65828 Data Set Published / External 67243 Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species Project Completed 2017 2021 As part of the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS), the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted aerial surveys of the U.S. continental shelf waters (up to the 200-m isobath) in the Gulf of Mexico from 2017-06-29 to 2017-08-17. The survey was designed for a two-team independent visual observer approach with distance sampling to estimate abundance and characterize spatial distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles. This dataset includes marine mammal and sea turtle visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. This dataset also includes marine mammal photographs used to aid in species identification The primary goal was to collect data on the distribution and abundance of marine mammals and sea turtles in the U.S. continental shelf waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) using two independent visual survey teams. Additional staff support was provided by the NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center and NOAA Aircraft Operations Center. We would also like to thank the airplane's crew and observers that were involved in collecting these data Cite as: Litz, Jenny; Barry, Kevin; Aichinger Dias, Laura; Rappucci, Gina; Martinez, Anthony; Soldevilla, Melissa; Garrison, Lance; Mullin, Keith. (2021). Cetacean and sea turtle visual observations using line-transect survey methods aboard a NOAA DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (TO) aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico, during the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS survey TO17Su) from 6/29/2017 to 8/17/2017 (NCEI Accession 0243469). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/mdc3-3246. Accessed [date]. This study was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management through Interagency Agreement M17PG00013 with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This research was carried out [in part] under the auspices of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), a Cooperative Institute of the University of Miami and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, cooperative agreements NA15OAR4320064 and NA20OAR4320472. Marine mammal data and photographs were collected under the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) Permit Number: NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit Number 14450 10.25921/mdc3-3246 Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS > CETACEANS Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS > CETACEANS > BALEEN WHALES Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS > CETACEANS > TOOTHED WHALES Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY DYNAMICS > INDICATOR SPECIES Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > ENDANGERED SPECIES Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > CLIMATE INDICATORS > PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS > BIOLOGICAL RECORDS > POPULATION ABUNDANCE Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA Instrument Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords BINOCULAR > BINOCULAR Instrument Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords CAMERAS Instrument Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords VIDEO CAMERA > VIDEO CAMERA Instrument Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords VISUAL OBSERVATIONS > VISUAL OBSERVATIONS Platform Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords Airplane > Airplane Platform Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords NOAA Twin Otter > NOAA De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter Theme DOI 10.25921/mdc3-3246 Theme ESA/MMPA Permit Number 14450 Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords GOMMAPPS > Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program Theme Interagency Agreement M17PG00013 Theme NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER 0243469 Theme NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Southeast Fisheries Science Center Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS MARINE MAMMALS Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS SPECIES IDENTIFICATION Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS cetacean Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS species abundance Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS biological Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS in situ Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS marine mammal observation Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS visual estimate Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS visual observation Theme NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GOMMAPPS) Theme NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Gulf of Mexico Theme NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Southeast Fisheries Science Center; Miami, FL Laboratory Theme cooperative agreement NA15OAR4320064 Theme cooperative agreement NA20OAR4320472 Theme wmo_categorycode oceanography Theme CETACEANS Theme DOLPHIN Theme PHOTOGRAPHS Theme SEA TURTLE Theme SIGHTING Theme VIDEO Theme VISUAL OBSERVATIONS Temporal 2017 Instrument NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS binoculars Instrument NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS camera Instrument NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS photograph Instrument NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS video camera Instrument AIRCRAFT Instrument DISTANCE SAMPLING Instrument LINE-TRANSECT SURVEY Platform DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft National Centers for Environmental Information - Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring MD Data Set As