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These data are part of a larger USGS project to develop an updated geospatial database of mines, mineral deposits and mineral regions in the United States. Mine and prospect-related symbols, such as those used to represent prospect pits, mines, adits, dumps, tailings, etc., hereafter referred to as “mine” symbols or features, are currently being digitized on a state-by-state basis from the 7.5-minute (1:24,000-scale) and the 15-minute (1:48,000 and 1:62,500-scale) archive of the USGS Historical Topographic Maps Collection, or acquired from available databases (California and Nevada, 1:24,000-scale only). Compilation of these features is the first phase in capturing accurate locations and general information about features related to mineral resource exploration and extraction across the U.S. To date, the compilation of 500,000-plus point and polygon mine symbols from approximately 67,000 maps of 22 western states has been completed: Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Idaho (ID), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Louisiana (LA), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), North Dakota (ND), Nebraska (NE), New Mexico (NM), Nevada (NV), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), South Dakota (SD), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Washington (WA), and Wyoming (WY). The process renders not only a more complete picture of exploration and mining in the western U.S., but an approximate time line of when these activities occurred. The data may be used for land use planning, assessing abandoned mine lands and mine-related environmental impacts, assessing the value of mineral resources from Federal, State and private lands, and mapping mineralized areas and systems for input into the land management process. The data are presented as three groups of layers based on the scale of the source maps. No reconciliation between the data groups was done.

Modeling and mapping of coastal processes (e.g. tsunamis, hurricane storm-surge, and sea-level rise) requires digital representations of Earth's solid surface, referred to as digital elevation models (DEMs). Some modeling utilizes structured, square-cell DEMs, while others utilize unstructured grids that have no regular cell size or pattern. Usually, these different DEM types are developed independently, even though they are built from the same source bathymetric and topographic datasets. The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has developed two bathymetric-topographic square-celled DEMs and one bathymetric-topographic unstructured DEM of southern Louisiana. The DEMs were developed for the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project (HFIP), with the purpose of developing a new methodology for unstructured grid production from structured square-celled grids. The 1/3 arc-second DEM referenced to North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) was carefully developed and evaluated. A NAVD 88 to mean high water (MHW) 1/3 arc-second conversion grid derived from VDatum project areas was created to model the relationship between NAVD 88 and MHW in the southern Louisiana region. NGDC combined the NAVD 88 DEM and the conversion grid to develop a 1/3 arc-second MHW DEM. The NAVD 88 DEM was generated from diverse digital datasets in the region. The DEMs were developed to be used for storm surge inundation and sea level rise modeling. The source bathymetric and topographic datasets used in the development of the NAVD 88 DEM were utilized along with the NAVD 88 DEM and derivative grids to develop the NAVD 88 unstructured DEM.

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 ...

Version 10.0 (Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico added) of these data are part of a larger U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project to develop an updated geospatial database of mines, mineral deposits, and mineral regions in the United States. Mine and prospect-related symbols, such as those used to represent prospect pits, mines, adits, dumps, tailings, etc., hereafter referred to as “mine” symbols or features, have been digitized from the 7.5-minute (1:24,000, 1:25,000-scale; and 1:10,000, 1:20,000 and 1:30,000-scale in Puerto Rico only) and the 15-minute (1:48,000 and 1:62,500-scale; 1:63,360-scale in Alaska only) archive of the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (HTMC), or acquired from available databases (California and Nevada, 1:24,000-scale only). Compilation of these features is the first phase in capturing accurate locations and general information about features related to mineral resource exploration and extraction across the U.S. The compilation of 725,690 point and polygon mine symbols from approximately 106,350 maps across 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (PR) and the District of Columbia (DC) has been completed: Alabama (AL), Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM), New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), South Dakota (SD), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA), Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), and Wyoming (WY). The process renders not only a more complete picture of exploration and mining in the U.S., but an approximate timeline of when these activities occurred. These data may be used for land use planning, assessing abandoned mine lands and mine-related environmental impacts, assessing the value of mineral resources from Federal, State and private lands, and mapping mineralized areas and systems for input into the land management process. These data are presented as three groups of layers based on the scale of the source maps. No reconciliation between the data groups was done.Datasets were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center (GGGSC). Compilation work was completed by USGS National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) interns: Emma L. Boardman-Larson, Grayce M. Gibbs, William R. Gnesda, Montana E. Hauke, Jacob D. Melendez, Amanda L. Ringer, and Alex J. Schwarz; USGS student contractors: Margaret B. Hammond, Germán Schmeda, Patrick C. Scott, Tyler Reyes, Morgan Mullins, Thomas Carroll, Margaret Brantley, and Logan Barrett; and by USGS personnel Virgil S. Alfred, Damon Bickerstaff, E.G. Boyce, Madelyn E. Eysel, Stuart A. Giles, Autumn L. Helfrich, Alan A. Hurlbert, Cheryl L. Novakovich, Sophia J. Pinter, and Andrew F. Smith.USMIN project website: https://www.usgs.gov/USMIN

