Intersects for coastal region around Boston, generated to calculate shoreline change rates using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5.0

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Intersects for coastal region around Boston, generated to calculate shoreline change rates using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5.0
Abstract:
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management launched the Shoreline Change Project in 1989 to identify erosion-prone areas of the coast. The shoreline position and change rate are used to inform management decisions regarding the erosion of coastal resources. In 2001, a shoreline from 1994 was added to calculate both long- and short-term shoreline change rates along ocean-facing sections of the Massachusetts coast. In 2013, two oceanfront shorelines for Massachusetts were added using 2008-9 color aerial orthoimagery and 2007 topographic lidar datasets obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Service, Coastal Services Center. This 2018 data release includes rates that incorporate two new mean high water (MHW) shorelines for the Massachusetts coast extracted from lidar data collected between 2010 and 2014. The first new shoreline for the State includes data from 2010 along the North Shore and South Coast from lidar data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise. Shorelines along the South Shore and Outer Cape are from 2011 lidar data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Geospatial Program Office. Shorelines along Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard are from a 2012 USACE Post Sandy Topographic lidar survey. The second new shoreline for the North Shore, Boston, South Shore, Cape Cod Bay, Outer Cape, South Cape, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the South Coast (around Buzzards Bay to the Rhode Island Border) is from 2013-14 lidar data collected by the (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program. This 2018 update of the rate of shoreline change in Massachusetts includes two types of rates. Some of the rates include a proxy-datum bias correction, this is indicated in the filename with “PDB”. The rates that do not account for this correction have “NB” in their file names. The proxy-datum bias is applied because in some areas a proxy shoreline (like a High Water Line shoreline) has a bias when compared to a datum shoreline (like a Mean High Water shoreline). In areas where it exists, this bias should be accounted for when calculating rates using a mix of proxy and datum shorelines. This issue is explained further in Ruggiero and List (2009) and in the process steps of the metadata associated with the rates. This release includes both long-term (~150 years) and short term (~30 years) rates. Files associated with the long-term rates have ‘LT’ in their names, files associated with short-term rates have ‘ST’ in their names.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    U.S. Geological Survey, 2019, Intersects for coastal region around Boston, generated to calculate shoreline change rates using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5.0: data release DOI:10.5066/P9RRBEYK, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Himmelstoss, Emily A., Farris, Amy S., Weber, Kathryn M., and Henderson, Rachel E., 2019, Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project, 2018 Update: A GIS Compilation of Shoreline Change Rates Calculated Using Digital Shoreline Analysis System Version 5.0, With Supplementary Intersects and Baselines for Massachusetts: data release DOI:10.5066/P9RRBEYK, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    suggested citation: Himmelstoss, E.A., Farris, A.S., Weber, K.M., and Henderson, R.E., 2019, Massachusetts shoreline change project, 2018 update–A GIS compilation of shoreline change rates calculated using Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5.0, with supplementary intersects and baselines for Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9RRBEYK
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.052233
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.874498
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.34350
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.247344
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5c657472e4b0fe48cb38fc71/?name=Boston_intersects_browse.png (png)
    Map view of data
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 2019
    Currentness_Reference:
    publication date
  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 (6684)
    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 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257224.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Boston_NB_LT_intersects.shp
    The intersection points are generated by DSAS where each DSAS generated transect crosses a shoreline. These intersections represent the shorelines used to compute long-term rates where the proxy-datum bias correction has not been applied. (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
    Feature geometry. (Source: Esri) Coordinates defining the features.
    TransectID
    The TransectID relates directly to the original transect file Object Identifier, ObjectID or OID (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:unlimitted
    BaselineID
    Values in this field correlate to the baseline attribute field ID and are assigned by DSAS to identify the baseline segment used to generate the measurement transect. Baseline segments assigned an ID = 0 are ignored by DSAS and no transects will be cast along those line segments. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:unlimitted
    ShorelineI
    Date of shoreline position; date of survey as determined from shoreline layer. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Date of the shoreline in mm/dd/yyyy
    Distance
    The distance in meters between the DSAS reference baseline and the shoreline intersection point along a DSAS transect. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Decimal values may be positive or negative, which is used to indicate landward (negative) or seaward (positive) direction from baseline origin.
    IntersectX
    The X-coordinate location in eastings of the intersect point in WGS84 UTM19N. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:322800
    Maximum:422900
    IntersectY
    The Y-coordinate location in northings of the intersect point in WGS84 UTM19N. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:4565600
    Maximum:4748600
    Uncertaint
    The uncertainty of the shoreline position at the intersect point, as defined by the positional uncertainty attribute value (DSAS_uncy) of the shoreline. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:unlimited
    Boston_NB_ST_intersects.shp
    The intersection points are generated by DSAS where each DSAS generated transect crosses a shoreline. These intersections represent the shorelines used to compute short-term rates where the proxy-datum bias correction has not been applied. (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
    Feature geometry. (Source: Esri) Coordinates defining the features.
    TransectID
    The TransectID relates directly to the original transect file Object Identifier, ObjectID or OID (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:unlimitted
    BaselineID
    Values in this field correlate to the baseline attribute field ID and are assigned by DSAS to identify the baseline segment used to generate the measurement transect. Baseline segments assigned an ID = 0 are ignored by DSAS and no transects will be cast along those line segments. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:unlimitted
    ShorelineI
    Date of shoreline position; date of survey as determined from shoreline layer. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Date of the shoreline in mm/dd/yyyy
    Distance
    The distance in meters between the DSAS reference baseline and the shoreline intersection point along a DSAS transect. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Decimal values may be positive or negative, which is used to indicate landward (negative) or seaward (positive) direction from baseline origin.
    IntersectX
    The X-coordinate location in eastings of the intersect point in WGS84 UTM19N. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:322800
    Maximum:422900
    IntersectY
    The Y-coordinate location in northings of the intersect point in WGS84 UTM19N. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:4565600
    Maximum:4748600
    Uncertaint
    The uncertainty of the shoreline position at the intersect point, as defined by the positional uncertainty attribute value (DSAS_uncy) of the shoreline. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:unlimited
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the intersects needed to calculate long-term (greater than 50 years, and typically closer to 100 years) and short-term (approximately 30 years) shoreline change rates. Please review the individual attribute descriptions for detailed information. All calculations for length are in meter units and were based on the UTM zone 19N WGS 84 projection. This region has two shapefiles describing intersects; long-term without bias, and short-term without bias
    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: Emily A. Himmelstoss
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x 2262 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ehimmelstoss@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This dataset consists of point data which are created by the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version v5.0 at the intersection of shoreline and transect locations. A reference baseline was used as the originating point for the orthogonal transects cast by the DSAS software. These point data contain identification information related to the DSAS transect (TransectID, TransOrder) as well as the shoreline (ShorelineID, Uncertainty). Measurement transects are cast by DSAS from the baseline to intersect shoreline vectors, and the intersect data provide location and time information used to calculate rates of change.