Needed Multimedia (digital) 66295 Published / External Completed PI Supplied Data Dictionary Table Data dictionary: definitions, vocabulary and keywords used in SEFSC datasets follow standard terms, such as The Darwin Core (dwc) and the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) as much as possible. In addition, other extensions such as the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) Marine BioGeography (MBG) and OBIS MBG Visual Line Transect Survey (MBGVLTS) are also consulted. Terms are used as defined in each standard, modified, or created all together to fit specific SEFSC needs Data Table Yes Data Dictionary Table For This Dataset 10 Parameter or variable Character 40 Yes Yes Active Column Name to be documented 20 Definition Character 120 Yes No Active Textual DEscription Of Column 30 Units Character 200 No No Active Units Of Measurement or a list of coded values with their explanation 40 Sampling instrument Character 100 No No Active The instrument (or part of the human body) used to take the data reading for this column. N/A 70 Standard Character 100 No No Active Source Of the Definition 80 Files_arial Character 40 Yes No Active Index which class of data aerial data files that contain the same column name as is in record A list of values including cues, cetacean sightings, non-mammal occurrences, effort 66296 Published / External Completed Effort points with sampling conditions collected by the forward team (T1) . Within files for each team, effort points can be cross-referenced to cues, sightings, and non-mammal occurrences via eventID Data Table Yes Effort points with sampling conditions for the forward team 10 surveyEventID Character 6 6 Yes No Active 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 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 15 eventID numeric Yes No Active 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 24 eventdate time Yes No Active Local date-time during data recording. YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 28 platformLatitude Numeric Yes No Active The latitude of the platform at the moment of data recording. degrees latitude 32 platformLongitude Numeric Yes No Active The longitude of the platform at the moment of data recording Degrees Longitude 40 platformspeed numeric 4 Yes No Active Speed of the platform (vessel or aircraft) over ground (SOG) at the time of data recording. knots 50 platformheading Numeric 1 Yes No Active Platform direction of travel in true bearing in degrees. 80 onEffort character 1 Yes No Active 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 . Y = Yes N = No 90 observerLeft Numeric 2 Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) according to observationLocationPosition (For vessel survey: Left, Center, Right) and observationLocation (1=vessel's Flying Bridge, 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck)). 110 observerRight numeric 2 Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) according to observationLocationPosition (For vessel survey: Left, Center, Right) and observationLocation (1=vessel's Flying Bridge, 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck)). 125 observerbelly character Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) according to observationLocationPosition (For vessel survey: Left, Center, Right. For aerial survey: Left, Right, Belly) and observationLocation (1=vessel's Flying Bridge, 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck)). YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 135 observerRecorder character 3 Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) in the data recorder role. 145 Trackline Numeric 2 Yes No Active Unique identifier for the trackline. 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.Trackline numbers are unique for each survey day. 150 beaufortSeaState Numeric Yes No Active Number corresponding to Beaufort sea state (scale 0 to 12) to describe sea conditions. Please see https://www.weather.gov/pqr/beaufort 0=Calm, mirror like seas; 1=Waves <1ft, rippled surface; 2=Small wavelets (<2 ft), no white caps; 3=Large wavelets (<3ft), scattered white caps; 4=Swell 3-4 ft, numerous white caps, 5=Swell >5 ft, many white caps, some spray; 6= Swell >10 ft, white caps everywhere, spray [Vessel is not out if Beaufort scale > 6) 165 samplingConditionsWeather character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of precipitation. 0=Clear, 1=Mist, 2=Light Rain, 3=Heavy Rain 177 samplingConditionsGlareleft character 1 Yes No Active Degree of impairment from glare on the ability to detect sightings. 0=No Impairment, 1=Slight Impairment, 2=Moderate Impairment, 3=Severe Impairment 180 samplingConditionsGlareRight Character 1 Yes No Active Presence of glare, evaluated as the percentage obstruction of the visual field (180 degrees). 0=No Glare, 1=<10% obstruction of visual field, 2=10-25%, 3=26-50%, 4=51-75%, 5=>75% 182 samplingConditionsGlareIntensityLeft character 1 Yes No Active Degree of impairment from glare on the ability to detect sightings. . 0=No Impairment, 1=Slight Impairment, 2=Moderate Impairment, 3=Severe Impairment 184 samplingConditionsGlareIntensityright character Yes No Active Degree of impairment from glare on the ability to detect sightings. 0=No Impairment, 1=Slight Impairment, 2=Moderate Impairment, 3=Severe Impairment 187 samplingConditionsConditions character 1 Yes No Active Overall and cumulative assessment of likelihood of detecting a sighting based on all environmental parameters. 0=Poor, 1=Fair, 2=Moderate, 3=Good, 4=Excellent 190 samplingConditionsCloudCover character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of clouds evaluated as the percentage obstruction of the sky (360 degrees). 