Historical Shoreline Data for Elizabeth Islands to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

A high-resolution historical shoreline dataset for the Elizabeth Islands to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, automated for use as a GIS data layer. The data are derived from shoreline maps produced by the NOAA National Ocean Service and its predecessor agencies, based on imagery interpretation and field surveys. The attribution follows the NGS-developed C-COAST scheme, influenced by the International Hydrographic Organization's S-57 standard.

Use Cases

• Analyze coastal erosion or accretion over time based on the historical shoreline data.
• Create or update GIS basemaps for coastal management using the high-resolution shoreline layer.
• Validate or integrate with other hydrographic datasets using the S-57-influenced attribution scheme.

Strengths

• Data are described as 'high-resolution' and 'accurate' for GIS use.
• Shoreline maps were produced by the authoritative NOAA National Ocean Service.
• Attribution scheme was influenced by the international S-57 standard for hydrographic data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Available file formats are PDF and HTML, which may not be directly machine-readable for GIS.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Derived from shoreline maps based on office interpretation of imagery and/or field survey.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 21:30:43.095427; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Elizabeth Islands to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA