Navigation data 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:
Navigation data 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:
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, Navigation data 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: -70.720960
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.133400
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.449500
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.144890
  3. What does it look like?
  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: 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 Point 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 0.00001. 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?
    Reformatted navigation in Excel spreadsheet and CSV format
    The Excel spreadsheet has a header (in row 1) explaining the columns of information, row 2 has the header names, row 3 has header names that are appropriate for incorporation into a GIS (shorter names, no punctuation, and the header row of the CSV file), and the remaining rows contain the data in 11 columns. The labels below are the CSV row headers with the first part of the attribute definition the longer Excel header in row 2 of the Excel spreadsheet. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    VESSEL
    Vessel name: The name of the ship that the field activity used for the cruise. The R/V Auk is the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary research vessel - a 50-foot catamaran. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text field.
    CRUISE_ID
    WHCMSC field activity number: The field activity number assigned to the cruise by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC). The number is in the format YYYY-XXX where YYYY is the year and XXX is the number activity in that year. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text field.
    UTC_DATE
    Date, UTC: The date of data collection for the given row based on UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) time. In the Excel spreadsheet, the date has the format of D-M-YYYY where D is the numeric day of the month, M is the month abbreviation, and YYYY is the year. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text field.
    UTC_JD
    Julian Day, UTC: Julian day of data collection based on UTC time. Julian day is the integer number representing the interval of time in days since January 1 of the year of collection. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text field presented as a number.
    TIMEZONE
    Study area time zone: The time zone in which the study area is located. The time zone of the survey is dependent on the survey date. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    EDTEastern Daylight Time. To derive EDT, subtract 4 hours from the UTC time.
    ESTEastern Standard Time. To derive EST, subtract 5 hours from the UTC time.
    UTC_TIME
    Time, UTC, HHMMSS: The time of the navigation fix in the format HHMMSS where HH is hour, MM is minutes, and SS is seconds. The times are UTC (coordinated universal time). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text field presented as a number.
    DDMM_LAT
    Lat N, DDMM.MMMM: The latitude coordinate in WGS 84 in the format DDMM.MMMM where DD is degrees and MM.MMMM is decimal minutes. The "N" refers to northern latitude. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text field presented as a number.
    DDMM_LON
    Lon W, DDMM.MMMM: The longitude coordinate in WGS 84 in the format DDMM.MMMM where DD is degrees and MM.MMMM is decimal minutes. The "W" refers to western longitude and serves the place of having a negative value. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text field presented as a number.
    LATITUDE
    Lat N, decimal degrees: The latitude coordinate in decimal degrees, WGS 84; positive values indicate northern hemisphere. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:42.14489
    Maximum:42.44864
    Units:decimal degrees
    LONGITUDE
    Lon W, decimal degrees: The longitude coordinate in decimal degrees, WGS 84; negative values indicate western hemisphere. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-70.49889
    Maximum:-70.13340
    Units:decimal degrees
    AREA
    Region: The area of the survey. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    SBNMSRegion: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The attribute label is the abbreviated label in row 3 of the Excel file that is more compatible with importing the dataset into a GIS. The first part of the attribute definition is the longer label of the column that is in the second row of the Excel spreadsheet.
    The Excel spreadsheets for data collected during Eastern Daylight Time (field activities 2016-012-FA, 2016-039-FA, 2018-027-FA, 2018-028-FA, and 2019-007-FA) have the following information in the first row describing the spreadsheet:
    GPS navigation log: Column A, vessel name, AUK, SBNMS research vessel; column B, field activity number; column C, date, UTC; column D, Julian Day, UTC; column E, study area time zone; column F, time, UTC (for Eastern Daylight Time subtract 4 hours); column G, latitude north, degrees and decimal minutes; column H, longitude west, degrees and decimal minutes; column I, latitude north, decimal degrees; column J, longitude west, decimal degrees; column K, geographic region [abbreviations: D, degrees; H, hour; M, minute; S, second; EDT, Eastern Daylight Time; lat, latitude; lon, longitude; WHCMSC, USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center; SBNMS, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary; UTC, Coordinated Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time, Zulu time); GPS, satellite-based Global Positioning System receiver]
    The field activity 2018-029-FA is the only field activity where data were acquired during Eastern Standard Time (EST). The header information is the same except for the definition and explanation of the time zone.
    The 11 columns of data are the same as those represented in the entity and attribute detailed description.
    The files with the same prefix name, but the CSV extension are exported from the Excel spreadsheet, minus the first two rows of information.
    The *_raw.csv files are the original GGA strings off the ship. The first row in the *raw.csv file describes the file. For the remaining rows, the format of the columns of information for field activities with the $GPGGA string is as follows:
    $GPGGA, UTC time (HHMMSS), latitude (DDMM.MMMM), latitude hemisphere, longitude (DDMM.MMMM), longitude hemisphere.
    The format for the one field activity (2018-027-FA) with the $IIGGA string is as follows:
    $IIGGA, UTC time (HHMMSS), latitude (DDMM.MMMM), latitude hemisphere, longitude (DDMM.MMMM), longitude hemisphere.
    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 email address is a generic address in the event the person is no longer with the USGS.