0=Clear, 1=0-25% Cloudy, 2=26-50% Cloudy, 3=51-75% Cloudy, 4=76-100% Cloudy, 5=Overcast 195 samplingConditionsHaze character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of haze. 0=no, 1=yes 198 samplingConditionsFog character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of fog. 0=no, 1=yes 200 samplingConditionsSunPenetration character 1 Yes No Active Degree of sun penetration on the water. 0=Poor, 1=Fair, 2=Good, 3=Excellent 204 samplingConditionsTurbidity character 1 Yes No Active Level of turbidity of the water and visibility through out the water. 0=Poor, 1=Fair, 2=Good, 3=Excellent 207 eventDateTimeZone Numeric 3 Yes No Active The time zone of the observation event, expressed as +/- hh:mm offset from UTC. 210 platformVLTS character 1 1 Yes No Active One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys. A = aerial surveys B = boat-based surveys 220 geodeticDatum character Yes No Active The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based. 230 higherInstitutionCode Character Yes No Active 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. 235 permitNumber character Yes No Active Research permit number issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) for research activities on marine mammals. 240 platformAttributes character Yes No Active 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. 250 relatedProjectProgram character 100 Yes No Active Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable. 66301 Published / External Completed Effort points with sampling conditions collected by the aft. team (t2) . Within files for each team, effort points can be cross-referenced to cues, sightings, and non-mammal occurrences via eventID Data Table Yes Effort points with sampling conditions for the Aft team 10 surveyEventID Character 6 6 Yes No Active 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 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 15 eventID numeric Yes No Active 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 24 eventdate time Yes No Active Local date-time during data recording. YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 28 platformLatitude Numeric Yes No Active The latitude of the platform at the moment of data recording. degrees latitude 32 platformLongitude Numeric Yes No Active The longitude of the platform at the moment of data recording Degrees Longitude 40 platformspeed numeric 4 Yes No Active Speed of the platform (vessel or aircraft) over ground (SOG) at the time of data recording. knots 50 platformheading Numeric 1 Yes No Active Platform direction of travel in true bearing in degrees. 80 onEffort character 1 Yes No Active 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 . Y = Yes N = No 90 observerLeft Numeric 2 Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) according to observationLocationPosition (For vessel survey: Left, Center, Right) and observationLocation (1=vessel's Flying Bridge, 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck)). 110 observerRight numeric 2 Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) according to observationLocationPosition (For vessel survey: Left, Center, Right) and observationLocation (1=vessel's Flying Bridge, 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck)). 125 observerbelly character Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) according to observationLocationPosition (For vessel survey: Left, Center, Right. For aerial survey: Left, Right, Belly) and observationLocation (1=vessel's Flying Bridge, 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (a.k.a. bridge deck)). YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 135 observerRecorder character 3 Yes No Active Numeric codes for observers (as in recordedBy) in the data recorder role. 145 Trackline Numeric 2 Yes No Active Unique identifier for the trackline. 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.Trackline numbers are unique for each survey day. 150 beaufortSeaState Numeric Yes No Active Number corresponding to Beaufort sea state (scale 0 to 12) to describe sea conditions. Please see https://www.weather.gov/pqr/beaufort 0=Calm, mirror like seas; 1=Waves <1ft, rippled surface; 2=Small wavelets (<2 ft), no white caps; 3=Large wavelets (<3ft), scattered white caps; 4=Swell 3-4 ft, numerous white caps, 5=Swell >5 ft, many white caps, some spray; 6= Swell >10 ft, white caps everywhere, spray [Vessel is not out if Beaufort scale > 6) 165 samplingConditionsWeather character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of precipitation. 0=Clear, 1=Mist, 2=Light Rain, 3=Heavy Rain 170 samplingConditionsGlareRight Character 1 Yes No Active Presence of glare, evaluated as the percentage obstruction of the visual field (180 degrees). 0=No Glare, 1=<10% obstruction of visual field, 2=10-25%, 3=26-50%, 4=51-75%, 5=>75% 177 samplingConditionsGlarebelly character 1 Yes No Active Degree of impairment from glare on the ability to detect sightings. 0=No Impairment, 1=Slight Impairment, 2=Moderate Impairment, 3=Severe Impairment 180 samplingConditionsGlareIntensityright character Yes No Active Degree of impairment from glare on the ability to detect sightings. 0=No Impairment, 1=Slight Impairment, 2=Moderate Impairment, 3=Severe Impairment 182 samplingConditionsGlareIntensityBelly character 1 Yes No Active Degree of impairment from glare on the ability to detect sightings. . 0=No Impairment, 1=Slight Impairment, 2=Moderate Impairment, 3=Severe Impairment 187 samplingConditionsConditions character 1 Yes No Active Overall and cumulative assessment of likelihood of detecting a sighting based on all environmental parameters. 0=Poor, 1=Fair, 2=Moderate, 3=Good, 4=Excellent 190 samplingConditionsCloudCover character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of clouds evaluated as the percentage obstruction of the sky (360 degrees). 