69464 NCCOS Dataset: Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands Data Set Published / External 45869 NCCOS Habitat Mapping Team Project Completed 2021-11-03 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) developed a spatial framework, process, and online application (Buja and Christensen 2019) to identify mapping needs along the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Island (USVI) coasts to support shallow coral reef management by NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). Participants from local, federal, academic, and other institutions (sixteen in Puerto Rico, eighteen in USVI), entered their priorities in an online participatory Geographic Information System (pGIS). Participants used virtual coins to denote their priorities in 2.6 km2 hexagonal grid cells overlaid on the study area, individually for Puerto Rico and USVI. Grid cells with more coins were higher priorities than cells with fewer coins. Participants also reported why these locations were important, what data types were needed, and data collection methodologies using a pre-set list of options. Results were compiled, summarized, and mapped to identify high priority areas, reasons for those priorities, and information needs. Identifying these high priority areas provide a critical spatial framework for prioritizing mapping efforts in shallow coral reef ecosystems in Puerto Rico and USVI. The overall goal of the project was to systematically gather and quantify suggestions for mapping needs to support management of shallow coral reef ecosystems along the coasts of Puerto Rico and USVI. This dataset supports these goals by compiling input from a diversity of regional experts on their recommended priorities for mapping data collection. An advisory group was established which included individuals from NOAA CRCP and NOAA Fisheries. This advisory team customized the pGIS process specifically to meet the needs of CRCP and local coral reef manager priorities. In the online pGIS, the Puerto Rico study area was divided into 2007 hexagonal grid cells 2.6 km2 in size. The USVI study area was divided into 644 hexagonal grid cells 2.6 km2 in size. Existing relevant spatial datasets (e.g., bathymetry, Sanctuary Protection Areas, etc.) were provided as a digital atlas to help participants understand information and data gaps within the project area and to identify locations they wanted to prioritize for future data collections. The pGIS was used by 16 participants in Puerto Rico and 18 participants in USVI to convey their recommendations. Each Puerto Rico participant was provided with 600 virtual coins to place into grid cells that they wished to prioritize. Each USVI participant was provided with 200 coins. They were instructed to place more coins in grid cells that were higher priorities. A maximum of 60 coins could be placed into an individual grid cell in Puerto Rico by each respondent, and a maximum of 20 coins could be place into an individual grid cell in USVI. Respondents also reported why these locations were important by selecting a minimum of one, and a maximum of two, management uses from the following list: endangered species management (e.g.,), habitat restoration, monitoring, coastal vulnerability planning, watershed management, fisheries management, consultations and permitting, emergency response, and spatial protection and management. Respondents also reported requirements of data were needed in priority cells. A minimum of one, to a maximum of two choices were selected from the following list: delineations of large topographic features, delineations of hard vs. soft bottom, models of habitat suitability for key taxa or communities, delineations of substrate type (e.g. sand, mud, coral, rock), models of presence/absence or density of corals, identification of coral species and their local environments, documentation of individual specimen condition. Coin values were summarized and mapped to identify high priority areas, reasons for those priorities, and information needs. This ESRI shapefile contains the 2.6 km2 grid cells used in this prioritization and their associated coin values overall, as well as by management use, data product, and mapping methodology. Other summary values include the number of participants, number of participating groups, number of management uses, and number of data requirements. Additionally, coins for microscale (identification of coral species and their local environments and documentation of individual specimen condition), mesoscale (delineations of substrate type, models of presence/absence/density of corals), and regional (delineations of topographic features, delineations of hard vs. soft bottom, models of habitat suitability) requirements were summarized. Also included is a ranking of each grid cell based on the total number of coins, management uses, and participating groups allocating coins in the respective cell. For a complete description of the process and analysis see: Kraus et al. 2022, in prep. Kraus, J., Buckel, C., Williams, B., Ames, C., Dorfman, D., Pagan, F., & Towle, E. (2022). NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Agency priorities for mapping coral reef ecosystems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 2021-11-03 to 2022-01-14 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6998275 Collaborators: US DOC; National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): -Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory -National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Caribbean Fisheries Management Council -National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Restoration Center -National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Regional Office -National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center -National Ocean Service (NOS) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) -National Ocean Service (NOS) Office of Coastal Management (OCM); Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) -National Ocean Service (NOS) OCM CRCP National