Landscape and vegetation photos and ground truthing data collected on North Core Banks, NC in October 2022

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Landscape and vegetation photos and ground truthing data collected on North Core Banks, NC in October 2022
Abstract:
These data map in high detail surficial cross-sections of North Core Banks, a barrier island in Cape Lookout National Seashore, NC, in October 2022. U.S. Geological Survey field efforts are part of an interagency agreement with the National Park Service to monitor the recovery of the island from Hurricanes Florence (2018) and Dorian (2019). Three sites of outwash, overwash, and pond formation were targeted for extensive vegetation ground-truthing, sediment samples, bathymetric mapping with a remote-controlled surface vehicle, and uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) flights to collect multispectral imagery. Five semi-permanent ground control points were also installed and surveyed to act as control for additional aerial imagery collected via plane. UAS imagery were processed in Agisoft Metashape (v. 1.8.1) with surveyed temporary ground control points to produce calibrated multispectral (red, blue, green, red edge, near infrared, and panchromatic) orthoimages and digital surface models.
Supplemental_Information:
For more information about the WHCMSC Field Activity, see https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2022-034-FA. Images can be viewed on the USGS Imagery Data System without downloading them here https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/idsviewer/data_release/10.5066-P99IV3FC.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Evans, Alexandra D., Zeigler, Sara L., Cramer, Jennifer M., and Over, Jin-Si R., 20230328, Landscape and vegetation photos and ground truthing data collected on North Core Banks, NC in October 2022: data release DOI:10.5066/P99IV3FC, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Over, Jin-Si R., Sherwood, Christopher R., Cramer, Jennifer M., Evans, Alexandra D., and Zeigler, Sara L., 2023, Topographic, bathymetric, multispectral, vegetation, sediment, and supporting GPS data collected on North Core Banks, Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina in October 2022, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-034-FA: data release DOI:10.5066/P99IV3FC, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Over, J.R., Sherwood, C.R., Cramer, J.M., Evans, A.D., and Zeigler, S.L, 2023, Topographic, bathymetric, multispectral, vegetation, sediment, and supporting GPS data collected on North Core Banks, Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina in October 2022, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2022-034-FA: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P99IV3FC.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -76.33868246
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -76.07440016
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.04065971
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 34.83981301
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/63af01edd34e92aad3ca5ece?name=2022034FA_NCB_VegetationNav_browse.JPG&allowOpen=true (JPEG)
    USGS personnel with GPS gear and a quadrat for describing vegetation on North Core Banks.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 17-Oct-2022
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition; multiple survey days
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: digital data
  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 (306)
    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: 0.999600
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -75.000000
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000
      False_Easting: 500000.000000
      False_Northing: 0.000000
      Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
      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 meters
      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 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Altitude_System_Definition:
      Altitude_Datum_Name: North American Vertical Datum of 1988 using Geoid 18
      Altitude_Resolution: 0.001
      Altitude_Distance_Units: meters
      Altitude_Encoding_Method:
      Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    2022-034-FA_NCB_Quadrat_Photos.zip
    Zip folder of JPEG photos taken at each random point quadrat as part of a ground-truthing survey. (Source: USGS)
    2022-034-FA_NCB_Landscape_Photos_10-17.zip, 2022-034-FA_NCB_Landscape_Photos_10-18.zip, 2022-034-FA_NCB_Landscape_Photos_10-19.zip, and 2022-034-FA_NCB_Landscape_Photos_10-20.zip
    Zip folders of JPEG photos taken each day of the field activity to provide context as part of a ground-truthing survey. (Source: USGS)
    2022034FA_NCB_Vegetation_GPS
    GPS point positions, elevations, and corresponding groundcover attributes. (Source: USGS)
    INFO
    USGS Field Activity Number (Source: USGS) Character string.
    Date
    Feature date in format MM/DD/YYYY where MM is the month, DD is the day, and YYYY is the year. (Source: USGS) Character string.
    Attributes