0=Clear, 1=0-25% Cloudy, 2=26-50% Cloudy, 3=51-75% Cloudy, 4=76-100% Cloudy, 5=Overcast 195 samplingConditionsHaze character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of haze. 0=no, 1=yes 198 samplingConditionsFog character 1 Yes No Active Absence or presence of fog. 0=no, 1=yes 200 samplingConditionsSunPenetration character 1 Yes No Active Degree of sun penetration on the water. 0=Poor, 1=Fair, 2=Good, 3=Excellent 204 samplingConditionsTurbidity character 1 Yes No Active Level of turbidity of the water and visibility through out the water. 0=Poor, 1=Fair, 2=Good, 3=Excellent 207 eventDateTimeZone Numeric 3 Yes No Active The time zone of the observation event, expressed as +/- hh:mm offset from UTC. 210 platformVLTS character 1 1 Yes No Active One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys. A = aerial surveys B = boat-based surveys 220 geodeticDatum character Yes No Active The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based. 230 higherInstitutionCode Character Yes No Active 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. 235 permitNumber character Yes No Active Research permit number issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) for research activities on marine mammals. 240 platformAttributes character Yes No Active 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. 250 relatedProjectProgram character 100 Yes No Active Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable. 66302 Published / External Completed Marine mammal (cetacean) sightings with species (or lowest taxonomic level possible) identifications and behavioral observations: marine mammal sightings; This file can be cross-referenced to sightings (MMSightsAndCues) by date and sighting number Data Table Yes Marine mammal (cetacean) sightings with species (or lowest taxonomic level possible) identifications and behavioral observations: marine mammal sightings; 10 surveyEventID Character 6 6 Yes No Active 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 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 40 date date Yes No Active Local date during data recording. 50 sightingNumber numeric 4 Yes No Active The unique identifier for the marine mammal sighting 60 scientificName character 80 Yes No Active The scientific name of the marine mammal sighted. 65 vernacularName character Yes No Active The vernacular name of the marine mammal sighted. 88 individualCount Numeric 3 Yes No Active Number of animal observed 95 individualCountCalves character Yes No Active Minimum number of calves observed during the sighting. This value is included in the overall observers count for the sighting. -9 not recorded 100 Photographs character 1 Yes No Active If photographs from the animals present during the sighting were taken and are available. 1=yes, 0=no 105 behaviorInitial1 character 20 Yes No Active Overall behavior(s) displayed by the animal(s) at the first moment the sighting was observed. Different numbers (#) on the column heading are unique identifiers for each column and do not imply order. 0=Unk, 1=Slow travel, 2=Resting, 3=Feeding, 4=Complex social, 5=Bow riding, 6=Milling, 7=Spy hopping, 8=Fast travel, 9=Tail slaps, 10=Other, 11=Diving, 12=Breaching, 13=Toward aircraft, 14=Away from aircraft, 15=Traveling North, 16=Traveling South, 17=Traveling East, 18=Traveling West, 19=No change, 20=Not recorded. 112 behaviorNew1 character Yes No Active Subsequent overall behaviors displayed by the animal(s) as observation of the sighting progressed. Different numbers (#) on the column heading are unique identifiers for each column and do not imply order. 0=Unk, 1=Slow travel, 2=Resting, 3=Feeding, 4=Complex social, 5=Bow riding, 6=Milling, 7=Spy hopping, 8=Fast travel, 9=Tail slaps, 10=Oth, 11=Diving, 12=Breaching, 13= toward aircraft, 14=away from aircraft, 15=Traveling North, 16=Traveling South, 17=Traveling East, 18=Traveling West, 19=No change, 20=Not recorded 118 behaviorInitialFormation character Yes No Active Subjective evaluation by the observer of the overall distribution of the animals at the first moment the sighting was observed. See also dwc:behavior. 0=Single, 1=Chorus line, 2=Loose aggregation, 3=Tight aggregation, 4=Widely scattered, 5=Parade, 6=Soldier, 7=Confused, 8=Multiple tightly packed groups, 9=No change, 10=Not recorded. 143 behaviornewFormation character Yes No Active Subjective evaluation by the observer of the overall distribution of the animals as observation of the sighting progressed. 0=Single, 1=Chorus line, 2=Loose aggregation, 3=Tight aggregation, 4=Widely scattered, 5=Parade, 6=Soldier, 7=Confused, 8=Multiple tightly packed groups, 9=No change, 10=Not recorded. 155 sightingRemarks character Yes No Active sightingRemarks 200 typeVLTS character Yes No Active 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. 210 platformVLTS character 1 1 Yes No Active One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys. For aerial surveys: All records flagged “A” For boat-based surveys: All records flagged “B”. 220 geodeticDatum character Yes No Active The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based. 230 higherInstitutionCode Character Yes No Active 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. 235 permitnumber character 120 Yes No Active Research permit number issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) for research activities on marine mammals. 240 platformAttributes character Yes No Active 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. 250 relatedProjectProgram character 100 Yes No Active Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable. 66303 Published / External Completed Marine mammal (cetacean) cue (when recorded) and sighting data with calculated perpendicular distances (sightingDistanceInMeters) for the forward team (T1). Please note that cues to marine mammal sightings are not necessarily recorded for all sightings. Data Table Marine mammal (cetacean) sighting cues with calculated perpendicular distances for the forward team (T1): 10 surveyEventID Character 6 6 Yes No Active 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 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 20 eventID numeric Yes No Active 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 50 sightingNumber numeric 4 Yes No Active The unique identifier for the Sighting (for marine mammal sighting). 