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Summary
Item Identification
Keywords
Physical Location
Data Set Info
Support Roles
Extents
Spatial Info
Access Info
Distribution Info
URLs
Tech Environment
Data Quality
Data Management
Lineage
Related Items
Catalog Details

Summary

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Short Citation
Office for Coastal Management, 2024: 2019 NOAA Topobathy Lidar: Morro Bay, CA, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/57916.
Full Citation Examples

Abstract

These data represent integrated lidar and sonar topobathymetric point cloud data. Quantum Spatial, Inc. (QSI) collected the topobathymetric lidar using a Riegl VQ880GII system on May 22, 2019. Merkel and Associates collected sonar data to provide bathymetric surface modeling in areas lacking lidar coverage. The sonar was collected between June 17th-19th, 2019 using a SEA SWATHplus-H sonar system. QSI performed the lidar/sonar integration. The dataset includes topobathy data in a LAS 1.4 format file with the following classification:1-Unclassified, 1-O (Overlap bit) - Edge clip (geometrically unreliable points at the edge of flightline swaths), 2-Ground, 7-Noise, 9-NIR water surface, 20-Ignored ground and sonar (excluded for seamless model creation), 40-Bathymetric point, 41-Green laser water surface,and 45- Green laser water column in accordance with project specifications. Sonar data has been assigned a Point Source ID of 9 and a User Byte of 2. All other data is lidar-derived. The NOAA Morro Bay area of covers approximately 4,215 acres over Morro Bay, including the Morro Bay Estuary and roughly 3.6 miles of coastline. LAS files were compiled by 500 m x 500 m tiles.

Distribution Information

  • Create custom data files by choosing data area, product type, map projection, file format, datum, etc. A new metadata will be produced to reflect your request using this record as a base.

  • LAS/LAZ - LASer

    Bulk download of data files in LAZ format, geographic coordinates, orthometric heights. Note that the vertical datum (hence elevations) of the files here are different than described in this document.

Access Constraints:

None

Use Constraints:

Users should be aware that temporal changes may have occurred since this data set was collected and some parts of this data may no longer represent actual surface conditions. Users should not use this data for critical applications without a full awareness of its limitations.

Controlled Theme Keywords

COASTAL BATHYMETRY, COASTAL ELEVATION, TERRAIN ELEVATION

Child Items

No Child Items for this record.

Contact Information

Point of Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202

Metadata Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202

Extents

Geographic Area 1

-120.875211° W, -120.821145° E, 35.373531° N, 35.304796° S

Time Frame 1
2019-05-22 - 2019-06-19

Item Identification

Title: 2019 NOAA Topobathy Lidar: Morro Bay, CA
Short Name: 2019_NOAA_MorroBay_LIdar
Status: Completed
Creation Date: 2019-10-01
Abstract:

These data represent integrated lidar and sonar topobathymetric point cloud data. Quantum Spatial, Inc. (QSI) collected the topobathymetric lidar using a Riegl VQ880GII system on May 22, 2019. Merkel and Associates collected sonar data to provide bathymetric surface modeling in areas lacking lidar coverage. The sonar was collected between June 17th-19th, 2019 using a SEA SWATHplus-H sonar system. QSI performed the lidar/sonar integration. The dataset includes topobathy data in a LAS 1.4 format file with the following classification:1-Unclassified, 1-O (Overlap bit) - Edge clip (geometrically unreliable points at the edge of flightline swaths), 2-Ground, 7-Noise, 9-NIR water surface, 20-Ignored ground and sonar (excluded for seamless model creation), 40-Bathymetric point, 41-Green laser water surface,and 45- Green laser water column in accordance with project specifications. Sonar data has been assigned a Point Source ID of 9 and a User Byte of 2. All other data is lidar-derived. The NOAA Morro Bay area of covers approximately 4,215 acres over Morro Bay, including the Morro Bay Estuary and roughly 3.6 miles of coastline. LAS files were compiled by 500 m x 500 m tiles.

Purpose:

Data was collected to aid NOAA in assessing the channel morphology and topobathymetric surface of the study area to support the Morro Bay National Estuary Program in habitat restoration and management.

