USGS Structures from The National Map (TNM) consists of data to include the name, function, location, and other core information and characteristics of selected manmade facilities across all US states and territories. The types of structures collected are largely determined by the needs of disaster planning and emergency response, and homeland security organizations. Structures currently included are: School, School:Elementary, School:Middle, School:High, College/University, Technical/Trade School, Ambulance Service, Fire Station/EMS Station, Law Enforcement, Prison/Correctional Facility, Post Office, Hospital/Medical Center, Cabin, Campground, Cemetery, Historic Site/Point of Interest, Picnic Area, Trailhead, Vistor/Information Center, US Capitol, State Capitol, US Supreme Court, State Supreme Court, Court House, Headquarters, Ranger Station, White House, and City/Town Hall. Structures data are designed to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of structure related activities using geographic information system technology. Included is a feature class of preliminary building polygons provided by FEMA, USA Structures. The National Map structures data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, hydrography, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain structures data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. For additional information on the structures data model, go to https://www.usgs.gov/ngp-standards-and-specifications/national-map-structures-content.

You can create a map for any area across the state by adding map layers of your choice to MassMapper, or view a single-topic map. MassGIS also has many maps and web services at ArcGIS Online. MassGIS does not provide any paper maps.

This web map references the live tiled map service from the OpenStreetMap project. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an open collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. Volunteers gather location data using GPS, local knowledge, and other free sources of information such as free satellite imagery, and upload it. The resulting free map can be viewed and downloaded from the OpenStreetMap server: http://www.OpenStreetMap.org. See that website for additional information about OpenStreetMap. It is made available as a basemap for GIS work in Esri products under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.Tip: This service is one of the basemaps used in the ArcGIS.com map viewer and ArcGIS Explorer Online. Simply click one of those links to launch the interactive application of your choice, and then choose Open Street Map from the Basemap control to start using this service. You'll also find this service in the Basemap gallery in ArcGIS Explorer Desktop and ArcGIS Desktop 10.

The USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) service from The National Map is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that encodes information about naturally occurring and constructed bodies of surface water (lakes, ponds, and reservoirs), paths through which water flows (canals, ditches, streams, and rivers), and related entities such as point features (springs, wells, stream gages, and dams). The information encoded about these features includes classification and other characteristics, delineation, geographic name, position and related measures, a "reach code" through which other information can be related to the NHD, and the direction of water flow. The network of reach codes delineating water and transported material flow allows users to trace movement in upstream and downstream directions. In addition to this geographic information, the dataset contains metadata that supports the exchange of future updates and improvements to the data. The NHD is available nationwide in two seamless datasets, one based on 1:24,000 (or larger) scale and referred to as high resolution NHD, and the other based on 1:100,000 scale and referred to as medium resolution NHD. The NHD from The National Map supports many applications, such as making maps, geocoding observations, flow modeling, data maintenance, and stewardship. The NHD is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, structures, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map download client allows free downloads of public domain NHD data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. For additional information on the NHD, go to https://www.usgs.gov/national-hydrography/national-hydrography-dataset. See https://apps.nationalmap.gov/help/ for assistance with The National Map viewer, download client, services, or metadata.

The USGS Transportation downloadable data from The National Map (TNM) is based on TIGER/Line data provided through U.S. Census Bureau and supplemented with HERE road data to create tile cache base maps. Some of the TIGER/Line data includes limited corrections done by USGS. Transportation data consists of roads, railroads, trails, airports, and other features associated with the transport of people or commerce. The data include the name or route designator, classification, and location. Transportation data support general mapping and geographic information system technology analysis for applications such as traffic safety, congestion mitigation, disaster planning, and emergency response. The National Map transportation data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, hydrography, and structures, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain transportation data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. For additional information on the transportation data model, go to https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/national-geospatial-program/national-map.

