Search Help Show/Hide Menu
Summary
Item Identification
Entity Info
Data Attributes
Support Roles
Distribution Info
Catalog Details

Summary

Abstract

Cues to marine mammal sightings

Description

Table provides cue’s location and distance from platform

Entity Information

Entity Type
Data Table

Data Attribute / Type Description
surveyEventID
Character
Unique identifier to a survey (vessel or aircraft based) event. For vessel survey: composed of the vessel's acronym followed by a 2-digit survey year and a 2-digit consecutive mission-number on that vessel (a.k.a cruise code). Cruise name / Cruise Number
eventID
numeric
Unique numeric identifier for each survey effort point recorded at regular time intervals. For vessel surveys: approximately every 30 seconds. For aerial surveys: approximately every 10 seconds. This is the indexing number that allows each marine mammal sighting, non-mammal occurence and cue to be linked to the effort points. See also dwc:eventID
time
time
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) date-time during data recording.
eventdate
time
Local date-time during data recording.
sightingNumber
numeric
The unique identifier for the Sighting (for marine mammal sighting).
observationLocation
character
Description of where on the vessel the observer was located when the animal was first detected. For vessel survey:
observationLocationposition
character
Description of where on each observationLocation (Flying bridge or Bridge wing) the observer was positioned in relation to the platform, when the animal was first detected.
recordedBy
Numeric
Numeric code for each observer
onEffort
character
Effort status designating if observers were on effort (e.g. observers actively scanning for marine mammals through the big eye binoculars with the vessel steadily cruising on the trackline) or off effort (e.g. observers searching naked eyed, whenever the ship was maneuvering and turning onto a new trackline, if other operations were taking place, during bad weather and whenever observers were not actively searching for cetaceans through the big eyes) at the moment of data recording. Y=Yes (on effort), N=No (off effort). For vessel survey: #1=vessel's Flying Bridge, #2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck).
distance
numeric
The number of reticles below the horizon using big eye binoculars (reticle 0 indicates the sighting is at the horizon) or the distance in meters if naked-eye between the animal (or center of group of animals) and the vessel when the cue was first seen by the observer.
distanceUnit
character
The unit of measurement of the sighting distance: reticles (big eye binoculars) or meters (naked eye).
bearingToAnimals
Numeric
Horizontal angle in degrees between the trackline and the line to the animal or group of animals when first sighted, even if a reliable species identification has not yet been made. The trackline is defined as the line of travel that the platform is actually doing, which may not necessarily be the proposed line that was in the original design. Assuming the platform is traveling forwards, the line of travel on the trackline, which is the front of the platform (e.g. bow of ship or front of plane) is at zero degrees bearing. During SEFSC vessel surveys, the observers scan the water from 10 degrees on the opposite side to 90 degrees and bearings are recorded from 0 to 90 on the left or right. See also MBGVLTS: bearingToAnimals
bearingToAnimalsSide
character
Side of the bearingToAnimals in relation to the trackline (left or right) from the platform.
sightingDistanceInMeters
Numeric
Radial distance calculated based on the distance reading (reticle or meters) and the observationHeight (Lerczak and Hobbs, 1998. Calculating sighting distances from angular readings during shipboard, aerial, and shore-based marine mammal surveys. Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 14(3):590-599)
distanceEstimationMethod
character
If 1st seen using Big eye binoculars or Naked eye (i.e. unaided eye without binoculars).
observationHeight
numeric
Height in meters of each observationLocation (for vessel survey: flying bridge or bridge wing) from the water surface to the big eyes binoculars at an average's adult height. Measurement is specific to each platform (vessel).
sightingCueLatitude
Numeric
The latitude of the sightingCue at the moment of data recording.
sightingCueLongitude
Numeric
The latitude of the sightingCue at the moment of data recording
platformLatitude
Numeric
Latitude Value (Location) of the platform at time of sighting
platformLongitude
Numeric
Platform Location Longitude at the time of sighting
sightingCue
character
Description of what was seen first of the group, that is, the cue associated with the first sighting of the animal (or group of animals). A behavioral code may be used (e.g. BL = blow).
typeVLTS
character
One-character string to flag only the initial sighting records which can be used in density and abundance estimation. Opportunistic and subsequent sighting records can be included in the dataset, but these are easily identified from this term for exclusion from abundance and density modeling. The fixed vocabulary terms are: F = first observation sighting on transect, O = opportunistic sighting, S = subsequent sighting either on or off transect, Null = for position-only records or non-VLTS datasets.
platformVLTS
character
One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys.
geodeticDatum
character
The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based.
higherInstitutionCode
Character
Institution codes, in the form of abbreviated institution names, separated by semicolons, that define the hierarchy of institutions within which the data originator operates. Includes the originating institution as the lowest level (rightmost) code.
permitNumber
character
The federal permit number which gives permission for the data collection. (This value is the same for every record in this file)
platformAttributes
character
Model, name and/or other proper characteristics of the platform where the survey was conducted. For vessel: e.g. NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, NOAA Ship Pisces. For aerial survey: e.g. NOAA De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter.
relatedProjectProgram
character
Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable.
samplingProtocol
character
The names of, references to, or descriptions of the methods or protocols used during an Event. Public URL to survey and/or cruise reports if available.

