Shorelines of the Florida west coast (FLwc) coastal region used in shoreline change analysis

Frequently anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How might this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
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• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How might this data set be cited?
   U.S. Geological Survey, 20210929, Shorelines of the Florida west coast (FLwc) coastal region used in shoreline change analysis: data release DOI:10.5066/P9J3CVN4, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J3CVN4
   • https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/614a7c8fd34e0df5fb9756e1

   This is part of the following larger work.
   Kratzmann, Meredith G., Farris, Amy S., Weber, Kathy M., Henderson, Rachel E., and Himmelstoss, Emily A., 2021, USGS National Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of Updated Vector Shorelines (1800s - 2010s) and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Georgia and Florida Coasts: data release DOI:10.5066/P9J3CVN4, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J3CVN4
   • https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/612cf2a3d34e40dd9c08844b

   Other_Citation_Details:

   suggested citation: Kratzmann, M.G., Farris, A.S., Weber, K.M., Henderson, R.E., and Himmelstoss, E.A., 2021, USGS National Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of Updated Vector Shorelines (1800s - 2010s) and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Georgia and Florida Coasts: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J3CVN4

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -82.852570
   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -81.682230
   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 28.215572
   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 25.847017
   

3. What does it look like?

   https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/614a7c8fd34e0df5fb9756e1?name=BG_FLwc_shorelines.jpg (jpg)

   Map view of data

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

   Beginning_Date:

   Ending_Date: 2017

   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 (1450)
   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 0.0197395052. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.0264490611. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal seconds. The horizontal datum used is WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_84.
      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?

   FLwc_shorelines

   Shorelines for Florida west coast (FLwc) used in shoreline change analysis. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   FID

   Internal feature number. (Source: Esri) Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   Shape

   Feature geometry. (Source: Esri) Coordinates defining the features.

   DATE_

   Date of shoreline position; date of survey as indicated on source material. A default date of 07/01 was assigned to shorelines where only the year was known (month and day unknown). Using July, the mid-point month of the calendar year, minimizes the potential offset to the actual shoreline date by a maximum of six months. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Date of the shoreline in mm/dd/yyyy

   Uncy

   Estimate of shoreline position uncertainty. Actual shoreline position is 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:	0.65
   Maximum:	10.8

   Source

   Agency that provided shoreline feature or the data source used to digitize shoreline feature. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Character string of length 25

   Source_b

   Type of data used to create shoreline. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Value	Definition
   lidar	Light detection and ranging (lidar).
   T or TP with number	NOAA/NOS topographic survey sheet (T- or TP-sheet) with associated registry number.
   aerials (or Photo rev., unknown) with letters and numbers and/or year	FLDEP aerial photo with associated registry information.

   Year_

   Four digit year of shoreline (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	1858
   Maximum:	2017

   Default_D

   Differentiates between shorelines that have known month and day attributes and those that use the default value of 07/01 when only the year is known. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Value	Definition
   0	Shoreline month and day are known.
   1	Shoreline month and day are unknown and default value of 07/01 was used.

   Location

   Location of shoreline with respect to wave energy exposure. An open ocean coast is directly exposed to ocean waves and is typically characterized by higher wave energy. A sheltered coast is not directly exposed to ocean waves and is characterized by lower wave energy. This shoreline dataset includes only open ocean locations. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Value	Definition
   open ocean	Shoreline on a coast with open ocean wave exposure.

   Shape_Leng

   Length of shoreline in meter units (UTM zone 17N WGS84). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Science Center)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	2.159136
   Maximum:	26533.604388

   DSAS_type

   Shoreline type field used to specify the datum to which the shoreline is referenced. It is a required field when proxy-based and datum-based shorelines are combined to compute rates in DSAS. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Value	Definition
   MHW	Mean High Water (datum-based shoreline).
   HWL	High Water Line (proxy-based shoreline).