Why was the data set created?

These navigation data are provided in three different formats: raw data in the original collected format (*raw.csv) as an archive of the navigation data files acquired during the survey as well as in reformatted CSV and XLSX formats. The reformatted files add additional information, and most significantly provide the navigation in decimal degrees.

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)
    Raw CSV files: AUKYYYYYYY_XXXX_UTC_nav_raw.csv
    The files *_raw.csv are the GGA strings of the raw navigation recorded on the ship each day. The first row in each file describes the file.
    
    
    For the remaining rows of the $GPGGA files (2016-012-FA, 2016-039-FA, 2018-028-FA, 2018-029-FA, and 2019-007-FA), the format of the columns of information is as follows:
    
    
    $GPGGA, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in the format HHMMSS, latitude (DDMM.MMMM), latitude hemisphere, longitude (DDMM.MMMM), longitude hemisphere.
    For the remaining rows of the $IIGGA files (2018-027-FA), the format is as follows:
    
    
    $IIGGA, UTC time (HHMMSS), latitude (DDMM.MMMM), latitude hemisphere, longitude (DDMM.MMMM), longitude hemisphere.
    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
    Date: 2019 (process 2 of 3)
    Reformatted XLSX files: AUKYYYYYYY_station_nav_log_XXXX_UTC.xlsx
    The GGA strings have the latitude and longitude in the degrees decimal minutes format DDMM.MMMM with the hemisphere indicated (N for North and W for West). These data were brought into an Excel spreadsheet and converted to decimal degrees using the following formula examples:
    latitude: (4211.9672-4200)/60+(42) to give 42.19945 decimal degrees
    longitude: ((7043.2105-7000)/60 + 70​) * -1 to give -70.72018 decimal degrees with negative for western hemisphere
    Additional fields of information were added to the spreadsheet and are defined in the entity and attribute section, as well as within the header information in each spreadsheet. The first row is an explanation header, the second row contains descriptive column headers, and the third row contains brief column headers that are compatible with importing the data into a GIS.
    The reformatted version of the navigation excludes the transit navigation between the port and the study area.
    The data were reformatted shortly after collection, with data collection occurring from 2016 to 2019. The process date represents 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
    Date: 2021 (process 3 of 3)
    The XLSX spreadsheet was opened in Microsoft Excel (O365). The first row (the explanation header) and the second row (descriptive column headers) were deleted and the third row (brief column headers that are compatible with importing the data into a GIS) was retained. Then the spreadsheet was exported as an MS-DOS CSV file with the same prefix filename as the Excel file. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    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?
    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 the antenna location.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    The raw navigation files (with the $GPGGA or $IIGGA string) represent all the navigation acquired on the cruises, including transit lines. These files are the original files handed over to the scientist from the ship personnel. The reformatted navigation files do not include the transit navigation between the port and the study area. No other navigation fixes were removed, so the data could include bad navigation fixes, missing fixes, and duplicates. The bounding coordinates represent the extent of the raw navigation data. The ranges of values in the entity and attribute section are from the reformatted navigation with the transit navigation fixes removed.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    The raw navigation was downloaded at the end of each cruise and given to the chief scientist. For five of the field activities, the raw navigation is in $GPGGA format (2016-012-FA, 2016-039-FA, 2018-028-FA, 2018-029-FA, and 2019-007-FA). For one field activity (2018-027-FA), the raw navigation is in $IIGGA format. GGA is a National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) sentence for Global Positioning System (GPS) fix data that includes time, position and fix related data for a GPS receiver, and the information contained in the files is the same whether it has the $GPGGA or $IIGGA NMEA tag. All of the raw navigation was reformatted and excludes the transit navigation between the port and the study area.
    The original raw navigation filenames are in the format AUKYYYYYYY_XXXX_UTC_nav_raw.csv where YYYYYY is the field activity identifier (for example 2016012), and XXXX is the day of navigation (for example 18may2016). All of the raw navigation files have the CSV file extension. The filenames of the reformatted navigation are in the format AUKYYYYYYY_station_nav_log_XXXX_UTC where YYYYYYY is the cruise ID (for example 2016012), and XXXX is the day of navigation (for example 18MAY2016); the file extension is either XLSX or CSV.
    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 with the exception of the navigation - which was sometimes acquired at 1-second intervals and sometimes at 2-second intervals.