ASCII XYZ point cloud data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

This dataset is the bathymetry Digital Elevation Model for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast including most or portions of the southeastern parishes of Louisiana, the coastal counties of Mississippi and Alabama, and the western counties of the Florida panhandle. The dataset includes offshore data extending, in some places, to a distance of ~200 km from the coast.NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) is building high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for select U.S. coastal regions in the Gulf of Mexico. These integrated bathymetric-topographic DEMs were developed for NOAA Coastal Survey Development Laboratory (CSDL) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to evaluate the utility of the Vertical Datum Transformation tool (VDatum), developed jointly by NOAA's Office of Coast Survey (OCS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS), and Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS).Bathymetric, topographic, and shoreline data used in DEM compilation are obtained from various sources, including NGDC, the U.S. Coastal Services Center (CSC), the U.S. Office of Coast Survey (OCS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and other federal, state, and local government agencies, academic institutions, and private companies.DEMs are referenced to the vertical tidal datum of North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (MHW), Mean High Water (MHW) or Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) and horizontal datum of North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). Cell size ranges from 1/3 arc-second (~10 meters) to 1 arc-second (~30 meters). The NOAA VDatum DEM Project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (http://www.recovery.gov/).The horizontal accuracy of bathymetric and topographic features in the DEM is dependent upon the accuracy of the input datasets used to determine corresponding cell values. Topography: 10 meters due to cell size. Lidar: less than 5 meters. DEM cell-value relative-contribution factors: Louisiana Lidar, Mississippi Lidar, CSC Lidar: 100, Mississippi Merged Lidar: 80, Digitzed features: 1, Bathymetry: 5 to several tens of meters. Positional accuracy of input bathymetric datasets limits accuracy of corresponding cell values in DEM. CSC Lidar: 0.75 meters. Early 20th-century NOS hydrographic soundings are limited by sparseness of deep-water soundings, and potentially large position accuracy of pre-satellite (i.e., GPS) navigation: tens to several tens of meters. Morphologic change in inland rivers and along the coast also degrades the positional accuracy of DEM features. DEM cell-value relative-contribution factors: CSC Coastal Lidar: 100, USACE hydrographic survey data: 5, NOS hydrographic soundings: 5, Digitized features: 1.The vertical accuracy of bathymetric and topographic features in the DEM is dependent upon the accuracy of the input datasets used to determine corresponding cell values. Topography: 1 to 16 meters. Vertical accuracy of input topographic datasets limits accuracy of corresponding cells in DEM. Lidar: less than 1 meter. DEM cell relative-contribution factors: Louisiana Lidar, Mississippi Lidar, CSC Lidar: 100, Digitized features: 10. Bathymetry: 0.1 meters to 5% of water depth. Vertical accuracy of input bathymetric datasets limits accuracy of corresponding cells in DEM. Early 20th-century NOS hydrographic soundings are limited by sparseness of deep-water soundings, and potentially large position accuracy of pre-satellite (i.e., GPS) navigation: several meters. DEM cell relative-contribution factors: CSC Coastal Lidar: 100, USACE hydrographic survey data: 5, NOS hydrographic soundings: 5, Digitized features: 1. Gridding interpolation to determine cell values between sparse NOS hydrographic soundings in deep water degrades the vertical accuracy of deep-water elevations.