The USGS Transportation service from The National Map (TNM) is based on TIGER/Line data provided through U.S. Census Bureau and road data from U.S. Forest Service. Some of the TIGER/Line data includes limited corrections done by USGS. Transportation data consists of roads, railroads, trails, airports, and other features associated with the transport of people or commerce. The data include the name or route designator, classification, and location. Transportation data support general mapping and geographic information system technology analysis for applications such as traffic safety, congestion mitigation, disaster planning, and emergency response. The National Map transportation data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, hydrography, and structures, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map Download Client allows free downloads of public domain transportation data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. For additional information on the transportation data model, go to https://nationalmap.gov/transport.html.

Free downloads of about 19,000 classic maps issued by the Survey of India and its descendant organizations in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma. The collection includes maps of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Burma dating from the 1880s through to the 2010s, as well as some even older historical maps.

The "Map Selection and Download Spreadsheet" file below can be downloaded to provide an easy-to-use tool to view the file names of all the maps available on this website. Each of the filenames in the spreadsheet is a link to the map file, and a click on the file name will download the map to the viewers computer. This file can be stored by the viewer for future use, or, as the collection grows, an updated file can be obtained periodically from this website. The file is issued in an MS Excel format, but it can be opened by Google Sheets or other spreadsheet software.

The map collection is broken down into 19 different categories based on topic, scale and geographic area. A tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet opens the page for each category.

The USGS Governmental Unit Boundaries dataset from The National Map (TNM) represents major civil areas for the Nation, including States or Territories, counties (or equivalents), Federal and Native American areas, congressional districts, minor civil divisions, incorporated places (such as cities and towns), and unincorporated places. Boundaries data are useful for understanding the extent of jurisdictional or administrative areas for a wide range of applications, including mapping or managing resources, and responding to natural disasters. Boundaries data also include extents of forest, grassland, park, wilderness, wildlife, and other reserve areas useful for recreational activities, such as hiking and backpacking. Boundaries data are acquired from a variety of government sources. The data represents the source data with minimal editing or review by USGS. Please refer to the feature-level metadata for information on the data source. The National Map boundaries data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as elevation, hydrography, structures, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain boundaries data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. For additional information on the boundaries data model, go to https://nationalmap.gov/boundaries.html.

This dataset is a series of digital map-posters accompanying the AdaptNRM Guide: Helping Biodiversity Adapt: supporting climate adaptation planning using a community-level modelling approach.

These represent supporting materials and information about the community-level biodiversity models applied to climate change. Map posters are organised by four biological groups (vascular plants, mammals, reptiles and amphibians), two climate change scenario (1990-2050 MIROC5 and CanESM2 for RCP8.5), and five measures of change in biodiversity.

The map-posters present the nationally consistent data at locally relevant resolutions in eight parts – representing broad groupings of NRM regions based on the cluster boundaries used for climate adaptation planning (http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/adaptation) and also Nationally.

Map-posters are provided in PNG image format at moderate resolution (300dpi) to suit A0 printing. The posters were designed to meet A0 print size and digital viewing resolution of map detail. An additional set in PDF image format has been created for ease of download for initial exploration and printing on A3 paper. Some text elements and map features may be fuzzy at this resolution.

Each map-poster contains four dataset images coloured using standard legends encompassing the potential range of the measure, even if that range is not represented in the dataset itself or across the map extent.

Most map series are provided in two parts: part 1 shows the two climate scenarios for vascular plants and mammals and part 2 shows reptiles and amphibians. Eight cluster maps for each series have a different colour theme and map extent. A national series is also provided. Annotation briefly outlines the topics presented in the Guide so that each poster stands alone for quick reference.

An additional 77 National maps presenting the probability distributions of each of 77 vegetation types – NVIS 4.1 major vegetation subgroups (NVIS subgroups) - are currently in preparation.

Example citations:

Williams KJ, Raisbeck-Brown N, Prober S, Harwood T (2015) Generalised projected distribution of vegetation types – NVIS 4.1 major vegetation subgroups (1990 and 2050), A0 map-poster 8.1 - East Coast NRM regions. CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Canberra. Available online at www.AdaptNRM.org and https://data.csiro.au/dap/.

