Gridded multibeam bathymetry of Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific
Data Set (DS) | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:47761 | Updated: August 15, 2023 | Published / External
Summary

Short Citation
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2025: Gridded multibeam bathymetry of Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47761.
Full Citation Examples
Gridded bathymetry at 40m resolution surrounding Howland Island, within the Pacific Remote Island Areas - Central Pacific Ocean. Bottom coverage was achieved in depths between 8 and 3800 meters. The Arc ASCII grids and floating point geotifs include multibeam bathymetry data acquired over multiple surveys by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (as of April 2015). The data were acquired using the Simrad EM300, EM3002D, and Reson 8101 multibeam sonars, with sonar frequencies of 30, 300, and 240 kHz respectively.
Distribution Information
-
Zip file containing 40-m bathymetry grid in Arc ASCII and Floating Pt. Geotif format for Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific.
none
These data are not to be used for navigation purposes.
Please cite NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data.
Suggested citation:
Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Gridded multibeam bathymetry of Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47761
Controlled Theme Keywords
elevation
Child Items
No Child Items for this record.
Contact Information
Point of Contact
Annette M DesRochers
annette.desrochers@noaa.gov
(808)725-5461
Metadata Contact
Annette M DesRochers
annette.desrochers@noaa.gov
(808)725-5461
Extents
-176.737566° W,
-176.56212° E,
0.867447° N,
0.741496° S
2015
Bathymetry collected in 2015 aboard the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai
2006
Bathymetry collected in 2006 aboard the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai and R/V AHI
Item Identification
Title: | Gridded multibeam bathymetry of Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific |
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Short Name: | Multibeam: PRIA, Howland 40m |
Status: | Completed |
Publication Date: | 2017-11-01 |
Abstract: |
Gridded bathymetry at 40m resolution surrounding Howland Island, within the Pacific Remote Island Areas - Central Pacific Ocean. Bottom coverage was achieved in depths between 8 and 3800 meters. The Arc ASCII grids and floating point geotifs include multibeam bathymetry data acquired over multiple surveys by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (as of April 2015). The data were acquired using the Simrad EM300, EM3002D, and Reson 8101 multibeam sonars, with sonar frequencies of 30, 300, and 240 kHz respectively. |
Purpose: |
These ASCII and floating point grids were created using data gathered from multibeam soundings for use as a planning and reference document. The data are also being used for benthic habitat mapping, for locating Essential Fish Habitat (as defined by NOAA Fisheries), and for studying geologic features of the area. Refer to supplemental information for description of instrument and survey. |
Supplemental Information: |
Multibeam data were collected aboard the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai, a 218' NOAA research ship. The NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai's survey sensors include a 30 kHz Simrad EM300 sonar and a 300 kHz Simrad EM3002d sonar, which provide bathymetry and imagery data, a TSS/Applanix POS/MV Model 320, which measures position, velocity, attitude and heading, and a Seabird SBE 9/11 plus CTD used to measure sound velocity profiles. Multibeam data were also collected aboard the R/V AHI (Acoustic Habitat Investigator), a 25' survey launch owned and operated by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu, HI. The R/V AHI's survey sensors include a 240 kHz RESON 8101-ER sonar providing bathymetry and imagery data, a TSS/Applanix POS/MV Model 320 which measures position, velocity, attitude and heading, and a Seabird SBE 19 CTD used to measure sound velocity profiles. Specific equipment configurations are documented in metadata from cruises HI-06-01, AHI-06-01, and HA-15-01. These metadata can be accessed at: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/cms/cruise-catalog/. |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
---|---|
ISO 19115 Topic Category |
elevation
|
UNCONTROLLED | |
CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus | Geographic Information > Bathymetry |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Mapping |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Bathymetry |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Water Depth |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs |
CRCP Project | 1084 |
CRCP Project | Benthic Habitat Mapping and Characterization - American Samoa and PRIA |
NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS | BATHYMETRY |
NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS | water depth |
NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS | GIS product |
NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS | HI'IALAKAI |
NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS | Coral Reef Conservation Program |
NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS | US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program |
None | Coral Reef Ecosystem Division |
None | Coral Reef Ecosystem Program |
None | CRED |
None | CREP |
None | Ecosystem Sciences Division |
None | ESD |
None | Multibeam |
None | Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center |
None | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
None | PIBHMC |
None | PIFSC |
None | seafloor elevation |
Spatial Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
---|---|
UNCONTROLLED | |
CoRIS Place Thesaurus | COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Howland Island (00S176W0001) |
CoRIS Place Thesaurus | OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Howland Island > Howland Island (00S176W0001) |
CoRIS Region | PRIA |
NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS | Equatorial Pacific Ocean |
NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS | Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument |
None | Pacific Remote Island Areas |
None | PRIA |
None | PRIMNM |
Stratum Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
---|---|
UNCONTROLLED | |
Global Change Master Directory | SEA FLOOR |
Physical Location
Organization: | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
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City: | Honolulu |
State/Province: | HI |
Country: | USA |
Data Set Information
Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
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Data Set Type: | GIS dataset of raster files |
Maintenance Frequency: | As Needed |
