American Samoa ESI: BENTHIC (Benthic Marine Habitat Polygons)

This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for benthic habitats in American Samoa. Vector polygons in this data set represent the distribution of macroalgae, coral reef and colonized hardbottom, uncolonized hardbottom, and encrusting/coralline algae habitats. This data set comprises a portion of the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) data for American Samoa. ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources. See also the CASSPT (Coral Areas of Special Significance - Points) data layer, part of the larger American Samoa ESI database, for additional coral information.

The ESI data were collected, mapped, and digitized to provide environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act, with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources.

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Prepared by Research Planning, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Hazardous Materials Response Division, Seattle, Washington, and NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program.

Resource Description - ESI Atlas for American Samoa

Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format, and will offer a replacement copy of the product when the product is determined unreadable by computer-input peripherals, or when the physical medium is delivered in damaged condition.

Contact NOAA for distribution options (see Distributor). ESI data are processed into multiple formats to make them useful to a wider community of GIS/mapping users. Distribution formats include ARC export, MOSS and Shape files, and MARPLOT map folders. An ArcView ESI project and ESI_Viewer product are also included on the distribution CDs for ease of use of the ESI data. The database files are distributed both in the NOAA standard relational database format (see NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS ORCA 115) and in a simplified desktop flat file format. This metadata document includes information on both of these database formats.;

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DO NOT USE MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES.Besides the above warning, there are no use constraints on these data. Note that the ESI database should not be used to the exclusion of other pertinent data or information held by state or federal agencies or other organizations. Likewise, information contained in the database cannot be used in place of consultations with environmental, natural resource, and cultural resource agencies, or in place of field surveys. Recognize that the information contained in the ESI database represents known concentration areas or occurrences of natural, cultural, and human-use resources, but does not necessarily represent the full distribution or range of each species or resource. This is particularly important to recognize when considering potential impacts to protected resources, such as endangered species, wetlands, etc. Acknowledgment of the originators, publishers, contributors, and sources listed would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ARC/INFO(r) (version 8.3) and SQL SERVER(r) (version 7.0). The hardware configuration is PC's with Windows Operating System (NT4.0/2000).The Spatial_Data_Organization Information section refers only to the source files in the ARC export format. The following files are included in that data set: benthic.e00, birds.e00, casspt.e00, esi.e00, fish.e00, hydro.e00, index.e00, invert.e00, m_mammal.e00, mgt.e00, nests.e00, reptiles.e00, socecon.e00, t_mampt.e00. Associated relational and desktop data tables provided in Arc export and text format are bio_lut, biofile, biores, breed, breed_dt, seasonal, soc_dat, soc_lut, sources, species, and status.

A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, hardcopy data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, contact the sources listed in the Lineage section.

Some of the spatial components of the biological data sets are developed using regional experts who estimate concentration areas. It is difficult to estimate the positional accuracy of such data, except to state that they are compiled on hardcopy basemaps with a scale of 1:24,000. The rest of the spatial components of the biological data sets are developed from pre-existing digital sources and reflect the positional accuracy of these original data. See the Lineage and Process_Description sections for more information on the original data source and how these data were integrated or manipulated to create the final data set. Note that biological resource data by their very nature are considered "fuzzy", and this should be understood when considering the positional accuracy of vector digital objects representing these resources.

The source data used for this data set were provided in digital format by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Center for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, Biogeography Program. See also the CASSPT (Coral Areas of Special Significance - Points) data layer, part of the larger American Samoa ESI database, for additional coral information. The following benthic groups are included in this data set: macroalgae, coral reef and colonized hardbottom, uncolonized hardbottom, and encrusting/coralline algae habitats.

A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute_Accuracy_Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies (such as dangles, unnecessary nodes, etc.). A final review is made by the GIS manager, where the data are written to CD-ROM and the metadata are written. After the data are delivered to NOAA, they are again subjected to a number of quality and consistency checks.