Williams KJ, Raisbeck-Brown N, Harwood T, Prober S (2015) Revegetation benefit (cleared natural areas) for vascular plants and mammals (1990-2050), A0 map-poster 9.1 - East Coast NRM regions. CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Canberra. Available online at www.AdaptNRM.org and https://data.csiro.au/dap/.

This dataset has been delivered incrementally. Please check that you are accessing the latest version of the dataset. Lineage: The map posters show case the scientific data. The data layers have been developed at approximately 250m resolution (9 second) across the Australian continent to incorporate the interaction between climate and topography, and are best viewed using a geographic information system (GIS). Each data layers is 1Gb, and inaccessible to non-GIS users. The map posters provide easy access to the scientific data, enabling the outputs to be viewed at high resolution with geographical context information provided.

Maps were generated using layout and drawing tools in ArcGIS 10.2.2

A check list of map posters and datasets is provided with the collection.

Map Series: 7.(1-77) National probability distribution of vegetation type – NVIS 4.1 major vegetation subgroup pre-1750 #0x

8.1 Generalised projected distribution of vegetation types (NVIS subgroups) (1990 and 2050)

9.1 Revegetation benefit (cleared natural areas) for plants and mammals (1990-2050)

9.2 Revegetation benefit (cleared natural areas) for reptiles and amphibians (1990-2050)

10.1 Need for assisted dispersal for vascular plants and mammals (1990-2050)

10.2 Need for assisted dispersal for reptiles and amphibians (1990-2050)

11.1 Refugial potential for vascular plants and mammals (1990-2050)

11.1 Refugial potential for reptiles and amphibians (1990-2050)

12.1 Climate-driven future revegetation benefit for vascular plants and mammals (1990-2050)

12.2 Climate-driven future revegetation benefit for vascular reptiles and amphibians (1990-2050)

The USGS Elevation Contours service from The National Map displays contours generated for the United States at various scales. Small-scale contours were created by USGS TNM from 1 arc-second data with 100-meter contours, and are visible at 1:600,000 and smaller scales. Medium-scale contours were created by USGS EROS from 1/3-arc-second data with 100-foot intervals, and are visible between 1:150,000 and 1:600,000. Additional medium-scale contours were created by USGS EROS from 1/3-arc-second data with 50-foot intervals, and are visible between 1:50,000 and 1:150,000. Large scale contours are updated every quarter, and are created by USGS TNM for the 7.5' 1:24,000-scale US Topo digital map series. These contours are derived from 1/3 arc-second or better resolution data, and are visible at scales 1:50,000 and larger. Large scale contour intervals are variable across the United States depending on complexity of topography, and as contours are generated per US Topo quadrangle, lines may not match across quad boundaries. The National Map download client allows free downloads of public domain contour data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) provides elevation data for The National Map and basic elevation information for earth science studies and mapping applications. Scientists and resource managers use elevation data for global change research, hydrologic modeling, resource monitoring, mapping and visualization, and many other applications. For additional information on 3DEP, go to https://www.usgs.gov/3d-elevation-program. See https://apps.nationalmap.gov/help/ for assistance with The National Map viewer, download client, services, or metadata.

