uSCS nauonal Map LluA8 nLu Lmployed ln

Carollna 8ays 8esearch

uemonsLraung lnLegrauon wlLh Clobal Mapper,
Coogle LarLh vlrLual Clobe & luslon 1ables

1he nauonal Map user Conference
uenver, CC May 12-13, 2011
Mlchael L. uavlas
michael@cintos.org
Contents Copyright 2011, Michael E. Davias
Google Earth Imagery presented under the Fair Use Doctrine of the US Copyright Act (section 107 of title 17)
Mashathon
uSCS nauonal Map LluA8 nLu Lmployed ln Carollna 8ays 8esearch
!
"#$%&'(%!
Aerlal phoLographs of Carollna bays Laken ln Lhe 1930's sparked research lnLo Lhelr geomorphology,
buL revealed only parL of Lhelr unlque planforms. ulglLal Llevauon Maps, creaLed ln Clobal Mapper
uslng LluA8-derlved daLa from Lhe uSCS's nauonal Map Server, accenLuaLe Lhe vlsual presenLauon
of Lhese shallow baslns. 1o supporL a geospaual survey, Lhe LluA8 maps were exporLed as kML-
!LC ule seLs for vlsuallzauon ln Coogle LarLh. 1he resulung caLalogue of Carollna bays meLadaLa ls
publlcally accesslble from a Coogle luslon 1able.

hoLo CourLesy of
Ceorge Poward
My thanks to those in attendance here, and to the USGS, for the opportunity to share
some of the USGS National Map facilities and resources we have applied in
researching Carolina bay landforms. We will also be demonstrating the integration of
LiDAR imagery with the Google Earth Virtual Globe.

















So, What is a Carolina bay? Until 80 years ago, they were simply a scattered collection
of swamps and lakes that represented challenges for local farmers and road builders.

This photograph displays numerous bays under different land uses. Due to their water
retention characteristics, the bays outlines are often easy to see.
MyrLle 8each, SC
lalrchlld Aerlal Surveys for Lhe Ccean loresL Company: Aerlal vlew Laken ln 1930 (12x8 km)
Since the bays were first visualized in aerial photography of Myrtle Beach in the 1930s,
their presence on the landscape has generated controversy as to their geomorphology.
Differing from simple parabolic dunes, these landforms universally exhibit a closed rim.
MyrLle 8each, SC
Here we take an original Fairchild Aerial Survey photograph and overlay it on the
Virtual Globe, and as we fade out, the current satellite imagery becomes visible.
Our goal is to capture multiple planform metrics using remote sensing.

MyrLle 8each, SC
Current USGS NED elevation data is of no use here: the best offered for Myrtle
Beach is 1/3 arc-second, and it looks like this. The original survey seems to be the
best!
CL lmagery (1999), SL. auls, nC
Here is another example of satellite imagery. While bays and their planforms are
visible, it is difficult and imprecise to trace the rims. We suggesL LhaL vlsual lmagery
reveals only a small parL of Lhelr unlque planforms.


CL lmagery (1999), SL. auls, nC
ulglLal elevauon maps creaLed wlLh Lodays Laser lmaglng and 8ange ueLecuon (LluA8) sysLems
accenLuaLes Lhelr already-sLunnlng vlsual presenLauon, allowlng for Lhe ldenucauon and
classlcauon of even greaLer quanuues of bays. 1hls lmagery uses hue saLurauon value (PSv)
shadlng. lllpplng back and fourLh, lL ls obvlous LhaL Lhere ls more here Lhan meeLs Lhe cameras eye.
CL lmagery WllmlngLon, nC
In a dense urban landscape, a bay in a park might be noticed
CL lmagery WllmlngLon, nC
but that would be overlooking the big elephant in the room.
LiDAR imagery to the rescue !

8esearch 8equlremenLs
CreaLe Comprehenslve CaLalogue of Carollna bay landforms
1rlangulauon neLwork requlres broad spaual dlsLrlbuuon of bays & allgnmenLs
lnLegraLe wlLh Coogle LarLh vlrLual Clobe
LyLon & arkhursL (1973) Carollna bay CrlenLauon - !ohnson (1942)
Our proposal suggests that straight lines on flat maps may not be the best way
to correlate these! instead, we shall apply our data onto a virtual globe.
1ools & 8esources
uSCS nauonal Map laclllLy
1/9 Arc-second nauonal Llevauon uaLa
rovldes several formaLs, we use Arc-Crld here
Clobal Mapper commerclal ClS program
Save as keyhole Markup language (kML) daLa le
Crldded as 0.23 x 0.23 self-descrlbed ocLanLs"
LxporLs Coogle LarLh kML
Coogle LarLh
AuLomaucally allgns Cur 1lles on vlrLual globe
Allows for capLure of planform geospaual meLrlcs
olnLs, Cverlays, Llne SegmenLs & olygons
Coogle luslon 1ables
Cloud 8ased Ceospaual 8eposlLory
ubllcally accesslble

