Shorelines for Vieques, Culebra, and the main island of Puerto Rico from the 1900s to 2018 (ver. 2.0, March 2023)

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Shorelines for Vieques, Culebra, and the main island of Puerto Rico from the 1900s to 2018 (ver. 2.0, March 2023)
Abstract:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains shoreline positions for the United States coasts from both older sources, such as aerial photographs or topographic surveys, and contemporary sources, such as lidar-point clouds and digital elevation models. These shorelines are compiled and analyzed in the USGS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), version 5.1 software to calculate rates of change. Keeping a record of historical shoreline positions is an effective method to monitor change over time, enabling scientists to identify areas most susceptible to erosion or accretion. These data can help coastal managers understand which areas of the coast are vulnerable to change. This data release, and other associated products, represent an expansion of the USGS national-scale shoreline database to include Puerto Rico and its islands, Vieques and Culebra. The USGS, in cooperation with the Coastal Research and Planning Institute of Puerto Rico—part of the Graduate School of Planning at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus—has derived and compiled a database of historical shoreline positions using a variety of methods. These historical shoreline data are then used to measure the rate of shoreline change over time. Rate calculations are computed within a geographic information system (GIS) using the DSAS version 5.1 software. Starting from a user defined baseline, measurement transects are created by DSAS that intersect the shoreline vectors. The resulting intersections provide the location and time information necessary to calculate rates of shoreline change. The overall project contains shorelines, baselines, shoreline change rates (long-term and short-term), and shoreline intersects (long-term and short-term), for Puerto Rico, and the adjacent islands of Vieques and Culebra.
Supplemental_Information:
Version 2.0 contains all shorelines released in the first version with the addition of a lidar shoreline from 2014/2015 (Heslin and others, 2021).
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Henderson, Rachel E., Heslin, Julia L., and Himmelstoss, Emily A., 20211119, Shorelines for Vieques, Culebra, and the main island of Puerto Rico from the 1900s to 2018 (ver. 2.0, March 2023): data release DOI:10.5066/P9FNRRN0, 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.

    Henderson, Rachel E., Heslin, Julia L., and Himmelstoss, Emily A., 2021, Puerto Rico shoreline change — A GIS compilation of shorelines, baselines, intersects, and change rates calculated using the Digital Shoreline Analysis system version 5.1 (ver. 2.0, March 2023): data release DOI:10.5066/P9FNRRN0, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    suggested citation: Henderson, R.E., Heslin, J.L., and Himmelstoss, E.A., 2021, Puerto Rico shoreline change — A GIS compilation of shorelines, baselines, intersects, and change rates calculated using the Digital Shoreline Analysis system version 5.1 (ver. 2.0, March 2023): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FNRRN0.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -67.271490
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -65.221034
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 18.515951
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.926863
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/6149f75fd34e0df5fb96fbe9?name=PR_Shorelines.jpg (JPEG)
    Map of shorelines from the 1900s to 2018 for Vieques, Culebra and the main island of Puerto Rico.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 1901
    Ending_Date: 2018
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • String (6015)
    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 WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257223563.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    PR_Shorelines.shp
    Shorelines for Vieques, Culebra, and the main island of Puerto Rico used in shoreline change analysis. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    FID
    Internal feature number used as a unique identifier of an object within a table primarily used in shapefiles. (Source: Esri) Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
    Shape
    The geometry field (shape) is automatically created and maintained by ArcGIS. It provides a definition of the feature type (point, line, polygon). (Source: Esri) Feature Type
    UNCY
    Estimate of shoreline position uncertainty. Actual shoreline position is expected to be within the range of this value (plus or minus, meters). The historic shoreline uncertainty values incorporate measurement uncertainties associated with mapping methods and materials for historical shorelines, the geographic registration of shoreline position, and shoreline digitizing. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.946641
    Maximum:12.840432
    PROXY
    The shoreline proxy digitized or used for shoreline extraction (MHW (datum), HWL, WDL). Please see attribute PUB_link for a link to the original dataset, where additional details about methods used are described. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    HWLThe high-water line (HWL)shoreline position, visually identified in aerial-photos as the line of most recent high tide swash. This line is usually found more landward of the wet/dry line and the mean-high water line. All T-sheet shorelines are high-water lines.
