U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) scientists conducted field data collection efforts during the week of April 8th - 14th, 2018, using a combination of remote sensing technologies to map riverbank and wetland topography and vegetation at four sites in the Chesapeake Bay Region of Virginia. The four sites are located along the James, Severn, and York Rivers. The work was initiated to evaluate the utility of different remote sensing technologies in mapping river bluff and wetland topography and vegetation for change detection and sediment transport modeling. The USGS team collected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), total station, and ground based lidar (GBL) data while the VIMS team collected aerial imagery using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). This data release contains shapefiles of the processed GNSS and total station data, point clouds in the form of lidar data exchange (las) files from the ground lidar data and aerial imagery produced via Structure from Motion (SfM).

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) scientists conducted field data collection efforts during June 11th - 16th, 2020, using a combination of remote sensing technologies to map riverbank and wetland topography and vegetation at five sites in the Chesapeake Bay Region of Virginia. The five sites are located along the James, Severn, and York Rivers. The work was initiated to evaluate the utility of different remote sensing technologies in mapping river bluff and wetland topography and vegetation for change detection and sediment transport modeling. The USGS team collected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), total station, and ground based lidar (GBL) data while the VIMS team collected aerial imagery using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). This data release contains shapefiles of the processed GNSS and total station data, point clouds in the form of lidar data exchange (las) files from the ground lidar data and aerial imagery produced via Structure from Motion (SfM).

The Chesapeake Bay Estuary is the largest estuary in the United States and provides habitats for diverse wildlife and aquatic species, protects communities against flooding, reduces pollution to waterways, and supports local economies through commercial and recreational activities. In the Spring of 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) initiated collaborative work. The goal of this collaboration is to evaluate how various remote sensing technologies can be employed to model estuarine riverbank topography and measure volumetric change in riverbanks for downstream sediment transport modeling for Chesapeake Bay. Additional science interests for this USGS CoNED and VIMS CCRM collaboration include understanding the spatial extent and variation within tidal wetland boundaries, comparing microtopographic changes of protected/stabilized living shorelines versus natural shorelines, and examining riverine and estuarine land/water interface transitions between topography and bathymetry. The remote sensing technologies investigated in this collaboration include airborne lidar, ground based lidar (GBL), Structure from Motion (SfM) processing of high-resolution imagery, and Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB) produced from Landsat 8/9, Sentinel-2, and/or WorldView imagery. Long-term field study sites have been established by VIMS CCRM along the James, Severn, and York Rivers in the Chesapeake Bay Region, with the goal of returning to the sites biannually. The following child pages describe and contain the field data collected during these biannual efforts.

This data release contains three 10-meter resolution GeoTIFFs representing 10-meter (35-foot), 30-meter (100-foot) and 90-meter (300-foot) riparian buffer zones along shorelines, rivers, streams, and other lotic (flowing) water features. The layers are binary, where the value of each cell represents the presence or absence of the buffer zone. In addition, the data release contains shapefile layers that document the extent of corrections that were made to the data to address errors in the stream network (see processing steps section for more details).. The methodology combines various fine-scale input layers, including a 1:24k stream network and Chesapeake Bay 1-meter resolution Land Use/Land Cover to approximate banks of stream channels and waterbodies to better define the riparian zone (CBP, 2023; Hopkins and others, 2020). For shorelines and large rivers, the width of the buffer zone (10, 30, 90 meters) begins at the banks, where land meets water. For finer scale (1:24k) stream features, the buffer zone includes both water and riparian land area, where the buffered width begins at the estimated top of bank. Each 10-meter resolution riparian buffer zone GeoTIFF dataset is contained in an individual .zip file (CBW_riparian_10m_24k_2024.zip, CBW_riparian_30m_24k_2024.zip, CBW_riparian_90m_24k_2024.zip). The shapefile layers that contain the data correction extents are available in the correction_layers.zip file.