60 sightingCue character 20 Yes No Active 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). 65 scientificName Character 50 Yes No Active The full scientific name or lowest level taxonomic rank that could be determined for the sighting. 70 vernacularName Character 50 Yes No Active The common or vernacular name for the species or lowest level taxonomic rank that could be determined for the sighting. 75 eventDateCue date Yes No Active Local date-time during cue data recording. NA NA = Not applicable 80 platformLatitudeCue Numeric Yes No Active The latitude of the platform at the moment of cue data recording. 90 platformLongitudeCue Numeric Yes No Active The longitude of the platform at the moment of cue data recording. 95 eventDateSight Character Yes No Active Local date-time during sighting data recording. 98 platformLatitude Numeric Yes No Active Latitude Value (Location) of the platform at time of sighting Degrees of Latitude 102 platformLongitude Numeric Yes No Active Platform Location Longitude at the time of sighting Degrees Longitude 105 onEffort character 1 Yes No Active 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). Y=Yes (on effort), N=No 110 observationLocation character 1 Yes No Active Description of where on the vessel the observer was located when the animal was first detected. For vessel survey: 1=vessel's Flying Bridge (FB), 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (BW) (a.k.a. bridge deck). 115 verticalangle Numeric Yes No Active Angle from the plane to the sighting measured with a digital inclinometer. 120 verticalIncrement character Yes No Active Interval for the sighting based on markings on the belly port splitting the window into sections with numbers from 1 to 4 and letters to designate the left (L) or right (R) side in relation to the plane, with 1 being closest to the center of the window, i.e., closest to the trackline. Observers record the section of the window when the sighting is directly under the aircraft. 130 recordedBy Numeric 2 Yes No Active Numeric code for each observer 170 observationHeight numeric Yes No Active 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). meters 180 sightingDistanceInMeters Numeric Yes No Active 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) 200 eventDateTimeZone Numeric 3 Yes No Active Number of hours from Greenwich mean time 205 typeVLTS character Yes No Active 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. 210 platformVLTS character 1 1 Yes No Active One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys. A = aerial surveys B = boat-based surveys 220 geodeticDatum character Yes No Active The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based. 230 higherInstitutionCode Character Yes No Active 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. 234 permitNumber character 100 Yes No Active The federal permit number which gives permission for the data collection. (This value is the same for every record in this file) 240 platformAttributes character Yes No Active 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. 250 relatedProjectProgram character 100 Yes No Active Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable. 66304 Published / External Completed Non-mammal (cetacean) opportunistic occurrences (ex. Sea turtles, rays, sharks) with calculated perpendicular distances collected by the forward team (T1): Non-mammal occurrences (e.g. sea turtles, fish) matched between teams can be cross-referenced via the matchedOccurrenceID. Matches are based on the following criteria: time between occurrences was < 15 seconds, occurrences were seen on the same side of the plane (when known), angle differed <= 15 degrees, and individualCount was equal. If present, other types of non-mammal occurrences are recorded opportunistically and not matched across teams. Data Table Yes Non-mammal (cetacean) opportunistic occurrences (ex. Sea turtles, rays, sharks) with calculated perpendicular distances for the forward team (T1): 10 surveyEventID Character 6 6 Yes No Active 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 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 20 eventID numeric Yes No Active 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 50 occurrenceID numeric 4 Yes Yes Active The unique identifier for the Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting). 55 matchedOccurrenceID Numeric 6 Yes No Active The unique identifier assigned to the matched Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting) from the other survey team. Sightings were matched if time between sightings was < 15 seconds, if seen on same side of plane (when known), if SightingAngle differed <= 15 degrees, and individualCount was equal. N/A The animal was seen by one of the two people. but not both 60 occurrenceAttributes character 80 Yes No Active A list (concatenated and separated) indicating the type and description of the Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting). Usually this is a description of an organism, but need not be so 70 observationLocation character 1 Yes No Active Description of where on the vessel the observer was located when the animal was first detected. For vessel survey: 1=vessel's Flying Bridge (FB), 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (BW) (a.k.a. bridge deck). 