MRGP NewsIf you already have an ArcGIS named user, join the MRGP Group. Doing so allows you complete the permit requirements under your organization's umbrella. As a group member you get access to the all the MRGP items without having to log-in and log-out. If you don’t have an ArcGIS member account please contact Chad McGann (MRGP Program Lead) at 802-636-7239 or your Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation Planner. April 9, 2025. Conditional logic in webform for the newly published Open Drainage Survey was not calculating properly leading to some records with "Undetermined" status and priority. Records have been rescored and survey was republished with corrective logic. Field App version not impacted.March 11, 2025. The Road Erosion Inventory Survey123 questions for Open Drainage Roads are being streamlined to make assessments faster. Coming April 1st, the survey will be changed to only ask if there is erosion depending on if the corresponding practice type is failing. This aims at using erosion as an indicator to measure the success of each of the four Open Drainage road elements to handle stormwater: crown, berm, drainage, turnout.March 29, 2023. For MRGP permitting, Lyndonville Village (GEOID 5041950) has merged with Lyndonville Town (GEOID 5000541725). 121 segments and 14 outlets have been updated to reflect the administrative change. December 8, 2023. The Open Drainage Road Inventory survey has been updated for the 2024 field season. We added and modified a few notes for clarification and corrected an issue with users submitting incomplete surveys. See FAQ section below for how to delete the old survey and download the new one. The app will notify you there's an update, and execute it, but we've experienced select-one questions with duplicate entries.November 29, 2023. The Closed Drainage Road Inventory survey has been updated for the 2024 field season. There's a new outlet status option called "Not accessible" and conditional follow-up question. This has been added to support MS4 requirements. See FAQ section below for how to delete the old survey and download the new one. The app will notify you there's an update and execute it for you but we've experienced select-one questions with duplicate entries. Reporter for MRGPThe Reporter for MRGP doesn't require you to download any apps to complete an inventory; all you need is an internet connection and web browser. The Reporter includes culverts and bridges from VTCULVERTS, town highways from Vtrans, current status for MRGP segments and outlets and second cycle progress. The Reporter is a great way to submit work completed to meet the MRGP standards. MRGP Fieldworker SolutionStep 1: Download the free mobile appsFor fieldworkers to collect and submit data to VT DEC, two free apps are required: ArcGIS Field Maps and Survey123. ArcGIS Field Maps is used first to locate the segment or outlet for inventory, and Survey123, for completing the Road Erosion Inventory.• You can download ArcGIS Fields Maps and Survey123 from the Google Play Store.• You can download ArcGIS Field Maps and Survey123 from Apple Store.Step 2: Sign into the mobile appYou will need appropriate credentials to access fieldworker solution, Please contact your Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation Planner or Chad McGann (MRGP Program Lead) at 802-636-7239.Open Field Maps, select ‘ArcGIS Online’ as shown below, and enter the user name and password. The credential is saved unless you sign out. Step 3: Open the MRGP Mobile MapIf you’re working in an area that has a reliable data connection (e.g. LTE or 4G), open the map below by selecting it.Step 4: Select a road segment or outlet for inventoryUsing your location, highlighted in red below, select the segment or outlet you need to inventory, and select 'Update Road Segment Status' from the pop-up to launch Survey123.

Step 5: Complete the Road Erosion Inventory and submit inventory to DECSelecting 'Update Road Segment Status' opens Survey123, downloads the relevant survey and pre-populates the REI with important information for reporting to DEC. You will have to enter the same username and password to access the REI forms. The credential is saved unless you sign out of Survey123.Complete the survey using the appropriate supplement below and submit the assessment directly to VT DEC.Paved Roads with Catch Basin SupplementPaved and Gravel Roads with Drainage Ditches Supplement

Step 6: Repeat!Go back to the ArcGIS Field Maps and select the next segment for inventory and repeat steps 1-5.

If you have question related to inventory protocol reach out to Chad McGann, MRGP Program Lead, at chad.mcgann@vermont.gov, 802-636-7396.If you have questions about implementing the mobile data collection piece please contact Ryan Knox, ADS-ANR IT, at ryan.knox@vermont.gov, (802) 793-0297

