Benthic Cover
Data Set (DS) | OCM Partners (OCMP)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:49593 | Updated: May 30, 2023 | Published / External
Summary
Short Citation
OCM Partners, 2025: Benthic Cover, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/49593.
Full Citation Examples
Benthic cover (habitat) maps are derived from aerial imagery, underwater photos, acoustic surveys, and data gathered from sediment samples. Shallow to moderate-depth benthic habitat information assists ecosystem-based marine resource management. Many habitats, including hard and soft corals, are home to a diversity of marine organisms, which provide many important ecosystem services, including fishing, tourism, water quality enhancement, and shoreline protection. Coral reef ecosystems and associated bottom types are under increasing pressure from environmental and anthropogenic stressors. Mitigating these threats requires analyzing their spatial distribution, making benthic habitat mapping a key component to the conservation and management activities of state and federal agencies.
Distribution Information
No Distributions available.
Access Constraints:None
These data are intended for coastal and ocean use planning. Not for navigation. https://marinecadastre.gov/about/disclaimer.html
Controlled Theme Keywords
oceans
Child Items
| Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Entity | BenthicCover |
Contact Information
Point of Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202
https://coast.noaa.gov
Metadata Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202
https://coast.noaa.gov
Extents
-178.384928° W,
171.387439° E,
28.460447° N,
-14.56106° S
2017-04
Item Identification
| Title: | Benthic Cover |
|---|---|
| Short Name: | BenthicCover |
| Status: | Completed |
| Publication Date: | 2017-09-20 |
| Abstract: |
Benthic cover (habitat) maps are derived from aerial imagery, underwater photos, acoustic surveys, and data gathered from sediment samples. Shallow to moderate-depth benthic habitat information assists ecosystem-based marine resource management. Many habitats, including hard and soft corals, are home to a diversity of marine organisms, which provide many important ecosystem services, including fishing, tourism, water quality enhancement, and shoreline protection. Coral reef ecosystems and associated bottom types are under increasing pressure from environmental and anthropogenic stressors. Mitigating these threats requires analyzing their spatial distribution, making benthic habitat mapping a key component to the conservation and management activities of state and federal agencies. |
| Purpose: |
To support coastal and ocean planning and other activities pursuant to the Energy Policy Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Rivers and Harbors Act and the Submerged Lands Act. |
| Notes: |
10998 |
| Supplemental Information: |
Spatial_Reference_Information: Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition: Geographic: Latitude_Resolution: 0.00001 Longitude_Resolution: 0.00001 Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees Geodetic_Model: Horizontal_Datum_Name: D WGS 1984 Ellipsoid_Name: WGS 1984 Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.0 Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257223563 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
oceans
|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | benthic habitat |
| None | biotic |
| None | corals |
| None | marine wildlife |
| None | reef |
| None | substrate |
| None | zone |
Spatial Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | Florida |
| None | Hawaii |
| None | Majuro |
| None | Northeast Ecological Reserve |
| None | Pacific Territories |
| None | Palau |
| None | Palmyra Atoll |
| None | Puerto Rico |
| None | United States |
| None | US Virgin Islands |
Physical Location
| Organization: | Office for Coastal Management |
|---|---|
| City: | Charleston |
| State/Province: | SC |
Data Set Information
| Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
|---|---|
| Maintenance Frequency: | As Needed |
| Distribution Liability: |
NOAA makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding the availability, quality, accuracy, content, completeness or suitability for the user's needs of such information. The services, information, and data made available on the Marine Cadastre web site are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. These data are intended for coastal and ocean use planning. Not for navigation. http://www.marinecadastre.gov/about/disclaimer.html |
Support Roles
Data Steward
| Date Effective From: | 2017-09-20 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) |
| Address: |
2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston, SC 29405-2413 |
| Email Address: | coastal.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (843) 740-1202 |
| URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov |
Distributor
| Date Effective From: | 2017-09-20 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) |
| Address: |
2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston, SC 29405-2413 |
| Email Address: | coastal.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (843) 740-1202 |
| URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov |
Metadata Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2017-09-20 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) |
| Address: |
2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston, SC 29405-2413 |
| Email Address: | coastal.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (843) 740-1202 |
| URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov |
Point of Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2017-09-20 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) |
| Address: |
2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston, SC 29405-2413 |
| Email Address: | coastal.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (843) 740-1202 |
| URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov |
Extents
| Currentness Reference: | Ground Condition |
|---|
Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
| W° Bound: | -178.384928 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | 171.387439 | |
| N° Bound: | 28.460447 | |
| S° Bound: | -14.56106 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Discrete |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2017-04 |
