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Short Citation:
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, 2024: Puerto Rico - U.S. Virgin Islands Benthic Habitat Maps: Prepared by Visual Interpretation from Remote Sensing Imagery Collected by NOAA Year 1999, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39429.

Item Identification

Title: Puerto Rico - U.S. Virgin Islands Benthic Habitat Maps: Prepared by Visual Interpretation from Remote Sensing Imagery Collected by NOAA Year 1999
Short Name: pr_benthic_parent
Status: Completed
Publication Date: 2001-12-01
Abstract:

This project is a cooperative effort among the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment; the United States Geological Survey; the National Park Service; and the National Geophysical Data Center, to produce benthic habitat maps and georeferenced imagery for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This project was conducted in support of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. Twenty-one distinct benthic habitat types within eight zones were mapped directly into a GIS system using visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 1600 km^2. In all, 49 km^2 of unconsolidated sediment, 721 km^2 of submerged vegetation, 73 km^2 of mangroves, and 756 km^2 of coral reef and colonized hardbottom were mapped.

Purpose:

The National Ocean Service is conducting research to digitally map biotic resources and coordinate a long-term monitoring program that can detect and predict change in U.S. coral reefs, and their associated habitats and biological communities. Precise mapping of benthic habitats is essential for developing management strategies that balance the protection of these habitats with their use. Accurate maps of these areas enable resource managers to make informed decisions about the use and protection of the resources.

Notes:

877

Supplemental Information:

Information for this metadata was taken from the individual metadata records for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands which can be accessed at http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
ISO 19115 Topic Category
biota
ISO 19115 Topic Category
environment
ISO 19115 Topic Category
oceans
UNCONTROLLED
None aerial photography
None benthic
None coral
None environmental monitoring
None habitat
None mangrove
None reef
None SAV
None seagrass

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
UNCONTROLLED
None Buck Island
None Culebra
None Desecheo
None La Parguera
None Mona
None Puerto Rico
None Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
None St. Croix
None St. John
None St. Thomas
None U.S. Virgin Islands
None Vieques

Physical Location

Organization: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
City: Silver Spring
State/Province: MD

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
Maintenance Frequency: None Planned
Data Presentation Form: vector digital data
Entity Attribute Overview:

The ground validation and accuracy assessment data are delivered as tab delimited text files and contain information based on the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Benthic Habitat Classification Scheme. Please refer to the individual layer metadata records for more information.

Entity Attribute Detail Citation:

A complete description of the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Benthic Habitat Classification Scheme can be found at http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/htm/manual.aspx.

Distribution Liability:

These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.

Data Set Credit: Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, University of Puerto Rico, the United States Geological Survey, the National Park Service, Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources: Fish and Wildlife Division, University of Virgin Islands, Cons. Data Center, The Nature Conservancy, SeaGrant, and other local and regional experts for input and review.

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 470069
Date Effective From: 2001-12-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Position): NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator
Email Address: NCCOS.data@noaa.gov

Distributor

CC ID: 470071
Date Effective From: 2001-12-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Position): NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator
Email Address: NCCOS.data@noaa.gov

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 470072
Date Effective From: 2001-12-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Position): NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator
Email Address: NCCOS.data@noaa.gov

Point of Contact

CC ID: 470070
Date Effective From: 2001-12-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Position): NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator
Email Address: NCCOS.data@noaa.gov

Principal Investigator

CC ID: 470073
Date Effective From: 2001-12-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Kendall, Matt
Email Address: matt.kendall@noaa.gov

Extents

Currentness Reference: Ground condition at date photos were taken (Feb, Mar, and Dec 1999). Maps reflect only the conditions at the time of the photos.

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 470076
W° Bound: -68.01
E° Bound: -64.42
N° Bound: 18.59
S° Bound: 17.62

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 470075
Time Frame Type: Range
Start: 1999
End: 2001

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Constraints:

None

Data Use Constraints:

Not for navigation

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 470077
Download URL: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/data/
Distributor:
Description:

Downloadable Data

File Type (Deprecated): ArcView Shapefile
Distribution Format: Shapefile

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 470066
URL: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/data/
URL Type:
Online Resource

URL 2

CC ID: 470067
URL: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/
URL Type:
Online Resource

Activity Log

Activity Log 1

CC ID: 470103
Activity Date/Time: 2013-09-11
Description:

Date that the source FGDC record was last modified.

Activity Log 2

CC ID: 470102
Activity Date/Time: 2017-04-05
Description:

Converted from FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (version FGDC-STD-001-1998) using 'fgdc_to_inport_xml.pl' script. Contact Tyler Christensen (NOS) for details.

Activity Log 3

CC ID: 601271
Activity Date/Time: 2017-11-01
Description:

Replaced entire Lineage section to populate new Source Contribution field.

Activity Log 4

CC ID: 716700
Activity Date/Time: 2018-02-08
Description:

Partial upload of Positional Accuracy fields only.

Technical Environment

Description:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Version 5.0 (Build 2195) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 8.3.0.800

Data Quality

Accuracy:

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative accuracy of maps generated from on-screen digitizing using the ArcView Habitat Digitizer Extension, to those produced by digitizing directly from hard copy photos using a stereoplotter. Thematic accuracy of the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands habitat maps was evaluated for the three most general habitat categories: unconsolidated sediment, submerged vegetation, and coral reef/hard bottom. Accuracy tests were conducted at two locations within the project area that included the full complement of habitat types, depth ranges, and water conditions representative of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For this reason, the accuracy of maps measured at these two locations is assumed to be representative of map accuracy elsewhere in the project area. This approach, which focused in two small areas, enabled a statistically robust evaluation of thematic accuracy to be conducted without the logical difficulty of collecting data for accuracy assessment over the entire project area.The two test sites chosen were located at Buck Island National Monument, St. Croix, and La Parguera, Puerto Rico. A stratified sampling protocol was used during which sample sites were pre-selected so that overall thematic accuracy of the three major habitat types across the range of depths and water conditions found in the field could be evaluated. Each preselected site was navigated to using a real time Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and habitat data was acquired.The Buck Island accuracy assessments tests showed that the ability to generate benthic habitat maps with an overall accuracy of 93.6 percent (Kappa 0.90) for on-screen digitizing and 87.8 percent (Kappa 0.82) for maps digitized directly from stereo pairs. Overall accuracy in the Parguera area was determined to be 93.6 percent (Kappa 0.93).

