5 meter ArcRaster grid of bathymetry data collected in Buzzards Bay by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offshore of Massachusetts in 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2011 (BB_bathy5m, UTM Zone 19N, Esri BINARY GRID)

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
5 meter ArcRaster grid of bathymetry data collected in Buzzards Bay by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offshore of Massachusetts in 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2011 (BB_bathy5m, UTM Zone 19N, Esri BINARY GRID)
Abstract:
These data were collected under a cooperative agreement between the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHSC). Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for the management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of seafloor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The project is focused on the inshore waters of coastal Massachusetts, primarily in water depths of 5 to 30 meters (m) deep. Data collected for the mapping cooperative have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports (http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/). The data collected in the study area in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, include high-resolution geophysics (bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic reflection) and ground validation (sediment samples, video tracklines, and bottom photographs). The geophysical data are released in USGS Open-File Report 2012-1002, High-Resolution Geophysical Data from the Inner Continental Shelf: Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1002/). The sampling data have not been prepared for publication yet. The geophysical data were collected during four separate surveys conducted between 2004 and 2011 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) survey H11319 (in 2004; bathymetry only) and USGS surveys 2009-002-FA, 2010-004-FA, and 2011-004-FA)) and cover 410 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf. More information about the individual USGS surveys conducted as part of the Buzzards Bay project can be found on WHCS Field Activity Web pages: 2009-002-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2009-002-FA 2010-004-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2010-004-FA 2011-004-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2011-004-FA Information about the NOAA survey can be found at: H11319: http://surveys.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/NOS/coast/H10001-H12000/H11319/DR/
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    U.S. Geological Survey, 2013, 5 meter ArcRaster grid of bathymetry data collected in Buzzards Bay by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offshore of Massachusetts in 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2011 (BB_bathy5m, UTM Zone 19N, Esri BINARY GRID): Open-File Report 2012-1002, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Ackerman, Seth D., Andrews, Brian D., Foster, David S., Baldwin, Wayne E., and Schwab, William C., 2013, High-Resolution Geophysical Data from the Inner Continental Shelf: Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.: Open-File Report 2012-1002, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -71.130776
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.646807
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.673085
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.362978
  3. What does it look like?
    http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1002/GIS/browse_jpg/big/BB_bathy5m.jpg (JPEG)
    Depth-colored image of bathymetry
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 30-Mar-2004
    Ending_Date: 13-May-2011
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition of individual surveys on the following dates: 20040330-20040412; 20090528-20090618; 20100515-20100520; 20110513
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Raster data set. It contains the following raster data types:
      • Dimensions 6716 x 7934 x 1, type Grid Cell
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 19
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -69.000000
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000
      False_Easting: 500000.000000
      False_Northing: 0.000000
      Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 5.000000
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 5.000000
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters
      The horizontal datum used is D_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.
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Depth_System_Definition:
      Depth_Datum_Name: Mean lower low water
      Depth_Resolution: 0.1
      Depth_Distance_Units: meters
      Depth_Encoding_Method: Explicit depth coordinate included with horizontal coordinates
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Value
    Depth in meters below mean lower low water (Source: Esri)
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Swath bathymetry in Esri ArcRaster format. Data values represent depth in meters referenced to mean lower low water (MLLW).
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: Esri

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?
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This grid represents approximately 410 square kilometers of bathymetric data that were collected in 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2011. This is a merged grid of interferometric (Systems Engineering and Assessment Ltd. SWATHPlus-M) and multibeam (RESON SeaBat 8125) bathymetric sonar data that were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, respectively, during four surveys (USGS surveys 2009-002-FA, 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA; and NOAA survey H11319 in 2004) offshore of Massachusetts, in Buzzards Bay. These data are used to define the seafloor morphology as part of the Massachusetts Seafloor Mapping Project.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    none (source 1 of 2)
    U.S. Geological Survey, Unpublished Material, raw bathymetry data.

