NOS Hydrographic Survey Data

A map service showing the location and coverage of National Ocean Service (NOS) Hydrographic Surveys. The NOS Hydrographic Database (NOSHDB) and Hydrographic Survey Metadata Database (HSMDB), both maintained by NOS and NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), provide extensive survey coverage and ISO metadata of the coastal waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the United States and its territories. The NOSHDB contains digitized data from smooth sheets of hydrographic surveys completed between 1837 and 1965, and from survey data acquired digitally on NOS survey vessels since 1965. Data products from NOS surveys, including Bathymetric Attributed Grid (BAG) files, Descriptive Reports, smooth sheet images, survey data images, textual gridded data, and geo-referenced sidescan sonar mosaics, ISO metadata, and survey statistics are available for download from NCEI.

This service is available as a dynamic map service and a tiled map service. The tiled map service draws faster, and is visible from global scales, to zoom level 9 (approx. 1:1,200,000 scale).

Please see the corresponding NOS Bathymetric Attributed Grid (BAG) shaded relief visualization image service (NOAA GeoPlatform entry). Or view it in a combined map with both shaded relief and survey polygons.

Layers available in the map service:

• Layer 0: Surveys with BAGs available (Bathymetric Attributed Grids).
• Layer 1: Surveys with digital sounding data available for download (including those with BAGs).
• Layer 2 (hidden by default): Surveys without digital sounding data available for download.The NCEI Bathymetric Data Viewer (NOAA GeoPlatform entry) can be used to search and display these data.
  
  For more information about NOS Hydrographic Survey data available at NCEI, please see: http://ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/bathymetry/hydro.html.
  
  Also see the NOS Seabed Descriptions from Hydrographic Surveys Map Service.
  
  ISO metadata for NOS Hydrographic Survey Collection