1/9 arc second LluA8-derlved uaLa
uSCS nLu
Here is the spatial distribution LiDAR-derived data in the areas of interest
on the East Coast. We eagerly await similar data for other areas.
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - uaLa 8eLrleval
1he new uSCS nauonal Map vlewer ls a wonderful faclllLy.
LnLer ln lauLude, longlLude (or a name place) & search, here uslng 24k lndex

LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - uaLa 8eLrleval
Cllck on a deslred 24k segmenL and See avallable daLa". We use 4 of Lhese
Lo comprlse our baslc grlddlng elemenL, 32 ln LoLal for a 100k CuadranL.
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - uaLa 8eLrleval
! many options are presented. We are interested in Elevation data,
in ArcGrid format! others are GeoTIFF, GridFloat, BIL_16INT
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - uaLa 8eLrleval
! and select 1/9 arc second data, where available.
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - uaLa 8eLrleval
Add Lo Lhe carL and process, and an emall ls senL wlLh download llnks.
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - uaLa 8eLrleval
Cllck on Lhe llnk Lo lnluaLe Lhe download.
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - uaLa 8eLrleval
uSCS advlses download progress & sLaLus vla Lhls dynamlc web page.
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - Clobal Mapper
Here, we have loaded eight 24K Quad segments (downloaded as zip
files) into Global Mappers interface. We use high-gain Hue-Saturation-
Value (hsv) shading, driven by the elevation value at each pixel.

LluA8 Cenerauon rocess - Clobal Mapper
One of Global Mappers many tools is an elevation profile capability,
The 2 kilometer-wide bay has only 5 meters of rim relief! FL AT
LluA8 Cenerauon rocess
Once we have a scope of LiDAR data to define our Octant, we proceed
with the export of data in a form digestible by Google Earth: - KML
LluA8 lnLegrauon wlLh Coogle LarLh
The exported fie is opened in Google Earth, with the Image automatically
positioned on the virtual globe. The tree of increasingly detailed image tiles is
shown on the left.

LluA8 Cverlay kML ln Coogle LarLh
This LiDAR imagery covers 600 square km surrounding Rex, NC.
LluA8 Cverlay kML ln Coogle LarLh
As we zoom ln, we see Lhe lncreaslng deLall provlded by Lhe ullng Lree.
LluA8 Cverlay kML ln Coogle LarLh
1he crlsp planform vlewed here ls Lhe ArcheLype of bays ln Lhe Carollnas. 1hey are noL
pure ovals, as Lhey have one auened slde and a bullL-up rlm on Lhe SouLheasL end.
LluA8 Cverlay kML ln Coogle LarLh
Here is the same landscape seen in Google Earth imagery. Flipping
back and fourth, it is easy to see the value of LiDAR..

8lankeL ArufacLs - uaughLer 8ubbles
Now, lets look at some of the interesting planform features we have visualized
using these LiDAR maps. This juxtaposition of adjacent bays is what might be
termed daughter bubbles: small bays at the southeastern end of a large bay.!
lanform - uslng Coogle LarLh lmage Cverlay
An individual bays geospatial planform can be captured - here using an overlay
representing the central Carolina bay archetype . Default orientation is due north.
lanform Cverlay
The overlay is rotated and sized to the outline of the bays actual rim.
lanform Cverlay
The overlay is rotated and sized to the outline of the bays actual rim.
lanform Cverlay
Orientation of bays is tightly constrained in any give area. varlauons of Lhe overlay
are used elsewhere, modeled aer Lhe predomlnaLe planform ln Lhose locales.

