Shoreline based on Mean High Water (MHW).
This data compilation does not include all the features (such as lakes, rivers, breakwaters, glaciers, international boundaries, country names, etc.) that DMA has in their original data set (WDBII).
These data are NOT to be used for legal purposes.
Public domain data from the U.S. government is freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the United States Geological Survey as the originator of this dataset.
No duplicate features are present. All polygons are closed, and all lines intersect where intended. No undershoots or overshoots are present.
The main source material for the WVS was DMA's Digital Landmass Blanking (DLMB) database which was derived primarily from the Joint Operations Graphics and coastal nautical charts produced by DMA. The DLMB data consisted of a land/water flag file on a 3 by 3 arc-second interval geographic grid. This raster database was converted into vector form to create WVS and explains the 3 arc-second stepping interval apparent in the coastline when plotted out at high scale. For areas of the world not covered by the DLMB database, the shoreline was taken from the best available hard copy sources at a preferred scale of 1:250,000 (or up to 1:125,000 where the source data allowed).
The DMA WVS datasets were compiled into separate 'coast' format data files for use with the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program cartographic plotting program MAPGEN during the 1980's. These 'coast' format files were the source to retrieve the WVS datasets and is the result of what is presented here.
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.