Marine and Coastal Framework
Data
Ocean Data Model Working Group
October 4-5, 2001
NOAA Coastal Services Center
The Vision of Coastal NSDI
Current and accurate geospatial coastal
and ocean data will be readily available to
contribute locally, nationally, and globally to
economic growth, environmental quality and
stability, and social progress.
The Center is committed to the development
of this framework.
The National Spatial Data
Infrastructure (NSDI)
A Foundation of Common Interests and Needs
• Clearinghouse - need to find and access data
• Metadata - need to know characteristics of data
• Framework - need for common sets of data
• Standards/Technology - need to transfer and integrate data
• Partnerships - need to leverage resources
Federal Geographic Data Committee
The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is an
interagency committee, organized in 1990 under OMB
Circular A-16, that promotes the coordinated use, sharing,
and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis.
Framework Approach
commonly used base data
Cadastral (Parcels/Boundaries)
Elevation and Bathymetry
Transportation
Hydrography
Geodetic Control
Governmental Units
Orthoimagery (DOQ)
ArcGIS Data Model Development
• Adminstrative Boundaries/Census
• Basemap
• Biodiversity
• Defense
• Energy Utilities
• Environmental Regulated Facilities
• Forestry
• Land Parcels
• Petroleum
• Telecommunications
• Transportation
• Water Utilities
• Water Resources
• Missing from the list are marine and coastal framework themes
• marine boundaries
• shoreline
• bathymetry
• hydrographic feature data (electronic nautical charts)
Environmentally Sensitive
Impact Areas
Coastal GIS
Benthic Habitat
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Marinas
Corals
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Buoys
Geodetic Control
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Sea Surface
Temperatures
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Leases/Parcels
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Shoreline
Salinity
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Bathymetry
Geology
Territorial Waters
Legal Boundaries
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Items in red designate
ambulatory and/or
fluid boundaries
Top Coastal Data Layer Priorities
Top 10 Spatial Data Sets Considered Very Useful
Data Set
1. Nearshore bathymetry
2. High resolution aerial photography
3. Fish distribution
4. Estuarine and bay bathymetry
5. Coastal land cover and change
6. Wetland function
7. Erosion or accretion
8. Habitat suitability indices
9. Shoreline
10. Coastal topography
Percentage
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Data from the NOAA Coastal Services Center
1999 Coastal Resource Management Customer Survey
Potential Marine and Coastal Data
Models
Marine Boundaries
Shoreline
Bathymetry
Marine Boundary Data
Why do we need marine
boundaries?
• Natural resource management
• Navigation
• Offshore oil/mineral extraction
• Cable
• Law enforcement, customs,
immigration
• Air space
All of these activities require accurate, useable,
and accessible digital marine boundaries.
The Current State
• No comprehensive national framework/standards for
marine boundaries
• Multi-levels of offshore rights - international, national,
state, regional, tribal, private…
• Legal descriptions have not kept up with current
mapping technology
• Ever increasing demand for ocean resources
• No data model for marine boundaries
Land Vs. Water Cadastre
• Similar issues - adjudication,
survey, bundle of rights
• Dissimilar issues – Mapping the shoreline has
increased significance
– Many lines are ambulatory
– Delimited not demarcated
Marine Boundary Data Issues
• General ambiguities - units, datums, unclear
language, mathematical solution not stated
• Legal language not easily mappable - head of tide,
high wash of waves
• Conflicting sources
• Ambulatory boundaries
• Cartographic source
Marine Boundaries
Florida
Gulf of Mexico
Atlantic Ocean
Exclusive Economic Zone
24nm Contiguous Zone
12nm Territorial Sea
6nm OCSLA 8(g)
3nm State-Seaward Boundary
Baseline points (MLLW)
NOAA Medium Resolution Shoreline
National Marine Sanctuary
Depiction of U.S. Marine Boundaries
Who’s involved in Marine
Boundaries?
• International - UNCLOS, Bilateral treaties
•
Ad Hoc Committee on the U.S. Baseline - Oversees the
development of the baseline and the derived boundaries.
(Chaired by Dept. Of State)
• NOAA - official nautical chart - maritime boundaries;
National Marine Sanctuaries
• MMS - OCS Lease Blocks
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife/National Park Service/States/Tribes parks and other managed areas
• County/Local/Regional
Shoreline Data
Why are shoreline data needed?
• Shoreline is needed by all
levels of government
– Electronic nautical charting (ENC)
– Paper nautical charts
– GIS for coastal and ocean resource
management
– Jurisdictional boundaries
– Coastal erosion studies for Setback Lines
(historic data)
– USGS-NOAA shoreline coordination
– Any coastal or ocean mapping project
Why is the Shoreline Important?
• Delineation of international, national,
state, and local boundaries
• Safe navigation
• Beachfront policy
– Erosion and accretion
– Re-nourishment
– Natural hazards
– Assessing and determining setback lines
Shoreline Issues:
Where is the shoreline?
