79904 NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization American Samoa Data Set Published / External 45869 NCCOS Habitat Mapping Team Project Completed 2023-06-06 2023-10-23 NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) has identified a need for priority locations based on emerging management requirements in shallow coral reef areas (up to 40 meters depth) surrounding American Samoa. The priorities provided by participating agencies will inform research and monitoring activities, address current and future management needs, and maximize opportunities to leverage and complement existing regional efforts. To meet this need, the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) developed a systematic, quantitative approach and online GIS application to gather seafloor mapping priorities from researchers and coral reef managers. Participants placed virtual coins into a grid overlaid on the project area to express the location of their mapping priorities. They also used pull-down menus to indicate specific mapping data needs and the rationale for their selections. Participants inputs were compiled and analyzed to identify high priority areas along with their justifications and requirements. A total of nine participant groups entered their mapping priorities into the online tool. Identifying these high priority areas provide a critical spatial framework for prioritizing mapping efforts in shallow coral reef ecosystems in American Samoa. 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 coast of the American Samoa. This dataset supports these goals by compiling input from a diversity of regional experts on their recommended priorities for mapping data collection. Agency Priorities for Mapping Shallow Coral Reef Ecosystems: Enabling agencies to evaluate and prioritize seafloor mapping needs that are essential to coral reef management. Hile, S., Kraus, J., Buckel, C., Williams, B., Howell, J., Pagan, F., & Towle, E. (2023). NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Agency priorities for mapping coral reef ecosystems in American Samoa, 2023-06-06 to 2023-08-07 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10034904 Collaborators: US DOC; National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): -National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) -Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) -Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) US DOI; -US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) -Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -American Samoa Department of Ports Authority (DPA) -American Samoa Coastal Zone Management (CZM) -University of Hawaii - Hawaii Sea Grant (HI Sea Grant) -University of Hawaii (UH) -Old Dominion University (ODU) Partners: -NOAA NMFS; USFWS; EPA; DPA; CZM; HI Sea Grant; UH; ODU Funding: -NOAA CRCP project #31322 - Mapping Gap Analysis for US Shallow Coral Reef Areas https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10034904 DOI Registration Authority 2023-10-23 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 > PACIFIC OCEAN > CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN > AMERICAN SAMOA 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 > American Samoa Spatial CoRIS Place Ocean/Seas Keywords OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean Spatial NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Location > Region > Pacific Ocean Spatial NCCOS Keywords NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > American Samoa Spatial Sea Areas, Water Bodies, Marine Protected Areas Pacific Ocean 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/10034904 Online application None None Data Steward 2023 Position NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov Distributor 2023 Organization Zenodo https://zenodo.org/ Zenodo Homepage general web page for Zenodo, and open science repository hosted by CERN Online Resource Distributor 2023 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 2023 Position NCCOS Scientific Data Coordinator NCCOS.data@noaa.gov Point of Contact 2023 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 2023 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 2026-06-03 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/ -171.102 -168.131 -11.037 -14.569 GIS Projection: WGS 1984 Range 2023-06-06 2023-08-07 The data product is derived from a summary of expert opinions obtained using a custom application created in an ESRI Web AppBuilder that implemented a coin placement technique where each expert allocated virtual coins on a map grid to express their mapping priorities. For a complete description of the process and analyses used in a similar project, see Kendall et al. 2020. 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.10034904 2023 Organization Zenodo CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.zip CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.dbf - 45.1 kB CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.prj - 145 Bytes CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.shp - 27.0 kB CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.shx - 1.4 kB Data File Resolution: 2.6 square kilometers Zenodo Data Archive Accession Shapefile 13.3 kB Zip https://us-shallow-coral-reef-mapping-priorities-noaa.hub.arcgis.com/ 2023 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.10034904 NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Agency priorities for mapping coral reef ecosystems in American Samoa, 2023-06-06 to 2023-08-07 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10034904 Hile, S., Kraus, J., Buckel, C., Williams, B., Howell, J., Pagan, F., & Towle, E. (2023). NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Agency priorities for mapping coral reef ecosystems in American Samoa, 2023-06-06 to 2023-08-07 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10034904 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10034904 2023-10-23 D 2026-06-06T15:08:54 2026-06-06T18:13:54 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_AS.dbf -CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.prj -CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.shp -CRCP_GapAnalysis_Priorities_AS.shx 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 American Samoa Person LTJG Jennifer Kraus Publisher https://doi.org/10.25923/vdpb-5r44 Publication - NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 322 Hile, Sarah D.; Kraus, Jennifer; Buckel, Christine A.; Williams, Bethany; Howell, Jacob; Pagan, Francisco; Towle, Erica K. (2024). Agency Priorities for Mapping Coral Reef Ecosystems in American Samoa. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 322. Silver Spring, MD. https://doi.org/10.25923/vdpb-5r44 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 160 hexagonal grid cells 2.6 km2 in size. Existing relevant spatial datasets (e.g., bathymetry layers, 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. Each participant was provided with 50 virtual coins to place into grid cells that they wished to prioritize. They were instructed to place more coins in grid cells that were higher priorities. A maximum of 5 coins could be placed into an individual grid cell. 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: Hile et al. 2023, in prep. Person Kraus, Jennifer jennifer.kraus@noaa.gov Agency Priorities for Mapping Coral Reef Ecosystems in American Samoa Not Applicable Not Applicable 79909 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization Guam/CNMI 69455 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization Hawaii 69464 Data Set Cross Reference NCCOS Dataset: Shallow Coral Prioritization Puerto Rico & USVI 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:79904 Amber Batts 2026-06-03T15:17:31 Brianna Key 2026-06-26T16:26:09 2026-06-26 National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NCCOS 1002 Public No No 2026-06-26 1 Year 2027-06-26 American Samoa Coral Reef Prioritization