Coral Reef Monitoring Program -National Ocean Service (NOS) OCM -National Ocean Service (NOS) Office of Coast Survey -US DOI National Park Service (NPS) -US DOI Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -US DOI US Geological Survey (USGS) -Puerto Rico Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (PR DENR) -US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) -US Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (USVI DPNR) -Coastal Survey Solutions (CSS) -Pew Research Center Partners: -NOAA; NMFS; USGS; NPS; EPA; PR DENR, USVI DPNR, USACE, CSS, Pew Funding: -NOAA CRCP project #31322 - Mapping Gap Analysis for US Shallow Coral Reef Areas https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6998275 DOI Registration Authority 2022-08-16 Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL Theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT > ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS Spatial Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA > PUERTO RICO Theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Documents > Observational Report Theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Geographic Information > Marine Managed Areas Theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Geographic Information > Socioeconomic Theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Numeric Data Sets > Bathymetry Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Mapping Theme NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Data Type > Derived Data Product Theme NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Data Type > Geospatial Theme NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Priority > Marine Spatial Ecology Theme NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Topic > Ecological and Biogeographic Assessments Theme NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Topic > Habitat Mapping Spatial CoRIS Place Country/Territory Keywords COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Puerto Rico Spatial CoRIS Place Ocean/Seas Keywords OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea Spatial NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Location > Region > Atlantic Ocean Spatial NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Location > Region > Caribbean Sea Spatial NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Puerto Rico Spatial NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > U.S. Virgin Islands Spatial Sea Areas, Water Bodies, Marine Protected Areas Atlantic Coast Spatial Sea Areas, Water Bodies, Marine Protected Areas Gulf of America Spatial Sea Areas, Water Bodies, Marine Protected Areas Gulf of Mexico National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Silver Spring MD Data Set Map (digital) All metadata, including the data dictionary, can be found in the DataDocumentation.pdf which can be previewed or downloaded separately from the files if needed. DataDocumentation.pdf https://zenodo.org/records/6998275 Online application None None Data Steward 2022 Position NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) 1305 East West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 https://ror.org/05ba43f71 https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ nccos.data@noaa.gov Distributor 2022 Organization Zenodo https://zenodo.org/ Zenodo Homepage general web page for Zenodo, and open science repository hosted by CERN Online Resource Distributor 2022 Organization NOAA GeoPlatform gis.community@noaa.gov https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html homepage main access page for the NOAA Geoplatform Online Resource Metadata Contact 2022 Position NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov Point of Contact 2022 Person Kraus, Jennifer jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov Point of Contact LTJG Jennifer Kraus, Jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov, US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) NCCOS Data Manager, nccos.data@noaa.gov, US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Principal Investigator 2022 Person Kraus, Jennifer jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov Principal Investigator: LTJG Jennifer Kraus, Jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov, US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Additional Principal Investigator: Tim Battista, Tim.battista@noaa.gov, US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Publisher 2022-08-16 Organization National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NCCOS https://ror.org/05ba43f71 1305 East West Highway, Rm 8110 Silver Spring MD 20910 https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ -67.965 -64.417 18.599 17.624 Range 2021-11-03 2022-01-14 Geographic 2D EPSG:4326 WGS 84 World Geodetic System 1984 WGS 84 6378137 298.257223563 1 Geodetic Lattitude Lat degree north 2 Geodetic Longitude Lon degree east Unclassified Download from website None None https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6998275 2022 Organization Zenodo NCCOS_CRCP_PR_USVI_ArchiveDataPackage.zip DATA FILES: CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_PR.SHP CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_USVI.SHP DOCUMENTATION FILE: DataDocumentation.PDF Zenodo Data Archive Accession Shapefile 356.3 kB Zip https://us-shallow-coral-reef-mapping-priorities-noaa.hub.arcgis.com/ 2022 Organization NOAA GeoPlatform US Shallow Coral Reef Mapping Priorities US Shallow Coral Reef Mapping Priorities Data Viewer NOAA GeoPlatform Web Application Organization Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6998275 NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Agency priorities for mapping coral reef ecosystems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 2021-11-03 to 2022-01-14 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6998275 Kraus, J., Buckel, C., Williams, B., Ames, C., Dorfman, D., Pagan, F., & Towle, E. (2022). NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Agency priorities for mapping coral reef