How do I update a survey when a new one is available?While the Survey123 app will notify you and update it for you, we've experienced some select-one questions having duplicate choices. It's a best practice to delete the old survey and download the new one. See this document for step-by-step instructions.I already have an ArcGIS member account with my organization, can I use it to complete MRGP inventories?Yes! The MRGP solution is shared within an ArcGIS Group that allows outside organizations. Click "join this group" and send an request to the ANR GIS team. This will allow you complete MRGP requirements for the REI and stay logged into your organization. Win-win situation for us both!AGOL Group: https://www.arcgis.com/home/group.html?id=027e1696b97a48c4bc50cbb931de992d#overviewThe location where I'm doing inventory does not have data coverage (LTE or 4G). What can I do?ArcGIS Field Maps allows you take map areas offline when you think there will be spotty or no data coverage. I made a video to demonstrate the steps for taking map areas offline - https://youtu.be/ScpQnenDp7wSurvey123 operates offline by default but you need to download the survey. My recommendation is to test the fieldworker solution (Steps 1-5) before you go into the field but don't submit the test survey.How do remove an offline area and create a new one? Check out this how-to document for instructions. Delete and Download Offline AreaWhere can I download the Road Erosion Scoring shown on the the Atlas? You can download the scoring for both outlets and road segments through the VT Open Geodata Portal.https://geodata.vermont.gov/search?q=mrgpHow do I use my own map for launching the official MRGP REI survey form? You can use the following custom url for launching Survey123, open the REI and prepopulate answers in the form. More information is here. TIP: add what's below directly in the HTML view of the popup not the link as described in the post I provided.

Segments (lines):Update Road Segment StatusOutlets (points):Update Outlet Status

How do I save my name and organization information used in subsequent surveys? Watch this short video or execute the steps below:

Open Survey123 and open a blank REI form (Collect button) Note: it's important to open a blank form so you don't save the same segment id for all your surveys Fill-in your 'Name' and 'Organization' and clear the 'Date of Assessment field' (x button). Using the favorites menu in the top-right corner you can use the current state of your survey to 'Set as favorite answers.' Close survey and 'Save this survey in Drafts.' Use Collector to launch survey from selected feature (segment or outlet). Using the favorites menu again, 'Paste answers from favorite.

What if the map doesn't have the outlet or road segment I need to inventory for the MRGP? Go Directly to Survey123 and complete the appropriate Road Erosion Inventory and submit the data to DEC. The survey includes a Geopoint (location) that we can use to determine where you completed the inventory.

Where can I view the Road Erosion Inventories completed with Survey123? Use the web map below to view second cycle inventories completed with Survey123. The first cycle inventories can be downloaded below. First cycle inventories are those collected 2018-2022.Web map - Completed Road Erosion Inventories for MRGPWhere can I download the 2020-2022 data collected with Survey123?Road Segments (lines) - https://anrmaps.vermont.gov/websites/MRGP/MRGP2020_segments.zipOutlets (points) - https://anrmaps.vermont.gov/websites/MRGP/MRGP2020_outlets.zipWhere can I download the 2019 data collected with Survey123?

Road Segments (lines) -

The Google Maps dataset is ideal for getting extensive information on businesses anywhere in the world. Easily filter by location, business type, and other factors to get the exact data you need. The Google Maps dataset includes all major data points: timestamp, name, category, address, description, open website, phone number, open_hours, open_hours_updated, reviews_count, rating, main_image, reviews, url, lat, lon, place_id, country, and more.

This is a tiled collection of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and is one meter resolution. The 3DEP data holdings serve as the elevation layer of The National Map, and provide foundational elevation information for earth science studies and mapping applications in the United States. Scientists and resource managers use 3DEP data for hydrologic modeling, resource monitoring, mapping and visualization, and many other applications. The elevations in this DEM represent the topographic bare-earth surface. USGS standard one-meter DEMs are produced exclusively from high resolution light detection and ranging (lidar) source data of one-meter or higher resolution. One-meter DEM surfaces are seamless within collection projects, but, not necessarily seamless across projects. The spatial reference used for tiles of the one-meter DEM within the conterminous United States (CONUS) is Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) in units of meters, and in conformance with the North American Datum of 1983 ...