This data release contains three 10-meter resolution GeoTIFFs representing 10-meter (35-foot), 30-meter (100-foot) and 90-meter (300-foot) riparian buffer zones along shorelines, rivers, streams, and other lotic (flowing) water features. The layers are binary, where the value of each cell represents the presence or absence of the buffer zone. In addition, the data release contains shapefile layers that document the extent of corrections that were made to the data to address errors in the stream network (see processing steps section for more details).. The methodology combines various fine-scale input layers, including a 1:24k stream network and Chesapeake Bay 1-meter resolution Land Use/Land Cover to approximate banks of stream channels and waterbodies to better define the riparian zone (CBP, 2023; Hopkins and others, 2020). For shorelines and large rivers, the width of the buffer zone (10, 30, 90 meters) begins at the banks, where land meets water. For finer scale (1:24k) stream features, the buffer zone includes both water and riparian land area, where the buffered width begins at the estimated top of bank. Each 10-meter resolution riparian buffer zone GeoTIFF dataset is contained in an individual .zip file (CBW_riparian_10m_24k_2024.zip, CBW_riparian_30m_24k_2024.zip, CBW_riparian_90m_24k_2024.zip). The shapefile layers that contain the data correction extents are available in the correction_layers.zip file.

The Chesapeake Bay Hyper-Resolution Hydrography Database is intended to facilitate analysis of the landscape in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through identification of headwater and other low-order streams or drainage features (e.g. ditches) that, to date, may be absent from existing hydrography data products. A full description of the methodology and accuracy assessment is provided in the accompanying report titled: "Hydrography Mapping Supporting Modeling and Targeted Conservation: Project Overview and Lessons Learned". The data products were developed by the Chesapeake Conservancy and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) as part of a 6-year Cooperative Agreement between the Chesapeake Conservancy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a separate Interagency Agreement between the USGS and the EPA to provide geospatial support to the Chesapeake Bay Program Office. The data release is structured by eight-digit level hydrologic unit codes (HUC8) for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Each HUC8 contains seven files (see below) and uses the following nomenclature: where HUC_ID and WATERSHED_NAME are placeholders for HUC8 ID(s), and local watershed name(s) (e.g., "Hydrographic Datasets for Hydrologic Unit 02050101 - Upper Susquehanna") Data Release Structure: Project Overview and Lessons Learned.pdf (Project overivew, methodology and accuracy assessment) huc_[HUC_ID]_streamLine.zip (Stream Lines) huc_[HUC_ID]_streamPoly.zip (Stream Polygons) huc_[HUC_ID]_agDitches.zip (Agricultural Ditches) huc_[HUC_ID]_rdDitches.zip (Road Ditches) huc_[HUC_ID]_geomorphon1m.tif (Geomorphon 1-meter) huc_[HUC_ID]_geomorphon10m.tif (Geomorphon 10-meter) metadata_[HUC_ID].xml (metadata xml)

The Chesapeake Bay Hyper-Resolution Hydrography Database is intended to facilitate analysis of the landscape in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through identification of headwater and other low-order streams or drainage features (e.g. ditches) that, to date, may be absent from existing hydrography data products. A full description of the methodology and accuracy assessment is provided in the accompanying report titled: "Hydrography Mapping Supporting Modeling and Targeted Conservation: Project Overview and Lessons Learned". The data products were developed by the Chesapeake Conservancy and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) as part of a 6-year Cooperative Agreement between the Chesapeake Conservancy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a separate Interagency Agreement between the USGS and the EPA to provide geospatial support to the Chesapeake Bay Program Office. The data release is structured by eight-digit level hydrologic unit codes (HUC8) for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Each HUC8 contains seven files (see below) and uses the following nomenclature: where HUC_ID and WATERSHED_NAME are placeholders for HUC8 ID(s), and local watershed name(s) (e.g., "Hydrographic Datasets for Hydrologic Unit 02050101 - Upper Susquehanna") Data Release Structure: Project Overview and Lessons Learned.pdf (Project overivew, methodology and accuracy assessment) huc_[HUC_ID]_streamLine.zip (Stream Lines) huc_[HUC_ID]_streamPoly.zip (Stream Polygons) huc_[HUC_ID]_agDitches.zip (Agricultural Ditches) huc_[HUC_ID]_rdDitches.zip (Road Ditches) huc_[HUC_ID]_geomorphon1m.tif (Geomorphon 1-meter) huc_[HUC_ID]_geomorphon10m.tif (Geomorphon 10-meter) metadata_[HUC_ID].xml (metadata xml)