ecosystems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 2021-11-03 to 2022-01-14 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6998275 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6998275 2022-08-16 D 2026-06-01T16:35:37 2026-06-06T18:15:23 https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/defining-future-seafloor-mapping-priorities-to-inform-shallow-coral-reef-management/ NCCOS Project Webpage: Defining Future Seafloor Mapping Priorities to Inform Shallow Coral Reef Management Online Resource NCCOS Project Webpage: Defining Future Seafloor Mapping Priorities to Inform Shallow Coral Reef Management 2026-06-06 Metadata Review Batts, Amber Reviewed/Updated Metadata, Edited URLs DATA FILES: -CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_PR.SHP -CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_USVI.SHP Data File Format(s): Shapefile .SHP (and ancillary files .DBF, .PRJ, .SHX) Data File Compression: zip Data File Resolution: 2.6 km2 GIS Projection: WGS 1984 (WKID 4326) DOCUMENTATION FILES: -DataDocumentation.PDF For details of data completeness, see Lineage Sources. For details of data quality control methods, see Lineage Sources. All users should independently analyze the datasets according to their own needs and standards to determine data usability. No Unknown Yes No Three months Other Six months NCCOS IT Policy Agency Priorities for Mapping Coral Reef Ecosystems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Person LTJG Jennifer Kraus Publisher https://doi.org/10.25923/thds-5s22 Publication - NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 305 Kraus, J., C.A. Buckel, B. Williams, C. Ames, D. Dorfman, F. Pagan, and E.K. Towle. 2023 Agency Priorities for Mapping Coral Reef Ecosystems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 305. Silver Spring, MD. https://doi.org/10.25923/thds5s22 Associated Manuscript Buja, K., and Christensen, J. 2019. Spatial Prioritization Widget: A Tool to Identify Mapping Priorities. Available Online: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/spatial-prioritization-widget/ (Accessed 26 June, 2019). Person Ken Buja Publisher https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/spatial-prioritization-widget/ Webpage Spatial Prioritization Widget: A Tool to Identify Mapping Priorities 1 An advisory group was established which included individuals from NOAA CRCP and NOAA Fisheries. This advisory team customized the prioritization process specifically to meet the needs of CRCP and local coral reef manager priorities. In the online prioritization tool, the study area was divided into 1786 hexagonal grid cells 2.6 km2 in size. Existing relevant spatial datasets (e.g., bathymetry, protected areas, etc.) were provided as a digital atlas to help participants understand information and data gaps within the project area and to identify locations they wanted to prioritize for future data collections. Each participant was provided with 540 virtual coins to place into grid cells to denote their mapping needs. They were instructed to place more coins in grid cells that were higher priority. A maximum of 54 coins could be placed into an individual grid cell by each respondent. Participants also selected from a drop-down list of predefined management uses from the following list: endangered species management (e.g.,), habitat restoration, monitoring, coastal vulnerability planning, watershed management, fisheries management, consultations and permitting, emergency response, and spatial protection and management. Respondents also selected what map product requirements were needed in priority cells by selecting a minimum of one, to a maximum of two choices from the following list: delineations of large topographic features, delineations of hard vs. soft bottom, models of habitat suitability for key taxa or communities, delineations of substrate type (e.g. sand, mud, coral, rock), models of presence/absence or density of corals, identification of coral species and their local environments, documentation of individual specimen condition. Coin values were summarized and mapped to identify high priority areas, reasons for those priorities, and information needs. This ESRI shapefile contains the 2.6 km2 grid cells used in this prioritization and their associated coin values overall, as well as by management use and map product requirement. Other summary values include the number of participants, number of participating groups, number of management uses, and number of map product requirements. Additionally, coins for microscale (identification of coral species and their local environments and documentation of individual specimen condition), mesoscale (delineations of substrate type, models of presence/absence/density of corals), and regional (delineations of topographic features, delineations of hard vs. soft bottom, models of habitat suitability) requirements were summarized. Also included is a ranking of each grid cell based on the total number of coins, management uses, and participating groups allocating coins in the respective cell. For a complete description of the process and analysis see: Kraus et al. 2023, in prep. Person Kraus, Jennifer jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov Not Applicable Not Applicable 79904 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization American Samoa 79909 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization Guam/CNMI 69455 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization Hawaii 65526 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: US Caribbean Prioritization 58183 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: West Coast Prioritization 67799 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization Florida gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:69464 Amber Batts 2023-03-23T14:23:53 Brianna Key 2026-06-26T16:27:09 2026-06-26 National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NCCOS 1002 Public No No 2026-06-26 1 Year 2027-06-26 Coral Reef Prioritization Puerto Rico United States Virgin Islands