Photographs, station locations, video location, and grain-size analyses of the sea floor in western Massachusetts Bay, offshore of Boston, Massachusetts, July, 1999

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Photographs, station locations, video location, and grain-size analyses of the sea floor in western Massachusetts Bay, offshore of Boston, Massachusetts, July, 1999
Abstract:
This CD-ROM contains photographs and sediment sample analyses of the sea floor obtained at 142 sites in western Massachusetts Bay during a research cruise (USGS cruise ISBL99024) aboard the Fishing Vessel (FV) Isabel S. conducted July 18-21, 1999. Collection of these photographs and samples was undertaken in support of a large project whose overall objective is to map and describe the sea floor of Massachusetts Bay.
Supplemental_Information:
The original publication did not have metadata so this metadata was created in 2025 based on the information contained in the report.
These data are associated with the field activity 1999-024-FA. More information is available at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/services/activity.php?fan=1999-024-FA
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Gutierrez, Benjamin T., Butman, Bradford, and Blackwood, Dann S., 2001, Photographs, station locations, video location, and grain-size analyses of the sea floor in western Massachusetts Bay, offshore of Boston, Massachusetts, July, 1999: Open-File Report 2000-427, 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.

    Gutierrez, Benjamin T., Butman, Bradford, and Blackwood, Dann S., 2001, Photographs of the sea floor in western Massachusetts Bay, offshore of Boston, Massachusetts, July, 1999: Open-File Report 2000-427, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Gutierrez, B.T., Butman, B., and Blackwood, D.S., 2001, Photographs of the sea floor in western Massachusetts Bay, offshore of Boston, Massachusetts, July, 1999: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2000-427, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr2000427.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.8579
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.3943
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.5187
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.1656
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 18-Jul-1999
    Ending_Date: 21-Jul-1999
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition of data acquisition.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data, raster digital data, tabular data
  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 .00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest .00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal Degrees. The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257.
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Depth_System_Definition:
      Depth_Datum_Name: Local surface
      Depth_Resolution: 5
      Depth_Distance_Units: meters
      Depth_Encoding_Method: Attribute values
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The report does not contain any details with respect to the dataset attribute definitions. Therefore, rather than a detailed entity and attribute listing, the column names only are provided. This will prevent confusion and assumptions that may or may not be correct on the part of the metadata writer.
    The pertinent datasets with respect to the grab samples and the seabed images are: isblseds.xls: contains station location and sediment grain-size analysis grab_loc.shp: contains the grab station location including the station number
    grab_loc.shp contains 105 records and the attributes are as follows:
    STATION
    SAMPLE_JUL
    LATITUDE
    LONGITUDE_
    DEPTH_IN_M
    photos.shp contains 973 records and the attributes are as follows:
    RECORDID
    LED
    JD_TIME_UT
    DEC_LATIT
    DEC_LONGI
    PHOTO_CD
    PHOTOCD_IM
    STATION
    sta_loc.shp contains 173 records of the archived stations locations. The archived station location is determined to be either the grab sample location, or where a grab was not collected, the location is that of the last video-survey location. The attributes are as follows:
    STATION
    JD_TIME_U
    LATITUDE_W
    LONGITUDE_
    DEPTH_M_
    CRUISE
    DEC_LATIT
    DEC_LONGI
    WEB_ADD
    video.shp contains 6939 records. There is a point roughly every 10 second along a video track, so each track contians numerous point. The attributes are as follows:
    STATION
    JUL_TIME
    LATITUDE
    LONGITUDE
    CRUISE_ID
    stastart.shp contains 143 records and the attributes are as follows:
    STATION
    JD_TIME
    LATITUDE_N
    LONGITUDE_
    DEPTH_M_
    CRUISE_ID
    WEB_ADD
    For the sediment grain-size analysix, given the standardization of work done in the sediment lab in Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, the following publication can provide useful information for the sediment analyses spreadsheet:
    Poppe, L.J., McMullen, K.Y, Williams, S.J., and Paskevich, V.F., 2005, USGS east-coast sediment analysis-Procedures, database, and GIS Data: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1001, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20051001.
    In particular the information available from the data dictionary page: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1001/htmldocs/datadict.htm.
    isblseds.xls - location and grain-size analyses of sediment samples, a total of 98 data records:
    Station
    Cruise Id
    Latitude N
    Longitude W
    Depth (m)
    Sample Weight (g)
    % Sand
    % Gravel
    % Silt
    % Clay
    Texture Class
    Median Phi
    Mean Phi
    Standard Deviation
    Skewness
    Kurtosis
    M1PHI
    M1FRQ
    M2PHI
    M2FRQ
    M3PHI
    M3FRQ
    MDS
    Cfp11
    Cfp10
    Cfp9
    Cfp8
    Cfp7
    Cfp6
    Cfp5
    Cfp4
    Cfp3
    Cfp2
    Cfp1
    Cfp0
    Cfpm1
    Cfpm2
    Cfpm3
    Cfpm4
    Cfpm5
    Fp11
    Fp10
    Fp9
    Fp8
    Fp7
    Fp6
    Fp5
    Fp4
    Fp3
    Fp2
    Fp1
    Fp0
    Fpm1
    Fpm2
    Fpm3
    Fpm4
    Fpm5
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    Barry, K.M., Cavers, D.A., and Kneale, C.W., 1975, Recommended standards for digital tape formats, in Digital Tape Standards; Society of Exploration Geophysicists ["Recommended standards for digital tape formats" reprinted from Geophysics, v. 32, p. 1073 - 1084; v. 37, p. 36-44; v. 40, p. 344 - 352.] p. 22 - 30. Cohen, J.K., and Stockwell, Jr. J.W., 1997, CWP/SU: Seismic Unix Release 1.6: a free package for seismic research and processing, Center for Wave Phenomena, Colorado School of Mines.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Benjamin T. Gutierrez
    • Bradford Butman
    • Dann S. Blackwood
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Benjamin T. Gutierrez
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2289 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    bgutierrez@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

