Data Management Plan

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) requested the creation of benthic habitat data along the southern Texas coast to support the Texas Seagrass Monitoring Program. The benthic habitat map was created from 1m ADS40 digital airborne imagery collected along the Texas coast during 2004 for the National Agriculture Imagery Program. The original raw images were reprocessed into 3-band true color and color-IR orthos. The benthic habitat map was created from resampled 2m mosaicked orthos. Habitat classification was performed through segmentation of the imagery using Definiens Professional and habitat labeling through Classification and Regression Tree (CART) Analysis. The minimum mapping unit is 100m2. This map covers Lower Laguna Madre, which is approximately 800mi2.

Original contact information:

Contact Name: Becky Jordan

Contact Org: Fugro EarthData, Inc.

Title: Project Manager

Phone: 301-948-8550

Email: bjordan@earthdata.com

Process Steps:

• 2008-09-17 00:00:00 - The original 1m DOQQs for the project area were resampled to 2m and mosaicked. For habitat classification, the mosaicked imagery was divided into two processing areas for Lower Laguna Madre, resulting in a total of four 2m mosaicked orthos: one set of two mosaics for true color and one set of two mosaics for color-IR. Lower Laguna Madre was divided into two processing areas. Image segmentation was performed in Definiens Professional using the blue, green, red, and near-infrared bands for each of the processing areas. The classification of the habitat segments (as ESRI polygon shapefiles) was performed using CART analysis. The habitat maps for each area was refined with the aid of field data collected during July, August, and October of 2007. The two processing area shapefiles were edgematched to one another and clipped to the final project area boundary. Adjacent areas do not overlap, and each polygon, within and across all processing areas and bay systems, has a unique polygon identification number. Each shapefile was checked for proper topology and to insure that each polygon has a correct habitat label, habitat code, modifier label if present, unique identification number, and an area calculation. Polygons below the 100m2 minimum mapping unit (MMU) were eliminated, though some polygons <100m2 were retained if their area changed to below the MMU due to the polygon boundary smoothing process. (Citation: 2004 ADS40 Digital NAIP Imagery)
• 2008-09-17 00:00:00 - The habitat data also went through a NOAA independent validation review. Polygons in the habitat map labeled as Patchy SRV (seagrass) were used to mask the 2m image mosaics for further classification of these areas. Pixels in the imagery falling within the Patchy SRV polygons were classified into a "percent seagrass" cover category. For each Patchy SRV polygon from the habitat map, the average percent seagrass coverage was calculated based on the coverage values of each pixel within the polygon. Accuracy assessment was performed on seven classes with Patchy SRV and Continuous SRV being combined into a single accuracy class. For field data collection, non-random sites in the form of polygons were chosen by analysts with an attempt to sample all available image signatures. These sites were visited in the field and data on each site was collected directly into digital format (ESRI shapefile) using a laptop or onto a paper form that was later entered into digital format. Sites were navigated to primarily using a Garmin GPS 76 unit connected to a Panasonic Toughbook laptop displaying the project imagery and polygons in ArcMap v9.1 or using the GPS unit alone. Habitat classification was estimated as accurately as possible using different methods or combination of methods which included above water observation, snorkeling, wading, and underwater video. This data was entered into an ESRI shapefile via a digital field form in ArcMap specifically developed for this type of field data collection. More sample polygon sites were collected in-office based on the in-field collected sites in order to meet the 30 sites per class accuracy assessment requirement. For each class, a random selector macro in ArcMap was used to randomly select 30 sites for accuracy assessment. The entire pool of accuracy sites was kept separate from the remaining sites and only used for accuracy assessment during the project. Anonymity of the accuracy sites was maintained throughout the project because it was unnecessary to ever visually review these sites in order to perform the accuracy analysis. More accuracy assessment sites were collected in a later field collection trip to add to the analysis. These sites were chosen by randomly selecting polygons within specific regions that were pre-determined to be visited. Information for these sites was collected using the same methods for the other sites. Accuracy information was compiled using ArcMap. The Zonal Statistics tool in ArcToolbox was used to collect accuracy information from the habitat map using the accuracy polygons. The "mean" statistic was used to determine the map value for each accuracy polygon. An accuracy assessment error matrix was generated using this information by importing it to Microsoft Excel and building the matrix. Both deterministic and fuzzy accuracy assessment were performed. The accuracy analysis and error matrices are presented and discussed in the project final report entitled Coastal Bend of Texas Benthic Habitat Mapping Phase 2 Final Report. (Citation: 2004 ADS40 Digital NAIP Imagery)