Supplemental Information:

The data includes all lidar and sonar returns. An automated grounding classification algorithm was used to determine bare earth and submerged topography point classification. The automated grounding was followed with manual editing. The full workflow used for this project is documented in the NOAA Morro Bay final report.

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > TOPOGRAPHY > TERRAIN ELEVATION
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > BATHYMETRY/SEAFLOOR TOPOGRAPHY > BATHYMETRY > COASTAL BATHYMETRY
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > COASTAL ELEVATION
UNCONTROLLED
None beach
None erosion
None Sonar

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
VERTICAL LOCATION > LAND SURFACE
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
VERTICAL LOCATION > SEA FLOOR

Instrument Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
LIDAR > Light Detection and Ranging

Platform Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
Airplane > Airplane

Physical Location

Organization: Office for Coastal Management
City: Charleston
State/Province: SC

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
Data Set Type: Elevation
Maintenance Frequency: None Planned
Data Presentation Form: Model (digital)
Distribution Liability:

Any conclusions drawn from the analysis of this information are not the responsibility of NOAA, the Office for Coastal Management or its partners

Data Set Credit: We request that you credit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) when you use these data in a report, publication, or presentation., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Coastal Management

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 882101
Date Effective From: 2019
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Distributor

CC ID: 882102
Date Effective From: 2019
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 882103
Date Effective From: 2019
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Point of Contact

CC ID: 882104
Date Effective From: 2019
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Extents

Currentness Reference: Ground Condition

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 1142952
W° Bound: -120.875211
E° Bound: -120.821145
N° Bound: 35.373531
S° Bound: 35.304796

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 1142951
Time Frame Type: Range
Start: 2019-05-22
End: 2019-06-19

Spatial Information

Spatial Representation

Representations Used

Grid: No
Vector: Yes
Text / Table: No
TIN: No
Stereo Model: No
Video: No

Vector Representation 1

CC ID: 882212
Point Object Present?: Yes
Point Object Count: 491217866

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Procedure:

Data is available online for custom downloads

Data Access Constraints:

None

Data Use Constraints:

Users should be aware that temporal changes may have occurred since this data set was collected and some parts of this data may no longer represent actual surface conditions. Users should not use this data for critical applications without a full awareness of its limitations.

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 882108
Start Date: 2019-10-09
End Date: Present
Download URL: https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/#/lidar/search/where:ID=8892
Distributor: NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) (2019 - Present)
File Name: Customized Download
Description:

Create custom data files by choosing data area, product type, map projection, file format, datum, etc. A new metadata will be produced to reflect your request using this record as a base.

File Type (Deprecated): Zip
Compression: Zip

Distribution 2

CC ID: 882109
Start Date: 2019-10-09
End Date: Present
Download URL: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid12b/8892/index.html
Distributor: NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) (2019 - Present)
File Name: Bulk Download
Description:

Bulk download of data files in LAZ format, geographic coordinates, orthometric heights. Note that the vertical datum (hence elevations) of the files here are different than described in this document.

File Type (Deprecated): LAZ
Distribution Format: LAS/LAZ - LASer
Compression: Zip

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 882098
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/
Name: NOAA's Office for Coastal Management (OCM) Data Access Viewer (DAV)
URL Type:
Online Resource
File Resource Format: HTML
Description:

The Data Access Viewer (DAV) allows a user to search for and download elevation, imagery, and land cover data for the coastal U.S. and its territories. The data, hosted by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, can be customized and requested for free download through a checkout interface. An email provides a link to the customized data, while the original data set is available through a link within the viewer.

URL 2

CC ID: 882099
URL: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid12b/8892/supplemental/Morro_Bay_Footprint_m8892.kmz
Name: Browse graphic
URL Type:
Browse Graphic
File Resource Format: KML
Description:

This graphic displays the footprint for this lidar data set.

URL 3

CC ID: 885479
URL: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid12b/8892/supplemental/NOAA_Morro_Bay_Topobathymetric_LiDAR_Sonar_Integration_Report_V2.pdf
Name: Project Report
URL Type:
Online Resource
File Resource Format: PDF
Description:

Link to PDF of data set report.

