This disk or set of disks contain high-resolution multibeam and backscatter maps of a long thin corridor at the shelf edge near he 74-m isobath spanning from Madison-Swanson (29.1667N, 85.6667W) in the north to Steamboat (28.1667N, 84.6667W), in West-Florida shelf. It includes the following products: 1) ESRI .ASC files, 2) Text file containing X, Y, Z postprocessed bathymetry data, 3) Geotiff and JPEG images from of bathymetry, 4) GeoTiff and JPEG images of backscatter, and 5) Fledermaus files of the survey locations. All products are available contacting the distributor. Some data sets are also posted on NOAA's Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS) at www.coris.noaa.gov. Another product that will not be distributed, but will be used as input to habitat classification software (QTC MultiView), are raw data files logged to disk using the Simrad EM3000 multibeam system data acquisition software. These raw files contain packets of information (depth soundings, navigation, attitude, sound velocity profiles, UTC time) that the acquisition software logged sequentially in time. The raw data format is available from Kongsberg-Simrad. The multibeam system was provided by University of South Florida, College of Marine Science and the support vessel was the Florida Institute of Oceanography R/V Suncoaster.
The primary objective of this mapping expedition is to find the location of deep water reefs along the West Florida shelf, which represent important habitat for reef fish. The Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council recognize the importance of this geological setting when they established the Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in 1999. Precisely georeferenced high-resolution mapping of bathymetry is a fundamental first step to study the area of the continetal shelf and the shelf-edge suspected to be critical habitats.
The survey was supported by University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, in St. Petersburg, FL, (www.marine.usf.edu) using a Simrad EM 3000 multi-beam system. The survey was funded by NOAA Fisheries (www.sefsc.noaa.gov). Note on Bounding Box: Survey area was irregular in shape, the entire area within the corners was not mapped
ground condition
Not for legal use
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Data are believed to be logically consistent, though no tests were performed.
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0.5 - 2 meters
The bathymetry data were collected along a continuous swath perpendicular to the direction of the ship using a Kongsberg Simrad EM3000 (300 kHz) multibeam sonar system. The data are cleaned of bad navigation and depth soundings. The depth soundings are gridded into a common grid. The gridded data are converted to an XYZ ASCII format file (Longitude, Latitude, Depth in Meters).
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Sample of bathymetry XYZ ASCII file 28.227580 -84.778754 82.343000 28.227035 -84.745502 78.987000 28.227631 -84.779109 82.466000 28.227626 -84.778804 82.080000 28.227625 -84.778753 82.123000
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These data are not intended for navigational purposes. NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data,expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA does not assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system. Although these data have been used by NOAA, these data and information are provided with the understanding that they are not guaranteed to be useable, timely, accurate, or complete. Users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of these data and information before using them for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Conclusions drawn from, or actions undertaken on the basis of such data and information are the sole responsibility of the user. Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, 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 data, software, information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. Trade, firm, or product names and other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty, express or implied, by NOAA, the US Department of Commerce, or the U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy.
Contact Marta Ribera at marta.ribera@noaa.gov or 850-234-6541