A first-surface elevation map was produced cooperatively from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), a scanning lidar system that measures high-resolution topography of the land surface. The ATM system is deployed on a Twin Otter or P-3 Orion aircraft and incorporates a green-wavelength laser operating at pulse rates of 2 to 10 kilohertz. Measurements from the laser-ranging device are coupled with data acquired from inertial navigation system (INS) attitude sensors and differentially corrected global positioning system (GPS) receivers to measure topography of the surface at accuracies of +/-15 centimeters.

For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .

These data were created as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management's efforts to create an online mapping viewer called the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer. It depicts potential sea level rise and its associated impacts on the nation's coastal areas. The purpose of the mapping viewer is to provide coastal managers and scientists with a preliminary look at sea level rise and coastal flooding impacts. The viewer is a screening-level tool that uses nationally consistent data sets and analyses. Data and maps provided can be used at several scales to help gauge trends and prioritize actions for different scenarios. The Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer may be accessed at: https://coast.noaa.gov/slr. This metadata record describes the Louisiana Central East digital elevation model (DEM), which is a part of a series of DEMs produced for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management's Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer described above. This DEM includes the best available lidar known to exist at the time of DEM creation that met project specifications. This DEM includes data for Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, Lafourche, St. James, Terrebonne, and West Baton Rouge Parishes. The DEM was produced from the following lidar data sets: 1. 2017 Upper Delta Plain LA Lidar 2. 2015 South Terrebonne Lidar 3. 2012 - 2013 USGS Louisiana Lidar: Atchafalaya Basin 4. 2013 USGS Louisiana Barataria Lidar 5. 2006 LA Statewide Lidar The DEM is referenced vertically to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88, Geoid12B) with vertical units of meters and horizontally to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). The resolution of the DEM is approximately 3 meters.

Citation: Horton, John D., and San Juan, Carma A., 2019, Prospect- and Mine-Related Features from U.S. Geological Survey 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Maps of the United States (ver. 4.0, November 2019): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F78W3CHG.Version 4.0 of these data are part of a larger USGS project to develop an updated geospatial database of mines, mineral deposits and mineral regions in the United States. Mine and prospect-related symbols, such as those used to represent prospect pits, mines, adits, dumps, tailings, etc., hereafter referred to as “mine” symbols or features, are currently being digitized on a state-by-state basis from the 7.5-minute (1:24,000-scale) and the 15-minute (1:48,000 and 1:62,500-scale) archive of the USGS Historical Topographic Maps Collection, or acquired from available databases (California and Nevada, 1:24,000-scale only). Compilation of these features is the first phase in capturing accurate locations and general information about features related to mineral resource exploration and extraction across the U.S. To date, the compilation of 637,000-plus point and polygon mine symbols from approximately 88,000 maps across 35 states has been completed: Alabama (AL), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Idaho (ID), Iowa (IA), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Nebraska (NE), New Mexico (NM), Nevada (NV), Oklahoma (OK), Ohio (OH), Oregon (OR), South Carolina (SC), South Dakota (SD), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Washington (WA), Wisconsin (WI), and Wyoming (WY). The process renders not only a more complete picture of exploration and mining in the U.S., but an approximate time line of when these activities occurred. The data may be used for land use planning, assessing abandoned mine lands and mine-related environmental impacts, assessing the value of mineral resources from Federal, State and private lands, and mapping mineralized areas and systems for input into the land management process. The data are presented as three groups of layers based on the scale of the source maps. No reconciliation between the data groups was done. Datasets were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center (GGGSC). Compilation work was completed by USGS student contractors: Germán Schmeda, Patrick C. Scott, William Gnesda, Margaret Hammond, Tyler Reyes, Morgan Mullins, Thomas Carroll, Margaret Brantley, and Logan Barrett; and by USGS personnel Damon Bickerstaff, Stuart A. Giles and E.G. Boyce. First release: August 4, 2016 Revised: December 1, 2017 (ver. 1.0) Revised: April 30, 2018 (ver. 2.0) Revised: April 10, 2019 (ver. 3.0) Revised: November 25, 2019 (ver.4.0)

