gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:48218 eng UTF8 dataset Office for Coastal Management resourceProvider NOAA Office for Coastal Management (843) 740-1202 2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston SC 29405-2413 coastal.info@noaa.gov https://coast.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Office for Coastal Management Website NOAA Office for Coastal Management Home Page information pointOfContact 2026-04-30T00:00:00 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) 2011 NOAA Bathymetric Lidar: U.S. Virgin Islands - St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix (Salt River Bay, Buck Island) usvi2011_bathy_m1394_metadata 2013-06 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 48218 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/48218 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Online Resource download https://coast.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Online Resource download This data represents a LiDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) gridded bathymetric surface and a gridded relative seafloor reflectivity surface (incorporated into the las format as intensity) for an area of shallow seabed: 1. Surrounding St. Thomas and St. John (STT/STJ): 3m x 3m grid 2. Mouth of Salt River Bay (SARI) in St. Croix: 5m x 5m grid 3. Buck Island Reef National Monument (BUIS) in St. Croix: 3m x 3m grid Fugro LADS, in collaboration with NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch, the University of New Hampshire and the National Park Service, acquired bathymetry, relative seafloor reflectivity and hyperspectral imagery in St. Thomas and St. John on thirteen separate dates between 1/29/2011 to 2/28/2011 and in St. Croix (SARI and BUIS) on 2/21/2011 and 2/22/2011. 1. STT/STJ Bathymetry and reflectivity data were acquired using a LADS (Laser Airborne Depth Sounder) Mark II Airborne System from altitudes between 1,200 and 2,200ft at ground speeds between 140 and 210 knots. The 900 Hertz Nd: YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser (1064 nm) acquired 3x3 meter spot spacing and 200% seabed coverage. For STT/STJ, 168.1 square kilometers of LiDAR were collected between 0 m and 40 m in depth. Data was flown for charting. This data met IHO Order 1 standards. 2. SARI Bathymetry and reflectivity data were acquired using a LADS (Laser Airborne Depth Sounder) Mark II Airborne System from altitudes between 1,200 and 2,200ft at ground speeds between 140 and 175 knots. The 900 Hertz Nd: YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser (1064 nm) acquired 5x5 meter spot spacing and 200% seabed coverage. For SARI, 1.62 square kilometers of LiDAR were collected between 0 m and 34 m in depth. This data was collected for research, not charting. It was collected using the same acquistion parameters as STT/STJ, but its uncertainties were not quantified. As such, it is not known if this data meets IHO Order 1 standards. 3. BUIS Bathymetry and reflectivity data were acquired using a LADS (Laser Airborne Depth Sounder) Mark II Airborne System from altitudes between 1,200 and 2,200ft at ground speeds between 140 and 175 knots. The 900 Hertz Nd: YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser (1064 nm) acquired 3x3 meter spot spacing and 200% seabed coverage. For BUIS, 35.9 square kilometers of LiDAR were collected between 0 m and 49 m in depth. This data was collected for research, not charting. It was collected using the same acquistion parameters as STT/STJ, but its uncertainties were not quantified. As such, it is not known if this data meets IHO Order 1 standards. The data received from NCCOS were in GEOTIFF format for both the lidar and seafloor reflectivity. The NOAA Office for Coastal Management converted these two data sets to text format and then combined them into one text file based on x and y. The text file was then converted to las format, where the seafloor reflectivity is represented as intensity. The data's horizontal coordinate system was NAD83 UTM 20 North, and depth values were collected in meters referenced to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) depths. Upon receipt of the data, the NOAA Office for Coastal Management converted the data to geographic coordinates and ellipsoid heights for data storage and Digital Coast provisioning purposes. Environmental factors such as wind strength and direction, cloud cover, water clarity and depth influenced the area of data acquisition on a daily basis. The data was processed using the LADS Mark II Ground System and data visualization, quality control and final products were created using CARIS HIPS and SIPS and CARIS BASE Editor. All users should individually evaluate the suitability of this data according to their own needs and standards. Original contact information: Contact Org: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Phone: 301-713-3028 Email: ccma@noaa.gov This LiDAR collection is an important effort in an ongoing NOAA scientific research mission in the US