USGS Structures from The National Map (TNM) consists of data to include the name, function, location, and other core information and characteristics of selected manmade facilities. The types of structures collected are largely determined by the needs of disaster planning and emergency response, and homeland security organizations. Structures currently being collected are: School, Technical/Trade School, College/University, Fire Station/EMS Station, Law Enforcement, Prison/Correctional Facility, State Capitol, Hospital/Medical Center, Ambulance Service, Cemetery, and Post Office. Structures data are designed to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of structure related activities using geographic information system technology. The National Map structures data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, hydrography, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map download client allows free downloads of public domain structures data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. For additional information on the structures data model, go to https://nationalmap.gov/structures.html.

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) from The National Map (TNM) defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area, such as the Upper Mississippi River, will be composed of multiple smaller drainage areas, such as the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can further be subdivided into smaller and smaller drainage areas. The WBD uses six different levels in this hierarchy, with the smallest averaging about 30,000 acres. The WBD is made up of polygons nested into six levels of data respectively defined by Regions, Subregions, Basins, Subbasins, Watersheds, and Subwatersheds. For additional information on the WBD, go to https://nhd.usgs.gov/wbd.html. The USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) service is a companion dataset to the WBD. The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that encodes information about naturally occurring and constructed bodies of surface water (lakes, ponds, and reservoirs), paths through which water flows (canals, ditches, streams, and rivers), and related entities such as point features (springs, wells, stream gages, and dams). The information encoded about these features includes classification and other characteristics, delineation, geographic name, position and related measures, a "reach code" through which other information can be related to the NHD, and the direction of water flow. The network of reach codes delineating water and transported material flow allows users to trace movement in upstream and downstream directions. In addition to this geographic information, the dataset contains metadata that supports the exchange of future updates and improvements to the data. The NHD is available nationwide in two seamless datasets, one based on 1:24,000-scale maps and referred to as high resolution NHD, and the other based on 1:100,000-scale maps and referred to as medium resolution NHD. Additional selected areas in the United States are available based on larger scales, such as 1:5,000-scale or greater, and referred to as local resolution NHD. For more information on the NHD, go to https://nhd.usgs.gov/index.html. Hydrography data from The National Map supports many applications, such as making maps, geocoding observations, flow modeling, data maintenance, and stewardship. Hydrography data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, structures, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain WBD and NHD data in either Esri File or Personal Geodatabase, or Shapefile formats.

Lidar point cloud data with classifications – unclassified (1), ground (2), low vegetation (3), medium vegetation (4), high vegetation (5), buildings (6), low point - noise (7), reserved – model keypoint (8), high noise (18).

The USGS Map Indices service from The National Map (TNM) consists of 1x1 Degree, 30x60 Minute (100K), 15 Minute (63K), 7.5 Minute (24K), and 3.75 Minute grid polygons used in The National Map viewer for reference and to download data. At 1:24,000-scale (24K), the standard map size is 7.5 minutes of latitude by 7.5 minutes of longitude. At 1:100,000-scale (100K), the standard map size is 30 minutes of latitude by 60 minutes of longitude. The National Map viewer allows free download of public domain USGS map indices data in Esri File Geodatabase format.

This web map features a vector basemap of OpenStreetMap (OSM) data created and hosted by Esri. Esri produced this vector tile basemap in ArcGIS Pro from a live replica of OSM data, hosted by Esri, and rendered using a creative cartographic style emulating a blueprint technical drawing. The vector tiles are updated every few weeks with the latest OSM data. This vector basemap is freely available for any user or developer to build into their web map or web mapping apps.OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an open collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. Volunteers gather location data using GPS, local knowledge, and other free sources of information and upload it. The resulting free map can be viewed and downloaded from the OpenStreetMap site: www.OpenStreetMap.org. Esri is a supporter of the OSM project and is excited to make this new vector basemap available available to the OSM, GIS, and Developer communities.

This dataset contains both large (A0) printable maps of the Torres Strait broken into six overlapping regions, based on a clear sky, clear water composite Sentinel 2 composite imagery and the imagery used to create these maps. These maps show satellite imagery of the region, overlaid with reef and island boundaries and names. Not all features are named, just the more prominent features. This also includes a vector map of Ashmore Reef and Boot Reef in Coral Sea as these were used in the same discussions that these maps were developed for. The map of Ashmore Reef includes the atoll platform, reef boundaries and depth polygons for 5 m and 10 m.

