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All Bathy/Relief Coastal DEM Portal Fishing Global Lakes Multibeam NOS

NOS Interactive Map Screen Shot
ESRI logoInteractive Map Interface
to NOS Data and Products
ESRI logoInteractive Map Interface
to Bathymetry Data
searchText Search of NOS Data and Products
NOS Seabed Descriptions
Bathymetric and Fishing Maps
Frequently Asked Questions
Uses of Hydrographic Data

NOS survey descriptive report image
Descriptive report

NOS sidescan sonar mosaic image
Sidescan sonar mosaic

NOS Survey H12373 new geoPDF smooth sheet
Survey H12373
geo-referenced PDF
smooth sheet

1950s NOS Smooth sheet image
1950s smooth sheet

NOS Hydrographic Survey Data

NOS Shallow Water Multibeam 3d image
Survey H12112
San Francisco Bay 3D image

The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) maintains the National Ocean Service Hydrographic Data Base (NOSHDB) and Hydrographic Survey Meta Data Base (HSMDB). Both databases are populated by Office of Coast Survey with information acquired from its surveys and National Geodetic Service remote sensing. The databases provide extensive survey coverage of the coastal waters and exclusive economic zone of the United States and its territories.

NOSHDB

The NOSHDB contains digitized data from smooth sheets of hydrographic surveys completed between 1837 and 1965, and from survey data acquired digitally on NOAA survey vessels since 1965.

Over 76 million soundings from over 6,600 surveys are included in the NOSHDB. NGDC (now NCEI) developed an interactive map and data discovery tool, the Bathymetry Map Service, and a text-based search engine, the Hydrographic Survey Text Search, which enable rapid data discovery and download.

HSMDB

The HSMDB provides ISO metadata records, text search, and display of NOAA data and products. Metadata for historical foreign surveys is limited or non-existent.

Rap Sheets

Hydrographic Survey Rap Sheets display survey summaries and locations, cross references, statistics, comprehensive platforms and correctors, processing and archive information. Survey types include Hydrographic, Field Edit, Reconnaissance, Lake, and Non-NOS sources.

Data Products

Data products from NOS surveys, including BAG files, Descriptive Reports, smooth sheet images, survey data images, textual gridded data, and geo-referenced sidescan sonar mosaics, FGDC/RSE metadata, and survey statistics are available for download from NCEI.

  • Bathymetric Attributed Grid (BAG) is a non-proprietary file format for storing and exchanging bathymetric data developed by the Open Navigation Surface Working Group. BAG files are gridded, multi-dimensional bathymetric data files and is the standard NOS hydrographic data file for public release. Current versions of the BAG file contain position and depth grid data, as well as position and uncertainty grid data, and the metadata specific to that BAG file, providing end users information about the source and contents of the BAG file. Please visit the Open Navigation Surface Working Group for additional information on BAG files.

    NCEI developed the capability to output data from BAG files as American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) xyz files. Empty space in BAG files is not included in xyz output files. On NCEI's web site, individual files, or entire surveys spanning multiple BAG files, can be selected, extracted, processed to xyz format, and zipped for shipment using the new conversion capability. Each conversion also creates an Extensible Markup Language (XML) metadata file.

  • Geospatial Portable Document Format (GeoImage) is a layered geospatial PDF. This image file contains several layers including: a combined bathymetric surface, a survey scale set of soundings, a large scale raster nautical chart, latitude/longitude graticule, title block, and an acoustic imagery mosaic (if available). The image is also geographically referenced, allowing users to locate features, measure distances and angles, and select specific layers of interest. A stand-alone ASCII XYZ file of the sounding set and additional survey metadata are attached to the PDF.

  • Descriptive Reports (DRs) are approved metadata documents relevant to survey level hydrographic data and are available in PDF of Extensible Markup Language (XML) form. The DR serves as a narrative document that describes the conditions under which the hydrographers performed the work and discusses various factors affecting the adequacy and accuracy of the results.

  • Smooth Sheets are the final, neatly drafted, accurate plot of verified and corrected data based on the method collected. They are available as images in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID) format, or as a geo-referenced pdf document.

    NCEI archives and disseminates over 11,000 smooth sheets and over 8,000 DRs dating from the mid-1800s to the present. The survey data images, gridded data, and sidescan sonar mosaics are available only for recent surveys where NOS collected high-resolution data.

  • Seabed descriptions are available in digital form for some surveys. These brief descriptions of bottom type encountered during the survey use the International Hydrographic Organization IHO S-57 descriptive attributes as described in the NOAA Office of the Coast Survey NOS Hydrographic Survey, Specifications and Deliverables (2014 PDF).

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