological Survey', 'Artist': 'USGS WHCMSC', 'Make': 'FLIR', 'Model': 'Blackfly 50S5C-C', 'GPSLatitude': '42.05049347, 'GPSLongitude': '-70.07738362', 'GPSMapDatum': 'EPSG:6318 NAD83 (2011)', 'GPSAreaInformation': 'camera pole location surveyed with RTK-GNSS', 'GPSLatitudeRef': 'N', 'GPSLongitudeRef': 'W', 'Credit': 'U.S. Geological Survey', 'Contact': 'whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov', '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', 'AttributionURL': 'https://doi.org/10.5066/P95C0DGM', 'Author': 'Jin-Si R. Over, Christopher R. Sherwood, Eric D. Marsjanik, Jonathan S. Borden, Athina M.Z. Lange', 'XMP-photoshop:Credit': 'U.S. Geological Survey', 'iptcCore:CreatorWorkEmail': 'whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov','Rights': 'Public Domain', 'ExternalMetadataLink': 'https://www1.usgs.gov/pir/api/identifiers/USGS:60d6125bd34e9603936761eb'}.
   The camera pole location was surveyed with RTK gear, which gives us the UTM and Lat/Long simultaneously in the file we download off of the device. The EXIF GPS Latitude/Longitude/Position tags are in NAD83(2011).
   Additionally, tags were added to the Python dictionary object that have different values for each image depending the filename and/or date when the image was captured. These tags are included as follows:
   'Caption-Abstract': 'The [IMAGE PRODUCT] image represents [X]. This image was captured from a stationary camera (CACO-01 [c#]) at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, Field Activity Number: [INSERT FA] on [INSERT CREATION DATETIME].
   'Caption': 'The [IMAGE PRODUCT] image taken at CACO-01 [c#] at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, USA on [INSERT CREATION DATETIME].'
   'Comment': '[IMAGE PRODUCT] image for [INSERT CREATION DATETIME]; This image was captured from a stationary camera (CACO-01 [c#]) at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts. Field Activity Number: [INSERT FA]'
   'Description':'https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/services/activity.php?fan=[INSERT FA]; This image was captured from a stationary camera (CACO-01 [c#]) at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts.'
   'Keywords': "Head of the Meadow Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, CoastCam, USGS, [IMAGE PRODUCT], remote sensing", dependent on the image product type.
   Where [IMAGE PRODUCT] is the type of image product (snap, timex, var, bright, dark) and [X] is the product description, [c#] refers to either camera 1 or 2, [INSERT FA] refers to the relevant field activity for the image, and [INSERT CREATION DATETIME] refers to the original date and time of the image in YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS GMT.
   The UserComment EXIF metadata field was used to store the camera intrinsics and extrinsics in the image metadata. The The UserComment has a nested dictionary structure. The highest-level dictionary contains two nested dictionaries as well as a note explaining the structure of the UserComment field. One nested dictionary contains the relevant intrinsic (NU, NV, coU, coV, fx, fy, d1, d2, d3, t1, t2) and extrinsic (x, y, z, azimuth, tilt, roll) data variables. See CACO02_calibration_metadata for descriptions of variables. The extrinsic variables include both horizontal and vertical location of the camera in NAD83(2011)/UTM 19N + NAVD88 (GEOID 18). We recommend to the user to calculate their own EO data based on the dates of the imagery used. The other nested dictionary contains text descriptions for each of the variables in the dictionary of data variables. The calibration date and GPS DateStamp field indicates the date of the EO.
   The GPSDateStamp field indicates the date of the extrinsic calibration. The GPSTimeStamp relates to the time of the extrinsic calibration and is 00:00:00 because that info is irrelevant, use the image name, comment tag, or the DateTimeOriginal Exif tag for the actual image information.
   To read out the imagery header information to a CSV file the command is: 'exiftool -csv *.jpg > .\ allheaders.csv'. Specific tags may be specified with this command, if preferred. Or use the online tool https://exif.tools/ (accessed May 9, 2025)

   Date: 09-Jun-2025 (process 6 of 6)

   Images in this release uploaded into the USGS Imagery Data System: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/idsviewer/data_release/10.5066- P95C0DGM. Step processed by J.R. Over. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Jin-Si R. Over

   U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Geographer

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   508-548-8700 x2297 (voice)

   jover@usgs.gov

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
   Bruder, Brittany L., and Brodie, Katherine L., 20200909, CIRN Quantitative Coastal Imaging Toolbox: SoftwareX Volume 12, 100582, Elsevier, online.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2020.100582

   Other_Citation_Details:

   This publication describes the steps used to calibrate the CoastCam imagery.