    Identifier for GPS points. The suffix -OPEN and -CLOSE indicate a QA/QC point at the beginning and end of a day of surveying. RP stands for random point. All derivatives of POND describe points taken on the edge or in one of the ponds. TRAN# describes a point along a cross-shore transect for QA/QC procedures and ground truthing. (Source: producer defined) Character string.
    ID
    Unique point identification number per survey date and SP80. (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:205
    PhotoRefID
    Unique point identification number that corresponds to a set of quadrat photos. (Source: producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    NaNNull value – not evaluated
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:135
    Latitude_NAD83[2011]
    Feature RTK location latitude (NAD83[2011]) from the SP80 (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:34.83981301
    Maximum:35.04065971
    Units:decimal degrees
    Longitude_NAD83[2011]
    Feature RTK location longitude (NAD83[2011]) from the SP80 (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-76.33868246
    Maximum:-76.07440016
    Units:decimal degrees
    Ellipsoid_height_NAD83[2011]
    Feature RTK height above the (NAD83[2011] GRS80) ellipsoid from the SP80. (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-38.418
    Maximum:-34.610
    Units:meters
    Easting_UTM18N
    Feature RTK location X-Coordinate (NAD83(2011)/UTM Zone 18N) from the SP80 (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:377604.961
    Maximum:402001.979
    Units:meters
    Northing
    Feature RTK location Y-Coordinate (NAD83(2011)/UTM Zone 18N) from the SP80 (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:3856094.950
    Maximum:3878082.120
    Units:meters
    Orthometric_height_NAVD88
    Feature RTK orthometric Z-Coordinate (NAVD88) using GEOID 18 from the SP80 (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.617
    Maximum:3.225
    Units:meters
    HSDV
    Horizontal variance in the xy-coordinates from the SP80 at the time of collection. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.008
    Maximum:0.023
    Units:meters
    VSDV
    Vertical variance in the z-coordinate from the SP80 at the time of collection. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.012
    Maximum:0.038
    Units:meters
    Geo Setting
    Coastal habitat type where the point was taken (Source: producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    beachSetting between the oceans mean-high-water shoreline to the dune toe
    duneElevated setting of sand and sparse vegetation between the ocean and marsh.
    interiorSetting from the back of the dune to the start of the marsh
    marshA primarily grassy area where water covers the ground most of the time
    washoverA setting of recently deposited sand landward of the berm free of vegetation.
    NaNNull value – not evaluated
    Substrate
    Underlying substance of the GPS point (Source: producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    mudSurface layer contains fine unconsolidated particles with no trace of gravel, where 90% are less than 0.0625 millimeters in diameter.
    sandSurface layer contains no trace of gravel and is composed of greater than 90% sand (particles 0.0625 millimeters to less than 2 millimeters in diameter).
    sandy mudSurface layer contains no trace of gravel and is composed of 10% to less than 50% sand; the remainder is composed of mud (particles less than 0.0625 millimeters in diameter).
    NaNNull value – not evaluated
    Vegetation Type
    Basic classification of the vegetation if present (Source: producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    herbaceousNon-woody vegetation such as grasses and sedges
    shrubWoody vegetation less than 5 meters tall
    noneNo vegetation present
    NaNNull value – not evaluated
    Vegetation Density (%)
    Estimation of the vegetation density (Source: producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    NaNNull value – not evaluated
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:100
    Units:percentage
    Vegetation Density Including Submerged (%)
    Estimation of the total vegetation density including any submerged vegetation (Source: producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    NaNNull value – not evaluated
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:90
    Units:percentage
    Vegetation Height (cm)
    Average height above ground of the vegetation closest to the survey rod within the quadrat (Source: producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    NaNNull value – not evaluated
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00
    Maximum:149.86
    Units:centimeters
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    These attribute definitions describe each column of information in the CSV files as if they were combined. No-data values are ‘NaN’. Each point with a RefPhotoID corresponds to a set of photos in the zip folder 2022-034-FA_NCB_Quadrat_Photos.zip. These are photos taken with a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone. Photos in the folder have the naming scheme 2022-034-FA_NCB_PhotoRefID_#_description, where # corresponds to the associated RefPhotoID point, and the description is either “context”, “logger”, “sand”, “topdown”, or “vegheight”.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: USGS Field Activity 2022-034-FA