Horizontal Positional Accuracy:

The Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU) restriction was set to one acre when digitizing was conducted at 1:6000 scale. Polygons were digitized directly from georegistered orthophotos with spatial accuracy between 1 and 9 meters. These maps represent conditions at the time the aerial photographs were obtained. When considering horizontal map accuracy, it is important to keep in mind that the ocean floor is a dynamic environment. Physical factors such as water currents and hurricanes and biological factors such as seasonal growth and die-off, affect the distribution and stability of benthic habitats in this environment.

Completeness Report:

NOAA supplied georeferenced imagery to an independent contractor. Delineation of all habitat boundaries was conducted with the image scale at 1:6,000. Experimentation indicated that digitizing at this scale optimizes the tradeoff between positional accuracy of lines and time spent digitizing. All polygons were digitized at this scale except when subtle habitat boundaries were not easily discernable at 1:6000 and zooming out to a more broad scale was required to place boundaries correctly. In this case, digitizing generally took place at a scale of approximately 1:10000. Digitizing at a uniform scale ensures that the level of detail produced by the photointerpreter is consistent throughout the project.The Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU) for identifying habitats or features was 1 acre for visual photointerpretation. The software utilized in this project was designed to alert the photointerpreter each time a polygon was drawn smaller than the MMU. When this occurred the photointerpreter has the choice of whether to include the polygon in the data set or not.

Conceptual Consistency:

Individual color aerial photographs were georeferenced and mosaiced. During the digitizing process, image stretches and manipulating image contrast, brightness and color balance were performed in the ArcView Image Analysis Extension to enhance features in the processed imagery. Additional, collateral information including previously completed habitat maps, NOS nautical charts, and other descriptive references dealing with benthic and coastal habitats of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands was used to assist with image interpretation.GIS topologic quality was established by executing ArcView extension routines that check for: overlapping polygons, multipart polygons, sliver polygons and void polygons. Additionally, checks for adjacent polygons with the same habitat attributes were completed. All errors were identified and corrected. This file is believed to be logically consistent.

Lineage

Sources

ArcView Habitat Digitizer Extension v 3.1

CC ID: 601273
Contact Name: Ken Buja
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Extent Type: Discrete
Extent Start Date/Time: 2001
Citation URL: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/htm/digitize.aspx
Source Contribution:

This ArcView extension was used to digitize and attribute benthic zones and habitats for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. | Type of Source Media: computer program

Classification Scheme for Benthic Habitats: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

CC ID: 601272
Contact Name: NOAA Caribbean Fishery Management CouncilDr. Ken Lindeman, Environmental DefenseNOS Biogeography Program
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Extent Type: Discrete
Extent Start Date/Time: 2001
Citation URL: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/htm/descrip.aspx
Source Contribution:

This document identifies the zone and habitat types attributed in this data set. | Source Geospatial Form: document | Type of Source Media: Report

Color Aerial Photography

CC ID: 601274
Contact Name: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS)
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Extent Type: Discrete
Extent Start Date/Time: 1999
Scale Denominator: 48000
Citation URL: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/data/
Source Contribution:

Benthic features were interpreted and mapped from NGS aerial photos of Puerto Rico. | Source Geospatial Form: remote-sensing image | Type of Source Media: aerial photography and scanned photographs

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 601275
Description:

Benthic habitat maps were digitized by delineating habitat boundaries from georeferenced imagery loaded into ArcView 3.2 GIS software with the Image Analysis and NOAA Coral Reef Habitat Digitizing extensions both activated. On-screen digitizing was conducted with the minimum mapping unit (MMU) set to 1 acre and the image scale at 1:6000.During the digitizing process, image stretches and manipulating image contrast, brightness and color balance were performed in the ArcView Image Analysis Extension to enhance features in the processed imagery. Additional collateral information including previously completed habitat maps, NOS nautical charts, and other descriptive references dealing with benthic and coastal habitats of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands was used to assist with image interpretation. A first draft map was completed and features in the imagery where uncertainties existed, due to confusing or difficult to interpret signatures, were identified for future ground validation effort. An ArcView GIS point theme was generated with points positioned on the features of uncertain habitat type or along transects though gradients between habitat types. The GIS points were converted to GPS waypoints using Trimble Pathfinder Software and were navigated to in the field using a Trimble GeoExplorer 3 GPS data logger. A benthic habitat characterization was conducted at each site by snorkeling, free diving, or via observations from the surface where water depth and clarity permitted. GPS data were collected at each location and site ID, depth, habitat type, zone and the method used to make the assessment were recorded. The ground validation data were incorporated into the second draft of each map.

Process Date/Time: 2000-01-01 00:00:00

Child Items

Rubric scores updated every 15m

Rubric Score Type Title
Entity PR/USVI Shapefile Attribute Table

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 39429
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39429
Metadata Record Created By: Tyler Christensen
Metadata Record Created: 2017-04-05 12:52+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2023-10-17 16:12+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2018-02-08
Owner Org: NCCOS
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2018-02-08
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2019-02-08