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: 2018 (process 1 of 7)
    Process_Description: Transect features generated in a personal geodatabase using DSAS v5.0.20180906.1125. Parameters Used: baseline layer=Boston_baseline, baseline group field=NULL, transect spacing=50 meters, search distance=1000 meters, land direction=right, shoreline intersection=seaward, File produced = Boston_transect. For additional details on these parameters, please see the DSAS help file distributed with the DSAS software, or visit the USGS website at: https://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/DSAS/.
    This process step and all subsequent process steps were performed by the same person - Emily A. Himmelstoss. Person who carried out this activity:
    Emily A. Himmelstoss
    U.S. Geological Survey
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x 2262 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ehimmelstoss@usgs.gov
    Date: 2018 (process 2 of 7)
    Some transects were manually edited for length, moved, or deleted in an edit session using standard editing tools in ArcMap v10.5.1
    Date: 2018 (process 3 of 7)
    Shoreline intersects and rate calculations performed for long-term rates without bias. Parameters Used: shoreline layer=Boston_LT_shorelines, shoreline date field=DSAS_date, shoreline uncertainty field name=Uncy, the default accuracy=10 meters, shoreline intersection=seaward, stats calculations=[LRR], shoreline threshold=3, confidence interval=90%. Files produced = Boston_NB_LT_rates_20180320_155132, Boston_NB_LT_intersects_20180320_155132.
    Date: 2018 (process 4 of 7)
    Shoreline intersects and rate calculations performed for short-term rates without bias. Parameters Used: shoreline layer=Boston_ST_shorelines, shoreline date field=DSAS_date, shoreline uncertainty field name=Uncy, the default accuracy=4.4 meters, shoreline intersection=seaward, stats calculations=[LRR], shoreline threshold=3, confidence interval=90%. Files produced = Boston_NB_ST_rates_20180320_160019, Boston_NB_ST_intersects_20180320_160019.
    Date: 2018 (process 5 of 7)
    The intersect feature classes were exported to shapefiles in ArcMap v10.5 by right-clicking the transect layer > data > export data.
    Date: 2018 (process 6 of 7)
    The exported intersect shapefiles were projected in Esri's ArcToolbox (v10.5) > Data Management Tools > Projections and Transformations > Project. Parameters: input projection - UTM zone 19N (WGS84); output projection - geographic coordinates (WGS84); transformation = none.
    Date: 10-Aug-2020 (process 7 of 7)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. 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
  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., 2018, Digital Shoreline Analysis System (version 5.0): U.S. Geological Survey Software: software release version 5.0, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Himmelstoss, Emily A., Henderson, Rachel E., Kratzmann, Meredith G., and Farris, Amy S., 2018, DSAS v5.0 user guide: Open-File Report 2018-1179, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Himmelstoss, Emily A., Farris, Amy S., and Weber, Kathryn M., 2018, Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines for the 2018 update: data release DOI:10.5066/P9O7S72B, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    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:

    Other_Citation_Details: ppg. 1069-1081

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The attributes of this dataset are based on the field requirements of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System and were automatically generated by the software during the generation of the intersects layer.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    The intersection points represent the location where transects cast by the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) software crosses a historical shoreline position. They can be used to visually display which shorelines were used in the rate calculations and capture details on the shoreline represented by the intersection. The distances between the reference baseline and each shoreline intersection along a transect are used by the DSAS software to compute the shoreline change metrics. The positional uncertainties associated with the shoreline and intersection points are captured in the shoreline attribute table. See https://doi.org/10.5066/P9O7S72B
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This dataset contains all the shoreline/transect intersects used to compute rates in the DSAS v5.0 software application.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    These data were generated using DSAS, an automated software program, which does not perform checks for fidelity of the input features. Following generation of the rates and intersects by the DSAS software a visual inspection of the intersects was performed in map view to determine that no unwanted measurements were included in the desired (long- or short-term) shoreline change 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 These data were automatically generated using the DSAS v5.0 software applications. 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 - GS ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO
    United States

    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 point intersections used for the analysis of shoreline data, (SHP and other shapefile components), browse graphic, and the FGDC CSDGM metadata in XML and TEXT format.
  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?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    These data are available in a point 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:
Emily A. Himmelstoss
U.S. Geological Survey
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA
USA

508-548-8700 x2262 (voice)
508-547-2310 (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)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_P9RRBEYK/Boston_intersects_meta.faq.html>
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