Caribbean to characterize nearshore to deep water coral reef habitats at depths down to 1,000 meters. The mission purpose is to better understand the resources within the surveyed reef habitats, and ultimately develop species utilization models linking physical habitats with biological information. The acquired bathymetry, relative seafloor reflectivity, and hyperspectral imagery will be used internally to characterize sea floor topography and to create benthic habitat maps, helping NOAA meet its mapping commitment to the US Coral Reef Task Force. The resulting publicly-distributed data is also a contribution to the greater scientific community interested in the USVI seafloor. NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Branch, the University of New Hampshire and the National Park Service completed NOAA Office for Coastal Management (843) 740-1202 2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston SC 29405-2413 coastal.info@noaa.gov https://coast.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Office for Coastal Management Website NOAA Office for Coastal Management Home Page information pointOfContact NOAA Office for Coastal Management (843) 740-1202 2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston SC 29405-2413 coastal.info@noaa.gov https://coast.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Office for Coastal Management Website NOAA Office for Coastal Management Home Page information custodian asNeeded https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/1394/supplemental/2011_NOAA_USVI_Bathy_Lidar.kmz This graphic shows the lidar coverage for the 2011 NOAA USVI bathymetric lidar. kmz EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > TOPOGRAPHY > TERRAIN ELEVATION > TOPOGRAPHICAL RELIEF MAPS EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > BATHYMETRY/SEAFLOOR TOPOGRAPHY > SEAFLOOR TOPOGRAPHY EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > COASTAL ELEVATION theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords 23.3 OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA > VIRGIN ISLANDS place Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords 23.3 Backscatter Benthic Coral Depth High-resolution IOCM Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping Intensity LADS Mark II NOAA NPS Reef Reef Habitat Reflectivity Seafloor theme DOC/NOAA/NOS/OCM > Office of Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2026. GCMD Keywords, Version 24. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Lidar project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Office for Coastal Management, [Date of Access]: 2011 NOAA Bathymetric Lidar: U.S. Virgin Islands - St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix (Salt River Bay, Buck Island) [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/48218. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None, but please cite any use of this data. otherRestrictions Use Constraints: Note: NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA 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 NOAA in the use of these data or related materials. 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. otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA 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 NOAA in the use of these data or related materials. Any conclusions drawn from the analysis of this information are not the responsibility of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management or its partners. unclassified vector eng; US elevation Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.4000 -65.07231 -64.554218 17.763395 18.420755 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2011-01-29 2011-02-28 The Descriptive Report for the STT/STJ data may be accessed at: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/1394/supplemental/LiDAR_2011_StThomasJohn_DAPR.pdf A footprint of this data may be viewed in Google Earth at: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/1394/supplemental/2011_NOAA_USVI_Bathy_Lidar.kmz NOAA Office for Coastal Management (843) 740-1202 2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston SC 29405-2413 coastal.info@noaa.gov https://coast.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Office for Coastal Management Website NOAA Office for Coastal Management Home Page information distributor https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/#/lidar/search/where:ID=1394 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Customized Download Create custom data files by choosing data area, product type, map projection, file format, datum, etc. download https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/1394/index.html WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Bulk Download Simple download of data files. download dataset Horizontal Positional Accuracy The lidar survey for STT/STJ met the IHO Order 1 Standard. The data for SARI and BUIS were collected for research, not charting. They were collected using the same acquistion parameters as