Data Visualization

Tidal-corrected data should be edited using GIS software and uploaded to a central location which can be shared with your stakeholders. This allows you to provide data to participants in the format that best fits their needs. KML files are typically too large to easily manage. If a participant does not have a particular format in mind, suggest providing .shp files, which can be visualized in QGIS using the instructions provided on the QGIS: Data visualization page.

ArcGIS: Editing tide-corrected CSB data

For Trusted Nodes that have access to ESRI software licenses, tide-corrected CSB data can be edited and visualized using ArcGIS Pro.

1.      Launch ArcGIS Pro and select 'Map' under New Project. Create a name and select a location to save your project.

2.      Under the Insert tab click 'Add Folder' and select the folder where you set Pydro to output tide corrected data.

3.      In the Catalog pane, click on the Folders dropdown, open the folder you just connected and locate the GeoPackage (.gpkg) that contains the tide corrected shapefile (main.csb_final_points). Click and drag the main.csb_final_points file over the base map to add it as a map layer.

4.      In the Contents pane, right click on the main.csb_final_points layer, click on the Data dropdown menu and select 'Export Features.'

5.      When the Export Features box appears, enter an appropriate name for the Output Feature Class, and click 'OK'.

6.      In the Contents pane, right click on the feature layer you just created and click on 'Attribute Table.'

7.      The attribute table should contain the following columns: lat, lon, depth, time, and platform_name.

You are now ready to generate shapefiles of CSB data to share with participants.

ArcGIS: Generating CSB data shapefiles

This section provides instructions on how to export shapefiles of CSB data for specific participants, or for upload to an ArcGIS Online CSB Data Portal.

If your shapefile contains data from multiple participants, you will need to apply a selection query to create individual layers for each participant's data.

  1. While the CSB map layer is selected, navigate to the Selection section under the Map tab and click on 'Select By Attributes.' Set the Selection Type to New selection and set the clauses to: "Where platform_name is equal to [participant name]." If a participant has data from more than one vessel, add additional clauses using the 'Or' operator until all data for that participant are included in the selection. Click 'OK' to apply your selection. 

    image.png

  2. Right click on the CSB map layer and under the Selection dropdown choose 'Make Layer From Selected Features.' Give the new layer an appropriate name to identify the participant and date range of the data.

    image.png

  3. You will need to convert this new feature class layer into a shapefile that can be sent to the participant. In the Geoprocessing pane, search for the 'Feature Class to Shapefile' tool. Add the layer you want to convert to Input Features and select an Output Folder. Click 'Run.'

    image.png

You now have a shapefile of tide-corrected CSB data that can be zipped and sent to an individual participant or uploaded to an ArcGIS Online portal. 

QGIS: Editing tide-corrected CSB data

For Trusted Nodes that prefer to use free and open-source GIS software, the following section describes how to edit tide-corrected CSB data using QGIS, and how to export shapefiles of data that can be shared with program participants.

  1. Launch QGIS and select New under the Project tab to create a new project.

    image.png

  2. Click the Save icon to name the project and save it in an appropriate location.

    image.png

  3. Under the Layer tab, click on Add Layer and select Add Vector Layer from the drop-down menu.

    image.png

  4. In the Source / Vector Dataset box, navigate to the .gpkg of tide-corrected data that was output by Pydro. Click Add to import the data to the project.

    image.png

  5. Right click on the vector layer and select Open Attribute Table.

    image.png

  6. The table should contain the columns: lat, lon, time, depth, and platform_name.

    image.png

    If your shapefile contains data from multiple participants, you will need to apply a selection query to create individual layers for each participant's data.

  7. Select the CSB vector layer and click on the Select Features by Value icon. To select all data points from an individual participant, enter an appropriate term into the platform_name box, and set the filter to Contains. Click on Select Features to apply the selection.

    image.png

    image.png

  8. A banner at the bottom left of the window should read out how many points were included in the selection.

    image.png

  9. Right click on the vector layer and under the Export drop-down menu, select Save Feature As.

    image.png

  10. Select ESRI Shapefile as the Format and add an appropriate file name and location. Make sure to check the box to Save only selected features. Click OK to save.

    image.png

You now have a shapefile of tide-corrected CSB data that can be zipped and sent to an individual participant.

QGIS: Data visualization

Motivation

Some crowdsourced bathymetry participants may have a clear idea of how they intend to use the depth soundings they've collected and what data format best suits that purpose. Others may benefit from a simple tutorial on how to visualize their data using a free, open-source software (QGIS).

This will allow the Trusted Node to return data to participants in the .shp file format and ensure that participants can easily visualize their contributions to the program. This option may be particularly valuable to newly established Trusted Nodes that have not yet constructed an ArcGIS Hub site (e.g., Crowd the Bay) or similar platform for public CSB data access.

Tutorial
  1. You will first need to download QGIS. (If needed, installation instructions are available here).
  2. Launch QGIS. Click on the Project tab and select 'New' to open a blank map. Make sure to save your project with an appropriate name.

    image.png

  3. Click on the Plugins tab and select 'Manage and Install Plugins.'

    image.png

  4. Search for and install the QuickMapServices plugin.

    image.png

  5. Under the Web tab, select QuickMapServices and click on 'Search QMS.'

    image.png

  6. Search for ESRI Satellite (ArcGIS/World_Imagery) and click 'Add.'

    image.png

  7. Under the View tab, click Panels and turn on the 'Layers' option.

    image.png

  8. In the Layers panel, check the box for ESRI Satellite (ArcGIS/World_Imagery) to turn it on.

    image.png

  9. Under the Layer tab, click Add Layer and select 'Add Vector Layer.'

    image.png

  10. In the Source box, enter the path to the tide-corrected CSB .shp file you wish to visualize, and click 'Add.'

    image.png

  11. In the Layers panel, right click on the layer you just added, and select 'Properties.'

    image.png

  12. In the Symbology window, set the symbol type to Graduated, Value to depth, Color ramp to YlGnBu (and inverted), and set the classification Mode, Values, and Legend to best suit the range and distribution of your dataset. Click 'Apply' to confirm changes.

    image.png

    image.png

  13. Click on the Symbol icon to adjust symbol settings. Set the Size to 1 and the Stroke color to transparent. Click 'OK' to apply changes.

    image.png

You should now have a well-symbolized, tide-corrected CSB data layer to work with.

image.png

If you're feeling tech-savvy and interested in overlaying CSB data onto a NOAA Electronic Navigational Chart for comparison, you can locate and download the appropriate charts here and follow these instructions to display them in QGIS.