Description: The Study Area Contours feature class contains a compilation of bathymetric contours, or isobaths, from studies relevant to outer continental shelf (OCS) non-energy mineral resource (e.g. sand, gravel, shell) management. Many of these efforts were funded at least partially by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) (formerly known as the Minerals Management Service). Attributes for each isobath include, but are not limited to, contour identifier, elevation (ft), vertical datum, and OCS Study Area ID. Additional information related to each isobath or group of isobaths is provided in the related tables within the MMIS geodatabase: Link Documents table - links tracklines to associated study report(s), Equipment table - list of specific equipment types used for data acquisition. The Study Area Contours layer and its related tables will be updated periodically as new and existing data are incorporated in to the MMIS geodatabase. NOTE: Bathymetric contours are a representation of the seafloor and their shape and respective values are dependent on the resolution of source data and the methods and datums used for acquisition, processing, and analysis. Please refer to the associated study area report for details related to data acquisition and processing.
Description: The Study Area Survey Measurements Mosaic Dataset is a collection of bathymetry and backscatter rasters compiled from numerous site-specific, field-oriented studies in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The studies are fully or partially funded by BOEM, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. They consist of sand resource reconnaissance surveys, sand placement surveys, research on baseline benthic ecological conditions, and environmental impact investigations pertaining to the potential effects of dredging operations on the physical, chemical, and biological environment. These data span several decades of published research and were collected and processed using a variety of instruments and software. Please refer to individual raster attributes and the associated study report(s) for details related to data acquisition and processing. This dataset will be updated regularly as new and existing data are incorporated into the Marine Minerals Information System (MMIS) geodatabase. Area covered: U.S. OCS (primarily 3nm to 12nm offshore). Each raster in this mosaic is stored in its native projection. The rasters are projected into NAD83 on the fly by the MMIS WebViewer. Should a user export a raster from the database, or download it through the viewer, the downloaded file will be in the native projection.