    MHWThe mean-high water (MHW) shoreline is a datum-based shoreline extracted using the contour or profile method. If applicable, see attribute "METHOD" for method used.
    WDLWet/Dry Line (WDL) This is defined as the most recent swash line and is delineated as the boundary between the wet and dry beach. All aerial photo shorelines are wet/dry lines.
    SOURCE
    The source data or if known the item number of the file, T-sheet or aerial photo (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Text values of item numbers, or data type
    AGENCY
    The agency that provided the source data to create the shoreline. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration including the National Ocean Service (NOS)
    NOAA NGSNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Geodetic Survey
    PRDCDepartamento de Carreteras (Department of Transportation), San Juan, Puerto Rico
    PRDRNDepartamento de Recursos Naturales (Department of Natural Resources), San Juan, Puerto Rico
    University of Puerto RicoCoastal Research and Planning Institute of Puerto Rico (CoRePI, part of the Graduate School of Planning at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus)
    USACEU.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    USACE FEMAU.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
    USDA-SCSU.S. Department of Agriculture - Soil Conservation Service, Salt Lake City, Utah
    USGS OFR 2007-1017U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2007-1017: Historical Changes at Rincon, Puerto Rico, 1936-2006.
    USGS, PRDCU.S. Geological Survey, National Cartographic Information Center, Rockville, Maryland; Departamento de Carreteras (Department of Transportation), San Juan, Puerto Rico
    TYPE
    The type of source data used to create the shoreline. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    Aerial PhotoAerial Photo
    LidarDigital elevation model from a lidar elevation dataset
    GPSShoreline collected using a Global Positioning System.
    NOS TP-SheetNational Oceanic Service topographic sheet, TP series
    NOS T-SheetNational Oceanic Service topographic sheet, T series
    YEAR_
    Four-digit year of shoreline (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1901
    Maximum:2018
    DSAS_DATE
    Date of shoreline position; date of survey as indicated on source material IN MM/DD/YYYY format. A default date of 07/01 was assigned to shorelines where only the year was known (month and day unknown). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Date of the shoreline
    METHOD
    Method of shoreline extraction from lidar - contour or profile. See Farris and others (2018) for details. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    ProfileShorelines were extracted using the profile method
    ContourShorelines were extracted using the contour method
    OtherShorelines were not extracted from lidar, see TYPE for source data.
    FLAG
    This field indicates a shoreline that has questionable accuracy or noticeable offset from expected shoreline position upon visual inspection. A value of 0 indicates no concern, a value of 1 indicates this shoreline should be evaluated if used in another project to make sure it meets the quality and accuracy criteria of that project. Shorelines with offsets greater than 10 meters, or which were flagged with a 2, and removed from this dataset. These shorelines will still appear in the original publications. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    0Shoreline appears to have no, or minimal offset.
    1Shoreline appears to have an offset of less than 10 meters.
    SHAPE_Leng
    Length of feature in meter units. (Source: Esri)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1.90452
    Maximum:171798.218056
    PUB_link
    The DOI link to the original USGS publication. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Character string of length 150
    ISL_NAME
    The name of the island covered by shoreline (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    ViequesShorelines for the island of Vieques.
    CulebraShorelines for the island and islands surrounding Culebra.
    Puerto RicoShorelines for the main island of Puerto Rico.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the dataset. Please review the individual attribute descriptions for detailed information.
