Quantifying Corallivory from Structure-from-Motion Models
October 19, 2023
Results of comprehensive methodological testing, both underwater and using different annotation tools within ArcGIS Pro.
This document provides a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for identifying, annotating, and extracting estimates of corallivory, or coral predation, observed on coral reefs using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) techniques.
These procedures were developed by the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. This workflow, applied to coral reefs around Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, consists of five key steps:
(1) image collection
(2) data management and quality control
(3) generation of 3D models and 2D orthomosaics
(4) setting up ArcGIS Pro for model annotation
(5) annotating procedures for corallivory
Steps one through three have previously been outlined in other SOPs; therefore, they will not be described in detail here.
While the following procedures are designed to provide a foundation for future uses that meet ESD needs, we primarily use commercially available cameras and software, making these methods adaptable based on programmatic capacity and needs.
Escontrela Dieguez D, Lee R, Kindinger TL, Couch CS, Charendoff J. 2023. Quantifying corallivory from Structure-from-motion models. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-149, 81 p. doi: 10.25923/c64k-gh75