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

1. How well have the observations been checked?
   The video cameras collected 5-megapixel images, with file sizes generally between 0.1 and 0.9 megabytes (MB) on disc. Images may be obscured by water droplets, insects, birds, salt, sand and dirt, poor visibility from adverse weather conditions or sun glare, and thus may not reflect the true state of the beach and ocean. The EO and IO attributes embedded in the image headers (image coordinates and coefficients) were calculated using the Coastal Imaging Research Network (CIRN) Toolbox (Bruder and Brodie, 2020) and the error estimates are provided in the calibration metadata.
2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
   The camera pole location coordinates are embedded in all images GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude Exif information, which was measured with a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and is accurate to 2 cm. This value is 42.0504935 N, 70.0773836 W EPSG:6318 NAD83(2011) and is used to generally locate CACO-01.
   Camera c1 and c2 EO location: The horizontal accuracy of the camera's external orientation, which is embedded in the Exif tag UserComment, was verified using data collected in USGS field activities 2020-015-FA and 2022-009-FA and processed with the CIRN Quantitative Coastal Imaging Toolbox (Bruder and Brodie, 2020) which reports horizontal +/- error estimates less than 1 meter. These are available in the CACO01_calibration_metadata record and in the EO YAML files included in the larger work citation. Horizontal coordinates were referenced to NAD83(2011)/UTM Zone 19N (Epoch 2010.00), with a resolution of 0.001 meters. These EO horizontal values are used to place the images into real world coordinates when orthorectified.
3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
   
4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
   The imagery represents a fixed location at Head of the Meadow Beach, MA. Image products may not be available every half hour of operation due to camera malfunction and bandwidth issues when transmitting data to storage. Images were removed that were completely black, white, or the view was completely obscured by sand. Included images may still be obscured by water droplets, insects, birds, salt, sand and dirt, poor visibility from adverse weather conditions or sun glare, and thus may not reflect the true state of the beach and ocean. The cameras were maintained throughout their deployment, see the USGS Field activity pages for a list of events for cleaning, lens replacement, and additional maintenance.
5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
   The camera system installed (FLIR Blackfly 50S5C-C color cameras) was programmed to collect three-band (red-green-blue) images every half hour during daylight hours and take video for 10 minutes. Each time the camera was activated five image products were attempted: snap, timex, var, bright, and dark images; this is how the images are provided on the IDS. See the Process Steps for more information about these image types.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
   
   U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase

   Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302

   Denver, CO
   

   1-888-275-8747 (voice)

   sciencebase@usgs.gov
2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Image products collected and created by CACO-01.
3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
   This publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. 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. The USGS or the U.S. Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.
4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	List of images and the date and time of collection (CACO01_ImageList.csv). in format CSV (version Exported from Excel Office 365 16.01) Size: 16
     Network links:	https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/60d6125bd34e9603936761eb https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/60d6125bd34e9603936761eb https://doi.org/10.5066/P95C0DGM

     Data format:	The image products. in format JPEG (version 1.0.0) Size: 78000
     Network links:	https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/60d6125bd34e9603936761eb https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/60d6125bd34e9603936761eb https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/idsviewer/data_release/10.5066-P95C0DGM https://doi.org/10.5066/P138GAKI https://doi.org/10.5066/P95C0DGM

   • Cost to order the data: None

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 05-Feb-2026

Metadata author:

Jin-Si R. Over

U.S. Geological Survey, Northeast Region

Geographer

U.S. Geological Survey

Woods Hole, MA

508-548-8700 x2297 (voice)

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 USGS.

Metadata standard:

Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)