Child Items

No Child Items for this record.

Contact Information

Distributor
National Centers for Environmental Information - Silver Spring, Maryland (NCEI-MD)
(301) 713-3277

Item Identification

Title: NOAA_SEFSC_GoMMAPPS_GU1801_MMSightsCues_20211001.csv
Short Name: Sight Cues
Status: Completed
Publication Date: 2021-10
Abstract:

Cues to marine mammal sightings

Purpose:

Main goal is to provide cue’s location and distance from platform

Entity Information

Entity Type: Data Table
Description:

Table provides cue’s location and distance from platform

Data Attributes

Attribute Summary

Rubric Score Primary Key? Name Type Description
100
surveyEventID Character Unique identifier to a survey (vessel or aircraft based) event. For vessel survey: composed of the vessel's acronym followed by a 2-digit survey year and a 2-digit consecutive mission-number on that vessel (a.k.a cruise code). Cruise name / Cruise Number
100
eventID numeric Unique numeric identifier for each survey effort point recorded at regular time intervals. For vessel surveys: approximately every 30 seconds. For aerial surveys: approximately every 10 seconds. This is the indexing number that allows each marine mammal sighting, non-mammal occurence and cue to be linked to the effort points. See also dwc:eventID
100
time time Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) date-time during data recording.
100
eventdate time Local date-time during data recording.
100
sightingNumber numeric The unique identifier for the Sighting (for marine mammal sighting).
100
observationLocation character Description of where on the vessel the observer was located when the animal was first detected. For vessel survey:
100
observationLocationposition character Description of where on each observationLocation (Flying bridge or Bridge wing) the observer was positioned in relation to the platform, when the animal was first detected.
100
recordedBy Numeric Numeric code for each observer
100
onEffort character Effort status designating if observers were on effort (e.g. observers actively scanning for marine mammals through the big eye binoculars with the vessel steadily cruising on the trackline) or off effort (e.g. observers searching naked eyed, whenever the ship was maneuvering and turning onto a new trackline, if other operations were taking place, during bad weather and whenever observers were not actively searching for cetaceans through the big eyes) at the moment of data recording. Y=Yes (on effort), N=No (off effort). For vessel survey: #1=vessel's Flying Bridge, #2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck).
100
distance numeric The number of reticles below the horizon using big eye binoculars (reticle 0 indicates the sighting is at the horizon) or the distance in meters if naked-eye between the animal (or center of group of animals) and the vessel when the cue was first seen by the observer.
100
distanceUnit character The unit of measurement of the sighting distance: reticles (big eye binoculars) or meters (naked eye).
100
bearingToAnimals Numeric Horizontal angle in degrees between the trackline and the line to the animal or group of animals when first sighted, even if a reliable species identification has not yet been made. The trackline is defined as the line of travel that the platform is actually doing, which may not necessarily be the proposed line that was in the original design. Assuming the platform is traveling forwards, the line of travel on the trackline, which is the front of the platform (e.g. bow of ship or front of plane) is at zero degrees bearing. During SEFSC vessel surveys, the observers scan the water from 10 degrees on the opposite side to 90 degrees and bearings are recorded from 0 to 90 on the left or right. See also MBGVLTS: bearingToAnimals
100
bearingToAnimalsSide character Side of the bearingToAnimals in relation to the trackline (left or right) from the platform.
100
sightingDistanceInMeters Numeric Radial distance calculated based on the distance reading (reticle or meters) and the observationHeight (Lerczak and Hobbs, 1998. Calculating sighting distances from angular readings during shipboard, aerial, and shore-based marine mammal surveys. Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 14(3):590-599)
