Benthic Habitats of Estero Bay Area, Florida 1999 Geoform

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Primary data for photointerpretation | Type of Source Media: Digital Natural color aerial photography

Aerial photography data collection. Conventional color film was flown under conditions conducive to mapping submerged habitats. This includes consideration of tidal stage, sun glint, cloud cover, water clarity, and phenology of submersed vegetation. The photography was reviewed for suitability and accepted as the primary data source for the benthic mapping.

Photointerpretation: From 20000201 to 20000501 data was stereoscopically photointerpreted and digitized from 1:24000 scale natural color aerial photography using a Zeiss P3 analytical stereoplotter. The seagrass beds and additional categories were classified according to the FDOT Florida Land Use, Cover and Forms Classification System (FLUCCS). Minimum mapping unit (mmu) for all classes was 0.25 acres. Ground truthing was performed during the photointerpretation phase to ensure classification accuracy and consistency of PI. Digital files were created in Microstation design file format (.dgn).

ARC/INFO validation: Microstation .dgn files were imported to ARC/Info to perform automated validation routines. Quality control checks for digital data consisted of unlabeled, multi-labeled and contiguous polygon errors as well as dangles and sliver polygons. Polygon topology was created and label errors and node errors were run in ARC/Info. Coverage characteristics were adhered to, as specified by the contract (tolerances, projection definition, PAT items etc.).

Field validation from 20011031-20011105 of final products. Following completion of the final benthic habitat map, staff from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, FMRI, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District conducted a field thematic validation trip to the area to test the accuracy of the map product. A set of random points were generated for field evaluation in ERDAS Imagine. The vector coverage was converted into a classified raster based on thematic polygon values. Fifty stratified random points were generated from each class (continuous SAV, patchy SAV, Oyster, and bare bottom). These points were used to guide the field team. However conditions in the field including 20+ mph winds and extremely shallow water depths prevented the team from visiting the majority of the randomly selected points. Only ten percent of the field points (15 of 166) were from the random point set. Field methods used to validate the 1999 benthic coverage consisted of navigating to the random points using a live GPS link through a field PC. The field party segmented the study area into three zones based on water bodies and access. The zones were: Matlacha Sound, Pine Island Sound, and Estero Bay. The team navigated into these sounds, observing sites along one side and then left the area observing sites on the opposite side. Wind direction and exposure also influenced this process. In addition to navigating to pre-selected points whenever possible, the team would add points. An effort was made to add these points in areas where many polygons were located together. This was done to maximize the number of polygons that could be visited and also address the most complex areas. Upon arriving at a point, or polygon in the case of an added point, the team would deploy the Towed Underwater Video camera and cross into the polygon in a transect fashion. This transect was started such that some video observation of the area outside the polygon boundary could be made. As the transect was traveled, several observations were made along track to confirm the presence or absence of a given habitat. Once a determination could be made about the accuracy of the polygon in that area, the transect was stopped. Agreement between map observations and field observations exceeded 70%. Part of the difference between the two observations was the time elapsed between the time of the aerial photography and the seasonality differences between the two dates.

Original AGRA Baymont FLUCCS classes were cross-walked into the Florida System for Classifying Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). All surficial geology classes translated smoothly into SCHEME. No information or data records were lost during this process. Geoform attributes not captured in the SCHEME hierarchy have been added as modifiers (ex. tidal inlet).

The data were converted from a single ESRI polygon shapefile classified according to the System for Classifying Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) to the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) 2012 format (which can be found at https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/cmecs-crosswalk) which produces separate geoform, geoform, and geoform feature layers from the original input benthic habitat dataset. This geoform feature layer contains CMECS geoform component attributes where an "Equal" or "Nearly Equal" SCHEME value was present in the original data. Polygons for which no geoform information was present have been removed. No other changes to the original polygon boundaries or any other alterations of the original SCHEME data were made during this process.