Data Management Plan

This dataset contains a unified backscatter GeoTiff with 1x1 meter cell size representing the 2014 Long Island Sound Benthic Habitat Priority Area of Interest off of Port Jefferson, NY. This backscatter dataset is a mosaic of surveys from the NOAA Ship S-222 Thomas Jefferson and its two inshore launch vessels, the NOAA Ship S-590 Rude, as well as surveys conducted by the University of Rhode Island and Stony Brook University in coordination with the NOAA Biogeography Branch and the Integrated OCean and Coastal Mapping Branch between 2001 and 2013. Backscatter data was collected using multibeam sonars and side scan sonars and mosaiced into a raster using ArcGIS 10.1 and Envi 5.0 software at the Biogeography Branch by a NOAA contractor.

Process Steps:

• 2012-05-01 00:00:00 - Data was collected aboard the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson between May 19th and July 30th, 2012. Multibeam data were acquired in .hsx format with three hull-mounted Reson 7125 MBES attached to the Thomas Jefferson and its two inshore hydro launch vessels, 3101 and 3102. Backscatter snippet collection was enabled and logged in .7k files. Line spacing for acquisition was three times the water depth, and data was retained out to 60 degrees from nadir. Heave, roll, pitch and heading correctors were collected using an Applanix POS/MV Model 320 V4 inertial measurement unit (IMU) and associated Trimble GPS antennas. Sound velocity profiles were acquired with a Seabird Electronics SeaCat SBE19P CTD profiler and processed using NOAA's Velocwin V8.85 software, then applied directly to the raw data. Positioning was obtained using Trimble Zephyr GPS receivers. Data was reduced to Mean Lower-Low Water (MLLW) using final approved tides from NOAA COOPS, based on National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON). | Source Produced: Raw Multibeam Data (Citation: Raw Multibeam Data)
• 2012-07-01 00:00:00 - Raw .hsx and .7k data were converted to .gsf and processed using Hypack MBmax software, resulting in a .gsf format dataset. SWMB data was cleaned of fliers, filtered and was reviewed by the Bigeography branch. | Source Produced: Raw Multibeam Data (Citation: Raw Multibeam Data)
• 2012-07-01 00:00:00 - The multibeam backscatter .gsf data were corrected for geometric and radiometric distortions using FMGT. In particular, the following corrections were applied where appropriate and when artifacts were evident: AVG Trend, TX Power and RX Gain, Area Correction, Spreading, Slant-Range and Extracted Beam Pattern. As no theoretical beam pattern for the Reson 7125 system exists, it was extracted for each vessel from a mapped area that was flat and had a relatively uniform (sandy) substrate. Individual lines were also truncated based on ping number and/or angle of incidence where appropriate. The final mosaics were exported as geotiffs in NAD 1983 zone 18N on a relative 0-255 linear color scale. The intensity results varied between each vessel as there were no ground validation samples that could be applied to acurately assess and calibrate the beam patterns. | Source Produced: Raw Multibeam Data (Citation: Raw Multibeam Data)
• 2012-07-01 00:00:00 - Side scan sonar surveys were conducted by the NOAA Ship Rude in 2001 and 2003 by the Atlantic Hydrographic Branch to map the shipping entrance into Bridgeport Harbor and detect hazards to navigation. This data was retrieved by the Biogeography Branch in summer of 2012 for the purpose of habitat classification, and was reprocessed using CARIS SIPS 7.1. The side scan data was then assessed for quality, and normalized to blend together with the Thomas Jefferson 2012 backscatter mosaic using ArcMap 10 and Envi 5.0 imagery enhancement software. | Source Produced: Raw Side Scan Sonar Data (Citation: Raw Side Scan Sonar Data)
• 2014-01-01 00:00:00 - Multibeam sonar surveys were conducted by the University of Rhode Island in coordination with the Biogeography Branch to collect more acoustic data within the Long Island Sound spatial prioritization area of interest. The URI provided the Biogeography Branch with three surveys from the Bridgeport Harbor. The surveys were then assessed for quality, normalized, and blended together with the Thomas Jefferson and Rude mosaic using ArcMap 10 and Envi 5.0 imagery enhancement software. | Source Produced: URI Bridgeport Side Scan Sonar Mosaics (Citation: URI Bridgeport Side Scan Sonar Mosaics)
• 2014-01-01 00:00:00 - Multibeam sonar surveys were conducted by the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in coordination with the State of New York and the Biogeography Branch to collect more acoustic data within the Long Island Sound spatial prioritization area of interest. Stony Brook also provided data to cover gaps from the NOAA Thomas Jefferson and Rude surveys, to make a complete backscatter mosaic. The surveys were then assessed for quality, normalized, and blended together with the Thomas Jefferson and Rude mosaic using ArcMap 10 and Envi 5.0 imagery enhancement software. | Source Produced: Raw Multibeam Data (Citation: Raw Multibeam Data)