CARIB_WVS_GEO_WGS84.SHP - World Vector Shoreline of the Caribbean Sea region

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
CARIB_WVS_GEO_WGS84.SHP - World Vector Shoreline of the Caribbean Sea region
Abstract:
The World Vector Shoreline (WVS) dataset was developed by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency - DMA) as a digital data file, at a nominal scale of 1:250,000 and referenced to the World Geodetic System (WGS-84) datum. The WVS is divided into ten ocean basin area files. This data layer is a subset of the North America region and provides a shapefile of the islands of the Caribbean Sea region.
Supplemental_Information:
This version of the data set does not include all the features (such as lakes, rivers, breakwaters, glaciers, international boundaries, country names, etc.) that DMA has in their original data set (WDBII).

Shoreline based on Mean High Water (MHW).

  1. How should this data set be cited?

    U.S. Defense Mapping Agency, 2005, CARIB_WVS_GEO_WGS84.SHP - World Vector Shoreline of the Caribbean Sea region: Open-File Report 2005-1071, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Twichell, D.C., Cross, V.A., Paskevich, V.F., Hutchinson, D.R., Winters, W.J., and Hart, P.E., 2005, GIS of selected geophysical and core data in the northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope collected by the U.S. Geological Survey: Open-File Report 2005-1071, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 DVD-ROM

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.732369
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -59.420692
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 27.274625
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 10.041227

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1071/data/background/carib_bnds/carib_wvs_geo_wgs84-thumb.gif> (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing the extent and coverage of the data layer.
    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1071/data/background/carib_bnds/carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.gif> (GIF)
    Overview showing the extent and coverage of the data layer.

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

    Calendar_Date: 2005
    Currentness_Reference: publication date

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

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector 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. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • G-polygon (5736)

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

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000000. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000000. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257224.

      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Depth_System_Definition:
      Depth_Datum_Name: Mean high water

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    carib_wvs_geo_wgs84
    Shapefile Attribute Table (Source: ESRI)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    COUNTRY
    Country Name (Source: USGS)

    text - country name

    SOVEREIGN
    Governing Country (Source: USGS)

    text - name of governing country

    ISLAND
    Island name (Source: USGS)

    text - island name

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?

    Please recognize the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, formerly the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), as the originator of the source data.

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

    U.S. Geological Survey
    c/o Valerie Paskevich
    Information Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This ArcView shapefile may be used as a general basemap data layer to illustrate the islands of the Caribbean Sea region and may be utilized in any Geographic Information System (GIS).

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    wvs_wnatl (source 1 of 1)
    Review, International Hydrographic , 1990, World Vector Shoreline for North America.

    Type_of_Source_Media: disc
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 250000
    Source_Contribution:
    The main source material for the WVS was DMA's Digital Landmass Blanking (DLMB) database which was derived primarily from the Joint Operations Graphics and coastal nautical charts produced by DMA. The DLMB data consisted of a land/water flag file on a 3 by 3 arc-second interval geographic grid. This raster database was converted into vector form to create WVS and explains the 3 arc-second stepping interval apparent in the coastline when plotted out at high scale. For areas of the world not covered by the DLMB database, the shoreline was taken from the best available hard copy sources at a preferred scale of 1:250,000 (or up to 1:125,000 where the source data allowed).

    The DMA WVS datasets were compiled into separate 'coast' format data files for use with the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program cartographic plotting program MAPGEN during the 1980's. These 'coast' format files were the source to retrieve the WVS datasets and is the result of what is presented here.

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

    Date: 28-Nov-2001 (process 1 of 5)
    Program 'getcoast' was used to extract the vector coastline information

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Computer Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • wvs_wnatl.cdr
    • wvs_wnatl.cdt

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • wvs_natl.txt

    Date: 28-Nov-2001 (process 2 of 5)
    The vector text file was imported into a vector segment in the PCI database and verified

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Computer Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • wvs_wnatl.txt

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • na.pix

    Date: 22-Mar-2004 (process 3 of 5)
    The WVS data for the Caribbean region was extracted from the North America region and stored in a new vector segment of the PCI file. The working file was copied and renamed for better identification.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Computer Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • na.pix

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • carib.pix

    Date: 23-Mar-2004 (process 4 of 5)
    The vector data was checked to insure closed polygons for all the islands. Attribute fields were added. The final vector segment was exported from the PCI file.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Computer Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • carib.pix

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.dbf
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.shp
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.shx

    Date: 28-Mar-2004 (process 5 of 5)
    Created a 'prj' file for the data layer. The data layer was visually checked in ArcView and ArcGIS. Polygons were processed to remove dangles and to insure closure. Attributes were checked and corrected for misspellings.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.shp
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.dbf
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.shx

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.dbf
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.shp
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.shx
    • carib_wvs_geo_wgs84.prj

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

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    Attributes were labeled by visual identification. Country name, sovereign and island name were identified from various map sources. The island attribute is incomplete.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Feature specification that 90% of all identifiable shoreline features should be located within 500 meters (i.e. 2mm at 1:250,000) of their true geographic position with respect to the WGS-84 datum.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

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

    This is a subset of the World Vector Shoreline north America coastline. The islands of the Caribbean Sea region were extracted to create an ArcView shapefile format data layer for use in GIS applications.

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

    The shapefile was processed via a Build and Clean operation. This request verifies and enforces the correctness of shapes. No duplicate features are present. All polygons are closed, and all lines intersect where intended. No undershoots or overshoots are known to be present.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

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

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data are NOT to be used for navigation purposes.

These data are NOT to be used for legal purposes. The representation of international boundaries and maritime limits is not necessarily authoritative and does not necessarily represent an official acceptance by the United States Government of the limits claimed.

Public domain data from the U.S. government is freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the United States Geological Survey as the originator of this dataset.

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

    U.S. Geological Survey
    c/o Valerie Paskevich
    Information Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials.

    Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    The data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) shapefile format. The user must have ArcGIS® or ArcView® 3.0 or greater software to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView or ArcGIS, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of importing data. A free data viewer, arcexplorer, is available from ESRI at www.esri.com.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 20-Jan-2006
Last Reviewed: 19-Oct-2005
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Valerie Paskevich
Computer Specialist, GIS Coordinator
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

508-548-8700 x2281 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
vpaskevich@usgs.gov

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

Generated by mp version 2.8.6 on Fri Jan 20 11:45:34 2006