nos_5mint: 5-meter bathymetry grid produced from 23 multibeam hydrographic surveys collected off the Delmarva Peninsula by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service between 2006 and 2011 (Esri binary grid, UTM Zone 18N, WGS 84)

Between 2006 and 2011 Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), under contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS), collected twenty-three hydrographic surveys totaling over 4100 square-kilometers of Reson multibeam bathymetric and Klein sidescan-sonar data for the purposes of updating nautical charts. Data extended from the entrance of Delaware Bay south to Parramore Island in water depths from about 3 to 35 meters below mean lower low water. Data were collected at a fixed 40-meter line spacing which provided 40-100 percent seafloor coverage for multibeam bathymetry. NOS releases processed bathymetry via an interactive map interface in bathymetry attributed grid (BAG) format. All twenty-three survey datasets were downloaded, merged, resampled, and interpolated to fill data gaps. Sidescan data products are limited within the Delmarva survey area and there are no multibeam backscatter data products available. The U.S. Geological Survey obtained the raw RESON multibeam data files from SAIC and NOAA for twenty of the hydrographic surveys and extracted the backscatter data using Quality Positioning Service's (QPS) Fledermaus FMGeocoder Toolbox (FMGT) to produce backscatter mosaics for the inner-continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula. Backscatter mosaics and regional seamless bathymetric datasets created from NOAA data are a valuable tool for characterizing seafloor geology, sediment transport pathways, and marine resources. Additionally, obtaining this near full seafloor coverage backscatter and bathymetry dataset from an existing source greatly increased project deliverables, geophysical survey efficiency, collaboration among government agencies, and the area over which geologic data interpretations can be conducted by the USGS.

2006至2011年间，科学应用国际公司（Science Applications International Corporation，SAIC）受美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration，NOAA）国家海洋服务局（National Ocean Service，NOS）委托，开展23项水文测量工作，累计覆盖超4100平方公里海域，采集了Reson多波束测深（Reson multibeam bathymetric）与Klein侧扫声呐（Klein sidescan-sonar）数据，用于更新航海图。本次数据覆盖范围从特拉华湾入口向南延伸至帕拉莫尔岛，水深区间为平均低潮线下约3至35米。测量采用固定40米的测线间距，可为多波束测深提供40%至100%的海底覆盖度。NOS通过交互式地图界面，以测深属性网格（bathymetry attributed grid，BAG）格式发布处理后的测深数据。研究团队下载了全部23项测量数据集，经拼接、重采样与插值操作填补了数据空白。德尔马瓦半岛调查区内的侧扫声呐数据产品较为有限，且暂无多波束反向散射数据产品可供使用。美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey，USGS）从SAIC与NOAA处获取了其中20项水文测量的原始Reson多波束数据文件，并通过优质定位服务公司（Quality Positioning Service，QPS）的Fledermaus FMGeocoder Toolbox（FMGT）工具包提取反向散射数据，为德尔马瓦半岛陆架内部区域生成了反向散射镶嵌图。由NOAA数据生成的反向散射镶嵌图与区域无缝测深数据集，是刻画海底地质特征、沉积物输运路径与海洋资源的重要工具。此外，从现有数据源获取这套近乎全覆盖的反向散射与测深数据集，大幅提升了USGS的项目交付成果、地球物理勘测效率、跨政府机构协作能力，以及可开展地质数据解译的海域范围。