1950 Digitized Shoreline for Breton Island, Louisiana (Geographic, NAD83) consists of vector shoreline data that were derived from a set of National Ocean Service (NOS) raster shoreline maps (often called T-sheet or TP-sheet maps) created for Breton Island in 1950. In 2002, NOAA published digitized shorelines for T-sheet (T-9393), which were subsequently edited by USGS staff for input into the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) Version 4.0, where area and shoreline change analyses could be conducted.

A digital elevation model (DEM) of a portion of the Central Wetlands, Louisiana was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area on March 4 and 5, 2010, using the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of +/-15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development. The Central Wetlands data provided represent the last return pulses and were processed and filtered for bare-earth topography. The difference in water levels between data collections on March 4 and 5 resulted in elevation variations in the merged data.

The Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program was developed by Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and is implemented as a component of the System Wide Assessment and Monitoring (SWAMP) program. The program uses both historical data and contemporary data collections to assess and monitor changes in the aerial and subaqueous extent of islands, habitat types, sediment texture and geotechnical properties, environmental processes, and vegetation composition. Examples of BICM datasets include still and video aerial photography for documenting shoreline changes, shoreline positions, habitat mapping, land change analyses, light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys for topographic elevations, single-beam and swath bathymetry, and sediment grab samples. For more information about the BICM program, see Kindinger and others (2013). The U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center provides support to the BICM program through the development of habitat map products using aerial imagery and lidar elevation data and assessing change in habitats over time. These data provide a snapshot of barrier island habitats and can be combined with other past and/or future maps to monitor these valuable natural resources over time. The current effort of this habitat mapping program includes developing habitat maps for 2008 and 2015-2016 for the following BICM regions: 1) West Chenier, 2) East Chenier; 3) Acadiana Bays (only Marsh Island); 4) Early Lafourche Delta; 5) Late Lafourche Delta; 6) Modern Delta (only Chaland Headland and Shell Island); and 7) Chandeleur Islands. Additionally, a habitat change analysis will be conducted for reaches mapped in 2005 by Fearnley et al. (2009) and 2015-2016. The BICM program has developed two habitat classification schemes which include a detailed 15-class habitat scheme and a general eight-class habitat scheme. The detailed scheme was developed specifically for this habitat mapping effort and builds off the general scheme used in previous BICM habitat mapping efforts (Fearnley and others, 2009). The additional classes developed in the detailed scheme are primarily used to further delineate various dune habitats, separate marsh and mangrove, and distinguish between beach and unvegetated barrier flat habitats. To ensure comparability between this effort and previous BICM map products, we have crosswalked the detailed classes to general habitat classes previously used by Fearnley and others (2009).

The Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program was developed by Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and is implemented as a component of the System Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP). The program uses both historical data and contemporary data collections to assess and monitor changes in the aerial and subaqueous extent of islands, habitat types, sediment texture and geotechnical properties, environmental processes, and vegetation composition. Examples of BICM datasets include still and video aerial photography for documenting shoreline changes, shoreline positions, habitat mapping, land change analyses, light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys for topographic elevations, single-beam and swath bathymetry, and sediment grab samples. For more information about the BICM program, see Kindinger and others (2013). The U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center provides support to the BICM program through the development of habitat map products using aerial imagery and lidar elevation data and assessing change in habitats over time. These data provide a snapshot of barrier island habitats and can be combined with other past and/or future maps to monitor these valuable natural resources over time. The current effort of this habitat mapping program includes developing habitat maps for 2008 and 2015-2016 for the following BICM regions: 1) West Chenier; 2) East Chenier; 3) Acadiana Bays (only Marsh Island); 4) Early Lafourche Delta; 5) Late Lafourche Delta; 6) Modern Delta (only Chaland Headland and Shell Island); and 7) Chandeleur Islands. Additionally, a habitat change analysis will be conducted comparing reaches mapped in 2008 and 2015-2016. The BICM program has developed two habitat classification schemes which include a detailed 15-class habitat scheme and a general eight-class habitat scheme. The detailed scheme was developed specifically for this habitat mapping effort and builds off the general scheme used in previous BICM habitat mapping efforts (Fearnley and others, 2009). The additional classes developed in the detailed scheme are primarily used to further delineate various dune habitats, separate marsh and mangrove, and distinguish between beach and unvegetated barrier flat habitats. To ensure comparability between this effort and previous BICM map products, we have crosswalked the detailed classes to general habitat classes previously used by Fearnley and others (2009).