100
distanceEstimationMethod character If 1st seen using Big eye binoculars or Naked eye (i.e. unaided eye without binoculars).
100
observationHeight numeric Height in meters of each observationLocation (for vessel survey: flying bridge or bridge wing) from the water surface to the big eyes binoculars at an average's adult height. Measurement is specific to each platform (vessel).
100
sightingCueLatitude Numeric The latitude of the sightingCue at the moment of data recording.
100
sightingCueLongitude Numeric The latitude of the sightingCue at the moment of data recording
100
platformLatitude Numeric Latitude Value (Location) of the platform at time of sighting
100
platformLongitude Numeric Platform Location Longitude at the time of sighting
100
sightingCue character Description of what was seen first of the group, that is, the cue associated with the first sighting of the animal (or group of animals). A behavioral code may be used (e.g. BL = blow).
100
typeVLTS character One-character string to flag only the initial sighting records which can be used in density and abundance estimation. Opportunistic and subsequent sighting records can be included in the dataset, but these are easily identified from this term for exclusion from abundance and density modeling. The fixed vocabulary terms are: F = first observation sighting on transect, O = opportunistic sighting, S = subsequent sighting either on or off transect, Null = for position-only records or non-VLTS datasets.
100
platformVLTS character One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys.
100
geodeticDatum character The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based.
100
higherInstitutionCode Character Institution codes, in the form of abbreviated institution names, separated by semicolons, that define the hierarchy of institutions within which the data originator operates. Includes the originating institution as the lowest level (rightmost) code.
100
permitNumber character The federal permit number which gives permission for the data collection. (This value is the same for every record in this file)
100
platformAttributes character Model, name and/or other proper characteristics of the platform where the survey was conducted. For vessel: e.g. NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, NOAA Ship Pisces. For aerial survey: e.g. NOAA De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter.
100
relatedProjectProgram character Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable.
100
samplingProtocol character The names of, references to, or descriptions of the methods or protocols used during an Event. Public URL to survey and/or cruise reports if available.

Attribute Details

surveyEventID

CC ID: 1086222
Seq. Order: 10
Data Storage Type: Character
Max Length: 6
Min Length: 6
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Unique identifier to a survey (vessel or aircraft based) event. For vessel survey: composed of the vessel's acronym followed by a 2-digit survey year and a 2-digit consecutive mission-number on that vessel (a.k.a cruise code).

Cruise name / Cruise Number

Derivation:

Made up of a combination of

a two character Boat Abbreviation : GU = Gordon Gunther

a two digit year: 18 for 2018

a two digit cruise number: 01 for first cruise of the year

eventID

CC ID: 1086203
Seq. Order: 20
Data Storage Type: numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Unique numeric identifier for each survey effort point recorded at regular time intervals. For vessel surveys: approximately every 30 seconds. For aerial surveys: approximately every 10 seconds. This is the indexing number that allows each marine mammal sighting, non-mammal occurence and cue to be linked to the effort points. See also dwc:eventID

time

CC ID: 1086223
Seq. Order: 30
Data Storage Type: time
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) date-time during data recording.

Format Mask: YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS

eventdate

CC ID: 1086204
Seq. Order: 40
Data Storage Type: time
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Local date-time during data recording.