lanform Cverlay
We note that there are tens of thousands of bays which are crisply
represented by this particular overlay. Cookie Cutter geomorphology.
lanform Cverlay
Spatial sizes vary considerably. Length/width ratio tightly constrained.
Cverlay LlemenL Copled from uCM
With a bit of fine tuning, a very snug fit is obtained, and the overlay appears in
the object directory. That object can be copied, as it is comprised of a series of
meta data elements in the kml text format.
kML MeLa uaLa ln Cverlay
<CroundCverlay>
<name>bay_80333</name>
<lcon>
<href>hup://clnLos.org/ge/overlays/bay_roLoLype.png</href>
<vlew8oundScale>0.73</vlew8oundScale>
</lcon>
<LaLLon8ox>
<norLh>34.63232148936107</norLh>
<souLh>34.61306906232364</souLh>
<easL>-79.37293237637467</easL>
<wesL>-79.38381679997867</wesL>
<roLauon>-133.2369396039304</roLauon>
</LaLLon8ox>
</CroundCverlay>
Pasting this in a text editor, we see the overlay information: The LatLonBoxs metrics
yields ( with a bit of trig ) the length of the major and minor axis and an estimate the bays
surface area. The rotation angle from due north documents the bays orientation.
Survey, bay-by-bay
The survey currently includes metrics from about 22,000 individual bays.
CrlLerla for ldenucauon as a Carollna 8ay
lound AmongsL Collecuon Cf Slmllar Landforms
LxhlblL A Closed Clrcumferal 8lm
SaLelllLe lmagery SupporLed 8y LluA8/uLM As A 8asln
lanform llLs ArcheLype lor Locale
There are some of our criteria for selecting a Carolina bay. They should not be
singularities in the area, their rims should be closed, or at least a significant hint that a
closed rim exists, if we are primarily using satellite imagery for selection, there should be
support by DEM data to insure it is a depression. And finally, it should conform to one of
our planform overlays, such as the ones shown here. Left is the Archetype; right is the
shape seen a bit further south in South Carolina and Georgia.
CrlLerla for ldenucauon as a Carollna 8ay
Douglas Johnson documented his version of these two bay types in his book The Origins of the Carolina
Bays, and we note them in the same general areas. Obviously there is a gently transformation from one
style to the other, as the bays are found to exists on a near-continuum across the region.
CrlLerla for ldenucauon as a Carollna 8ay
)*('+,!
nC, SC SC, CA
-.'/0%1!
13,000 3,300
2((,/%&3(3%1!
0.71 0.69
)*('+,!
nC, SC SC, CA CA, AL
-.'/0%1!
13,000 3,300 1000
2((,/%&3(3%1!
0.71 0.69 0.39
)*('+,!
Mu. uL, n! nC, SC SC, CA CA, AL
-.'/0%1!
2,000 13,000 3,300 1000
2((,/%&3(3%1!
0.39 0.71 0.69 0.39
)*('+,!
Mu, uL, n! nC, SC SC, CA CA, AL nebraska
-.'/0%1!
2,000 13,000 3,300 1000 300
2((,/%&3(3%1!
0.39 0.71 0.69 0.39 0.68
8oLh Lhese Lypes show a mean eccenLrlclLy of abouL 0.7. We lnLerpreL Lhe planforms of
bays ln oLher areas Lo also vary sllghLly. Cuanuues noLed below are from Lhe Survey.
ln Lhe norLhern areas of Lhe coasL we also see a squauer shape.. ln Ceorgla and furLher
wesL, we see an even fauer shape. llnally, ouL wesL ln nebraska, whlch has a shape
wlLh one auened slde, slmllar Lo Lhe easLern archeLype.
uSCS 100k Cuads for Survey (LasL CoasL)
Our survey encompasses these 100K Quads on the East Coast. Where 1/9 arc sec data available,
we have produced eight high resolution LiDAR overlay sets in each Octant. Elsewhere we have
produced 1/3 arc sec hsv shaded DEM/s,

