Still images in JPEG format of the sediment surface in the grab sampler, collected by the U.S. Geological Survey on Stellwagen Bank during six surveys aboard the R/V Auk, May 2016 to April 2019

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Still images in JPEG format of the sediment surface in the grab sampler, collected by the U.S. Geological Survey on Stellwagen Bank during six surveys aboard the R/V Auk, May 2016 to April 2019
Abstract:
These data are a part of the effort to map geologic substrates of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region off Boston, Massachusetts. The overall goal is to develop high-resolution (1:25,000) interpretive maps, based on multibeam sonar data and seabed sampling, showing surficial geology and seabed sediment dynamics. The work was conducted in collaboration with the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and the data collected will aid research on the ecology of fish and invertebrate species that inhabit the region. The Sanctuary's research vessel, R/V Auk, visited a total of 233 locations on Stellwagen Bank during six separate surveys from May 2016 to April 2019. During these surveys a customized Van Veen grab sampler (SEABOSS) equipped with a video camera and a CTD was deployed in drift mode to collect sediment for grain-size analysis, video imagery of the seabed, and measurements of water column properties including temperature, salinity, density, and fluorescence.
Supplemental_Information:
The locations of each image can be extracted from the EXIF header of the images (described in the process steps). Alternatively, the image locations are available from the 2016-2019_station_data_summary dataset available from the Larger Work citation. Additional information regarding the field activities associated with these data can be obtained from the following locations https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2016-012-FA, https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2016-039-FA, https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2018-027-FA, https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2018-028-FA, https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2018-029-FA, and https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2019-007-FA . The grain-size analyses of the sediment samples collected during these field activities is available in a separate publication (Valentine and Cross, 2019; link available from the cross-reference citation).
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Valentine, Page C., 20220510, Still images in JPEG format of the sediment surface in the grab sampler, collected by the U.S. Geological Survey on Stellwagen Bank during six surveys aboard the R/V Auk, May 2016 to April 2019: data release DOI:10.5066/P9ERNGJ2, 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.

    Valentine, Page C., and Cross, VeeAnn A., 2022, Station Information, Seabed and Sample Imagery, and CTD Instrument Data Collected on Stellwagen Bank from May 2016 to April 2019: data release DOI:10.5066/P9ERNGJ2, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Valentine, P.C., and Cross, V.A., 2022, Station information, seabed and sample imagery, and CTD instrument data collected on Stellwagen Bank from May 2016 to April 2019: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ERNGJ2 .
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.457840
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.134620
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.421960
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.145020
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/620d4fb4d34e6c7e83ba9acc?name=sample_image_browse.jpg (JPEG)
    Browse graphic of an example grab sample still image on Stellwagen Bank.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 18-May-2016
    Ending_Date: 30-Apr-2019
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition of when data were collected. These data were collected during six separate surveys, with the following ranges of dates for each survey: field activity 2016-012-FA: 20160518 to 20160520; field activity 2016-039-FA: 20161027; field activity 2018-027-FA: 20180521 to 20180523; field activity 2018-028-FA: 20180718 to 20180720; field activity 2018-029-FA: 20181109 and 20181130; and field activity 2019-007-FA: 20190425 to 20190430.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      Indirect_Spatial_Reference:
      The location information for the images is available in the EXIF headers of the images and is also indicated by the station locations in the station data summary dataset (available from the Larger Work citation).
    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 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. 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?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Although the images do not have attributes per se, the EXIF header information can be extracted or viewed to give additional information about each image. The last process step explains how to extract the information from the image header, and is replicated here.
    To extract the information from the image headers using ExifTool, the following example command can be used (tested with ExifTool version 11.54):
    exiftool.exe -csv -f -filename -GPSTimeStamp -GPSDateStamp -GPSLongitude -GPSLatitude -n -GPSAreaInformation -GPSMapDatum -ImageDescription -Artist -Credit -comment -contact -keywords -Caption -Copyright -CopyrightNotice -Caption-Abstract -UserComment -AttributionURL -UsageTerms -Author -ImageUniqueID -ExternalMetadataLink *.jpg > out.csv
    The -csv option writes the information out in a comma-delimited format. The -n option formats the latitude and longitude as signed decimal degrees. Whether you use exiftool or exiftool.exe will depend on the operating system on which the command is being run.
    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)
    • Page C. Valentine
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Page C. Valentine
    Research Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2239 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
    Contact_Instructions:
    The contact email address is a generic address in the event the person is no longer with the USGS.