This dataset contains all working files used in the development of these maps. This includes all a copy of all the source datasets and all derived satellite image tiles and QGIS files used to create the maps. This includes cloud free Sentinel 2 composite imagery of the Torres Strait region with alpha blended edges to allow the creation of a smooth high resolution basemap of the region.

The base imagery is similar to the older base imagery dataset: Torres Strait clear sky, clear water Landsat 5 satellite composite (NERP TE 13.1 eAtlas, AIMS, source: NASA).

Most of the imagery in the composite imagery from 2017 - 2021.


Method:
The Sentinel 2 basemap was produced by processing imagery from the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery dataset (01-data/World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery in the data download) for the Torres Strait region. The TrueColour imagery for the scenes covering the mapped area were downloaded. Both the reference 1 imagery (R1) and reference 2 imagery (R2) was copied for processing. R1 imagery contains the lowest noise, most cloud free imagery, while R2 contains the next best set of imagery. Both R1 and R2 are typically composite images from multiple dates.

The R2 images were selectively blended using manually created masks with the R1 images. This was done to get the best combination of both images and typically resulted in a reduction in some of the cloud artefacts in the R1 images. The mask creation and previewing of the blending was performed in Photoshop. The created masks were saved in 01-data/R2-R1-masks. To help with the blending of neighbouring images a feathered alpha channel was added to the imagery. The processing of the merging (using the masks) and the creation of the feathered borders on the images was performed using a Python script (src/local/03-merge-R2-R1-images.py) using the Pillow library and GDAL. The neighbouring image blending mask was created by applying a blurring of the original hard image mask. This allowed neighbouring image tiles to merge together.

The imagery and reference datasets (reef boundaries, EEZ) were loaded into QGIS for the creation of the printable maps.

To optimise the matching of the resulting map slight brightness adjustments were applied to each scene tile to match its neighbours. This was done in the setup of each image in QGIS. This adjustment was imperfect as each tile was made from a different combinations of days (to remove clouds) resulting in each scene having a different tonal gradients across the scene then its neighbours. Additionally Sentinel 2 has slight stripes (at 13 degrees off the vertical) due to the swath of each sensor having a slight sensitivity difference. This effect was uncorrected in this imagery.


Single merged composite GeoTiff:
The image tiles with alpha blended edges work well in QGIS, but not in ArcGIS Pro. To allow this imagery to be used across tools that don't support the alpha blending we merged and flattened the tiles into a single large GeoTiff with no alpha channel. This was done by rendering the map created in QGIS into a single large image. This was done in multiple steps to make the process manageable.

The rendered map was cut into twenty 1 x 1 degree georeferenced PNG images using the Atlas feature of QGIS. This process baked in the alpha blending across neighbouring Sentinel 2 scenes. The PNG images were then merged back into a large GeoTiff image using GDAL (via QGIS), removing the alpha channel. The brightness of the image was adjusted so that the darkest pixels in the image were 1, saving the value 0 for nodata masking and the boundary was clipped, using a polygon boundary, to trim off the outer feathering. The image was then optimised for performance by using internal tiling and adding overviews. A full breakdown of these steps is provided in the README.md in the 'Browse and download all data files' link.

The merged final image is available in export\TS_AIMS_Torres Strait-Sentinel-2_Composite.tif.