Format Mask: YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS

sightingNumber

CC ID: 1086212
Seq. Order: 50
Data Storage Type: numeric
Max Length: 4
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The unique identifier for the Sighting (for marine mammal sighting).

observationLocation

CC ID: 1086210
Seq. Order: 70
Data Storage Type: character
Max Length: 1
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Description of where on the vessel the observer was located when the animal was first detected. For vessel survey:

Allowed Values: 1=vessel's Flying Bridge (FB), 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (BW) (a.k.a. bridge deck).

observationLocationposition

CC ID: 1086213
Seq. Order: 80
Data Storage Type: character
Max Length: 20
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Description of where on each observationLocation (Flying bridge or Bridge wing) the observer was positioned in relation to the platform, when the animal was first detected.

Allowed Values: Y,N

recordedBy

CC ID: 1090242
Seq. Order: 85
Data Storage Type: Numeric
Max Length: 2
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Numeric code for each observer

onEffort

CC ID: 1090243
Seq. Order: 87
Data Storage Type: character
Max Length: 1
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Effort status designating if observers were on effort (e.g. observers actively scanning for marine mammals through the big eye binoculars with the vessel steadily cruising on the trackline) or off effort (e.g. observers searching naked eyed, whenever the ship was maneuvering and turning onto a new trackline, if other operations were taking place, during bad weather and whenever observers were not actively searching for cetaceans through the big eyes) at the moment of data recording. Y=Yes (on effort), N=No (off effort). For vessel survey: #1=vessel's Flying Bridge, #2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck).

Allowed Values: Y=Yes (on effort), N=No

distance

CC ID: 1086200
Seq. Order: 110
Data Storage Type: numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The number of reticles below the horizon using big eye binoculars (reticle 0 indicates the sighting is at the horizon) or the distance in meters if naked-eye between the animal (or center of group of animals) and the vessel when the cue was first seen by the observer.

distanceUnit

CC ID: 1086202
Seq. Order: 120
Data Storage Type: character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The unit of measurement of the sighting distance: reticles (big eye binoculars) or meters (naked eye).

bearingToAnimals

CC ID: 1086198
Seq. Order: 130
Data Storage Type: Numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Horizontal angle in degrees between the trackline and the line to the animal or group of animals when first sighted, even if a reliable species identification has not yet been made. The trackline is defined as the line of travel that the platform is actually doing, which may not necessarily be the proposed line that was in the original design. Assuming the platform is traveling forwards, the line of travel on the trackline, which is the front of the platform (e.g. bow of ship or front of plane) is at zero degrees bearing. During SEFSC vessel surveys, the observers scan the water from 10 degrees on the opposite side to 90 degrees and bearings are recorded from 0 to 90 on the left or right. See also MBGVLTS: bearingToAnimals

Unit of Measure: Degrees

bearingToAnimalsSide

CC ID: 1086199
Seq. Order: 140
Data Storage Type: character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Side of the bearingToAnimals in relation to the trackline (left or right) from the platform.

sightingDistanceInMeters

CC ID: 1086221
Seq. Order: 150
Data Storage Type: Numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Radial distance calculated based on the distance reading (reticle or meters) and the observationHeight (Lerczak and Hobbs, 1998. Calculating sighting distances from angular readings during shipboard, aerial, and shore-based marine mammal surveys. Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 14(3):590-599)

distanceEstimationMethod

CC ID: 1086201
Seq. Order: 160
Data Storage Type: character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

If 1st seen using Big eye binoculars or Naked eye (i.e. unaided eye without binoculars).

observationHeight

CC ID: 1086209
Seq. Order: 170
Data Storage Type: numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Height in meters of each observationLocation (for vessel survey: flying bridge or bridge wing) from the water surface to the big eyes binoculars at an average's adult height. Measurement is specific to each platform (vessel).

Unit of Measure: meters

sightingCueLatitude

CC ID: 1086215
Seq. Order: 180
Data Storage Type: Numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The latitude of the sightingCue at the moment of data recording.