80 onEffort character 1 Yes No Active 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). Y,N 105 verticalAngle Numeric 3 Yes No Active Angle from the plane to the sighting measured with a digital inclinometer. NA Not Available 107 verticalIncrement Character Yes No Active Interval for the sighting based on markings on the belly port splitting the window into sections with numbers from 1 to 4 and letters to designate the left (L) or right (R) side in relation to the plane, with 1 being closest to the center of the window, i.e., closest to the trackline. Observers record the section of the window when the sighting is directly under the aircraft. NA Not Available 1L, 2L, 3L, 4L, 1R, 2R, 3R, 4R 150 sightingDistanceInMeters Numeric Yes No Active 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) 170 observationHeight numeric Yes No Active 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). meters 180 platformLatitude Numeric Yes No Active The latitude of the platform at the moment of data recording. degrees latitude 190 platformLongitude Numeric Yes No Active The longitude of the platform at the moment of data recording Degrees Longitude 192 Behavior character Yes No Active The behavior shown by the subject at the time the sighting was recorded. 0=Not Observed, 1=At Surface, 2=Submerged, 3=Diving. NA = Not applicable 197 individualCount Numeric Yes No Active The number of individuals present at the time of the Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting). 205 eventdate time Yes No Active Local date-time during data recording. YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 207 eventDateTimeZone Numeric 2 Yes No Active Number Of Hours From Greenwich meantime YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 209 typeVLTS character Yes No Active 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. 210 platformVLTS character 1 1 Yes No Active One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys. For aerial surveys: All records flagged “A” For boat-based surveys: All records flagged “B”. 220 geodeticDatum character Yes No Active The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based. 230 higherInstitutionCode Character Yes No Active 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. 240 platformAttributes character Yes No Active 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. 250 relatedProjectProgram character 100 Yes No Active Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable. 66305 Published / External Completed Non-mammal (cetacean) opportunistic occurrences (ex. Sea turtles, rays, sharks) with calculated perpendicular distances for the forward team (T1): Non-mammal occurrences (e.g. sea turtles, fish) matched between teams can be cross-referenced via the matchedOccurrenceID. Matches are based on the following criteria: time between occurrences was < 15 seconds, occurrences were seen on the same side of the plane (when known), angle differed <= 15 degrees, and individualCount was equal. If present, other types of non-mammal occurrences are recorded opportunistically and not matched across teams. Data Table Yes Non-mammal (cetacean) opportunistic occurrences (ex. Sea turtles, rays, sharks) with calculated perpendicular distances for the forward team (T1): 10 surveyEventID Character 6 6 Yes No Active 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 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 20 eventID numeric Yes No Active 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 50 occurrenceID numeric 4 Yes Yes Active The unique identifier for the Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting). 55 matchedOccurrenceID Numeric 6 Yes No Active The unique identifier assigned to the matched Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting) from the other survey team. Sightings were matched if time between sightings was < 15 seconds, if seen on same side of plane (when known), if SightingAngle differed <= 15 degrees, and individualCount was equal. N/A The animal was seen by one of the two people. but not both 60 occurrenceAttributes character 80 Yes No Active A list (concatenated and separated) indicating the type and description of the Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting). Usually this is a description of an organism, but need not be so 70 observationLocation character 1 Yes No Active Description of where on the vessel the observer was located when the animal was first detected. For vessel survey: 1=vessel's Flying Bridge (FB), 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (BW) (a.k.a. bridge deck). 80 onEffort character 1 Yes No Active 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). Y,N 105 verticalAngle Numeric 3 Yes No Active Angle from the plane to the sighting measured with a digital inclinometer. NA Not Available 107 verticalIncrement Character Yes No Active Interval for the sighting based on markings on the belly port splitting the window into sections with numbers from 1 to 4 and letters to designate the left (L) or right (R) side in relation to the plane, with 1 being closest to the center of the window, i.e., closest to the trackline. Observers record the section of the window when the sighting is directly under the aircraft. NA Not Available 1L, 2L, 3L, 4L, 1R, 2R, 3R, 4R 150 sightingDistanceInMeters Numeric Yes No Active 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) 170 observationHeight numeric Yes No Active 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). meters 180 platformLatitude Numeric Yes No Active The latitude of the platform at the moment of data recording. degrees latitude 190 platformLongitude Numeric Yes No Active The longitude of the platform at the moment of data recording Degrees Longitude 192 Behavior character Yes No Active The behavior shown by the subject at the time the sighting was recorded. 0=Not Observed, 1=At Surface, 2=Submerged, 3=Diving. NA = Not applicable 197 individualCount Numeric Yes No Active The number of individuals present at the time of the Occurrence (non-marine mammal sighting). 