The marsh-forest boundary in the Chesapeake Bay was determined by geoprocessing high-resolution (1 square meter) land use and land cover data sets. Perpendicular transects were cast at standard intervals (30 meters) along the boundary within a GIS by repurposing the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) Version 5.0, an ArcGIS extension developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Average and maximum slope values were assigned to each transect from surface elevation data. The same values were also provided as points at the center of the transect where it crossed over the boundary. The slope values across the marsh-forest transition zone and at the boundary itself provide comprehensive data layers for local, state, and Federal managers to improve understanding of salt marsh migration. This additionally aids the U.S. Geological Survey in its effort to assess the coastal vulnerability and response of salt marsh ecosystems, including the Chesapeake Bay region.

The Chesapeake Bay Hyper-Resolution Hydrography Database is intended to facilitate analysis of the landscape in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through identification of headwater and other low-order streams or drainage features (e.g. ditches) that, to date, may be absent from existing hydrography data products. A full description of the methodology and accuracy assessment is provided in the accompanying report titled: "Hydrography Mapping Supporting Modeling and Targeted Conservation: Project Overview and Lessons Learned". The data products were developed by the Chesapeake Conservancy and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) as part of a 6-year Cooperative Agreement between the Chesapeake Conservancy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a separate Interagency Agreement between the USGS and the EPA to provide geospatial support to the Chesapeake Bay Program Office. The data release is structured by eight-digit level hydrologic unit codes (HUC8) for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Each HUC8 contains seven files (see below) and uses the following nomenclature: where HUC_ID and WATERSHED_NAME are placeholders for HUC8 ID(s), and local watershed name(s) (e.g., "Hydrographic Datasets for Hydrologic Unit 02050101 - Upper Susquehanna") Data Release Structure: Project Overview and Lessons Learned.pdf (Project overivew, methodology and accuracy assessment) huc_[HUC_ID]_streamLine.zip (Stream Lines) huc_[HUC_ID]_streamPoly.zip (Stream Polygons) huc_[HUC_ID]_agDitches.zip (Agricultural Ditches) huc_[HUC_ID]_rdDitches.zip (Road Ditches) huc_[HUC_ID]_geomorphon1m.tif (Geomorphon 1-meter) huc_[HUC_ID]_geomorphon10m.tif (Geomorphon 10-meter) metadata_[HUC_ID].xml (metadata xml)

This dataset consists of historical estimates and future projections of land use and climate data summarized within the 1:100,000 National Hydrography Dataset Version 2 (NHDPlusV2) framework for catchments and upstream accumulated watersheds. Historical land use data are for the year 2005 and future land use projections are for the years 2030, 2060, and 2090. The projections offer a unique combination of thematic detail (17 land-use and land-cover classes). Historical climate estimates are averaged over the time period 1980-1999 and future climate projections are averaged over 20-year periods centered around the years 2030, 2060, and 2090. Climate data include seasonal measures of average air temperature (℃) and total precipitation (mm). The data set also includes bioregions as defined within the Chesapeake basin-wide index of biotic integrity for stream macroinvertebrates (Chessie BIBI). The COMID field (analogous to FEATUREID) can be used to link these data to the NHDPlus data suite. These data were used to develop models forecasting future stream conditions within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed under an array of potential future land use and climate scenarios. Results from this work can be used by researchers and managers to identify areas most suitable for conservation, mitigation, or restoration efforts while considering the non-static nature of the environment.