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 raw and reformatted navigation from six field activities in the following six ZIP files with each ZIP file containing the navigation from a single field activity. 2016-012-FA_nav.zip: Raw navigation files are AUK2016012_18may2016_UTC_nav_raw.csv, AUK2016012_19may2016_UTC_nav_raw.csv, and AUK2016012_20may2016_UTC_nav_raw.csv. The reformatted navigation are available in XLSX format and CSV. The files are as follows: AUK2016012_station_nav_log_18MAY2016_UTC.xlsx, AUK2016012_station_nav_log_18MAY2016_UTC.csv; AUK2016012_station_nav_log_19MAY2016_UTC.xlsx, AUK2016012_station_nav_log_19MAY2016_UTC.csv; and AUK2016012_station_nav_log_20MAY2016_UTC.xlsx, AUK2016012_station_nav_log_20MAY2016_UTC.csv. 2016-039-FA_nav.zip: Raw navigation file is AUK2016039_27oct2016_UTC_nav_raw.csv. The reformatted navigation are available in XLSX format and CSV. The files are as follows: AUK2016039_station_nav_log_27oct2016_UTC.xlsx, AUK2016039_station_nav_log_27oct2016_UTC.csv. 2018-027-FA_nav.zip: Raw navigation files are AUK2018027_21may2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv, AUK2018027_22may2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv, and AUK2018027_23may2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv. The reformatted navigation are available in XLSX format and CSV. The files are as follows: AUK2018027_station_nav_log_21MAY2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018027_station_nav_log_21MAY2018_UTC.csv; AUK2018027_station_nav_log_22MAY2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018027_station_nav_log_22MAY2018_UTC.csv; and AUK2018027_station_nav_log_23MAY2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018027_station_nav_log_23MAY2018_UTC.csv. 2018-028-FA_nav.zip: Raw navigation files are AUK2018028_18jul2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv, AUK2018028_19jul2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv, and AUK2018028_20jul2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv. The reformatted navigation are available in XLSX format and CSV. The files are as follows: AUK2018028_station_nav_log_18JUL2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018028_station_nav_log_18JUL2018_UTC.csv; AUK2018028_station_nav_log_19JUL2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018028_station_nav_log_19JUL2018_UTC.csv; and AUK2018028_station_nav_log_20JUL2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018028_station_nav_log_20JUL2018_UTC.csv. 2018-029-FA_nav.zip: Raw navigation files are AUK2018029_9nov2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv and AUK2018029_30nov2018_UTC_nav_raw.csv. The reformatted navigation are available in XLSX format and CSV. The files are as follows: AUK2018029_station_nav_log_9NOV2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018029_station_nav_log_9NOV2018_UTC.csv; and AUK2018029_station_nav_log_30NOV2018_UTC.xlsx, AUK2018029_station_nav_log_30NOV2018_UTC.csv. 2019-007-FA_nav.zip: Raw navigation files are AUK2019007_25apr2019_UTC_nav_raw.csv, AUK2019007_29apr2019_UTC_nav_raw.csv, and AUK2019007_30apr2019_UTC_nav_raw.csv. The reformatted navigation are available in XLSX format and CSV. The files are as follows: AUK2019007_station_nav_log_25APR2019_UTC.xlsx, AUK2019007_station_nav_log_25APR2019_UTC.csv; AUK2019007_station_nav_log_29APR2019_UTC.xlsx, AUK2019007_station_nav_log_29APR2019_UTC.csv; and AUK2019007_station_nav_log_30APR2019_UTC.xlsx, AUK2019007_station_nav_log_30APR2019_UTC.csv. In addition to the navigation files, the dataset contains 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 files contain data in XLSX and CSV formats. The user must have software capable of uncompressing the ZIP file and reading the data formats.

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/navigation_2016-2019.faq.html>
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