205 eventdate time Yes No Active Local date-time during data recording. YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 207 eventDateTimeZone Numeric 2 Yes No Active Number Of Hours From Greenwich meantime YYYY-MM-DDHH24:MN:SS 209 typeVLTS character Yes No Active 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. 210 platformVLTS character 1 1 Yes No Active One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys. For aerial surveys: All records flagged “A” For boat-based surveys: All records flagged “B”. 220 geodeticDatum character Yes No Active The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based. 230 higherInstitutionCode Character Yes No Active 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. 240 platformAttributes character Yes No Active 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. 250 relatedProjectProgram character 100 Yes No Active Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable. 66306 Published / External Completed Marine mammal (cetacean) cue (when recorded) and sighting data with calculated perpendicular distances (sightingDistanceInMeters) for the aft team (T2). Please note that cues to marine mammal sightings are not necessarily recorded for all sightings. Data Table Marine mammal (cetacean) sighting cues with calculated perpendicular distances for the aft team (T2): 10 surveyEventID Character 6 6 Yes No Active 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 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 20 eventID numeric Yes No Active 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 50 sightingNumber numeric 4 Yes No Active The unique identifier for the Sighting (for marine mammal sighting). 60 sightingCue character 20 Yes No Active 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). 65 scientificName Character 50 Yes No Active The full scientific name or lowest level taxonomic rank that could be determined for the sighting. 70 vernacularName Character 50 Yes No Active The common or vernacular name for the species or lowest level taxonomic rank that could be determined for the sighting. 75 eventDateCue date Yes No Active Local date-time during cue data recording. NA NA = Not applicable 80 platformLatitudeCue Numeric Yes No Active The latitude of the platform at the moment of cue data recording. 90 platformLongitudeCue Numeric Yes No Active The longitude of the platform at the moment of cue data recording. 95 eventDateSight Character Yes No Active Local date-time during sighting data recording. 98 platformLatitude Numeric Yes No Active Latitude Value (Location) of the platform at time of sighting Degrees of Latitude 102 platformLongitude Numeric Yes No Active Platform Location Longitude at the time of sighting Degrees Longitude 105 onEffort character 1 Yes No Active 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). Y=Yes (on effort), N=No 110 observationLocation character 1 Yes No Active Description of where on the vessel the observer was located when the animal was first detected. For vessel survey: 1=vessel's Flying Bridge (FB), 2=vessel's Bridge Wing (BW) (a.k.a. bridge deck). 115 verticalangle Numeric Yes No Active Angle from the plane to the sighting measured with a digital inclinometer. 120 verticalIncrement character Yes No Active Interval for the sighting based on markings on the belly port splitting the window into sections with numbers from 1 to 4 and letters to designate the left (L) or right (R) side in relation to the plane, with 1 being closest to the center of the window, i.e., closest to the trackline. Observers record the section of the window when the sighting is directly under the aircraft. 130 recordedBy Numeric 2 Yes No Active Numeric code for each observer 170 observationHeight numeric Yes No Active 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). meters 180 sightingDistanceInMeters Numeric Yes No Active 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) 200 eventDateTimeZone Numeric 3 Yes No Active Number of hours from Greenwich mean time 205 typeVLTS character Yes No Active 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. 210 platformVLTS character 1 1 Yes No Active One-character string to flag survey platform type for visual line transect surveys. A = aerial surveys B = boat-based surveys 220 geodeticDatum character Yes No Active The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal Latitude and decimal Longitude as based. 230 higherInstitutionCode Character Yes No Active 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. 234 permitNumber character 100 Yes No Active The federal permit number which gives permission for the data collection. (This value is the same for every record in this file) 240 platformAttributes character Yes No Active 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. 250 relatedProjectProgram character 100 Yes No Active Official project and/or program under which the survey was conducted (e.g. AMAPPS, GoMMAPPS). If applicable. Data Steward 2021 Person Litz, Jenny Jenny.Litz@noaa.gov 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33139 305-361-4224 305-365-4102 Distributor 2021 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information NCEI ncei.info@noaa.gov https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact NCEI Contact Information Information for contacts at NCEI. Online Resource Metadata Contact 2021 Person Dias, Laura A laura.dias@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9378-4577 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 (305) 361-4269 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9378-4577 ORCID Page Laura Dias Online Resource Originator 2017 Organization Southeast Fisheries Science Center SEFSC https://ror.org/0396y0w87 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA (305)361-5761 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center About SEFSC Online Resource 