Unit of Measure: degrees latitude

sightingCueLongitude

CC ID: 1086216
Seq. Order: 185
Data Storage Type: Numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The latitude of the sightingCue at the moment of data recording

Unit of Measure: Degrees Longitude

platformLatitude

CC ID: 1091491
Seq. Order: 190
Data Storage Type: Numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Latitude Value (Location) of the platform at time of sighting

Unit of Measure: Degrees of Latitude

platformLongitude

CC ID: 1091492
Seq. Order: 195
Data Storage Type: Numeric
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Platform Location Longitude at the time of sighting

Unit of Measure: Degrees Longitude

sightingCue

CC ID: 1091494
Seq. Order: 197
Data Storage Type: character
Max Length: 20
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Description of what was seen first of the group, that is, the cue associated with the first sighting of the animal (or group of animals). A behavioral code may be used (e.g. BL = blow).

typeVLTS

CC ID: 1086224
Seq. Order: 200
Data Storage Type: character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

One-character string to flag only the initial sighting records which can be used in density and abundance estimation. Opportunistic and subsequent sighting records can be included in the dataset, but these are easily identified from this term for exclusion from abundance and density modeling. The fixed vocabulary terms are: F = first observation sighting on transect, O = opportunistic sighting, S = subsequent sighting either on or off transect, Null = for position-only records or non-VLTS datasets.

platformVLTS

CC ID: 1086217
Seq. Order: 210
Data Storage Type: character
Max Length: 1
Min Length: 1
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys.

Allowed Values: A = aerial surveys B = boat-based surveys

geodeticDatum

CC ID: 1086205
Seq. Order: 220
Data Storage Type: character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based.

higherInstitutionCode

CC ID: 1086206
Seq. Order: 230
Data Storage Type: Character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Institution codes, in the form of abbreviated institution names, separated by semicolons, that define the hierarchy of institutions within which the data originator operates. Includes the originating institution as the lowest level (rightmost) code.

permitNumber

CC ID: 1086219
Seq. Order: 234
Data Storage Type: character
Max Length: 100
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The federal permit number which gives permission for the data collection.

(This value is the same for every record in this file)

platformAttributes

CC ID: 1086214
Seq. Order: 240
Data Storage Type: character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Model, name and/or other proper characteristics of the platform where the survey was conducted. For vessel: e.g. NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, NOAA Ship Pisces. For aerial survey: e.g. NOAA De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter.

relatedProjectProgram

CC ID: 1086218
Seq. Order: 250
Data Storage Type: character
Max Length: 100
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable.

samplingProtocol

CC ID: 1086220
Seq. Order: 270
Data Storage Type: character
Required: Yes
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

The names of, references to, or descriptions of the methods or protocols used during an Event. Public URL to survey and/or cruise reports if available.

Support Roles

Distributor

CC ID: 1089963
Date Effective From: 2021
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): National Centers for Environmental Information - Silver Spring, Maryland (NCEI-MD)
Address: NOAA/NESDIS E/OC SSMC3, 4th Floor, 1351 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282
Phone: (301) 713-3277

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 1089964
Start Date: 2021
End Date: Present
Download URL: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0241032/1.1/data/0-data/NOAA_SEFSC_GoMMAPPS_GU1801_NCEI_DataPackage/NOAA_SEFSC_GoMMAPPS_GU1801_VisualSightingData/NOAA_SEFSC_GoMMAPPS_GU1801_MMSightsCues_20211001.csv
Distributor: National Centers for Environmental Information - Silver Spring, Maryland (NCEI-MD) (2021 - Present)
File Name: NOAA_SEFSC_GoMMAPPS_GU1801_MMSightsCues_20211001.csv

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 65496
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:65496
Metadata Record Created By: Lee M Weinberger
Metadata Record Created: 2021-09-15 21:55+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: Lee M Weinberger
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2022-09-23 10:55+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2022-09-23
Owner Org: SEFSC
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2021-10-13
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2022-10-13