   ATTRIBUTE

   Additional notation regarding source of shoreline data. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Character string of length 50

   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)
   • U.S. Geological Survey
2. Who also contributed to the data set?
3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   U.S. Geological Survey

   Attn: Meredith G. Kratzmann

   384 Woods Hole Road

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   USA

   508-548-8700 (voice)

   508-457-2310 (FAX)

   mkratzmann@contractor.usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   T-sheet shorelines (source 1 of 15)

   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Unknown, Scanned National Ocean Service (NOS) Coastal Survey Maps (also known as Topographic Survey sheets, or T-sheets).

   Online Links:

   • https://shoreline.noaa.gov/data/datasheets/t-sheets.html

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution:

   T-sheets used for QA/QC of NOAA-digitized 1800s-1980s shorelines and/or used as data source to digitize shorelines.

   1998 gulf coast lidar (source 2 of 15)

   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 20000101, 1998 Fall Gulf Coast NOAA/USGS/NASA Airborne LiDAR Assessment of Coastal Erosion (ALACE) Project for the US Coastline.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/48152

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   1999 east coast lidar (source 3 of 15)

   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 20000101, Fall 1999 East Coast NOAA/USGS/NASA Airborne LiDAR Assessment of Coastal Erosion (ALACE) Project for the US Coastline.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/48158

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2001 gulf coast lidar (source 4 of 15)

   U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2009, 2001 USGS/NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) Lidar: Coastal Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/50098

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2006 east coast lidar (source 5 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 20061114, 2006 US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) East Coast Topo/Bathy Mapping Project for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/50057

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2009 FL Atlantic Coast lidar (source 6 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 2018, 2009 USACE NCMP Topobathy Lidar: Florida Atlantic Coast.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/54218

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2010 Southeast coast lidar (source 7 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 2017, 2010 US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX) Southeast Lidar: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/50093

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2010 FL Gulf coast lidar (source 8 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 2018, 2010 USACE NCMP Topobathy Lidar: Florida Gulf Coast.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/54215

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2010 AL/FL Gulf coast lidar (source 9 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 201109, 2010 US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) Topobathy Lidar: Alabama Coast and Florida Gulf Coast.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/50083

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2015 FL Gulf coast lidar (source 10 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 20161215, 2015 USACE NCMP Topobathy Lidar: Florida Gulf Coast.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/49720

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2016 Southeast coast lidar (source 11 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 20170215, 2016 USACE Post-Matthew Topobathy Lidar: Southeast Coast (VA, NC, SC, GA and FL).

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/49616

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2016 FL east coast lidar (source 12 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 20161215, 2016 USACE NCMP Topobathy Lidar: Florida East Coast.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/49722

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2016 Gulf coast lidar (source 13 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP)/Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX), 20170913, 2016 USACE NCMP Topobathy Lidar: Gulf Coast (AL, FL, MS, TX).

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/49738

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2017 FL east coast lidar (source 14 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 20171002, 2017 USACE FEMA Topobathy Lidar: Florida East Coast, Florida Keys, and Collier County (Post Hurricane Irma).

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/49723

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

   2018 FL panhandle lidar (source 15 of 15)

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 20181108, 2018 USACE FEMA Post-Michael Topobathy Lidar: Florida Panhandle.

   Online Links:

   • https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
   • https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/
   • https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/54682

   Type_of_Source_Media: digital data
   Source_Contribution: Lidar data that were used to extract a shoreline.
   

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: 2019 (process 1 of 8)

   Data from the previously-published National Assessment of Shoreline Change study for the sandy shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic Coasts (USGS Open-File Report 2004-1089 and USGS Open-File Report 2005-1326) as well as the update reports (doi:10.5066/F74X55X7 and doi:10.5066/F78P5XNK, both in 2017) were used as the starting point for this update which includes several new lidar shorelines for Georgia and Florida. The previously published lidar shorelines are from 1998, 1999, and 2001. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Attn: Meredith Kratzmann

   384 Woods Hole Road

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   508-548-8700 (voice)

   508-457-2310 (FAX)

   mkratzmann@contractor.usgs.gov

   Data sources used in this process:

   • T-sheet shorelines
   • 1998 gulf coast lidar
   • 1999 east coast lidar
   • 2001 gulf coast lidar

   Date: 2020 (process 2 of 8)

