Australian Region GEOSAT Wave Dataset - CAMRIS - Mean Significant Wave Height

Brief description

This dataset contains data derived from the GEOSAT satellite radar altimeter wave measuring program. Maps have been produced from processed data, showing attributes including mean significant wave height and the 100 year mean significant wave.

Format: shapefile.

Quality -
Scope: Dataset.
Absolute External Positional Accuracy: +/- one degree.
Non Quantitative accuracy: Attributes are assumed to be correct.

Dataset measures wave height in metres, at 0.25m intervals:
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Cover_Name, Item_Name, Description:
mswaveheight, GRID-CODE, Numercial code to index the polygons
mswaveheight, MSWAVE_HGT_(M), Mean significant wave height ranging 0-4.5m.

Conceptual consistency: Coverages are topologically consistent. No particular tests conducted by ERIN.
Completeness omission: Complete for the Australian continent.
Lineage: ERIN:
Data was projected to Geographics using the WGS84 spheroid and datum to be compatible for viewing through the Australian Coastal Atlas. The data was attributed with the range of wave height in metres, at an interval of 0.25metres.

CSIRO:
All CAMRIS data were stored in VAX files, MS-DOS R-base files and as a microcomputer dataset accessible under the LUPIS (Land Use Planning Information System) land allocation package. CAMRIS was established using SPANS Geographic Information System (GIS) software running under a UNIX operating system on an IBM RS 6000 platform. A summary follows of processing completed by the CSIRO:
1. r-BASE: Information imported into r-BASE from a number of different sources (ie Digitised, scanned, CD-ROM, NOAA World Ocean Atlas, Atlas of Australian Soils, NOAA GEODAS archive and The Complete Book of Australian Weather).
2. From the information held in r-BASE a BASE Table was generated incorporating specific fields.
3. SPANS environment: Works on creating a UNIVERSE with a geographic projection - Equidistant Conic (Simple Conic) and Lambert Conformal Conic, Spheroid: International Astronomical Union 1965 (Australia/Sth America); the Lower left corner and the longitude and latitude of the centre point.
4. BASE Table imported into SPANS and a BASE Map generated.
5. Categorise Maps - created from the BASE map and table by selecting out specified fields, a desired window size (ie continental or continent and oceans) and resolution level (ie the quad tree level).
6. Rasterise maps specifying key parameters such as: number of bits, resolution (quad tree level 8 lowest - 16 highest) and the window size (usually 00 or cn).
7. Gifs produced using categorised maps with a title, legend, scale and long/lat grid.
8. Supplied to ERIN with .bil; .hdr; .gif; Arc export files .e00; and text files .asc and .txt formats.
9. The reference coastline for CAMRIS was the mean high water mark (AUSLIG 1:100 000 topographic map series).