ASCII XYZ point cloud data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over some of the eastern Louisiana barrier islands in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), using the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 60 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

The Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program was developed by Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and is implemented as a component of the System Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP). The program uses both historical data and contemporary data collections to assess and monitor changes in the aerial and subaqueous extent of islands, habitat types, sediment texture and geotechnical properties, environmental processes, and vegetation composition. Examples of BICM datasets include still and video aerial photography for documenting shoreline changes, shoreline positions, habitat mapping, land change analyses, light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys for topographic elevations, single-beam and swath bathymetry, and sediment grab samples. For more information about the BICM program, see Kindinger and others (2013). The U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center provides support to the BICM program through the development of habitat map products using aerial imagery and lidar elevation data and assessing change in habitats over time. These data provide a snapshot of barrier island habitats and can be combined with other past and/or future maps to monitor these valuable natural resources over time. The current effort of this habitat mapping program includes developing habitat maps for 2008 and 2015-2016 for the following BICM regions: 1) West Chenier; 2) East Chenier; 3) Acadiana Bays (only Marsh Island); 4) Early Lafourche Delta; 5) Late Lafourche Delta; 6) Modern Delta (only Chaland Headland and Shell Island); and 7) Chandeleur Islands. Additionally, a habitat change analysis will be conducted comparing reaches mapped in 2008 and 2015-2016. The BICM program has developed two habitat classification schemes which include a detailed 15-class habitat scheme and a general eight-class habitat scheme. The detailed scheme was developed specifically for this habitat mapping effort and builds off the general scheme used in previous BICM habitat mapping efforts (Fearnley and others, 2009). The additional classes developed in the detailed scheme are primarily used to further delineate various dune habitats, separate marsh and mangrove, and distinguish between beach and unvegetated barrier flat habitats. To ensure comparability between this effort and previous BICM map products, we have crosswalked the detailed classes to general habitat classes previously used by Fearnley and others (2009).

Shorelines were derived from a U.S. Geological Survey topographic lidar survey that was conducted on January 16-18, 2014 over Breton Island, Louisiana and released under USGS field activity number 14LGC01. Quantum Spatial was contracted by the USGS to collect and process these data. This dataset contains vectorized shorelines created from data acquired from Breton Island, Louisiana. Shorelines were vectorized in ArcMap 10.2.2 so they could be used for area and shoreline change analysis, using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 4.0.

A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) mosaic was data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over some of the eastern Louisiana barrier islands in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), using the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 60 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

This shapefile was produced from 52 2-kilometer by 2-kilometer tile extents of remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 55 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 0.5 - 1.6 meters. The nominal vertical elevation accuracy expressed as the root mean square error (RMSE) is 15 centimeters. A peak sampling rate of 15 - 30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

A digital elevation model (DEM) of a portion of the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area on February 28, March 1, and March 5, 2010, using the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of +/-15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development. The data provided represent the last return pulses and were processed and filtered for bare-earth topography. However, in low-lying and emerging vegetation environments, bare-earth topography is not necessarily discernible from the last-return pulses. The difference in water levels between data collections on February 28, March 1, and March 5 resulted in elevation variations in the merged data.