These photographs and samples provide critical ground truth information for the interpretation of shaded relief and backscatter intensity maps created using data collected with a multibeam echo sounder system (Butman and others, in press, a, b, c; Valentine and others, in press, a, b, c).

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 4)
    Photographic and Sampling system:
    The following description comes directly from the Open-File Report.
    The bottom photographs presented on this CD-ROM were obtained using a system called Seabottom Observation and Sampling System (SEABOSS,(Blackwood and Parolski, 2000)). This system acquires 35 mm color photographs, continuous color video from both a downward and a forward looking camera, and a sample of the bottom sediment. At each station, the SEABOSS was lowered to a target elevation 76 centimeters (30 inches) above the sea floor. As the ship drifts, typically at a knot or less, bottom video was recorded continuously and individual photographs of the sea floor were triggered remotely based on the video available in real time at the surface. Typically 5-50 still photographs were obtained at each station. At 76 centimeters above the bottom, the still photographs show a 76 x 51 centimeter footprint of the seafloor. At most stations, a single sample of the sediment was obtained, typically at the end of the transect. At some locations, cobbles and boulders on the seafloor made sampling impossible. Sediment was scooped from the top 2-cm of the sampler after the SEABOSS was raised to the surface and submitted for grain size analysis using the methods described in Poppe and others (1985).
    The process date and processor are unknown.
    Date: Unknown (process 2 of 4)
    The still photos were developed and scanned to a CD as photo-CD files. They were then converted from photo-CD to JPEG format in order to reduce space requirements.
    The process date and processor are unknown.
    Date: 30-Jul-2025 (process 3 of 4)
    Because the original Open-File Report did not contain metadata, this metadata file was written based on the information in that report. This work was done to assist in data discovery.
    Many details are unknown and either explained in the metadata or designated as unknown, while at the same time keeping the metadata error free in terms of the standard and structure.
    Some elements have been improved, such as cross-references that were originally listed as "in press" and have since been published.
    For the purposes of this metadata file, the following datasets are significant:
    JPEG images of the seabed
    grain-size analyses in an Excel XLS spreadsheet (isblseds.xls)
    grab sample locations in shapefile format (photos.shp: point shapefile)
    station locations in shapefile format (sta_loc.shp: point shapefile) The Open-File Report indicates that the sta_locs.shp is the archived station locations for USGS cruise ISBL99024. And that the archived station location is determined to be either the grab sample location, or where a grab was not collected, the location is that of the last video-survey location.
    video locations in shapefile format (video.shp: point shapefile with numerous points per video station)
    Historically there are situation where a sample, video or photo was not obtained at a particular station, which would account for the varying number of records in each dataset.
    The shapefiles are not readily available from the report and were intended to be part of the information more readily available on a CD-ROM. However, the folder containing the shapefiles can be accessed and includes additional shapefiles not described in this metadata file. 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
    Date: 05-Aug-2025 (process 4 of 4)
    The metdata filename was fixed to correctly represent the Open-File Report number (2000 instead of 200). The contact information was added to the process step for metadata creation. The process date for metadata creation was fixed. A USGS Thesaurus term had the spelling corrected. (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?
    Blackwood, Dan, and Parolski, Kenneth F., 2000, "Seaboss": an elegantly simple image an sample collecting system (extended abs.): Proceedings, 6th International Conference on Remote Sensing for Marine Environments v. 1, p. 99-106, Veridian ERIM International, Charleston, S.C..