    Type_of_Source_Media: disc
    Source_Contribution:
    This bathymetric dataset is a combination of data collected by the USGS (with a 234 kHz Systems Engineering and Assessment Ltd. (SEA) SWATHplus interferometric sonar mounted on the M/V Megan T. Miller (2009 and 2010) and the M/V Scarlett Isabella (2011)). Data were acquired between May 2009 and May 2011. USGS Configuration: Survey: Survey lines were run at an average speed of 5 knots and were spaced 50-100 m apart to obtain overlapping swaths of data and full seafloor coverage. Sonar: The SEA SWATHplus-M operates at a frequency of 234 kHz and a variable range (increased or decreased manually depending on water depth). The system was operated with a transmit power: 80 percent, a transmit length: 12 cycles (2009-002-FA and 2010-004-FA) or 43 cycles (2011-004-FA), 3072 samples per channel (2009-002-FA) or 4096 samples per channel (2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA), and a variable range (increased or decreased depending on water depth). Speed of Sound: Sound-velocity profiles were collected approximately every 2 hours by hand casted Applied MicroSystems SV Plus sound velocimeter (2009-002-FA), or an ODIM MVP30 moving vessel profiler (2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA). Tides: Tides were typically corrected during post-processing using one- or two-minute interval averages of the RTK tide data recorded in the "TID" message string of the HYPACK navigation file for each line (however; RTK signal dropouts during survey 2009-002-FA and 2010-004-FA made it necessary to post-process the base and rover navigation data using NovAtel GrafNav (version: 8.30.1123) to calculate the RTK tide offset values, see process steps for more details). While much effort was devoted to cleaning the data and minimizing survey artifacts, some artifacts may still be seen in the final gridded data including an along track artifact at nadir (the ship track) and at the far edges of a survey line where adjacent swaths overlap. These artifacts are especially noticeable in areas of little local relief.
    none (source 2 of 2)
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Unpublished Material, CARIS HIPS database of bathymetry data.