Why was the data set created?

Photos were collected of the sediment sample in the grab sampler to document the texture of the seabed surface, the degree of disturbance during sampling, biological features such as worm tubes, and to estimate the volume of sediment 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: 2019 (process 1 of 3)
    Still images of the sediment sample surfaces were collected using a digital camera. For field activity 2016-012-FA, the camera was a GoPro digital camera capturing images of 4000 x 3000 pixels at a resolution of 72 dpi. The remaining field activities used two different Nikon cameras (D7100 and D7200), both capturing images of 4000 x 6000 pixels at a resolution of 300 dpi. After retrieval of the SEABOSS and placement on its wooden stand, the two doors (right and left) on the top of the Van Veen grab sampler were opened and a photo was taken of the sediment surface on one side of the sampler bucket or both sides depending on the field activity (see completeness report). See the cross-references for a description of the SEABOSS *Blackwood and Parolski, 2001; Valentine and others, 2000).
    Data were collected from 2016 to 2019 with the process date representing the most recent acquisition year. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Page C. Valentine
    Research Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2239 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    pvalentine@usgs.gov
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • *.jpg
    Date: 2021 (process 2 of 3)
    Each field activity had a station summary file. Using the station summary CSV file for each field activity, the approximate time and location of each photo was derived using the station time and location when and where the sample was acquired. The station location (latitude and longitude), date, and time for each station was extracted from the CSV file. This information was reformatted using an AWK script so that the following columns of information were available: image name (based on the station number), Julian day, GPS date (in the format YYYYMMDD), GPS time (in the format HH:MM:SS), latitude, and longitude. This information was written to a CSV file. This CSV file was then manually edited to remove records that referenced "L" or "R" images that do not exist, which included any station where a sediment image was not collected. This process was repeated for each of the six field activities. This process step and the subsequent process steps (unless otherwise noted), were performed by the same person - VeeAnn A. Cross. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Data sources used in this process:
    • *_station_data_summary.csv
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • *_grabimage_locations.csv
    Date: 2022 (process 3 of 3)
    A Python notebook (EXIF_headers.ipynb) was run that incorporated the information from an individual field activity image locations file (*_grabimage_locations.csv where the * represents the field activity number) along with the Artist name (Page C. Valentine), into the appropriate tags in the EXIF header of each sample image. Then the IPython Notebook (using Python version 3.8.8) was executed from a Jupyter Notebook (version 6.3.0) running under Anaconda version 3 on a Windows 10 machine. The Python script uses ExifTool (version 11.54) to write survey information to the image headers of the full-resolution images. The following tags were populated in the JPEG image headers. Information is duplicated in some tags because different software packages access different tags.
    GPS tags: The values populated are unique for each station and based on the information exported from *_station_data_summary.csv. 
    GPSLatitudeRef
GPSLatitude
GPSLongitudeRef
GPSLongitude
GPSTimeStamp
GPSDateStamp
    Two other elements that are unique for each image (and will actually have the same value) are the XMP tags for the original filename. 
    OriginalFileName
PreservedFileName
    JPEG tag: The tag is listed along with the information used to populate it, which is the same for every image of a given field activity. The example below is from field activity 2016-012-FA. The DOI number is the same for all the field activities and represents this data release.
    Comment: Photo of grab sample in sampler from a GoPro digital camera aboard the R/V Auk during survey 2016-012-FA ( https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2016-012-FA ).
    EXIF tags: The tag is listed along with the information used to populate it, which is the same for every image of a given field activity. 
    ImageDescription: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2016-012-FA; Photo of grab sample in sampler from a sample on Stellwagen Bank, MA from survey 2016-012-FA 
Artist: Page C. Valentine
Copyright: Public Domain - please credit the U.S. Geological Survey
UserComment: Image part of USGS data release https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ERNGJ2 
GPSAreaInformation: Position post-processed from GPS on ship
GPSMapDatum: EPSG:4326 (WGS 84)
    IPTC tags: The tag is listed along with the information used to populate it, which is the same for every image of a given field activity. 
    Credit: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact: whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
Keywords: Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts, 2016-012-FA, SEABOSS, sea floor, USGS, ground-truth, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ERNGJ2 
CopyrightNotice: Public Domain - please credit U.S. Geological Survey
Caption-Abstract: Photo of grab sample in sampler from a sample on Stellwagen Bank, MA from survey 2016-012-FA
    XMP tags: The tag is listed along with the information used to populate it, which is the same for every image of a given field activity. Three tags described elsewhere (ImageUniqueID, OriginalFileName, and PreservedFileName), are unique for each image. 
    Caption: Photo of grab sample in sampler from a sample on Stellwagen Bank, MA from survey 2016-012-FA 
AttributionURL: https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ERNGJ2 
Author: Page C. Valentine
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.
    Another script run in Python Notebooks (Image_PIDwork.ipnb) was used to mint a unique persistent identifier (image PID) for each image and placed in the header. Additionally, the persistent URL for the metadata record associated with this dataset was also inserted into the image header.
    XMP tag: 
    