    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)
    • Rachel E. Henderson
    • Julia L. Heslin
    • Emily A. Himmelstoss
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Rachel E. Henderson
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 (voice)
    rehenderson@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This dataset includes shorelines for ~120 years ranging from 1901 to 2018 for the coastal region of Puerto Rico, including the islands of Vieques and Culebra. Historical shorelines were compiled from a variety of sources including T-sheets, orthophotos, aerial photos, and lidar data.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    PR 2015 to 2018 (source 1 of 4)
    Heslin, Julia L., Henderson, Rachel E., and Himmelstoss, Emily A., 2021, A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines for Puerto Rico from 2015 to 2018: data release DOI:10.5066/P9AZYW74, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    suggested citation: Heslin, J.L., Henderson, R.E., and Himmelstoss, E.A., 2021, A GIS compilation of vector shorelines for Puerto Rico from 2015 to 2018: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9AZYW74
    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    Published shorelines for Puerto Rico from 2015 to 2018 were compiled into a shoreline database with other shoreline data to measure shoreline change.
    PR 1901 to 1987 (source 2 of 4)
    Heslin, Julia L., Henderson, Rachel E., and Himmelstoss, Emily A., 2021, Historical Shorelines for Puerto Rico from 1901 to 1987: data release DOI:10.5066/P9CLXCEG, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    suggested citation: Heslin, J.L., Henderson, R.E., and Himmelstoss, E.A., 2021, Historical shorelines for Puerto Rico from 1901 to 1987: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9CLXCEG
    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    Published shorelines for Puerto Rico from 1901 to 1987 were compiled into a shoreline database with other shoreline data to measure shoreline change.
    UPR 1970 and 2010 (source 3 of 4)
    Bracero-Marrero, Loderay, Barreto-Orta, Maritza, Hernández-Montcourt, Nias, Maldonado-González, Rubén, Himmelstoss, Emily A., and Heslin, Julia L., 2021, A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Shoreline Classification for Puerto Rico from 1970 and 2010: data release doi:10.5066/P9SEUAHC, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    suggested citation: Bracero-Marrero, L., Barreto-Orta, M., Hernández-Montcourt, N., Maldonado-González, R., Himmelstoss, E.A., Heslin, J.L. 2021, A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Shoreline Classification for Puerto Rico from 1970 and 2010: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9SEUAHC
    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    Published shorelines for Puerto Rico from 1970s and 2010 were compiled into a shoreline database with other shoreline data to measure shoreline change.
    Rincon 1936 to 2006 (source 4 of 4)
    E.R.Thieler, Rodriguez, R.W., and Himmelstoss, Emily A., 2007, Historical Changes at Rincon, Puerto Rico, 1936-2006: U.S.Geological Survey Open File Report doi:10.3133/ofr20071017, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    Published shorelines for Rincon, Puerto Rico from 1936 to 2006 were compiled into a shoreline database with other shoreline data to measure shoreline change.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2021 (process 1 of 5)
    Shoreline data published in four corresponding Puerto Rico shorelines Data releases were combined into one shoreline dataset. Shorelines files were first projected to the same metered based coordinate system (Esri's ArcToolbox v10.6) > Data Management Tools > Projections and Transformations > Project. Parameters: input projection - geographic coordinates (WGS84); output projection - NAD_1983_NSRS2007_StatePlane_Puerto_Rico_Virgin_Isls_FIPS_5200v; transformation = none) and confirmed to have the same attribute fields required for use in DSAS. They were then merged (ArcToolbox v10.6) > Data Management > General > Merge) into a single feature class (PR_shorelines1). Note the range of shoreline dates varies by location. Please refer to the corresponding shoreline intersect file for a record of the exact dates used in analysis. This process step and all subsequent process steps were performed by the same person - Rachel E. Henderson Person who carried out this activity:
    Rachel E. Henderson
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Researcher VII
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 (voice)
    rehenderson@usgs.gov
    Data sources used in this process:
    • PR 2015 to 2018
    • PR 1901 to 1987
    • UPR 1970 and 2010
    • Rincon 1963 to 2006
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • PR_Shorelines1
    Date: 2022 (process 2 of 5)
    VERSION 2 NOTE: During processing for the corresponding Data Report (Henderson and others, 2023), the merged shorelines file (PR_Shorelines1) was found to be missing the 2015 lidar shoreline. The missing 2015 shoreline was selected from the original source data (PR 2015 to 2018) and added to the existing shoreline dataset using basic Arc editing tools. Data sources used in this process:
    • PR 2015 to 2018
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • PR_Shorelines
    Date: 2022 (process 3 of 5)
    The combined shorelines file was imported into a personal geodatabase in ArcCatalog v10.6 by right-clicking on the geodatabase > Import (feature class) for use in the DSAS v5 software to perform shoreline change rate calculations.
