NOAA Shoreline Data: Cape Henlopen, DE to Chincoteague Inlet, VA

A high-resolution historical shoreline dataset for the U.S. coast from Cape Henlopen, Delaware to Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia. The data were automated from shoreline maps produced by the NOAA National Ocean Service and its predecessors, based on imagery interpretation and field surveys. It uses the NGS C-COAST attribution scheme to conform various shoreline data sources into one catalog.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical shoreline change based on the high-resolution mapping mentioned in the description.
• Create GIS data layers for coastal management based on the automated, attributed shoreline data.
• Translate shoreline data into S-57 hydrographic standard formats based on the C-COAST attribution scheme.
• Conduct coastal vulnerability assessments based on the historical shoreline maps from NOAA.

Strengths

• Data is derived from authoritative NOAA National Ocean Service shoreline maps.
• Shoreline is described as high-resolution and historically accurate for GIS use.
• Attribution uses a structured scheme (C-COAST) influenced by the IHO S-57 standard.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific U.S. coastal segment.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Automated from shoreline maps produced by NOAA NOS, based on office interpretation of imagery and/or field surveys.

Time Range

Historical, but specific temporal coverage is not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:15:20.057922; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Cape Henlopen, Delaware to Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia, USA.