Spatial Information
Spatial Representation
Representations Used
| Vector: | Yes |
|---|
Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Access Constraints: |
None |
| Data Use Constraints: |
These data are intended for coastal and ocean use planning. Not for navigation. https://marinecadastre.gov/about/disclaimer.html |
URLs
URL 1
| URL: | ftp://ftp.coast.noaa.gov/pub/MSP/BenthicCover.zip |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
URL 2
| URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/MarineCadastre/BenthicCover/MapServer |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
URL 3
| URL: | https://marinecadastre.gov/data/ |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
URL 4
| URL: | https://www.coast.noaa.gov/ |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
URL 5
| URL: | https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/default.aspx |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
Activity Log
Activity Log 1
| Activity Date/Time: | 2017-11-03 |
|---|---|
| Description: |
Date that the source FGDC record was last modified. |
Activity Log 2
| Activity Date/Time: | 2017-11-14 |
|---|---|
| Description: |
Converted from FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (version FGDC-STD-001-1998) using 'fgdc_to_inport_xml.pl' script. Contact Tyler Christensen (NOS) for details. |
Activity Log 3
| Activity Date/Time: | 2018-02-08 |
|---|---|
| Description: |
Partial upload of Positional Accuracy fields only. |
Data Quality
| Accuracy: |
The attributes in this dataset are believed to be accurate. |
|---|---|
| Horizontal Positional Accuracy: |
Maximum scale of intended use is 1:80,000. |
| Completeness Report: |
Spatial and attribute properties are believed to be complete, although attribute information has been simplified. Geometric thresholds from original data are preserved. No tests have been completed for exhaustiveness. |
| Conceptual Consistency: |
These data are believed to be logically consistent. Geometry is topologically clean. |
Lineage
Sources
Benthic Habitat
| Contact Name: | NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science |
|---|---|
| Publish Date: | 2012-01-01 |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 2012 |
| Citation URL: | https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/default.aspx |
| Source Contribution: |
Feature classes were obtained from NCCOS, and cleaned up and condensed by NOAA CSC. | Type of Source Media: online |
Process Steps
Process Step 1
| Description: |
1. Starting with Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, download and unzip: (Jobos Bay data was received via email from laurie.bauer@noaa.gov) http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e92/SWPR_Benthic_Habitats.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e93/benthic_habitat_maps.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e94/data/StJohn_ShallowWater_Habitat_Map.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e94/data/StJohn_ModerateDepth_Habitat_Map.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e95/data/shapefiles/p_rico.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e95/data/shapefiles/stsj_fin.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e95/data/shapefiles/stc_fin.zip https://nccospublicstor.blob.core.windows.net/projects-attachments/76/ViequesBenthicHabitats.zip https://nccospublicstor.blob.core.windows.net/projects-attachments/258/NEPR_HabitatMap_2015.zip https://nccospublicstor.blob.core.windows.net/projects-attachments/171/Habitat_Maps.zip 2. Reproject all to NAD 83 into a new file geodatabase 3. Merge Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix into a single feature class 4. Simplify and condense attributes 5. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 6. Merge SouthWest Puerto Rico, Jobos Bay, Vieques, St. John Shallow, St. John Moderate, Buck Island Shallow, Buck Island Moderate, and Buck Island Deep into a single feature class 7. Simplify and condense attributes 8. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 9. Select all features with the Zone value as Unknown and switch selection 10. Export these selected features as a new feature class 11. Open the feature class representing the area covering Fish Bay, Coral Bay, and St. Thomas East End Reserve and select all features with the Zone value as Unknown and switch selection 12. Export these selected features as a new feature class 13. Erase the area from the SouthWest Puerto Rico, Jobos Bay, Vieques, St. John and Buck Island feature class using the feature class representing the area covering Fish Bay, Coral Bay, and St. Thomas East End Reserve 14. Merge the new feature class with the feature class representing the area covering Fish Bay, Coral Bay, and St. Thomas East End Reserve into a single feature class 15. Simplify and condense attributes 16. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 17. Erase the area from the Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix feature class using the feature class representing the area covering SouthWest Puerto Rico, Jobos Bay, Vieques, St. John Buck Island, Fish Bay, Coral Bay, and St. Thomas East End Reserve 18. Merge the new feature class with the feature class representing the area covering SouthWest Puerto Rico, Jobos Bay, Vieques, St. John Buck Island, Fish Bay, Coral Bay, and St. Thomas East End Reserve into a single feature class 19. Simplify and condense attributes 20. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 21. For South Florida, download the following zip files and unzip: http://atoll.floridamarine.org/data/Zips/SDE/benthic_south_fl_poly.zip 22. Reproject all shapefiles to NAD 83 into a new file geodatabase 23. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2013-01-01 00:00:00 |
Process Step 2
| Description: |