Technical Environment

Description:

OS Independent

Data Quality

Horizontal Positional Accuracy:

Not Tested

Vertical Positional Accuracy:

Absolute accuracy was assessed using the Non-Vegetated Vertical Accuracy (NVA) checks. Survey checkpoints were evenly distributed throughout the project area as feasible. NVA compares known ground check point data that were withheld from the calibration and post-processing of the LiDAR point cloud to the triangulated surface generated by the unclassified LiDAR point cloud as well as the derived gridded bare earth DEM. NVA is a measure of the accuracy of LiDAR point data in open areas with level slope (less than 20 degrees) where the LiDAR system has a high probability of measuring the ground surface and is evaluated at the 95% confidence interval (1.96*RMSE).

In the Morro Bay area 20 survey checkpoints were used to assess the non-vegetated vertical accuracy. Project specifications require NVA meet 0.196 m accuracy at the 95% confidence interval. Specifications for this project also require that bathymetric accuracy meet the standard laid out in the National Coastal Mapping Strategy (NCMS) V1.0 for QL2b Bathy Lidar which was estimated to be 30cm at a 95% confidence level. In the Morro Bay area 81 survey checkpoints were used to assess the submerged topography accuracy. Submerged topography checkpoints usually occur in depths up to 1m. Qualitative value:0.035 0.052 0.101, Test that produced the value: Using NSSDA and FEMA methodology, the point cloud non-vegetated vertical accuracy (NVA) at the 95% confidence level (called Accuracyz) was computed by the formula RMSEz x 1.9600.

Morro Bay dataset tested 0.035 m vertical accuracy at 95% confidence level against the unclassified Lidar point cloud in open terrain using 20 ground check points, based on RMSEz (0.018 m) x 1.9600.

Using NSSDA and FEMA methodology, bathymetric vertical accuracy at the 95% confidence level for submerged topography was computed by the formula RMSEz x 1.9600. Morro Bay dataset tested 0.101 m vertical accuracy at 95% confidence level against the classified points cloud using 81 submerged check points, based on RMSEz (0.052 m) x 1.9600.

Completeness Report:

Morro Bay data covers 97 tiles (500 m x 500 m tiles).

Conceptual Consistency:

Not applicable

Data Management

Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: Yes
Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: Unknown
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: Yes
Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: NCEI-CO
How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?:

Data is backed up to tape and to cloud storage.

Lineage

Lineage Statement:

Topobathy lidar and side scan sonar data were collected within the study area. These data were processed to produce a seamless data set.

Sources

Processed Topobathy

CC ID: 1142943
Contact Role Type: Originator
Contact Type: Organization
Contact Name: Quantum Spatial (QSI)

Raw Lidar

CC ID: 1142944
Contact Role Type: Originator
Contact Type: Organization
Contact Name: Quantum Spatial (QSI)

Sonar Data

CC ID: 1142945
Contact Role Type: Originator
Contact Type: Organization
Contact Name: Merkel and Associates

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 1142946
Description:

Data for the NOAA Morro Bay project was acquired by Quantum Spatial (QSI) using a Riegl VQ-880GII Topobathy LiDAR system. Sonar data was collected by Merkel and Associates using a SEA SWATHplus-H sonar system.

QSI reviewed all acquired flight lines to ensure complete coverage and positional accuracy of the laser points. QSI creates an initial product call Quick Look Coverage Maps. These Quick Looks files are not fully processed data or final products. The collected LiDAR data is immediately processed in the field by QSI to a level that will allow QA\QC measures to determine if the sensor is functioning properly and assess the coverage of submerged topography. An initial SBET was created in POSPAC MMS 8.1 and used in RiProcess which applies pre-calibrated angular misalignment corrections of scanner position to extract the raw point cloud into geo-referenced LAS files. These files were inspected for sensor malfunctions and then passed through automated classification routines (TerraScan) to develop a rough topobathymetric ground model for an initial assessment of bathymetric coverage.