SalnL Ceorge CuadranL & CcLanL Crld
Heres the Saint George USGS Quadrant in Google Earth, with our LiDAR tiled elevation map
overlays. Each survey segment encompasses a quarter degree grid- which we call an Octant, as
there are eight of them per USGS 100k Quadrant. We subdivide each octant into a 1000 x 1000 grid,
allowing us to uniquely name up to 10,000 bays in each Octant.
CcLanL 133323 Llevauon Cverlay 1lles
LiDAR & NED Overlay for Octant 1333323. Unique gridding name is comprised of 3-digit count of "
octants west of Prim Meridian (333) and 3-digit count of octants north of Equator (323). We subdivide
each octant into a 1000 x 1000 grid, allowing us to uniquely name up to 10,000 bays in each Octant.
CcLanL 133323 Llevauon Cverlay 1lles
Full Tile set is 5-levels deep, 1024x1024 pixels resolutions each. All jpg images hosted on our web site
using network download feature of Google Earth. A partial tile set with only 4 layers is also
generated , such that the HSV-shaded DEM drops out when below ~3km eye view altitude, and
satellite image can easily be contrasted with the DEM.
Searchlng for 8ays ln SalnL Ceorge 100k CcLanL
Lets look at this LiDAR from the Saint George USGS quadrant. We see the bays diminish as the
terrain become more complex. But heres a bay, in a smooth hill top setting.
ueLall of 8ay [ 94m AMSL
LiDAR gives a good visualization of a bay landform.
ueLall of 8ay [ 94m AMSL
Using our overlay tools, we measure the bay and annotate it .
ueLall of 8ay [ 94m AMSL
Visualized In LiDAR
ueLall of 8ay [ 94m AMSL
Visualized in Google Earth Historical Satellite Imagery (1994)
Coogle luslon 1able
Our collection of fitted bay overlays are programmatically processed into table entries which are placed in an on-
line Google Fusion Table. Our goal is to catalogue 50,000 unique bays.
luslon 1able Search - 8ays Above 80 m
The data in the Fusion Table can be queried with this GUI, or through an API using SQL statements.
Here we retrieve all bays existing at over 80 m and under 400 m in elevation
luslon 1able Search - 8ays Above 80 m
We select Visualize>Map
uslng luslon 1ables Map vlsuallzauon
Fusion Table; elevation > 80m http://google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?snapid=166010
"45)! 6(*/! -%1!
80 Lo 100 618
100 Lo 120 437
120 Lo 140 218
140 Lo 160 93
Above 160 123
And we get a nice map of the selected bay data. We have edited the icon styles to correspond to 20 meter ranges
of elevation, as shown in the legend.
uslng luslon Map vlsuallzauon
Instead of the map view, we can select Satellite in the upper right! The Fusion facility will only show
500 total placemarks at a time to keep from cluttering the view, but as you zoom in..
uslng luslon Map vlsuallzauon
As you zoom in, The individual placemarks become resolved.

uslng luslon Map vlsuallzauon
As you zoom in, The individual placemarks become resolved.

uslng luslon Map vlsuallzauon
Zoomed in on a single bays placemark
uslng luslon Map vlsuallzauon
Selecting the placemark, we get a popup with the bay metrics displayed; bay is at 119.76 meters, a
value provided by the USGS through a web query during our processing of this bays overlay. We can
retrieve the overlay for viewing in Google Earth by clocking the link in the balloon. Note that we are still
in the web browser window here, simply working with the Fusion Table map visualization feature.
Loaded 8ay Cverlay lnLo Coogle LarLh
By selecting the link and opening the downloaded kml file, , we switch to the Google Earth
application and are brought to the bays location on the virtual globe, with the overlay in
place as we had positioned it during the survey capture. Historic Imagery view 2/7/1994
Loaded 8ay Cverlay lnLo Coogle LarLh
LiDAR View
8ay Slzes LxhlblL Log-normal ulsLrlbuuon
On your left is a histogram of sizes of the ~20,000 bays in the survey , exhibiting a classic log normal
distribution. Contrasted on the right is the log-normal distribution of bays found above 80 m in five
ranges.
8ay CrlenLauon SysLemauc by LauLude & LonglLude
Graph showing the relationship between the average measured Eastern Bay bearing by Octant
number, which are based on Latitude (most significant 3 digits) & Longitude (least significant 3 digits.
Summary
8eLrleved LluA8 elevauon daLa from uSCS nauonal Map vlewer
CeneraLed ~ 70 100k CuadranL 1/3 arc-second PSv-shaded Llevauon Maps wlLh Clobal Mapper
CeneraLed ~400 0.23 x 0.23 LluA8-resoluuon PSv-shaded Llevauon Maps wlLh Clobal Mapper
lnLegraLed LluA8 uLM lmages lnLo Coogle LarLh
ldenued and uocumenLed ~ 22,000 lndlvldual 8ays
CapLured lndlvldual bay MeLrlcs
Locauon
Ma[or & Mlnor Axls: ylelds Area & LccenLrlclLy
CrlenLauon
Llevauon
Ceneral lanform
CreaLed on-llne Ceospaual uaLabase ln luslon 1ables
ubllcally Accesslble (read only)
vlsuallzed ln Map-based faclllLy
Cbservauons
8ays exhlblL ughLly consLralned planform shapes
8ays exhlblL log-normal slze dlsLrlbuuon
8ays above 80m AMSL show slmllar meLrlcs Lo Lhose on plaln
Survey ls 8emoLe Senslng 8ased Cnly
Cround-proong eorLs are non-exlsLenL
?
Abstract Geological Image category winner, GSA 2010 Meetings Photography Exhibition.