    Butman, Bradford, Hayes, Laura, Danforth, W.W., and Valentine, P.C., 2003, Sea floor topography of Quadrangle 2 in western Massachusetts Bay offshore of Boston, Massachusetts: IMAP 2732-A, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Although in this Open-File Report, this IMAP is referenced as "in press", the IMAP has since been published. This citation information reflects the published IMAP. In the Open-File report, this IMAP is referred to as "Butman and others, in press, a". The scale of the map is 1:25000.
    Butman, Bradford, Hayes, Laura, Danforth, W.W., and Valentine, P.C., 2003, Shaded relief and sea floor topography of Quadrangle 2 in western Massachusetts Bay offshore of Boston, Massachusetts: IMAP 2732-B, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Although in this Open-File Report, this IMAP is referenced as "in press", the IMAP has since been published. This citation information reflects the published IMAP. In the Open-File report, this IMAP is referred to as "Butman and others, in press, b". The scale of the map is 1:25000.
    Butman, Bradford, Hayes, Laura, Danforth, W.W., and Valentine, P.C., 2003, Backscatter intensity, shaded relief, and sea floor topography of Quadrangle 2 in western Massachusetts Bay offshore of Boston, Massachusetts: IMAP 2732-C, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Although in this Open-File Report, this IMAP is referenced as "in press", the IMAP has since been published. This citation information reflects the published IMAP. In the Open-File report, this IMAP is referred to as "Butman and others, in press, c". The scale of the map is 1:25000.

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?
    Although the details of the navigation is not specifically addressed in the metadata, the assumption is that the work is consistent with other work from the science center at the time period. Assuming the navigation system was a GPS system, the accuracy would have been assumed to be within 10 meters. Because the system used to collect the bottom photographs and sediment samples is deployed via a cable, and additional navigational error is related to the unknown drift of the acquistion system from the ship - as well as an offset from the navigation antenna. The data could reasonable be assumed to be accurate to within approximage 30 meters. The datum is assumed to be NAD83 based on similar work, but is only an assumption and is what is used to populate the horizontal spatial reference information.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    The assumption is that the depth values in the sediment analysis dataset are based on the ship fathometer, rounded to the nearest meter. This would be consistent with other similar work in the area. However, the publication does not indicate this so this is merely an assumption and what is used to populate the vertical coordinate system information.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Information not available from the original publication.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    The assumption is that the data were collected and processed in a consistent manner not unlike other work of a similar nature from Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.

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
    Attn: Benjamin T. Gutierrez
    Geologist
    384 Wood Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USGS

    508-548-8700 X2289 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    bgutierrez@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? The data described in this metadata file are as follows: photos.shp (point shapefile of still photograph locations from USGS cruise ISBL99024); grab_loc.shp (point shapefile of grab sample locations for USGS cruise ISBL99024); sta_loc.shp (point shapefile of archived station locations for USGS cruise ISBL99024); video.shp (point shapefile of video stations locations with a point roughtly every 10 seconds, and attribute associates each point with a specific station); stastart.shp (point shapefile of starting points of video surveys for each station for cruise ISBL99024);isblseds.xls (Excel spreadsheet of station locations and associated grain-size analyses). This brief description is assumed to be correct based on the information within each of the data files and the information provided by the Open-File Report.
  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?

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 Rd.
Woods Hole, MA
USA

(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 person is no longer with the U.S. Geological Survey.
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard (19940608)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/open_file_report/ofr2000-427/ofr2000-427_meta.faq.html>
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