  We investigate the suitability and properties of a quasi-Kinnersley tetrad
and a geometrically motivated coordinate system as tools for quantifying both
strong-field and wave-zone effects in numerical relativity (NR) simulations. We
fix the radial and latitudinal coordinate degrees of freedom of the metric,
using the Coulomb potential associated with the quasi-Kinnersley transverse
frame. These coordinates are invariants of the spacetime and can be used to
unambiguously fix the outstanding spin-boost freedom associated with the
quasi-Kinnersley frame (resulting in a preferred quasi-Kinnersley tetrad
(QKT)). In the limit of small perturbations about a Kerr spacetime, these
coordinates and QKT reduce to Boyer-Lindquist coordinates and the Kinnersley
tetrad, irrespective of the simulation gauge choice. We explore the properties
of this construction both analytically and numerically, and we gain insights
regarding the propagation of radiation described by a super-Poynting vector. We
also quantify in detail the peeling properties of the chosen tetrad and gauge.
We argue that these choices are particularly well suited for a rapidly
converging wave-extraction algorithm as the extraction location approaches
infinity, and we explore numerically the extent to which this property remains
applicable on the interior of a computational domain. Using a number of
additional tests, we verify that the prescription behaves as required in the
appropriate limits regardless of simulation gauge. We explore the behavior of
the geometrically motivated coordinate system in dynamical binary-black-hole NR
mergers, and find them useful for visualizing features in NR simulations such
as the spurious "junk" radiation. Finally, we carefully scrutinize the head-on
collision of two black holes and, for example, the way in which the extracted
waveform changes as it moves through the computational domain.