   A profile method was used to extract the operational MHW shoreline from the lidar point cloud data utilizing the Matlab-based approach (Matlab version 2019b) described in Farris and others (2018). Elevation values for the height of MHW were obtained from Weber and others (2005). The profile method used a coast-following reference line with 20-meter spaced profiles. All lidar data points that were within 1 meter of each profile line were associated with that profile. All processing was done on the 2-meter-wide profiles, working on a single profile at a time. For each profile, a linear regression was fit through data points on the foreshore and the regression was evaluated at the MHW elevation to yield the cross-shore position of the MHW shoreline. If there was a data gap at MHW or if the MHW elevation was obscured by water points, the linear regression was simply extrapolated to the MHW elevation. For each profile, the foreshore beach slope was defined as the slope of the regression line. Each MHW shoreline point that was extracted using this profile method has an uncertainty associated with it. This uncertainty includes three components: 1) the 95% confidence interval on the linear regression estimate of the shoreline position; 2) a 15 cm vertical error in the raw lidar data that was converted into a horizontal error using the beach slope; and 3) the uncertainty due to extrapolation (if the shoreline was determined using extrapolation). These three components of uncertainty were added in quadrature to yield a total error for each shoreline point. Farris, A.S., Weber, K.M., Doran, K.S., and List, J.H., 2018, Comparing methods used by the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program for deriving shoreline position from lidar data: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1121, 13 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181121 Weber, K.M., List, J.H., Morgan, K.L.M., 2005, An Operational Mean High Water Datum for Determination of Shoreline Position from Topographic Lidar Data: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005–1027, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20051027 Lidar shorelines were extracted by Amy Farris, Kathy Weber, Zehao Xue, and Marie Bartlett of the USGS from 2015 through 2020 using the method described in this step. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Attn: Amy Farris

   384 Woods Hole Road

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   508-548-8700 x2344 (voice)

   508-457-2310 (FAX)

   afarris@usgs.gov

   Data sources used in this process:

   • 2006 east coast lidar
   • 2009 FL Atlantic Coast lidar
   • 2010 Southeast coast lidar
   • 2010 FL Gulf coast lidar
   • 2010 AL/FL Gulf coast lidar
   • 2015 FL Gulf coast lidar
   • 2016 Southeast coast lidar
   • 2016 FL east coast lidar
   • 2016 Gulf coast lidar
   • 2017 FL east coast lidar
   • 2018 FL panhandle lidar

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • GA 2006 lidar shoreline
   • FLec 2006 lidar shoreline
   • FLec 2009 lidar shoreline
   • GA 2010 lidar shoreline
   • FLec 2010 lidar shoreline
   • FLwc 2010 lidar shoreline
   • FLph 2010 lidar shoreline
   • FLwc 2015 lidar shoreline
   • FLph 2015 lidar shoreline
   • GA 2016 lidar shoreline
   • FLec 2016 lidar shoreline
   • FLph 2016 lidar shoreline
   • FLec 2017 lidar shoreline
   • FLph 2018 lidar shoreline

   Date: 2020 (process 3 of 8)

   The lidar shoreline shapefiles were then visually checked against imagery contained in Esri's World_Imagery GIS server to make sure the shoreline was not interpolated through a headland or structure, for example. Attribute fields were added (based on DSAS requirements described in the DSAS v5 User Guide) to the attribute table and those fields were populated with the relevant information. This process step and all other process steps were performed by the same person - Meredith Kratzmann. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Attn: Meredith Kratzmann

   384 Woods Hole Road

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   508-548-8700 (voice)

   508-457-2310 (FAX)

   mkratzmann@contractor.usgs.gov

   Date: 2020 (process 4 of 8)

   Historical (1800s-1980s) and previously published lidar shorelines (1998/2001, 1999) were merged with the new lidar shorelines (2006-2018) in ArcToolbox v10.7 > Data Management Tools > General > Merge to produce a single shoreline file for each region.

   Date: 2020 (process 5 of 8)

   The shorelines file was imported into a personal geodatabase in ArcCatalog v10.7 by right-clicking on the geodatabase > Import (feature class) for use in the DSAS v5 software to perform rate calculations.

