NOAA Shoreline Data Rescue Project: Historical Coastline of Massachusetts

NOAA National Ocean Service provides a high-resolution historical shoreline for Massachusetts derived from office interpretation of imagery and field surveys. These data are automated for use as a geographic information system (GIS) data layer, attributed using the NGS-developed C-COAST scheme. The resource is a member of the NOAA InPort catalog item 39808.

Use Cases

• Coastal change analysis based on historical shoreline maps
• GIS layer creation for coastal zone management based on the described high-resolution data
• Data integration and translation studies based on the C-COAST attribution scheme influenced by S-57 standards

Strengths

• Data is described as high-resolution and accurate for GIS use
• Shoreline is derived from NOAA National Ocean Service maps, an authoritative source
• Attribution uses a structured scheme (C-COAST) developed for consistency

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data formats are PDF and HTML, which may require conversion for direct geospatial analysis

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Derived from shoreline maps produced by NOAA National Ocean Service based on office interpretation of imagery and/or field survey.

Time Range

Historical (specific range not provided)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 21:05:24.361180; freshness should be verified

Geography

Massachusetts, United States