    Type_of_Source_Media: disc
    Source_Contribution:
    This bathymetric dataset is data collected by the NOAA (with a 455 kHz multibeam-echosounder mounted on the NOAA Ship RUDE(2004)). Data were acquired in March and April 2004. NOAA Configuration: Survey: All data were collected by the NOAA Ship RUDE. Trackline spacing for survey H11319 was based on a estimate of 2.5 times the water depth to achieve overlapping swaths for full seafloor coverage. For this area survey lines were typically between 25-50m apart. Ship speed was determined such that the survey achieved a sampling rate of 3.2 pings per 3 meters of along track distance. Sonar: The RESON SeaBat 8125 is a 0.5 degree (across-track) by 1 degree (along-track) beam angle system which operates at a frequency of 455 kHz and collects 240 individual soundings in a swath oriented perpendicular to the vessel track. The system is capable of ping rates ranging from 3.02 Hz to 40.05 Hz but for this survey, the maximum ping rate was set to 20 Hz. Speed of Sound: SeaBird SBE 19 SEACAT conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) profiler was used to measure sound-velocity data. Tides: The tidal datum for survey H11319 is Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). Tidal corrections were calculated using verified data from tidal station #8452660 at Newport, RI, and final corrected soundings (from a zoned tidal model) were referenced to MLLW. Other: All bathymetry processing, including tide-correction, were done by NOAA Hydrographers. NOAA's Computer Aided Resource Information System (CARIS) directory was provided to the USGS. Refer to the Fall Data Acquisition and Processing Report (DAPR) and the Horizontal and Vertical Control Report, for detailed equipment, vessel configuration and setting information. Only the data necessary to fill gaps in the 2009-2011 USGS bathymetry survey data were used. Although the CARIS database contains the "raw" bathymetry soundings, it also contains any of the soundings and navigation edits, refraction and tide corrections, and motion reference unit offsets that were done by NOAA hydrographers. All NOAA-provided edits, corrections, and offsets were used in the final bathymetry grid for Buzzards Bay. No additional editing was done to the NOAA-provided data.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2011 (process 1 of 10)
    1. Raw to Processed conversion for USGS field activity 2009-002-FA, 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA: Each raw SWATHPlus bathymetric sonar file (sxr) was converted to a SWATHPlus processed file (sxp) using SEA SWATHPlus Swath Processor (vers. 3.06 in 2009 and 2010 and ver. 3.07 in 2011). During the conversion process, sound velocity profiles were used to minimize potential refraction artifacts from fluctuations in the speed of sound within the water column. Several bathymetric filters were applied to remove erroneous soundings and reduce the density of the data. Predicted tidal information was merged into the processed file (sxp) during this conversion, however observed tidal corrections were applied later in the processing flow. Bathymetric filtering typically included low amplitude (100%), range (0-4m), box (3-50m depth, 1.5-75m horizontal), median (window size 5), alongtrack 1 (depth difference of 5-m, window size 5-m, and learn rate of 0.7), alongtrack 2 (depth difference of 1.5-m, window size 1m, and learn rate of 0.9), and mean filters (0.25m). These represent the typical parameters used for the majority of the USGS survey although the values may have been adjusted slightly for specific parts of the survey area. Processing occurred in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Person who carried out this activity:
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
    Date: 2011 (process 2 of 10)
    2. CARIS processing for USGS field activity 2009-002-FA, 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA: A new CARIS HIPS project (vers. 6.1 and 7.1) was created for each field activity with projection information set to Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 19, WGS84. Each SWATHPlus processed file (sxp) was imported to the new CARIS project using the Import/Conversion Wizard. A 5 meter resolution Bathymetric and Statistical Error (BASE) Surface was created from the files for each Julian day. The BASE surface for each day was reviewed for any inconsistencies or data anomalies. Navigation was reviewed and edited as needed using the navigation editor tool. Beam-to-beam slopes and across track angle filters were applied to the soundings line by line. The refraction editor was used to adjust sound speed values in areas where velocimeter data did not adequately correct depth profiles obviously influenced by local anomalies in speed of sound through the water column. CARIS processing for NOAA hydrographic survey H10993: The CARIS HIPS directory was received from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA-NGDC). The multibeam bathymetric data from NOAA was delivered fully processed and tide-corrected by NOAA Hydrographers. The CARIS HIPS project was reviewed and checked for any inconsistencies. Survey lines that were not needed to create a complete gridded surface for the Buzzards Bay survey area were removed from the project. Processing occurred in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Person who carried out this activity:
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
    Date: 2011 (process 3 of 10)
    3. Prepare and apply RTK Tide data for USGS field activities 2009-002-FA, 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA: Tides files were created during post-processing using one- or two-minute interval averages of the RTK tide data recorded in the "TID" message string of the HYPACK navigation file for each line. The TID messages from DEV 1 (which was the Ashtech Z-Extreme during survey 2009-002-FA and the NovAtel DL-V3 receiver during surveys 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA) were used to extract the tide offset values. This was done using a shell script called getNovatelTides and an AWK script called parseHypackNovatelTides.awk However; RTK signal dropouts during parts of surveys 2009-002-FA and 2010-004-FA made it necessary to post-process the base station and rover navigation data using NovAtel GrafNav (version: 8.30.1123). This process calculates the RTK tide offset values, using the height data recorded separately by the Master/Base station (which was set up at the USGS Marine Operations Facility) and the Remote/Rover station (the GPS antennea on the survey vessel). RTK tide data processed with GrafNav were then formatted for input into CARIS using a Perl script parse_GrafNav_files.pl. The tide (.tid) files for each survey were finalized by using data from either the GrafNav processed or the HYPACK extracted tide data. In Buzzards Bay: RTK tidal corrections for Survey 2009-002-FA were post-processed from base-station and rover data using GrafNav, except for discrete periods of JD152 (1200-2359), JD158 (0000-1516 and 2353-2359), JD159 (0000-2400), and JD160 (0000-0145) where HYPACK extracted tides were used. Only HYPACK extracted tide data were used for Survey 2010-004-FA. Only HYPACK extracted tide data were used for Survey 2011-004-FA. RTK tide corrections were loaded and applied to the soundings line by line in CARIS. Each line was re-merged and the preliminary BASE surfaces were recomputed to incorporate the new tide information. Additional swath editing was done in CARIS using the swath and area based editors to remove any additional inconsistencies and minimize survey artifacts. Processing occurred in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Person who carried out this activity:
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • 09002_TID_master.tid; 10004_RTK_Tides_BBay.tid; 11004_TID_master.tid
    Date: 2012 (process 4 of 10)
    4. Final BASE surface creation: A new CARIS HIPS project was made to create final BASE surfaces for all of the bathymetric data from the NOAA and USGS surveys. A 5-meter BASE surface was created for the entire area of the Buzzards Bay survey area utilizing all the quality bathymetric soundings data from USGS surveys 2009-002-FA, 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA. Survey lines from NOAA hydrographic survey H10993 were added to the project and then added to the Buzzards Bay Base Surface. Processing occurred in 2011 and 2012. Person who carried out this activity:
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • CARIS HIPS BASE (BB_All)
    Date: 2012 (process 5 of 10)
    5. The CARIS HIPS BASE surface was exported from CARIS as a Bathymetry Attributed Grid (BAG) file and then imported into IVS 3D Fledermaus (version 7.3); [Import -> Import Gridded Data - BAG/Open Nav Surface]. This creates a Fledermaus SD file. Then in IVS 3D DMagic, SD file was exported to ARC/INFO ASCII GRID format (outputfile: BB_All.asc). Person who carried out this activity:
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • IVS 3D SD file (BB_All.sd)
    • ARC/INFO ASCII GRID (BB_All.asc)
    Date: 2012 (process 6 of 10)
    6. Using Esri ArcToolbox (version 9.3), converted ARC/INFO ASCII GRID to an Esri ArcRaster Grid [Conversion Tools, To Raster, ASCIIToRaster] creating final bathymetry grid "BB_bathy5m". Person who carried out this activity:
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • Esri ArcRaster Grid (BB_bathy5m)
    Date: 08-Dec-2015 (process 7 of 10)
    Edits to the metadata were made to fix any errors that MP v 2.9.32 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 distribution format name was modified in an attempt to be more consistent with other metadata files of the same data format. 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 Rd
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 20-Jul-2018 (process 8 of 10)
    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 9 of 10)
    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: 08-Sep-2020 (process 10 of 10)
    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?
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2004, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Data Acquisition and Processing Report to Accompany 2004 Hydrographic Surveys, NOAA Ship RUDE (s590): Data Acquisition and Process Report (DAPR) NOAA Ship RUDE (2004), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, CO.