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Alexandra D. Evans
    • Sara L. Zeigler
    • Jennifer M. Cramer
    • Jin-Si R. Over
  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
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2297 (voice)
    jover@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Landscape and vegetation data and photos can be used for landcover classifications and ground truthing of aerial imagery. Supporting GPS data are used for quality control of UAS elevation products and ground truthing of vegetation surveys.

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: 19-Oct-2022 (process 1 of 3)
    Vegetation sampling process is as follows. At New Pond 0, New Pond 1, and New Pond 3 fifty random points were generated in ArcPro (v. 3.0) within each region of interest using the Create Random Points tool. Not all of the 150 points generated were accessible by foot – obstacles such as deep water, thick poison ivy, and dense brush prevented every point from being surveyed. At each point visited, a PVC quadrat was laid on the ground and three types of photographs were collected: a “context” photo for the quadrat within the nearby landscape; a top-down view of the area within the quadrat; and a view of the SP80 logger during quadrat data collection to help tie the surveyed quadrat measurements to the smartphone photos (contain “logger” in the image name). An additional photo was taken depending on the ground cover type: a detailed view of the sand within the quadrat with a quarter for scale (contains “sand” in the image name) or a photo of the SP80 pole and ruler next to the vegetation in the quadrat (contains “vegheight” in the image name). A GPS point was taken at each point and can be tied to the photo based on the PhotoRefID attribute and number in the image name. The geographic setting (example: dune, marsh, washover) of the quadrat was also noted before more detailed notes on the ground cover were taken. The substrate and vegetation type, density, and height were recorded when applicable. Visual vegetation density measurements were aided by percent cover guides, such as Terry and Chilingar, 1955. Terry, R.D. and Chilingar, G.V., 1955. Summary of" Concerning some additional aids in studying sedimentary formations," by MS Shvetsov. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 25(3), pp.229-234.
    Date: 20-Oct-2022 (process 2 of 3)
    Additional ground truthing was done, but rather than random points, cross-shore transects and points in and around the ponds were collected. For these points, identified with the attribute TRAN# or POND, ground cover information was secondary. Where vegetation density is provided, “0” means that the vegetation density was less than 20% and a “20” means that the vegetation density was greater than 20%. Landscape photos were taken throughout the field activity to give context to the study sites and include USGS personnel, vegetation, pond, animal, and beach context. Person who carried out this activity:
    Alexandra D. Evans
    U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Post-doctoral investigator
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2354 (voice)
    adevans@usgs.gov
    Date: 14-Jan-2023 (process 3 of 3)
    Vegetation data was merged with all GPS points into CSV files separated by date. Final quadrat and landscape photos were renamed to add the field activity number, location, and description. Additional header data for photo credit, description, location, and contact information was added into each image using ExifTools (https://exiftool.org/, version: 12.06). Landscape photos were zipped into folders by the date they were taken and quadrat photos were zipped into a single folder. 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?

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Positions and elevations were produced with Spectra Precision (SP)80 Rovers connected to the NC CORs system for real-time kinematic (RTK) positions. Elevations were QA/QC’d with semi-permanent GCP CALO1 and National Geodetic Survey Marker EA0078 (DRUM), the latter of which upon further inspection of values may no longer be stable or at the published position. Photo locations taken with a smartphone are less accurate and have not been QA/QC’d.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    The Horizontal Standard Deviation (HSDV) of each SP80 point is provided, which estimates the uncertainty at each point. Real time kinematic positions of the equipment have a 1-2 cm horizontal accuracy based on a comparison of measurements taken of semi-permanent GCP CALO1 and its OPUS solution. The majority of points had a fixed position, which all have HSDV values less than 0.035 cm. Smartphone pictures are assumed to have a horizontal accuracy to within 5 meters.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    The Vertical Standard Deviation (VSDV) of each SP80 point is provided, which estimates the uncertainty at each point. RTK positions have a 2-5 cm vertical accuracy based on QA/QC comparisons with known points.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Does not include GPS points taken on ground control points, these are available in the larger work citation. Some points were also removed after a preliminary check of elevations in context with other points and the structure-from-motion products (available in the larger work citation), and this can explain non-consecutive “ID” values within each CSV file. This part of the data release does include points taken with the SP80 at the beginning and end of each day (“OPEN” and “CLOSE”) on a reference mark or semi-permanent GCP 1. Points with the same "Attributes" or "ID" field can be distinguished by the "DATE" field. No corrections were applied to points.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    The file contains USGS field activity 2022-034-FA vegetation, landscape, and sand photos and navigation data. Data includes QA/QC points and each set of vegetation photos corresponds with a GPS point. A vegetation set of photos includes a context, logger, topdown, and either a sand or veg height photo. Landscape and sand photos are not associated with specific GPS points.

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 Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the source of this information. These data are not intended for navigational use.
  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? Landscape and ground cover images, data, and the supporting GPS information.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm 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?
    none

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 28-Mar-2023
Metadata author:
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)
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)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_P99IV3FC/2022034FA_NCB_Landcover_GPS_meta.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Tue Mar 28 17:25:49 2023