   Date: 2020 (process 6 of 8)

   The shoreline feature class was exported from the personal geodatabase back to a shapefile in ArcCatalog v10.7 by right-clicking on the shoreline file > Export > To Shapefile (single) for publication purposes.

   Date: 2021 (process 7 of 8)

   The data were projected in ArcToolbox v10.7 > Data Management Tools > Projections and Transformations > Project. Parameters: input projection = UTM zone 17N (WGS84); output projection = geographic coordinates (WGS84); transformation = none.

   Date: 27-Apr-2022 (process 8 of 8)

   Updated the cross-reference information with regards to the related Data Report (20220427). The metadata available from a harvester may supersede metadata bundled with the dataset. Compare the metadata dates to determine which metadata file is most recent. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross

   384 Woods Hole Road

   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?
   Kratzmann, Meredith G., 2022, U.S. Geological Survey National Shoreline Change: Summary Statistics for Updated Vector Shorelines (1800s - 2010s) and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Georgia and Florida Coasts: Data Report 1156, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/dr1156

   Other_Citation_Details:

   Data Report associated with this data release: Kratzmann, M.G., Farris, A.S., Weber, K.M., Henderson, R.E., and Himmelstoss, E.A., 2021, USGS national shoreline change-A GIS compilation of updated vector shorelines (1800s - 2010s) and associated shoreline change data for the Georgia and Florida Coasts: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J3CVN4.

   Himmelstoss, Emily A., Farris, Amy S., Henderson, Rachel E., Kratzmann, Meredith G., Ergul, Ayhan, Zhang, Ouya, and Zichichi, Jessica L., 2018, Digital Shoreline Analysis System (version 5): U.S. Geological Survey Software: software release version 5, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VW42I0
   • https://code.usgs.gov/cch/dsas/
   • https://www.usgs.gov/centers/whcmsc/science/digital-shoreline-analysis-system-dsas

   Other_Citation_Details: Current version of software at time of use was 5.1
   

   Himmelstoss, Emily A., Henderson, Rachel E., Kratzmann, Meredith G., and Farris, Amy S., 2018, Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) Version 5.0 User Guide: Open-File Report 20181179, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181179
   • https://www.usgs.gov/centers/whcmsc/science/digital-shoreline-analysis-system-dsas

   Himmelstoss, Emily, Kratzmann, Meredith, and Thieler, E. Robert, 2017, National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of Updated Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Southeast Atlantic Coast: Data release doi:10.5066/F74X55X7, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/F74X55X7

   Himmelstoss, Emily, Kratzmann, Meredith, and Thieler, E. Robert, 2017, National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of Updated Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Gulf of Mexico Coast: Data release doi:10.5066/F78P5XNK, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/F78P5XNK

   Himmelstoss, Emily, Kratzmann, Meredith, and Thieler, E. Robert, 2017, National assessment of shoreline change — Summary statistics for updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic coasts: Open-File Report 2017-1015, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171015

   Morton, Robert A., and Miller, Tara L., 2005, National Assessment of Shoreline Change: Part 2 Historical Shoreline Changes and Associated Coastal Land Loss along the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Coast: Open-File Report 2005-1401, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20051401

   Miller, Tara L., Morton, Robert A., and Sallenger, Asbury H., 2005, The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Coast: Open-File Report 2005-1326, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20051326

   Morton, Robert A., Miller, Tara L., and Moore, Laura J., 2004, National Assessment of Shoreline Change: Part 1 Historical Shoreline Changes and Associated Coastal Land Loss along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico: Open-File Report 2004-1043, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20041043

   Miller, Tara L., Morton, Robert A., Sallenger, Asbury H., and Moore, Laura J., 2004, The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico: Open-File Report 2004-1089, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20041089

   Ruggiero, Peter, and List, Jeffrey H., 200909, Improving Accuracy and Statistical Reliability of Shoreline Position and Change Rate Estimates: Journal of Coastal Research vol. 255, Coastal Education and Research Foundation, n/a.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.2112/08-1051.1

   Other_Citation_Details: pp. 1069-1081
   

   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:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181121

   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Unknown, Scanned National Ocean Service (NOS) Coastal Survey Maps (also known as Topographic Survey sheets, or T-sheets): NOAA shoreline manuscripts (T-sheets) n/a, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, D.C..

