Shoreline Data Rescue Project: Historical Coastline of Ocracoke, NC

A high-resolution historical shoreline for Ocracoke, North Carolina, automated for use as a GIS data layer. The data were produced by the NOAA National Ocean Service and its predecessors, based on interpretation of imagery and field surveys. It uses the NGS C-COAST attribution scheme, influenced by the IHO S-57 standard for hydrographic data translation.

Use Cases

• Analyze coastal erosion or accretion over time based on the historical shoreline data.
• Integrate historical coastline data into modern GIS systems based on the C-COAST attribution scheme.
• Validate or supplement contemporary coastal mapping projects using the high-resolution historical baseline.
• Study long-term geomorphological changes in barrier island systems based on the Ocracoke, NC location.

Strengths

• Data is described as high-resolution and accurate for GIS use.
• Derived from shoreline maps produced by NOAA National Ocean Service and its predecessor agencies.
• Attribution scheme (C-COAST) was developed to conform various shoreline data sources into one catalog.

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 and temporal bias inherent to the original survey methods and imagery.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 21:32:01.456984; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Ocracoke, North Carolina, USA