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST Point of Contact 2021 Person Rappucci, Gina gina.rappucci@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5828-4024 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 (305) 361-4283 Point of Contact 2021 Person Dias, Laura A laura.dias@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9378-4577 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 (305) 361-4269 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9378-4577 ORCID Page Laura Dias Online Resource Principal Investigator 2017 Person Garrison, Lance Lance.Garrison@noaa.gov 75 Virginia Beach Dr Miami FL 33149 305-361-4488 305-361-4478 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST/EDT Principal Investigator 2017 Person Litz, Jenny Jenny.Litz@noaa.gov 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33139 305-361-4224 305-365-4102 Principal Investigator 2017 Person Mullin, Keith D keith.d.mullin@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4094-9718 3209 Frederic St. Pascagoula MS 39568 228-549-1632 228-769-9200 Principal Investigator 2017 2023-07 Person Barry, Kevin kevin.barry@noaa.gov 3209 Frederic St. Pascagoula MS 39568 228-549-1608 228-769-9200 Publisher 2021 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information NCEI ncei.info@noaa.gov https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact NCEI Contact Information Information for contacts at NCEI. Online Resource Ground Condition -96.93520934 -82.44092755 30.412986948 27.658528425 Range 2017-06-29 2017-08-17 Unclassified Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose. Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives. All marine mammal data and photographs were collected under the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) permit number: NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit No.14450. If a photo displaying a marine mammal is used, please include the permit number in the captions and acknowledge NOAA Fisheries. Cite as: Litz, Jenny; Barry, Kevin; Aichinger Dias, Laura; Rappucci, Gina; Martinez, Anthony; Soldevilla, Melissa; Garrison, Lance; Mullin, Keith. (2021). Cetacean and sea turtle visual observations using line-transect survey methods aboard a NOAA DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (TO) aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico, during the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS survey TO17Su) from 6/29/2017 to 8/17/2017 (NCEI Accession 0243469). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/mdc3-3246. Accessed [date]. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/archive-management-system/OAS/bin/prd/jquery/accession/download/243469 2021 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 243469.1.1.tar.gz NCEI tar file containing all files of NCEI Accession 243469 NCEI Archived Data Accession 2199.592 MB TAR Chked Viruses Inapp Content https://doi.org/10.25921/mdc3-3246 Landing Page NCEI Accession 0243469 Online Resource html Cetacean and sea turtle visual observations using line-transect survey methods aboard a NOAA DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (TO) aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico, during the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS survey TO17Su) from 6/29/2017 to 8/17/2017. https://www.boem.gov/gommapps Gommapps Home Page Online Resource https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/population-assessments/marine-mammal-research-surveys-noaas-southeast-region NOAA Fisheries Population Assessment of Marine Mammals in SE Online Resource While still on the plane, observers across both teams discuss and agree upon species identification, group size and behavioral observations for mammal sightings. Data auditing consisted of making corrections based on error log notes from the field, plotting trackline points to identify errors made when recording effort status, and verifying sighting data based on data sheets from the field No Unknown Yes No NCEI-MD 1 Parameter or Variable: CETACEANS, VISUAL OBSERVATIONS (measured); Units: NA; Observation Category: In Situ/Laboratory Instruments, SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS, POPULATION ABUNDANCE; Sampling Instrument: AIRCRAFT, LINE-TRANSECT SURVEY, DISTANCE SAMPLING; Sampling and Analyzing Method: The goal of the survey was to conduct line-transect surveys using the distance sampling approach to estimate the abundance and spatial distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles in waters over the continental shelf in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. A two-team independent observer approach was used to correct for perception bias in resulting abundance estimates. Survey tracklines were oriented perpendicular to the shoreline and latitudinally spaced 20 km apart.; Data Quality Method: Data auditing consisted of making corrections based on error log notes from the field, plotting trackline points to identify errors made when recording effort status, and verifying sighting data based on data sheets from the field.. Person Rappucci, Gina gina.rappucci@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5828-4024 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 (305) 361-4283 66264 Document 66276 Document 66274 Document 66278 Document 66275 Document 66294 Document 66277 Document 66319 Data Set 66295 Entity 66302 Entity 66296 Entity 66303 Entity 66304 Entity 66301 Entity 66306 Entity 66305 Entity gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:65828 Lee Weinberger 2021-11-23T12:54:26 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2026-03-04T19:17:26 2022-09-23 Southeast Fisheries Science Center SEFSC 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA (305)361-5761 www.sefsc.noaa.gov 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST 1001 Public No No 2022-01-03 1 Year 2023-01-03