   Online Links:

   • https://shoreline.noaa.gov/data/datasheets/t-sheets.html

   Weber, Kathryn M., List, Jeffrey H., and Morgan, Karen L.M., 2005, An operational mean high water datum for determination of shoreline position from topographic lidar data: Open-File Report 2005-1027, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20051027

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 >150 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?
   The horizontal accuracy of the shoreline data varies with respect to the data source from which the shorelines were digitized, the lidar data from which the shorelines were extracted, and the time period. Georgia and Florida: Shorelines prior to 1960 (T-sheets) have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 10.8 meters. Shorelines from the 1960s-1980s (T-sheets) have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 5.1 meters. Shorelines from the 1950s-1970s (FLDEP, air photos) have an estimated positional uncertainty of plus or minus 3.2 meters. See below for average estimated uncertainty values for shorelines extracted from lidar. All lidar shorelines new to the FL/GA dataset have uncertainty recorded on a segment-by-segment basis in the attribute table (i.e., all except 1998/2001 and 1999 which are from data releases doi:10.5066/F74X55X7 and doi:10.5066/F78P5XNK, 2017). See the Uncy field in the shoreline attribute table for individual values. GEORGIA (GA; average estimated positional uncertainty of lidar shorelines): 1999 = plus or minus 4.4 meters 2006 = plus or minus 3.2 meters 2010 = plus or minus 4.2 meters 2016 = plus or minus 5.5 meters FLORIDA EAST COAST (FLec; average estimated positional uncertainty of lidar shorelines): 1999 = plus or minus 2.8 meters 2006 = plus or minus 1.9 meters 2009 = plus or minus 1.8 meters 2010 = plus or minus 2.7 meters 2016 = plus or minus 2.8 meters 2017 = plus or minus 2.9 meters FLORIDA WEST COAST (FLwc; average estimated positional uncertainty of lidar shorelines): 1998 = plus or minus 1.7 meters 2010 = plus or minus 2.2 meters 2015 = plus or minus 2.0 meters 2017 = plus or minus 2.2 meters FLORIDA PANHANDLE (FLph; average estimated positional uncertainty of lidar shorelines): 1998/2001 = plus or minus 1.4 meters 2010 = plus or minus 2.6 meters 2015 = plus or minus 1.7 meters 2016 = plus or minus 1.0 meters 2018 = plus or minus 2.7 meters
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 the Florida west coast (FLwc) coastal region where shoreline position data were available. These data adequately represented the shoreline position at the time of the survey. Remaining gaps in these data, if applicable, are a consequence of non-existing data or existing data that did not meet quality assurance standards. The digitized shoreline vectors downloaded from NOAA included attributes defining the shoreline type (attribute field name varies by file). For the open-ocean coasts, only shoreline features (Natural.Mean High Water; SPOR; 20) were retained. Other shoreline features (such as seawalls, bulkheads, manmade objects) were deleted.
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. Any slight offsets 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.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

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

   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 polyline shorelines (SHP and other shapefile components), browse graphic, and the FGDC CSDGM metadata.
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 USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and have been processed successfully on a computer system at the 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. 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?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	These files (.cpg, .dbf, .prj, .sbn, .sbx, .shp, .html, and .shx) are a collection of files with a common filename prefix and must be downloaded and stored in the same directory. Together they are the components of the shapefile and include FGDC CSDGM-compliant metadata in HTML format. in format Shapefile (version ArcGIS 10.7) Esri polyline shapefile Size: 1.5
     Network links:	https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J3CVN4 https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/614a7c8fd34e0df5fb9756e1 https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/614a7c8fd34e0df5fb9756e1

   • Cost to order the data: None

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: 19-Mar-2024

Metadata author:

Meredith G. Kratzmann

U.S. Geological Survey

384 Woods Hole Road

Woods Hole, MA

USA

508-548-8700 (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 USGS. (updated on 20240319)

Metadata standard:

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