Source datasets:
Complete Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Island and Reef Feature boundaries including Torres Strait Version 1b (NESP TWQ 3.13, AIMS, TSRA, GBRMPA), https://eatlas.org.au/data/uuid/d2396b2c-68d4-4f4b-aab0-52f7bc4a81f5

Geoscience Australia (2014b), Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973 - Australian Maritime Boundaries 2014a - Geodatabase [Dataset]. Canberra, Australia: Author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [license]. Sourced on 12 July 2017, https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/5539DFE87D895

Basemap/AU_GA_AMB_2014a/Exclusive_Economic_Zone_AMB2014a_Limit.shp
The original data was obtained from GA (Geoscience Australia, 2014a). The Geodatabase was loaded in ArcMap. The Exclusive_Economic_Zone_AMB2014a_Limit layer was loaded and exported as a shapefile. Since this file was small no clipping was applied to the data.

Geoscience Australia (2014a), Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries (AMB) 2014a [Dataset]. Canberra, Australia: Author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [license]. Sourced on 12 July 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/5539E01878302
Basemap/AU_GA_Treaties-AMB_2014a/Papua_New_Guinea_TSPZ_AMB2014a_Limit.shp
The original data was obtained from GA (Geoscience Australia, 2014b). The Geodatabase was loaded in ArcMap. The Papua_New_Guinea_TSPZ_AMB2014a_Limit layer was loaded and exported as a shapefile. Since this file was small no clipping was applied to the data.

AIMS Coral Sea Features (2022) - DRAFT
This is a draft version of this dataset. The region for Ashmore and Boot reef was checked. The attributes in these datasets haven't been cleaned up. Note these files should not be considered finalised and are only suitable for maps around Ashmore Reef. Please source an updated version of this dataset for any other purpose.
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Names/Names.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Platform_adj/CS_Platform.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Reef_Boundaries_adj/CS_Reef_Boundaries.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Depth/CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features_Img_S2_R1_Depth5m_Coral-Sea.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Depth/CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features_Img_S2_R1_Depth10m_Coral-Sea.shp

Murray Island 20 Sept 2011 15cm SISP aerial imagery, Queensland Spatial Imagery Services Program, Department of Resources, Queensland
This is the high resolution imagery used to create the map of Mer.

World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery
The base image composites used in this dataset were based on an early version of Lawrey, E., Hammerton, M. (2024). Marine satellite imagery test collections (AIMS) [Data set]. eAtlas. https://doi.org/10.26274/zq26-a956. A snapshot of the code at the time this dataset was developed is made available in the 01-data/World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery folder of the download of this dataset.


Data Location:
This dataset is filed in the eAtlas enduring data repository at: data\custodian\2020-2029-AIMS\TS_AIMS_Torres-Strait-Sentinel-2-regional-maps. On the eAtlas server it is stored at eAtlas GeoServer\data\2020-2029-AIMS.


Change Log:
2025-05-12: Eric Lawrey
Added Torres-Strait-Region-Map-Masig-Ugar-Erub-45k-A0 and Torres-Strait-Eastern-Region-Map-Landscape-A0. These maps have a brighten satellite imagery to allow easier reading of writing on the maps. They also include markers for geo-referencing the maps for digitisation.

2025-02-04: Eric Lawrey
Fixed up the reference to the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery dataset, clarifying where the source that was used in this dataset. Added ORCID and RORs to the record.

2023-11-22: Eric Lawrey
Added the data and maps for close up of Mer.
- 01-data/TS_DNRM_Mer-aerial-imagery/
- preview/Torres-Strait-Mer-Map-Landscape-A0.jpeg
- exports/Torres-Strait-Mer-Map-Landscape-A0.pdf
Updated 02-Torres-Strait-regional-maps.qgz to include the layout for the new map.

2023-03-02: Eric Lawrey
Created a merged version of the satellite imagery, with no alpha blending so that it can be used in ArcGIS Pro. It is now a single large GeoTiff image. The Google Earth Engine source code for the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery was included to improve the reproducibility and provenance of the dataset, along with a calculation of the distribution of image dates that went into the final composite image. A WMS service for the imagery was also setup and linked to from the metadata. A cross reference to the older Torres Strait clear sky clear water Landsat composite imagery was also added to the record.

Layers of geospatial data include contours, boundaries, land cover, hydrography, roads, transportation, geographic names, structures, and other selected map features.