ImageUniqueID: unique for each image
ExternalMetadataLink: https://www1.usgs.gov/pir/api/identifiers/620d4fb4d34e6c7e83ba9acc
    From the command-line in Cygwin, the image name was also added to the header with the following command: exiftool.exe -P "-originalfilename<Filename" *.jpg
    From the command-line in Cygwin, the image name was also added to another element in the header with the following command: exiftool.exe -P "-XMP:PreservedFileName<Filename" *.jpg
    Running the previous two command lines on the 2016-012-FA grab sample images produced a warning for unrecognized MakerNotes, but the header information was updated.
    Finally, another command was run from the command line in order to duplicate information to appropriate XMP headers:
    exiftool -P "-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" *.jpg
    To extract the information (except for OriginalFileName, PreservedFileName, and the duplicated tags) from the image headers using ExifTool, the following example command can be used (tested with ExifTool version 11.54, slight modifications of the command might be necessary depending on the operating system of the user):
    exiftool.exe -csv -f -filename -GPSTimeStamp -GPSDateStamp -GPSLongitude -GPSLatitude -n -GPSAreaInformation -GPSMapDatum -ImageDescription -Artist -Credit -comment -contact -keywords -Caption -Copyright -CopyrightNotice -Caption-Abstract -UserComment -AttributionURL -UsageTerms -Author -ImageUniqueID -ExternalMetadataLink *.jpg > out.csv
    The -csv option writes the information out in a comma-delimited format. The -n option formats the latitude and longitude as signed decimal degrees. Whether you use exiftool or exiftool.exe will depend on the operating system on which the command is being run. Data sources used in this process:
    • *_grabimage_locations.csv
    • *.JPG
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • *.jpg
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Blackwood, D.S., and Parolski, K.F., 2001, Seabed observation and sampling system: Sea Technology v. 42, no. 2, p. 39-43.

    Valentine, P., Blackwood, D., and Parolski, K., 2000, Seabed observation and sampling system: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-142-00, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Valentine, P.C., and Cross, V.A., 2019, Location and analyses of sediment samples collected on Stellwagen Bank off Boston, Massachusetts from November 5, 2013 to April 30, 2019 on U.S. Geological Survey field activities: data release DOI:10.5066/P9FWFLPD, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    This publication includes the grain-size analyses of the sediment samples collected on these six field activities as well as 14 other field activities.

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?
    Although the images do not represent spatial data, the spatial information is available in the EXIF header of each image, which is derived from the station location in the station data summary dataset (available from the Larger Work citation). The location information for stations was acquired from a satellite navigation receiver (Furuno Satellite Compass SC-30, GPS receiver) in geographic coordinates (World Geodetic System of 1984 [WGS 84]) with a horizontal accuracy of 10 m. For two cruises (2018-027-FA and 2019-007-FA) the navigation was acquired at one-second intervals. Four cruises (2016-012-FA, 2016-039-FA, 2018-028-FA, and 2018-029-FA) acquired navigation at a two-second interval. The navigation antenna was located 5.3 m forward of the SEABed Observation and Sampling System (SEABOSS) deployment location. This offset was not accounted for in the navigation acquisition, so navigation fixes represent antenna location. The SEABOSS may also drift away from the survey vessel when deployed to the sea floor.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Not all stations have a sample image because not all stations successfully collected sediment samples. Occasionally images were taken of some of the samples that were too small to be retained for grain-size analysis.
    2016-012-FA: Sediment samples were successfully collected at 46 of the 56 stations visited. All 46 sediment samples have one image from the right-hand side of the sampler, except station 4492, which has the image from the left side. Still images were also collected for four samples (stations 4474, 4476, 4486, 4497) that were too small to be retained for grain-size analysis. There are a total of 50 images.
    2016-039-FA: Sediment samples were successfully collected at four of the seven stations visited. Three sediment samples (stations 4558, 4559, and 4560) have two images – one showing the sediment surface in the right-hand side of the sampler, and the other showing the sediment surface in the left-hand side of the sampler, giving a total of six images. No images were recorded of the sediment sample collected at station 4564.
    2018-027-FA: Sediment samples were successfully collected at 42 of the 51 stations visited. Forty-one sediment samples have two images – one showing the sediment surface in the right-hand side of the sampler, and the other showing the sediment surface in the left-hand side of the sampler; sample 4766 has only one image (left side); and samples 4751 and 4753 have two images each but were not retained for grain-size analysis because of poor quality. There are a total of 87 images.
    2018-028-FA: Sediment samples were successfully collected at 38 of the 48 stations visited. All 38 sediment samples have two images – one showing the sediment surface in the right-hand side of the sampler, and the other showing the sediment surface in the left-hand side of the sampler. Samples 4798, 4803, 4804, and 4830 have two images each but were not retained for grain-size analysis because of poor quality. The two sample 4787 images are mislabeled within the photos as 2787. There are a total of 84 images.
    2018-029-FA: Sediment samples were successfully collected at 17 of the 21 stations visited. All 17 sediment samples have two images – one showing the sediment surface in the right-hand side of the sampler, and the other showing the sediment surface in the left-hand side of the sampler. Samples 4840 and 4850 have two images each but the samples were not retained for grain-size analysis because of poor quality. There are a total of 38 images.
    2019-007-FA: Sediment samples were collected at 36 of the 50 stations visited. All 36 sediment samples have two images – one showing the sediment surface in the right-hand side of the sampler, and the other showing the sediment surface in the left-hand side of the sampler. The two sample images for 4864 are mislabeled within the photos as 4863. There are a total of 72 images.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    The image names are in the format staXXXX_Y.jpg. The designation XXXX is the station number; Y represents R or L, the right- or left-hand sides of the sample surface in the grab sampler. The clock on the camera represents the time the image was taken on the deck of the ship, while the GPS time represents the time the sample was acquired on the sea floor, so the GPSTimeStamp value in the EXIF header does not match the time portion of the DateTime, DateTimeOriginal, or DateTimeDigitized elements in the EXIF header. The station number appears in the images written on a piece of paper or sample bag. The two sample 4864 images are mislabeled within the photo as 4863 (2019-007-FA).
    Not every station has images from both the right and left sides of the sampler. See the completeness report for more details.
    The same camera was not used on all the field activities. Field activity 2016-012-FA used a GoPro camera; 2016-039-FA, 2018-028-FA, 2018-029-FA and 2019-007-FA used a Nikon D7100 digital camera; and 2018-027-FA used a Nikon D7200 digital camera.
    All the field activities took place on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary's research vessel, R/V Auk. Although these data represent six separate field activities, the set-up and acquisition on all the cruises is consistent except where otherwise noted.

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 None.
  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
    USA

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? The dataset contains the following six ZIP files of images of the sample in the grab sampler on the deck of the ship: 2016-012-FA_sample_images.zip contains 50 JPEG images; 2016-039-FA_sample_images.zip contains 6 JPEG images; 2018-027-FA_sample_images.zip contains 87 JPEG images; 2018-028-FA_sample_images.zip contains 84 JPEG images; 2018-029-FA_sample_images.zip contains 38 JPEG images; and 2019-007-FA_sample_images.zip contains 72 JPEG images. The dataset contains a total of 337 JPEG images. The dataset also contains the browse graphic (sample_image_browse.jpg) and the FGDC CSDGM metadata in XML format.
  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.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The ZIP file contains images in JPEG format. The user must have software capable of uncompressing the ZIP file and viewing the JPEG images.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 10-May-2022
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
Marine Geologist
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA

508-548-8700 x2251 (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_P9ERNGJ2/SampleImages_2016-2019.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Thu May 19 12:03:57 2022