Northern Mariana Islands Marine Monitoring Team Reef Flat Surveys

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Northern Mariana Islands Marine Monitoring Team Reef Flat Surveys
Abstract:
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' (CNMI) interagency marine monitoring team conducts surveys on reef flat areas on the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota in an effort to assess change in benthic communities over time. The program encourages volunteer participation from government and public sector under the supervision of professional government biologists. The data collected include benthic cover and invertebrate abundance. Coral community composition was added to the surveys in 2009.
Supplemental_Information:
This program is in an iterative development stage where ideal sampling protocols are still being refined. Numbers are reported as invertebrates per 100 meters squared and benthic cover as percentages, however sample sizes used to produce these numbers may not be equivalent.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Coastal Resources Management Office, 20090505, Northern Mariana Islands Marine Monitoring Team Reef Flat Surveys.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: 145.118153
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: 145.854964
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 15.309908
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 14.062272
    Bounding_Altitudes:
    Altitude_Minimum: -2
    Altitude_Maximum: 0
    Altitude_Distance_Units: meters
    Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Saipan, Rota, Tinian
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 14-Sep-2000
    Ending_Date: present
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: spreadsheet
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Contributors to the Data Set:

    Division of Environmental Quality PO Box 501304 Saipan, MP 96950 USA

    Phone: 670-664-8500 Hours of Service: 7:30-16:30, GMT+10

    This work was funded in part by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program.

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Coastal Resources Management Office
    PO Box 10007
    Saipan, MP
    USA

    670-664-8303 (voice)
    670-664-8315 (FAX)
    Hours_of_Service: 7:30-16:30, GMT+10

Why was the data set created?

To correlate change over time of reef flat benthic communities with environmental changes.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: Not Complete (process 1 of 1)
    Professional biologists and supervised volunteers conducted in situ surveys on reef flat sites.

    Data were entered into a spreadsheet and original entries were verified with observers in cases where observations were called into question by data managers.

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Observations have been subjected to initial checks during data entry and have been proofed for consistency by program managers
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Geographical positions were determined using handheld GPS units
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Original count values from 2000, 2005 and most of 2006 are not available, though the final converted data are.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Changes in transect length and quadrat numbers cause minor variation in total numbers of counts and area surveyed.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None.
Use_Constraints:
Data set is not for use in litigation. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the state of the art, the CNMI government cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentations caused by any inaccuracies in the data, or as a result of the data to be used on a particular system. The CNMI government makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    Coastal Resources Management Office
    PO Box 10007
    Saipan, MP
    USA

    670-664-8300 (voice)
    670-664-8315 (FAX)
    Hours_of_Service: 7:30-16:30, GMT+10
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Other Documents
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Data set is not for use in litigation. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the state of the art, the CNMI government cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentations caused by any inaccuracies in the data, or as a result of the data to be used on a particular system. The CNMI government makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. Is there some other way to get the data?
    Upon request, data can be provided in alternative digital formats or hard copy.
  6. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    Users need a program that can read Microsoft Excel files.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 29-Mar-2020
Last Reviewed: 03-Jun-2009
Metadata author:
Coastal Resources Management Office
Attn: John Starmer
PO Box 10007
Saipan, MP
USA

670-664-8300 (voice)
670-664-8315 (FAX)
Hours_of_Service: 7:30-16:30, GMT+10
Metadata standard:
FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001.1-1999)
Generated by mp version 2.9.48 on Thu Apr 18 11:01:36 2024