Chesapeake Bay CMECS Substrate Component Geodatabase

The CMECS Component Geodatabase houses component layers for the entire Chesapeake Bay. Available component layers currently include the Substrate Component. Future component additions will include Biotic and Geoform.

The purpose of the CMECS Component Geodatabase is to provide a comprehensive set of habitat data for the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Dataset is built from remotely sensed and in situ measurements of habitat data.

The dataset is updated at least once annually with the addition of new and relevant contemporary acoustic survey information.

The Chesapeake Bay is the Geographical Extent.

Temporal Extent begins at the inception of the Chesapeake Bay Benthic Habitat Program.

To access these data, visit http://ncbo.noaa.gov.s3.amazonaws.com/public/Benthic_Habitat_CMECS/Chesapeake_Bay_Benthic_Habitat_CMECS_Geodatabase.zip

There are no constraints to the access of these data.

These data are constrained by uses for navigation. These data will not be used for navigation.

ESRI ArcGIS versions between 2011 and the present have been used to delineate polygon boundaries from acoustic survey spatial data products and sediment samples from local and national databases.

The integration of existing datasets are considered as is. New polygon data is validated with grab samples. The data should be considered accurate for the time in which it was collected and the inherent limitation of the data collection methods should be considered.

This is a data synthesis product currently hosted on our parent office FTP. The long term viability of this host is uncertain.

Redundant backups.

Benthic data were aggregated from multiple sources to create a baywide record of seabed material in the Chesapeake Bay. Habitat polygons are classified with the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) Substrate Component (SC). Source data were collected during the interval 1842-2015. Because of potential temporal changes in bottom conditions and deficiencies in survey methodology, benthic habitat characterizations may be in error in some areas. These are, however, the best data currently available. This is a dynamic dataset. As new surveys occur the resulting CMECS habitat units will be updated.