STT/STJ, but their uncertainties were not quantified. As such, it is not known if this data in these two areas, met IHO Order 1 standards. Please refer to the Descriptive Report for STT/STJ for additional information: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/1394/supplemental/LiDAR_2011_StThomasJohn_DAPR.pdf Vertical Positional Accuracy The lidar survey for STT/STJ met the IHO 1 Order Standard. The data for SARI and BUIS were collected for research, not charting. They were collected using the same acquistion parameters as STT/STJ, but their uncertainties were not quantified. As such, it is not known if the data in these two areas met IHO Order 1 standards. Please refer to the Descriptive Report for STT/STJ additional information: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/1394/supplemental/LiDAR_2011_StThomasJohn_DAPR.pdf Completeness Report This is a gridded dataset. The original full-resolution Lidar data was used to create a down sampled uniform-resolution surface in CARIS. Conceptual Consistency All users should independently analyze the dataset according to their own needs and standards to determine data usability. 1. STT/STJ James Guilford and Scott Ramsay from Fugro LADS led this mapping effort. Hyperspectral data were acquired using a Hyspex VNIR-1600 sensor. Bathymetry and reflectivity data were acquired using a LADS (Laser Airborne Depth Sounder) Mark II Airborne System from altitudes between 1,200 and 2,200ft at ground speeds between 140 and 210 knots. The 900 Hertz Nd: YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser (1064 nm) acquired 3x3 meter spot spacing and 200% seabed coverage. Green laser pulses are scanned beneath the aircraft in a rectilinear pattern. The pulses are reflected from the land, sea surface, within the water column and from the seabed. The height of the aircraft is determined by the infrared laser return, which is supplemented by the inertial height from the Attitude and Heading Reference System and GPS height. Real-time positioning is obtained by an Ashtech GG24 GPS receiver combined with Wide Area DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) provided by the Fugro Omnistar to provide a differentially corrected position. Ashtech Z12 GPS receivers are also provided as part of the Airborne System and Ground Systems to log KGPS (Kinetic Global Positioning System) data on the aircraft and at a locally established GPS (Global Positioning System) base station. 2. SARI James Guilford and Scott Ramsay from Fugro LADS lead this mapping effort. Hyperspectral data were acquired using a Hyspex VNIR-1600 sensor. Bathymetry and reflectivity data were acquired using a LADS (Laser Airborne Depth Sounder) Mark II Airborne System from altitudes between 1,200 and 2,200ft at ground speeds between 140 and 175 knots. The 900 Hertz Nd: YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser (1064 nm) acquired 5x5 meter spot spacing and 200% seabed coverage. Green laser pulses are scanned beneath the aircraft in a rectilinear pattern. The pulses are reflected from the land, sea surface, within the water column and from the seabed. The height of the aircraft is determined by the infrared laser return, which is supplemented by the inertial height from the Attitude and Heading Reference System and GPS height. Real-time positioning is obtained by an Ashtech GG24 GPS receiver combined with Wide Area DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) provided by the Fugro Omnistar to provide a differentially corrected position. Ashtech Z12 GPS receivers are also provided as part of the Airborne System and Ground Systems to log KGPS (Kinetic Global Positioning System) data on the aircraft and at a locally established GPS (Global Positioning System) base station. 3. BUIS James Guilford and Scott Ramsay from Fugro LADS lead this mapping effort. Hyperspectral data were acquired using a Hyspex VNIR-1600 sensor. Bathymetry and reflectivity data were acquired using a LADS (Laser Airborne Depth Sounder) Mark II Airborne System from altitudes between 1,200 and 2,200ft at ground speeds between 140 and 175 knots. The 900 Hertz Nd: YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser (1064 nm) acquired 3x3 meter spot spacing and 200% seabed coverage. Green laser pulses are scanned beneath the aircraft in a rectilinear pattern. The pulses are reflected from the land, sea surface, within the water column and from the seabed. The height of the aircraft is determined by the infrared laser return, which is supplemented by the inertial height from the Attitude and Heading Reference System and GPS height. Real-time positioning is obtained by an Ashtech GG24 GPS receiver combined with Wide Area DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) provided by the Fugro Omnistar to provide a differentially corrected position. Ashtech Z12 GPS receivers are also provided as part of the Airborne System and Ground Systems to log KGPS (Kinetic Global Positioning System) data on the aircraft and at a locally established GPS (Global Positioning System) base station. 