To correct the continuous onboard measurements of the aircraft position recorded throughout the missions, QSI concurrently conducted multiple static Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ground surveys (1 Hz recording frequency) over established monuments located in or around the project area. After the airborne survey, the static GPS data were triangulated with nearby Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) using the Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) for precise positioning. Multiple independent sessions over the same monument were processed to confirm antenna height measurements and to refine position accuracy. QSI then resolved kinematic corrections for aircraft position data using kinematic aircraft GPS and static ground GPS data. A final smoothed best estimate trajectory (SBET) was developed that blends post-processed aircraft position with attitude data. Sensor head position and attitude are calculated throughout the survey. The SBET data are used extensively for laser point processing. The software Trimble Business Center v.3.90, Blue Marble Geographic Calculator 2017, and PosPac MMS 8.1 SP3 are used for these processes.

Source: Raw Lidar

Process Step 2

CC ID: 1142947
Description:

Next, QSI used RiProcess 1.8.5 to calculate laser point positioning of the Riegl VQ-880GII data by associating SBET positions to each laser point return time, scan angle, intensity, etc. A raw laser point cloud is created in Riegl data format and erroneous points are filtered. Data was exported to LAS 1.4 format and are combined into 500 m x 500 m tiles. Data was then further calibrated using TerraScan, TerraModeler, and TerraMatch and a refraction correction was applied to all sub-water surface returns using QSI proprietary LAS Monkey software. QSI used custom algorithms in TerraScan to create the initial ground/submerged topography surface. Relative accuracy of the green swaths was compared to overlapping and adjacent swaths and verified through the use Delta-Z (DZ) orthos created using QSI's DZ Ortho creator. Absolute vertical accuracy of the calibrated data was assessed using ground RTK survey data and complete coverage was again verified.

Source: Processed Topobathy

Process Step 3

CC ID: 1142948
Description:

QSI then performed manual editing to review all classification and improve the final topobathymetric surface. A final bathymetric void shape was created after final editing and provided to Merkel and Associates to target for sonar data collection. The acquired sonar was then integrated into the LiDAR dataset to provide a seamless bathymetric model. As a general rule, in areas of overlap sonar data was prioritized in deeper areas of the channel while LiDAR data was prioritized in shallower areas of the channel including all areas not submerged during the LiDAR collection. As the lidar laser approaches the laser’s extinction point bathymetric surface profiles and point density degrade thus the prioritization of sonar data in these areas. Conversely side-scan sonar does better when water depths are greater than 1m as areas shallower than this are prone to increased noise making the lidar data more reliable in these areas.

Within the Morro Bay site there was one notable area of significant temporal change. The sand spit at the mouth of the bay displayed a difference as great as 5 meters from the lidar survey. Despite this area being collected at true ground during the lidar survey, the sonar data was used in this area being the most temporally recent data and collected at high tide with high confidence in the surface.

All data from either sensor that was not used in model creation is still preserved in the point cloud as Ignored Ground/Bathymetry (class 20). Please see Appendix B of the NOAA Morro Bay Report for more information regarding the sonar acquisition and processing.

QSI's LasMonkey was used to update LAS header information, including all projection and coordinate reference system information. The final LiDAR data are in LAS format 1.4 and point data record format 6.

Source: Processed Topobathy

Process Step 4

CC ID: 1142949
Description:

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) received 97 LAS files from Quantum Spatial. The files contained lidar elevation and intensity measurements. The data were in UTM Zone 10 coordinates and ellipsoid elevations in meters. OCM performed the following processing on the data for Digital Coast storage and provisioning purposes: 1. Converted from UTM Zone 10 to geographic coordinates 2. Sorted by gps time 3. Compressed the data using laszip

Process Contact: Office for Coastal Management (OCM)

Related Items

Item Type Relationship Type Title
Data Set (DS) Cross Reference 2019 NOAA Topobathy Lidar DEM (Interpolated): Morro Bay, CA

DEM (interpolated) created from this point cloud.

Data Set (DS) Cross Reference 2019 NOAA Topobathy Lidar DEM (Voids): Morro Bay, CA

Clipped DEM (with Voids) generated from this point cloud,.

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 57916
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:57916
Metadata Record Created By: Blake Waring
Metadata Record Created: 2019-10-09 09:24+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2023-10-17 16:12+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2022-03-16
Owner Org: OCM
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2022-03-16
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2023-03-16