Different interpretations of the shoreline
Cartographic Issues
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Scale
Projection
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Datum
Date
Coordinate accuracy
Various Shoreline Data Formats
SDDEF
vector, CAD-like,
internal NOAA,
no topology*
VECTOR
GIS-compatible, topology*
*Topology = map intelligence
RASTER
grid cell,
no topology*
+1
+2
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TYPE
SOURCE
1
High Water
T-Sheet
2
Low Water
SDDEF
Bathymetry Data
What is the Problem?
• Maps do not show an integrated shoreline or elevation
• Varying agency definitions of shoreline, elevation, and
bathymetry based on differing mission requirements cause
public confusion
• Sparse and outdated elevation and bathymetry data limit our
ability to accurately represent the coastal zone and predict
impacts on communities and the environment
So What? Why Do We Need Accurate,
Integrated Topographic and
Bathymetry Maps?
• Predict storm impacts
• Accurately represent depth
measurements for ports, shipping,
and recreational boating
• Determine local, state, and national
boundaries
• Analyze and protect environmental
and natural resources
• Meet consumer demand
Planning Hurricane Evacuation Zones
• Estimates for a three-county
evacuation range from 7.8 hours
to 42.6 hours
–
1992 Tampa Bay Region
Hurricane Evacuation Study
• “About $1 million a day in revenue
is lost for every mile of coastline
that's forced to evacuate.”
–
USA Today, 9/15/99
Local Users:
Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
Department of Transportation
Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection
Storm Surge Modeling to
Determine Evacuation
Shoreline, bathymetry, and
elevation data are critical
inputs to the storm surge
models
Local Users:
Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
Department of Transportation
Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection
Water Management Districts
Ports and Precision Navigation
• International trade and port laws
• Integrated data model would:
– Reduce groundings and collisions
– Prevent oil spills
– Reduce coral reef and seagrass loss
– Improve commerce: “Estimated revenue increases
range from $36,000 to $288,000 for each
additional foot of draft for large bulk and container
ships.”
• NOAA Safe Navigation Web Page
Local Users:
Tampa Port Authority
Department of Transportation
Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection
Water Management Districts
Habitat Loss
•
“Since 1950, when
population growth began
to soar, nearly half the
bay's marshes and 40
percent of its seagrasses
have disappeared.”
–
Tampa Bay Estuary
Program
Local Users:
National Estuary Program
Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection
Water Management Districts
Florida Marine Research Institute
USGS Topography
What are we trying to achieve?
…a model that integrates topography
and bathymetry
Topography
Bathymetry
+
=
Integrated Topo-Bathy Model
Satellite
Imagery
Integrated
with
Topo-bathy
model
Related Standards
•
National Hydrography Data Content Standard for Inland and
Coastal Waters (FGDC Standard currently in development, but
NOT yet finalized)
•
IHO’s S57 Appendix A “Object Catalog for Digital Hydrographic
Data
Goal of Hydrography Data Content
Standard
to develop a nationally focused data content standard for coastal and
inland waterways that supports navigation
 data content = catalog of hydrographic feature terms and definitions
Hydrography Data Content Standard
(aka: Data Dictionary or Object Catalog)
Feature/Attribute/Domain Model:
• FEATURE TYPE (Entity Type) - a categorization of a specified
set of similar real world phenomena (with spatial
significance) A feature is the real-world “thing” that you graphically
represented in a spatial database. (e.g. buoy)
• ATTRIBUTE - a defined characteristic of a feature type.
Attributes are the (non-graphical) information associated with
a feature type. (e.g. for buoy feature type may have
attributes for type and identifier )
• DOMAIN - a list of permissible values or an allowable range
of values for a specific attribute. (e.g. for the identifier
attribute the range = 10 character ASCII text field and for
the attribute type the domain = discrete list of attribute
values)
The Question is….
• Are we creating one large integrated “Ocean Data
Model”
• OR creating individual themes of data under the
umbrella concept of an “Ocean Data Model”
Integrated Ocean Data Model?
Hydro-physics
Atmospheric Conditions
(currents)
Marine Boundaries
Hydrographic Features
Water Chemistry
Marine Biology
Shoreline
Topo-Bathy
Geology
Water Column data
Theme based Ocean Data Models?
Marine Boundaries
Shoreline
Bathymetry
Benefits of Data Models for Marine
and Coastal Data
• Integration of cross data model collaborative analysis
• Consistent and reliable format for data
• Published open standards for data
• Uniform basis for modeling real-world coastal
processes
• Provide a model for the construction of standard
templates for creating marine and coastal data
NOAA CSC’s Role in Model
Development and Implementation
• Expert analysis and technical support
• Identification of relevant data sources pertaining to
coastal resource management
• Outreach and training to partners and constituents
• Facilitation between partners and end users