*Continuation of 2013 Processing Steps:* 24. Moving on to the Hawaiian Islands, download the following zip files and unzip: http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e97/2007/shapes_benthic/Habitat_GIS_Data.zip 25. Reproject all shapefiles to NAD 83 into a new file geodatabase 26. Merge Niihau, Oahu, Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Kauai, Lanai, Maui and Molokai into a single feature class 27. Simplify and condense attributes 28. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 29. For the NorthWest Hawaiian Islands, download the following zip files and unzip: http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/frenchfrigate_class_4m.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/kure_class_4m.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/laysan_class_4m.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/lisianski_class_4m.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/maro_class_4m.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/midway_class_4m.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/necker_class.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/nihoa_class_4m.zip http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/data/pearlhermes_class_4m.zip 30. Import images into a new file geodatabase 31. Use the Boundary Clean tool to simplify the rasters using the No Sort technique and running expansion and shrinking twice 32. Convert the rasters to polygons 33. Reproject the new polygons to NAD 83 34. Merge Nihoa, Necker, FrenchFrigate, Maro, Laysan, Lisianski, PearlHermes, Midway and Kure into a single feature class 35. Simplify and condense attributes 36. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 37. Create a table with the data found at http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/e98/docs/habitat_class_DN.txt 38. Join this table to the NorthWest Hawaiian Islands feature class and export into a new feature class |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2013-01-01 00:00:00 |
Process Step 3
| Description: |
*Continuation of 2013 Processing Steps:* 39. For American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, download the following zip files and unzip: https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e99us_pac/data_guam.aspx https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e99us_pac/data_as.aspx https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e99us_pac/data_cnmi.aspx 40. Reproject all shapefiles to NAD 83 into a new file geodatabase 41. Merge Tutulia, Manua Islands, Rose Atoll and Swains Island into a single feature class 42. Simplify and condense attributes 43. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 44. Merge Guam, Rota, Aguijan, Tinian, Saipan, Farallon de Medinilla, Anatahan, Sarigan, Guguan, Alamagan, Pagan, Agrihan, Asuncion Island, Maug Islands and Farallon de Pajaros into a single feature class 45. Simplify and condense attributes 46. Dissolve the feature class checking all fields except Object ID, Polygon ID, ID, Area, Perimeter, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, with no multi-part polygons 47. Go through all each shapefile and update the data in attribute fields (crosswalk) to match the data to the CMECS database (https://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/cmecs-folder/CMECS_Version_06-2012_FINAL.pdf), using the schema in table 7. Some fields may need to be changed as their description does not match what is reflected in CMECS. Examples are those with 'Structure' in ("Linear Reef", "Macroalgae", "Mangrove", "Seagrass") and/or 'Cover' in ("Mangrove", "Reef", "Reef Hole", "Salt Pond"). These descriptions can be captured in the appropriate fields. 48. Merge then dissolve all layers into a single feature class including all fields except Object ID, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, again with no multi-part polygons. If the location field has not been created, this can now be done and calculated according to the source data. 49. Run the Integrate tool on the feature class to ensure no gaps in the data. 50. Now select, export and reproject the features into their respective UTM zones. These should include 01N, 02N, 02S, 03N, 04N, 05N, 17N, 19N, 20N and 55N 51. Add the acres field and calculate acres in each feaure class. 52. Reproject all features back into WGS 1984 Auxiliary Sphere and merge back into a single layer 53. Delete all superfluous fields and check geometry |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2013-01-01 00:00:00 |
Process Step 4
| Description: |
**2017-March Update** + For Majuro, Palau, Palmyra and Northeast Puerto Rico and Culebra Island, download the following zip files and unzip: https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e99us_pac/data_guam.aspx https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e99us_pac/data_as.aspx https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e99us_pac/data_cnmi.aspx https://nccospublicstor.blob.core.windows.net/projects-attachments/258/NEPR_HabitatMap_2015.zip + Go through all each shapefile and update the data in attribute fields (crosswalk) to match the data to the CMECS database (https://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/cmecs-folder/CMECS_Version_06-2012_FINAL.pdf), using the schema in table 7. Some fields may need to be changed as their description does not match what is reflected in CMECS. Examples are those with 'Structure' in ("Linear Reef", "Macroalgae", "Mangrove", "Seagrass") and/or 'Cover' in ("Mangrove", "Reef", "Reef Hole", "Salt Pond"). These descriptions can be captured in the appropriate fields. + Merge then dissolve all layers into a single feature class including all fields except Object ID, Shape_Length and Shape_Area, again with no multi-part polygons. If the location field has not been created, this can now be done and calculated according to the source data. + Run the Integrate tool on the feature class to ensure no gaps in the data. + Add acres field using double. + Now select each location and change the data frame to their respective UTM zones. These should include 03N, 20N, 53N and 59N and calculate acres + Reproject all features back into WGS 1984 Auxiliary Sphere and merge back into original data + Delete all superfluous fields and check geometry |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 |
Child Items
Rubric scores updated every 15m
|
Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | BenthicCover |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 49593 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:49593 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Anne Ball |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2017-11-15 15:19+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2023-05-30 18:09+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2018-02-08 |
| Owner Org: | OCMP |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2018-02-08 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2019-02-08 |