Alaska shoreline change tool

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Frequently anticipated questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title: Alaska shoreline change tool
Abstract:
Coastlines are dynamic features that change shape and position on a range of timescales. As a result of this variability, many coastal communities in Alaska must carefully consider patterns of coastal erosion and/or accretion to appropriately plan for the future. Until now, a lack of available information and resources related to shoreline positional data has created challenges in assessing and planning for coastal hazards such as erosion. To address this identified data need, the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) has created the Alaska Shoreline Change Tool, an interactive map that displays historical and projected shoreline positions. This new tool will improve hazard assessments and aid in local management decisions. The Alaska Shoreline Change Tool contains the best available information for shoreline change analysis in Alaska. These data come from many sources and include contributions from shoreline mapping projects conducted by numerous investigators. This digital data distribution package provides digitized, historic shorelines that are proximal to the community of Kivalina
Supplemental_Information:
 Kivalina:    This digital data distribution package provides digitized, historic shorelines that are proximal to the community of  Kivalina. Within each package are polylines that provide shoreline position data. Each file represents a digitized shoreline from a specific point in time. Files are named and organized by year.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Staff, DGGS, 2015, Alaska shoreline change tool: Digital Data Series DDS 9, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -164.839292
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -164.445672
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 67.845274
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 67.702407

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning_Date: 1952
    Ending_Date: 2013
    Currentness_Reference: publication date

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a vector data set.

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 3
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -165
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0
      False_Easting: 500000.000000
      False_Northing: 0

      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest .00000001
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest .00000001
      Planar coordinates are specified in Meters

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    dds9-kivalina-shoreline
    This digital data distribution package provides digitized, historic shorelines that are proximal to the community of Kivalina. Within each package are polylines that provide shoreline position data. Each file represents a digitized shoreline from a specific point in time. Files are named and organized by year. (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS))

    UNCERTAINT
    Calculated uncertainty for each polyline, see associated reference for discussion of methodology. (Source: Kinsman, N.E.M., and Gould, A.I., 2014, Contemporary shoreline retreat rates at Meshik in Port Heiden, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Preliminary Interpretive Report 2014-4, 21 p. doi:10.14509/27321)

    meters

    DATE_
    Date of the shoreline (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS))

    Dates are given in MO/DA/YEAR

    Digitizer
    Name of the person who digitized the shoreline (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS))

    Names are given in first name initial and then full last name (ex: A. Gould, N. Kinsman).

    Agency
    The agency or organization responsible for creating the data. (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS))

    free text

    SIndicator
    Shoreline indicator used (Source: Gould, A.I., Kinsman, N.E.M., and Hendricks, M.D., 2015, Guide to projected shoreline positions in the Alaska shoreline change tool: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Miscellaneous Publication 158, 11 p. doi:10.14509/29503)

    See associated reference for a complete discussion of the various shoreline indicators and the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

    ReleaseDat
    When the vectors were added to the database (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS))

    Dates are given as MO/YEAR

    Source
    The agency or organization responsible for creating the originating data or image and a brief description of procedures used to prepare the data or image. (Source: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS))

    free text


Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

    The database and projected shoreline visualization tool are maintained by Staff at DGGS, and were initially developed by: Gould, A.I., Kinsman, N.E.M., and Hendricks, M.D. This publication was funded with qualified outer continental shelf oil and gas revenues by the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Special thanks to the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center for their insight and initial contributions to the Alaska shoreline change database.

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
    GIS Manager
    3354 College Road
    Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707
    USA

    (907)451-5020 (voice)
    dggsgis@alaska.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays


Why was the data set created?

The shoreline positions displayed by the Alaska Shoreline Change Tool web map are presented as a convenience and are intended to be a visualization of a first-order estimation of shoreline change throughout the state. This data set was created as a means to organize and provide public access to the digitized shoreline files.


How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    Boak, E.H. and Turner, I.L., 2005 (source 1 of 3)
    Boak, E.H., and Turner, I.L., 2005, Shoreline definition and detection - A review: Journal of Coastal Research v. 21, no. 4, Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Coconut Creek, FL.

    Type_of_Source_Media: paper
    Source_Contribution: historical shoreline compilation

    Dolan, Robert and others, 1991 (source 2 of 3)
    Dolan, Robert, Fenster, M.S, and Holme, S.J, 1991, Temporal analysis of shoreline recession and accretion:: Journal of Coastal Research v. 7, no. 3, Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Coconut Creek, FL.

