Digital Mosaics of the GLORIA Sidescan Sonar Data of the Gulf of Mexico

Metadata also available as - [Outline] - [Parseable text] - [XML]

Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Digital Mosaics of the GLORIA Sidescan Sonar Data of the Gulf of Mexico
Abstract:
In the late summer and fall of 1985, the USGS conducted surveys of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Gulf of Mexico. The collected GLORIA data was processed and digitally mosaicked to produce continuous imagery of the seafloor (EEZ-Scan, 1985). A total of 16 digital mosaics of a 2degree by 2degree (or smaller) area with a 50 meter pixel resolution were completed for the Gulf of Mexico. Those individual mosaics were later combined to produce two overviews (east and west) of the Gulf of Mexico at a 250 meter pixel resolution.
Supplemental_Information:
These data were acquired on U.S. Geological Survey field activity 1997-006-FA. More information is available from: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/services/activity.php?fan=1985-027-FA; https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/services/activity.php?fan=1985-028-FA; https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/services/activity.php?fan=1985-034-FA.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Paskevich, Valerie F., 1996, Digital Mosaics of the GLORIA Sidescan Sonar Data of the Gulf of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-657, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -96
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -82
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 29.5
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 23
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 07-Aug-1985
    Ending_Date: 22-Oct-1995
    Currentness_Reference:
    Dates of data acquision based on information in the field activity database of the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/) .
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    2. What coordinate system is used to 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? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Valerie F. Paskevich
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Valerie Paskevich
    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

Why was the data set created?

The digital mosaics have been previously released by the U.S. Geological Survey on other CD-ROMs (USGS DDS-15). This CD-ROM differs from the previous releases because it contains only the completed digital mosaics in two commonly used image formats: TIF (Tagged Interchange Format) and Compuserve GIF (Graphics Interchange Format). Because these are considered commonly used formats, no software for viewing the images is included. In addition to the TIF and GIF formatted files, the individual mosaics are also stored as raw binary image files.

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: unknown (process 1 of 3)
    The collected GLORIA data were processed and digitally mosaicked to produce continuous imagery of the seafloor. A total of 16 digital mosaics of a 2degree by 2degree (or smaller) area with a 50 meter pixel resolution were completed for the Gulf of Mexico. The individual 16 mosaics were later combined to produce 250 meter pixel resolution overview of the eastern and western halves of the Gulf of Mexico. Those images are archived on this CD-ROM in three formats: 1- TIF; 2 - GIF; and 3 - raw binary. No details as to the actual software and processes used to do this work are included in the publication. Person who carried out this activity:
    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey, ER
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
    Date: 2024 (process 2 of 3)
    The original publication did not contain a metadata file. This metadata file was created based on the information included in the publication. The purpose for creating the metadata is to provide an additional data discovery avenue for the published data. 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
    Date: 05-Aug-2025 (process 3 of 3)
    The theme thesaurus name was changed from ISO 19115 Topic Categories to ISO 19115 Topic Category. (20250805). 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?
    Twichell, David C., and Polloni, C.F., 1993, CD-ROM atlas of the deepwater parts of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Caribbean Sea: Digital Data Series 15, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    EEZ-Scan 85 Scientific Staff, 1997, Atlas of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, Gulf of Mexico and eastern Caribbean areas: Geologic Investigation Map (IMAP) 1864-A,B, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

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?
    No information is available in the original publication that documents the horizontal accuracy of the data.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    The collected GLORIA data were processed and digitally mosaicked to produce continuous imagery of the seafloor. A total of 16 digital mosaics of a 2degree by 2degree (or smaller) area with a 50 meter pixel resolution were completed for the Gulf of Mexico. The individual 16 mosaics were later combined to produce 250 meter pixel resolution overview of the eastern and western halves of the Gulf of Mexico.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    The GLORIA digital mosaics on this CD-ROM are archived in three formats: 1- TIF; 2- GIF; and 3- raw binary. The digital mosaics were converted to these image formats in an attempt to make the digital mosaics available to a broader user community. All images are full resolution, 50 meter pixels, and are uncompressed to allow easier access to the images from the CD-ROM. The images were mapped utilizing an Albers Equal Area projection with standard parallels of 29.5dn and 45.5dn. The central longitude used in the mapping procedure differs for each mosaic and is the central longitude for that given map area. For example, the central longitude for mosaic 1 is 83dw.

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 > Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program > Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Database Librarian
    Data Library
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA

    (508) 548-8700 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? GLORIA sidescan sonar image mosaics in the Gulf of Mexico.
  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?
    • Availability in digital form:
      Data format: The GIF images are contained in a ZIP archive of the complete publication. in format GIF
      Network links: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr96657
      Media you can order: CD-ROM (Density 512 bytes) (format ISO 9660)
      Note: UNIX, DOS, MAC
      Data format: The TIFF images are contained in a ZIP archive of the complete publication. in format TIFF
      Network links: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr96657
      Media you can order: CD-ROM (Density 512 bytes) (format ISO 9660)
      Note: UNIX, DOS, MAC
      Data format: The RAW images are contained in a ZIP archive of the complete publication. in format RAW
      Network links: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr96657
      Media you can order: CD-ROM (Density 512 bytes) (format ISO 9660)
      Note: UNIX, DOS, MAC
    • Cost to order the data: none

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 05-Aug-2025
Metadata author:
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)
whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
Contact_Instructions:
The metadata contact email address is a generic address in the event the metadata contact is no longer with the USGS.
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/open_file_report/ofr1996-657/ofr96-657_meta.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Wed Aug 6 09:34:29 2025