    Online Links:

    NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), 2004, H11319_BuzzBay [Descriptive Report, Basic Hydrographic Survey H11319, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts: Descriptive Report (DR) H11319, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, CO.

    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?
    Hydrographic survey H11319: Horizontal sounding positional control for the NOAA H11319 survey was determined using the Global Positioning System (GPS) corrected by U.S. Coast Guard Differential GPS (DGPS) beacon stations. The primary DGPS beacon used for survey H11319 was at Acushnet, MA and the secondary beacon was at Portsmouth, NH. No horizontal control stations were established for the NOAA survey. Additional information may be found in the NOAA Descriptive Report for survey H11319 and the Data Acquisition and Processing Report. Field activities 2009-002-FA and 2010-004-FA: Navigation was acquired with a Coda Octopus F180 Differential Global Positioning System + Wide Area Augmentation System (DGPS+WAAS), which is accurate to + or - 1 to 2 meters, horizontally. All DGPS data are referenced to WGS84. The SWATHPlus transducers were mounted on a rigid pole, approximately 2.46 m below the water line, along the starboard side of the M/V Megan T. Miller. The DGPS antenna was located on the same pole approximately 4.3m above the sea surface. These offsets were corrected within the SWATHPlus acquisition software. Field activity 2011-004-FA: Navigation was acquired with a Coda Octopus F180 Differential Global Positioning System + Wide Area Augmentation System (DGPS+WAAS), which is accurate to + or - 1 to 2 meters, horizontally. All DGPS data are referenced to WGS84. The SWATHPlus transducers were mounted on a rigid pole, approximately 2.17 m below the water line, along the port side of the M/V Scarlett Isabella. The DGPS antenna was located on the same pole approximately 4.6m above the sea surface. These offsets were corrected within the SWATHPlus acquisition software. The DGPS horizontal positional accuracy is estimated to be within 3-5 m; WAAS enabled DGPS accuracy is estimated to be within less than 3 m and the accuracy of RTK-GPS (which was not applied to the horizontal positions for these surveys) is estimated to be less than 1 m. However, the U.S. Coast Guard maintains a maritime DGPS service providing 10 meter accuracy for the coastal areas of the continental US; therefore, a very conservative, worse-case estimate of the horizontal positional accuracy of this survey data is approximately 10 meters (although these systems have been shown to be reliable to less than 2m). (sources: http://www.noaa.gov; http://www.nos.noaa.gov; http://www.ngs.noaa.gov; http://www.nstb.tc.faa.gov/; http://www.navcen.uscg.gov).
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    NOAA Hydrographic survey H11319: NOAA's National Ocean Service Hydrographic Surveys Specifications and Deliverables closely follow the International Hydrographic Organizations Standards for Hydrographic Surveys, Reference tests conducted in the summer 2004 showed that the NOAA Ship RUDE's sonar system exceeded the International Hydrographic Organization's "Special Order" specification. Position and attitude on the NOAA Ship Rude was measured using TSS POS/MV 320 and a Trimble DSM-212L DGPS receiver. A SeaBird SBE 19 SEACAT conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) profiler was used to measure sound-velocity data. The tidal datum for survey H11319 is Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). Tidal corrections were calculated using verified data from tidal station #8452660 at Newport, RI, and final corrected soundings (from a zoned tidal model) were referenced to MLLW (NOAA DAPR, 2004; NOAA DR, 2004). Refer to the NOAAShipRUDE2004 Data Acquisition and Processing Report (DAPR) and the Horizontal and Vertical Control Report in the Descriptive Report, for detailed equipment, vessel configuration and setting information. USGS field activities 2009-002-FA, 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA: Vertical accuracy of the raw data based on system specifications may approximate 1% of water depth, 0.1 to 0.4 meters within the survey area. However, overall vertical accuracies on the order of 50cm or better are assumed based on the following considerations: The Coda Octopus F180 Attitude and Positioning system, used to correct for vessel roll, pitch, heave, and yaw, has a theoretical vertical accuracy of a few mm. Tidal offsets were corrected to MLLW using Real-Time Kinematic GPS (RTK-GPS) heights in post-processing (see process steps). Corrections were sent via cellular modem and VHF radio to the ship from the base station on land. The primary reference station is located at the USGS Marine Operations Facility (MOF) in Falmouth, MA. USGS field tests (unpublished) using submerged targets suggest that the vertical accuracy of the RTK-GPS tidal correction is less than 30cm. Refraction artifacts were minimized by acquiring a range of sound velocity profiles with a hand-casted Applied MicroSystems SV Plus sound velocimeter during survey 2009-002-FA and an ODIM MVP30 moving vessel profiler during surveys 2010-004-FA and 2011-004-FA. Sound velocity data are entered into the SWATHPlus acquisition software to model the sound velocity structure of the water column. Gridding algorithms and cell sizes for these data could introduce errors as great as 3m along the edges of the data, but gridding-induced errors are likely much smaller (less than 20cm) for most of the survey area. Changes in ship draft due to water and fuel usage were not considered.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Nearly all quality main survey line bathymetric data (generally shore parallel for the USGS surveys) that were collected within the Buzzards Bay survey area were incorporated in this grid. Approximately 340 square-km of additional bathymetric data collected within Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts during these field activities were published in USGS Open-File Report 2012-1006 High-Resolution Geophysical Data from the Inner Continental Shelf: Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1006/). Soundings from the USGS surveys were processed and edited using Computer Aided Resource Information System (CARIS) Hydrographic Information Processing System (HIPS; ver. 6.1 and 7.1). Although the soundings were manually edited, small data spikes may exist at outer edges of some swaths. In addition, small gaps between adjacent survey lines may exist, especially in depth less than 14 meters. Tielines and transit lines were generally excluded from this grid if quality main survey line data were available. The tieline and transit line data were used to verify tide corrections during post-processing. NOAA's CARIS directory for survey H11319 was provided to the USGS. No additional swath processing or navigation editing was performed to the NOAA data in CARIS.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    This grid represents interpolated data; processed to account for gaps that occurred along-track and between adjacent lines.

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 are NOT to be used for navigation. Mariners should refer to the appropriate nautical chart. 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.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    Seth Ackerman
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    sackerman@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Downloadable Data
  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. 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: Zip (WinZip v. 14.0) file containing the ArcRaster grid of swath bathymetric data from the Buzzards Bay survey area. This also includes associated metadata. in format AIG (version ArcGIS 9.3) Esri Raster GRID format Size: 28
      Network links: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1002/GIS/raster/bathy/BB_bathy5m.zip
      Media you can order: DVD-ROM (Density 4.75 GB) (format UDF)
      Note: None
    • 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 as a ArcInfo 32-bit floating point binary grid in Esri format. The grid consists of two folders, one with the "grid name", and one "info" folder. The two folders for each grid are compressed into one file using WinZip (ver. 14.0) software. To utilize these data, the user must have software capable of uncompressing the zip file and importing and viewing an Esri ArcRaster grid. The two folders for each grid must be uncompressed to the same folder. Extracting grids from different publications into the same folder is not recommended and will likely render some of your grids unusable. The zip file also contains associated metadata.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 08-Sep-2020
Metadata author:
Seth Ackerman
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA
USA

508-548-8700 x2315 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
sackerman@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/open_file_report/ofr2012-1002/bb_bathy5m.grd.faq.html>
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