    Date: 2022 (process 4 of 5)
    FOR PUBLICATION: The shoreline feature class was exported from the personal geodatabase back to a shapefile in ArcCatalog v10.6 by right-clicking on the shoreline file > Export > To Shapefile (single). The shorelines file was then projected in Esri's ArcToolbox (v10.6) > Data Management Tools > Projections and Transformations > Project. Parameters: input projection - NAD_1983_NSRS2007_StatePlane_Puerto_Rico_Virgin_Isls_FIPS_5200v; output projection - geographic coordinates (WGS84); transformation = none.
    Date: 2024 (process 5 of 5)
    The metadata was modified to add the Data Report cross-reference and the distribution liability was updated to the current standards (20240513).
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Himmelstoss, Emily A., Farris, Amy S., Henderson, Rachel E., Kratzmann, Meredith G., Ergul, Ayhan, Zhang, Ouya, and Zichichi, Jessica L., 2021, Digital Shoreline Analysis System (version 5.1): U.S. Geological Survey Software: USGS Software Release version 5.1, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Himmelstoss, Emily A., Henderson, Rachel E., Kratzmann, Meredith G., and Farris, Amy S., 2021, Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) Version 5.1 User Guide: Open-File Report 2021-1091, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Farris, Amy S., Weber, Kathryn M., Doran, Kara S., and List, Jeffrey H., 2018, Comparing Methods Used by the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program for Deriving Shoreline Position from Lidar Data: Open-File Report 2018-1121, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Henderson, Rachel E., Heslin, Julia L., Himmelstoss, Emily A., and Barreto-Orta, Maritza, 2024, National Shoreline Change—Summary Statistics for Vector Shorelines from the Early 1900s to the 2010s for Puerto Rico: Data Report 1191, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Henderson, R.E., Heslin, J.L., Himmelstoss, E.A., and Barreto-Orta, M., 2024, National shoreline change—Summary statistics for vector shorelines from the early 1900s to the 2010s for Puerto Rico: U.S. Geological Survey Data Report 1191, 41 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/dr1191.

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The data provided here are a compilation of shorelines from multiple sources, spanning approximately 120 years. The attributes are based on the requirements of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) software and have gone through a series of quality assurance procedures.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Shoreline data have been acquired from four different data releases. The horizontal accuracy varies with respect to the data source from which the shorelines were digitized and the time period. Please see individual, associated publications (listed in the source citations below) for calculations of horizontal positional uncertainty.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This shoreline file is complete and contains all shoreline segments used to calculate shoreline change rates along sections of Vieques, Culebra and the main island of Puerto Rico where shoreline position data were available. Depending on the location, there may be as few as two shorelines, or up to 16 based on the availability and quality of available shoreline data. These data adequately represented the shoreline position at the time of the survey. Gaps in these data, if applicable, are a consequence of non-existing data or existing data that did not meet quality assurance standards.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Adjacent shoreline segments do not overlap and are not necessarily continuous. Shorelines were quality checked for accuracy. Minor offsets (less than 10 m) between adjacent segments due to georeferencing and digitizing error are taken into account in the uncertainty of the shoreline position, as reported in the horizontal accuracy section of this metadata file. Where an obvious major offset (greater than 10 m) could be determined, the shoreline in question was removed from analysis.

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 as the originator of the dataset. These data are not to be used for navigation.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Federal Center, Building 810, MS 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 polyline shoreline data (PR_Shorelines.shp and other shapefile components), browse graphic, and the FGDC CSDGM metadata.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at 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. 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?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    These data are available in a polyline shapefile format. The user must have software to read and process the data components of a shapefile.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 13-May-2024
Metadata author:
Rachel E. Henderson
U.S. Geological Survey
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA
USA

508-548-8700 (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 Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_P9FNRRN0/PR_Shorelines_metadata.faq.html>
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