    Type_of_Source_Media: paper
    Source_Contribution: historical shoreline compilation

    Thieler, E.E. and others, 2008 (source 3 of 3)
    Thieler, E.E., Himmelstoss, E.A., Zichichi, J.L., and Ergul, Ayhan, 2008, The digital shoreline analysis system (DSAS) version 4.0 - An ArcGIS extension for calculating shoreline change: Open-File Report OF 2008-1278, U.S. Geological Survey, United States.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: ArcGIS extension
    Source_Contribution: historical shoreline compilation

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 2014 (process 1 of 3)
    Historical shoreline compilation - This database was initiated by first collecting historical aerial photographs and satellite images. Non-orthorectified images were orthorectified by the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) staff. Shorelines were then digitized in ArcGIS and used with the Digital Shoreline Assessment System (DSAS) to calculate rates of shoreline change and their associated uncertainties.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • Boak, E.H. and Turner, I.L., 2005
    • Dolan, Robert and others, 1991
    • Thieler, E.E. and others, 2008

    Date: 2015 (process 2 of 3)
    Projected shoreline positions - In order to create projected shoreline positions, DGGS staff developed an ArcGIS tool to efficiently determine the location of a future shoreline position. This tool uses the long-term linear regression rate of shoreline change, calculated in DSAS, and projected along the same transect to determine a predicted shoreline position including the uncertainties. These points are connected between transects and smoothed.

    Date: 2015 (process 3 of 3)
    Database development - DGGS designed a repository to house these coastal data and developed and interactive map interface that allows users to explore the state to view both historic and projected shoreline positions. The database was designed to readily incorporate shoreline data from other organizations and create projected shorelines. All historic shoreline data is available for download.

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

    Gould, A.I., Kinsman, N.E.M., and Hendricks, M.D., 2015, Guide to projected shoreline positions in the Alaska shoreline change tool: Miscellaneous Publication MP 158, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 11 p
    Kinsman, N.E.M., and Gould, A.I., 2014, Contemporary shoreline retreat rates at Meshik in Port Heiden, Alaska: Preliminary Interpretive Report PIR 2014-4, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 21 p


How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    DGGS staff have performed visual qualitative assessment of each shoreline file to ensure consistency between the digitized lines and originating images.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Horizontal shoreline vector location uncertainties are shown in the UNCERTAINT field with each shoreline shapefile. These accuracies are dependent on a number of variables. The details of their calculation are explained in the associated publications: Gould, A.I., Kinsman, N.E.M., and Hendricks, M.D., 2015, Guide to projected shoreline positions in the Alaska shoreline change tool: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Miscellaneous Publication 158, 11 p. doi:10.14509/29503 and Kinsman, N.E.M., and Gould, A.I., 2014, Contemporary shoreline retreat rates at Meshik in Port Heiden, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Preliminary Interpretive Report 2014-4, 21 p. doi:10.14509/27321

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    Gaps in shoreline data occur where a shoreline indicator is not identifiable (example: poorly defined shoreline indicator, cloud cover in imagery, etc.) or does not exist (example: tidal inlet, revetment or other coastal structure).

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    not applicable


How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints:
This report, map, and/or dataset is available directly from the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (see contact information below).
Use_Constraints:
Any hard copies or published datasets utilizing these datasets shall clearly indicate their source. If the user has modified the data in any way, the user is obligated to describe the types of modifications the user has made. The user specifically agrees not to misrepresent these datasets, nor to imply that changes made by the user were approved by the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. The State of Alaska makes no express or implied warranties (including warranties for merchantability and fitness) with respect to the character, functions, or capabilities of the electronic data or products or their appropriateness for any user's purposes. In no event will the State of Alaska be liable for any incidental, indirect, special, consequential, or other damages suffered by the user or any other person or entity whether from the use of the electronic services or products or any failure thereof or otherwise. In no event will the State of Alaska's liability to the Requestor or anyone else exceed the fee paid for the electronic service or product.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
    3354 College Road
    Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707
    USA

    (907)451-5020 (voice)
    (907)451-5050 (FAX)
    dggspubs@alaska.gov

    Hours_of_Service: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, except State holidays
    Contact_Instructions:
    Please view our website (<http://www.dggs.alaska.gov>) for the latest information on available data. Please contact us using the e-mail address provided above when possible.
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    DDS 9

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    The State of Alaska makes no expressed or implied warranties (including warranties for merchantability and fitness) with respect to the character, functions, or capabilities of the electronic data or products or their appropriateness for any user's purposes. In no event will the State of Alaska be liable for any incidental, indirect, special, consequential, or other damages suffered by the user or any other person or entity whether from the use of the electronic services or products or any failure thereof or otherwise. In no event will the State of Alaska's liability to the Requestor or anyone else exceed the fee paid for the electronic service or product.

  4. How can I download or order the data?


Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 04-Sep-2015
Metadata author:
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Metadata Manager
3354 College Road
Fairbanks, AK 99709-3707
USA

(907)451-5020 (voice)

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:


Generated by mp version 2.9.21 on Fri Sep 4 13:49:46 2015