2011-01-01T00:00:00 The reflectivity of an LADS pulse is a measure of the amount of energy reflected from the seabed for each individual laser pulse at the wavelength of the laser, 532nm (green/blue). The basic difference between processing an ALB waveform for depth and for reflectivity is that depth processing focuses on the leading edge of the return waveform, whereas reflectivity requires integration of the entire return pulse. Each sounding is assessed for suitability. Dry soundings and soundings in very shallow water are not processed for reflectivity. Each sounding is normalized for the electronic gain applied to the photo multiplier tube to which the received laser energy is optically routed. The gain-normalized return waveform is then analyzed to determine energy returning from the seabed. Integration of the waveform from the seabed will produce a numerical value of reflectivity. To ensure that this value accurately and meaningfully describes variation in seabed reflectivity several parameters must be taken into consideration. Energy is lost from the pulses transmitted from the aircraft. These losses include the air/water interface and those through the water column, and any system specific losses such as optical filtering and receiver field of view. Reflectivity value, calculated for each pulse, is the ratio between the received energy normalized for the losses described and the transmitted energy. Once a relative reflectivity value has been calculated, further statistical cleaning to remove outliers is completed. Because the dataset is of relative reflectivity rather than an absolute value for each point, the entire dataset is scaled to ensure the full dynamic range is used over the dataset. This scaling is applied over an entire survey area to ensure dataset consistency (Collins et al. 2007). Collins et al. 2007 is available online here: http://www.fugrolads.com/datasheets/Hydro_Intl_LiDAR_Seabed_Classification.pdf 2011-01-01T00:00:00 The NOAA Office for Coastal Management received the bathymetric and reflectivity gridded data in GEOTIFF format. The data were in UTM Zone 20N, NAD83 coordinates and were vertically referenced to MLLW. The vertical units of the data were meters. OCM performed the following processing for data storage and Digital Coast provisioning purposes: 1. The bathymetric and reflectivity data were converted from GEOTIFF format to text format. 2. A perl script, brundle.pl was created to combine the bathymetric and reflectivity text data sets into one text file based on x and y. The new text file format was x, y, z, r. 3. The new xyzr text file was processed through VDatum to convert from UTM coordinates to geographic coordinates and to convert from MLLW depths to ellipsoid heights using Geoid12A. 4. Data were converted from txt to las format and the points given a NOAA OCM bathymetric classification of 11 using the lastools tool, txt2las. The reflectivity data were incorporated into the las format and are represented as intensity. 5. Data were filtered for outliers using the lastools tool, las2las 6. Data were zipped to laz format 2013-04-01T00:00:00 Source Contribution: Down sampled CARIS BASE (Bathymetry Associated with Statistical Error) grid with best depth layer. Sourced from processed HDCS data. | Source Geospatial Form: raster digital data | Type of Source Media: external hard drive CARIS BASE Surface 2011-02 2011-03 Source Contribution: Down sampled GeoTIFF raster containing depth values in meters (referenced to MLLW). Sourced from CARIS BASE surface. Down sampled GeoTIFF raster containing relative reflectivity (intensity) values. These values do not have units given the complexity of modeling losses through the water-column and at the water/air interface. Because the dataset is of relative reflectivity rather than an absolute value for each point, the entire dataset is scaled to ensure the full dynamic range is used over the dataset. This scaling is applied over an entire survey area to ensure dataset consistency. Sourced from CARIS BASE surface. | Source Geospatial Form: raster digital data | Type of Source Media: external hard drive GeoTIFFs of: 1. 3x3 m Bathymetry for St. Thomas & St. John, 2011, UTM 20N NAD83, 3x3 m Relative Reflectivity for St. Thomas & St. John, 2011, UTM 20N NAD83 2. 5x5 m Bathymetry for Salt River Bay, St. Croix, 2011, UTM 20N NAD83, 5x5 m Relative Reflectivity for Salt River Bay, St. Croix, 2011, UTM 20N NAD83 3. 3x3 m Bathymetry for Buck Island, St. Croix, 2011, UTM 20N NAD83, 3x3 m Relative Reflectivity for Buck Island, St. Croix, 2011, UTM 20N NAD83 2011-01-01 publication 2011-02 2011-03 Source Contribution: Processed, cleaned, and corrected full resolution dataset. Sourced from raw LADS data. | Source Geospatial Form: digital data | Type of Source Media: external hard drive Processed Lidar Data 2011-02 2011-03 Source Contribution: Original raw full resolution dataset. | Source Geospatial Form: digital data | Type of Source Media: external hard drive Raw Lidar Data 2011-01-29 2011-02-28