This GeoTIFF represents merged bathymetric data and Slant Apperture Radar imagery. This layer was created in January, 1996. These data are available in WGS84 and UTM Zone 10 (NAD83) projections. This layer is part of the GIS Data of the Monterey Bay collection, a compilation of data and imagery of the Monterey Bay area, including coastline, imagery, and bathymetry. This dataset is intended for researchers, students, and policy makers for reference and mapping purposes, and may be used for basic applications such as viewing, querying, and map output production, or to provide a basemap to support graphical overlays and analysis with other spatial data. This collection of data provides documented layers of of the Monterey Bay to persons/institutions of interest throughout the research and educational communities. Maher, N (1998). Merged Bathymetric and Slant Aperture Radar Image: Monterey Bay, California, 1996. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/gq629rb6099 All data are registered to the WGS84 datum with two versions of each feature, image, and grid coverage included in the collection. One is in a Geographic (decimal degrees) coordinate system and the second is in a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zone 10 projection.
For strict accuracy and hard-copy production requiring feature, grid, and/or image data, the UTM projection coverages should be used. In fact, some ArcView functions will not be available unless the data are displayed in a projection. This is because a Geographic Coordinate System is NOT a projection but rather a spherical coordinate system dealing directly in latitude and longitude. However, at the scale of maps covering Monterey Bay, the errors produced by ignoring this fact are small.
NOTE: To most easily use the grid data, the ArcView Spatial Analyst extension should be installed on your system.
