Shapefiles of data from the west Florida Shelf in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico including sediment data and interpretations of shelf-edge habitats

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Shapefiles of data from the west Florida Shelf in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico including sediment data and interpretations of shelf-edge habitats
Abstract:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and Florida State University (FSU), collected the data presented here as part of a larger study of seafloor habitats on the shelf edge of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. It is a pilot study, carried out to demonstrate the utility of geologic mapping to fisheries management issues. This report contains sidescan-sonar mosaics, seismic-reflection profiles, texture and calcium carbonate content of sediment samples and interpretative maps of the seafloor morphology, sediments, and benthic habitats of the study area.
The study area is an approximately 150-km2 area along the shelf edge in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The site is on the eastern side of the DeSoto Canyon and 75 km due south of Cape San Blas on the Florida panhandle. Water depth ranges from about 50 meters (m) to 120 m. It was chosen because reports from fishermen suggested that high-relief rocky outcrops, which are preferred by gag grouper as spawning aggregation sites, would be abundant. The geologic maps help the fisheries biologists select station locations for ongoing monitoring studies and provide a basis for siting of future reserves.
Supplemental_Information:
These shapefiles are provided in Geographic (latitude, longitude) coordinates. "Geographic Projection"
For more information on the seismic surveys see https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=1997-005-FA
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Scanlon(ed.), Kathryn M., and Briere(ed.), Peter R., 19990901, Shapefiles of data from the west Florida Shelf in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico including sediment data and interpretations of shelf-edge habitats: U.S. Geological Survey Openfile Series 99-589, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: USGS Openfile CD-ROM
    This is part of the following larger work.

    Briere, Peter R., Scanlon, Kathryn M., Gledhill, Christopher T., Koenig, Christopher C., and Fitzhugh, Gary, 19990901, West Florida Shelf: Sidescan-sonar and sediment data from shelf-edge habitats in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Openfile Series 99-589, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: USGS Openfile CD-ROM
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -085.550000
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -085.290000
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: +29.110000
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: +28.950000
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 01-Sep-1999
    Currentness_Reference:
    Publication Date
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
  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?
      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.
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Depth_System_Definition:
      Depth_Datum_Name: Mean sea level
      Depth_Resolution: 0.01
      Depth_Distance_Units: Meters
      Depth_Encoding_Method: Explicit depth coordinate included with horizontal coordinates
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    sea floor geology
    bottom type are represented by varying backscatter intensities on the sidescan sonar (Source: Scanlon, Briere, Koenig. 1999. Oculina Bank. Sidescan Sonar and Sediment Data from a Deep-Water Coral Reef Habitat off East-Central Florida. U.S Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-10)

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Kathryn M. Scanlon(ed.)
    • Peter R. Briere(ed.)
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    K.M. Scanlon P.R. Briere
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Kathryn M. Scanlon
    U.S Geological Survey
    Research Scientist
    384 Woods Hole Rd
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    5084572323 (voice)
    kscanlon@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

To represent the geology of the West Florida Shelf Study area as delineated in U.S. Geological Survey Openfile Report 99-XXX by Scanlon, Briere, and Gledhill. These shapefiles are provided to facilitate the transfer of the interpretations to others in a GIS format or incorporation into other data sets.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    KMS (source 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, 19990901, Coastal and Marine Geology Program.

    Type_of_Source_Media: computer program
    Source_Contribution: sidescan sonar from with geological features are interpreted
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 18-Aug-1999 (process 1 of 5)
    Shapefiles were created through conversion of mapinfo files . Mapinfo files were generated based on a georeferenced image containing decimated sidescan sonar data.
    Date: 08-Dec-2017 (process 2 of 5)
    Edits to the metadata were made to fix any errors that MP v 2.9.36 flagged. This is necessary to enable the metadata to be successfully harvested for various data catalogs. In some cases, this meant adding text "Information unavailable" or "Information unavailable from original metadata" for those required fields that were left blank. Other minor edits were probably performed (title, publisher, publication place, etc.). The original metadata is very sparse, a .MET file available in https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1999/of99-589/gis/. This metadata file represents numerous data files, so the title was modified to relfect that. Changed link in Identification section to landing page of spatial data. Added the abstract from the text of the Open-File Report. Added a Larger Work Citation. Removed the spatial data organizaiton information as it was incomplete and does not apply to a group of files. The distribution format name was modified in an attempt to be more consistent with other metadata files of the same data format. Added access instructions. The metadata date (but not the metadata creator) was edited to reflect the date of these changes. The metadata available from a harvester may supersede metadata bundled within a download file. 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
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 20-Jul-2018 (process 3 of 5)
    USGS Thesaurus keywords added to the keyword section. 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: 18-Nov-2019 (process 4 of 5)
    Crossref DOI link was added as the first link in the metadata. 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: 15-Jul-2024 (process 5 of 5)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword (20200908). Added a place keyword thesaurus and added terms (20240715). 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?

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Attribute accuracy is tested by comparison of sidescan sonar data with sediment grab samples.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    On-board GPS measurements are used and checked with navigational charts
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    on-board GPS measurements are used and checked with navigational charts.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    All sidescan sonar interpretable areas are mapped.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Points are represented by two coordinate pairs. Nodes are represented by a single coordinate pair. Polygons are used to outline bottom geology and features. Lines are used to represent contoured bathymetry and the trackline.

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 credit or reference originators
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey-Earth Science Information Center
    507 National Center
    Reston, VA
    USA

    1-800-USA-MAPS (voice)
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    none
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    GIS software that can read or translate shapefile (*.shp) format.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 15-Jul-2024
Metadata author:
Kathryn M. Scanlon
384 Woods Hole Rd
Woods Hole, MA
USA

5084572323 (voice)
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 or the email is otherwise invalid.
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (95)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/open_file_report/ofr1999-589/of99-589.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Tue Jul 16 09:57:53 2024