Data Presentation Form: | Map (digital) |
Entity Attribute Overview: |
Depth values are real values based on the average of the soundings that fell within the extracted grid cells. The number of soundings per grid cell range from >1000 soundings in shallow depths to as few as 20 soundings in deeper areas. A total error budget for these data have not been developed. Therefore, the accuracy of depth measurements should be considered to be within 1 meter. |
Entity Attribute Detail Citation: |
none |
Distribution Liability: |
TWhile every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. |
Data Set Credit: | PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division |
Support Roles
Data Set Credit
Date Effective From: | 2006 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Organization): | NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) |
Address: |
1305 East West Highway 10th Floor Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281 |
Phone: | (301) 713-3155 |
URL: | https://coralreef.noaa.gov |
Data Steward
Date Effective From: | 2006 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | Lichowski, Frances |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | frances.lichowski@noaa.gov |
Phone: | (808)725-5476 |
Distributor
Date Effective From: | 2008 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | Akridge, Michael W |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | michael.akridge@noaa.gov |
Phone: | (808)725-5483 |
Metadata Contact
Date Effective From: | 2010 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | DesRochers, Annette M |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | annette.desrochers@noaa.gov |
Phone: | (808)725-5461 |
Business Hours: | 8 am - 5 pm |
Originator
Date Effective From: | 2006 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Organization): | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | pifsc.info@noaa.gov |
Phone: | 808-725-5360 |
URL: | https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov |
Business Hours: | 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Point of Contact
Date Effective From: | 2016 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | DesRochers, Annette M |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | annette.desrochers@noaa.gov |
Phone: | (808)725-5461 |
Business Hours: | 8 am - 5 pm |
Extents
Currentness Reference: | Ground Condition |
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Extent Group 1
Extent Description: |
Extent of area mapped around the island of Howland between ~8 and ~3800 m. |
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Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
W° Bound: | -176.737566 | |
---|---|---|
E° Bound: | -176.56212 | |
N° Bound: | 0.867447 | |
S° Bound: | 0.741496 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
Time Frame Type: | Discrete |
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Start: | 2015 |
Description: |
Bathymetry collected in 2015 aboard the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 2
Time Frame Type: | Discrete |
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Start: | 2006 |
Description: |
Bathymetry collected in 2006 aboard the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai and R/V AHI |
Access Information
Security Class: | Unclassified |
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Security Classification System: |
Not applicable |
Security Handling Description: |
Not applicable |
Data Access Policy: |
NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) Data Sharing Recommendations, version 9.0 updated August 12, 2015: CREP welcomes the opportunity to collaborate on research issues contributing to the scientific basis for better management of marine ecosystems. CREP has a very diverse set of field activities that generates large volumes of data using an array of data collection protocols. The following recommendations are for your consideration as you use this data: 1) Data analyses should take all field exigencies into account. The most effective way to do this would be active collaboration with CREP principal investigators. 2) In all presentations, product releases, or publications using data generated by CREP, proper acknowledgement of both CREP and the individuals responsible for data collection is expected. Citing the DOI (if available) is preferred, a non-DOI example is listed below. 3) If you collect or generate data for the same study areas, CREP requests that you share relevant information on complimentary data collections. 4) Those receiving data are strongly urged to inform the CREP Data Management Team of any errors and discrepancies that are discovered during the course of using these data. They are further urged to bring to the attention of the Team all problems and difficulties encountered in using these data. This information is necessary in order to improve the collections and to facilitate more efficient and economical data processing and retrieval. The users are asked to supply copies of any missing data that may be located, and to provide information as to significant subsets and special aggregations of data that are developed in using the material provided. Example citation: "This publication makes use of data products provided by the Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and the Pacific Islands Deep Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative. The analysis and interpretations presented here are solely that of the current authors.” |
Data Access Procedure: |
Data can be accessed online via the Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center website at http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/cms/data-by-location/pacific-remote-island-area/howland-island/howland-island-bathymetry/. |
Data Access Constraints: |
none |
Data Use Constraints: |
These data are not to be used for navigation purposes. Please cite NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Suggested citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Gridded multibeam bathymetry of Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47761 |
Metadata Access Constraints: |
None |
Metadata Use Constraints: |
None |
Distribution Information
Distribution 1
Download URL: | ftp://ftp.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/website/data/pria/bathymetry/Howland_40m.asc.zip |
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Distributor: | Michael W Akridge (2008 - Present) |
File Name: | Howland_40m.asc.zip |
Description: |
Zip file containing 40-m bathymetry grid in Arc ASCII and Floating Pt. Geotif format for Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific. |
File Type (Deprecated): | Zip |
Compression: | Zip |
URLs
URL 1
URL: | https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc |
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Name: | Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center website |
URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
URL 2
URL: | https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/PRIAs_images/Howland_40m_445.jpg |
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Name: | Multibeam Bathymetry for Howland |
URL Type: |
Browse Graphic
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File Resource Format: | JPEG |
URL 3
URL: | https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/surveying-vast-pacific-ocean |
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Name: | NOAA Fisheries in the Pacific |
URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
Description: |
Surveying the Vast Pacific Ocean - Ecosystem Sciences in the Pacific |
Technical Environment
Description: |
ArcGIS ASCII and Floating Pt. geotif files both created using a number of processes in QPS Fledermaus and Quimera, as well as ESRI ArcGIS; Windows operating system. |
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Data Quality
Accuracy: |
Relevant offset, sound velocity, and tidal corrections are applied to the data as part of the processing procedures. |
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Completeness Report: |
Data collected in 2015 were only used to gap fill the existing 40m bathymetry grid from data previously collected in 2006. |
Conceptual Consistency: |
These data are believed to be logically consistent though no tests were performed |
Quality Control Procedures Employed: |
New data collected in 2015 were evaluated against pre-existing data before the data were deemed usable and appended to the pre-existing grids. |
Data Management
Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: | Yes |
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Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: | Unknown |
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: | Yes |
Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: | No |
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Dissemination: | Unknown |
Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: | No Archiving Intended |
If To Be Determined, Unable to Archive, or No Archiving Intended, Explain: |
Source data are archived and available through NOAA. Gridded multibeam bathymetry data products are accessible via the Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center website. |
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Archiving: | Unknown |
How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?: |
University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, NOAA IRC and NOAA Fisheries ITS resources and assets. |
Lineage
Lineage Statement: |
Process to produce bathymetry grid from source multibeam bathymetry data. |
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Sources
Cruise Metadata: AHI-06-01
Citation URL: | ftp://ftp.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/website/cruisecatalog/cred_ahi0601_mb_metadata.txt |
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Cruise Metadata: HA-15-01
Contact Role Type: | Originator |
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Contact Type: | Organization |
Contact Name: | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
Extent Type: | Discrete |
Extent Start Date/Time: | 2015 |
Citation URL: | https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47822 |
Citation URL Name: | NOAA Fisheries InPort |
Citation URL Description: |
Enterprise Data Management Tool |
Source Contribution: |
Source bathymetry data collected in 2015 |
Cruise Metadata: HI-06-01
Citation URL: | ftp://ftp.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/website/cruisecatalog/cred_hi0601_mb_metadata.txt |
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Process Steps
Process Step 1
Description: |
As multibeam bathymetry data contributing to grid were acquired over multiple surveys/years, there have been different methods employed to process the data. Generally speaking, data acquired prior to 2015 were treated according to protocol #1, whereas data acquired after 2015 were processed using protocol #2. Protocol 1: Multibeam swath files are acquired in the Generic Sensor Format (GSF) and are edited on a swath by swath basis using SAIC's SABER editing software. The edited swath files are then combined into a Pure File Magic (PFM) format in SABER and area based editing is performed. The edited PFM is then exported as X,Y,Z. The resulting X,Y,Z data are then gridded using xyz2grd, a Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) algorithm that converts an ASCII or binary table to a netCDF grid file format. GMT is an open source collection of tools for manipulating geographic data sets. Grid nodes with more than one value are set to the average value and unconstrained nodes are set to NaN. Finally, the netCDF grid is clipped at a depth that minimizes data gaps for the specified grid cell size and then converted to an ArcGIS ASCII file format using LINUX/UNIX commands in combination with GMT. Protocol 2: Multibeam bathymetry data were acquired in Kongsberg *.all format, and imported into SABER editing software as converted *gsf. Within SABER, relevant offset, sound velocity, and tidal corrections are made prior to exporting *gsf files to QPS Quimera for swath editing. Within Quimera *gsf files are combined to form 60m resolution 'Dynamic Surface'. A medium-tension spline filter is applied to the data, and the Dynamic Surface is progressively corrected as final 2D and 3D direct swath edits are made. The final cleaned surface is exported as a floating point geotif, where in ArcGIS it is merged with the pre-existing 60m resolution grid using the 'Mosaic to new Raster' function. This final combined grid is exported as both ArcGIS ASCII grid and a floating point raster grid. Further information about the multibeam data processing is recorded in the cruise metadata. |
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Process Date/Time: | 2017-09-10 00:00:00 |
Related Items
Item Type | Relationship Type | Title |
---|---|---|
Data Set (DS) | Cross Reference |
EM300 Multibeam Sonar Data collected from January 26 to April 22 from NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai cruise HA-15-01 to the Pacific Remote Island Areas and American Samoa in 2015 |
Catalog Details
Catalog Item ID: | 47761 |
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GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:47761 |
Metadata Record Created By: | Dayton W Dove |
Metadata Record Created: | 2017-11-02 23:31+0000 |
Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2023-08-15 17:09+0000 |
Metadata Record Published: | 2017-11-14 |
Owner Org: | PIFSC |
Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
Do Not Publish?: | N |
Metadata Last Review Date: | 2017-11-14 |
Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
Metadata Next Review Date: | 2018-11-14 |