BPI Zones are derived from a focal mean analysis on bathymetry and slope. The bathymetry grid (5 m cell size) is derived from bathymetry from three sources: Multibeam bathymetry collected by Coral Reef Ecosystem Division aboard NOAA R/V AHI, and NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai; Multibeam bathymetry collected aboard the US Naval Ship Sumner, and lidar, both collected by Naval Oceanographic Office; and bathymetry derived from multispectral IKONOS satellite imagery. BPI Zones was created using the Benthic Terrain Modeler (http://www.csc.noaa.gov/products/btm/). Cell values represent one of 4 classes (crest, depression, slope, flat) in an index of seafloor terrains. This data set is for Tinian and Aguijan Islands, and Tatsumi Bank, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI).
The data were derived in support of NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program goals. Goal 1 is to map all U.S. Coral Reef Ecosystems. This data set specifically addresses Objective 1 and 4: to develop high-resolution benthic maps and to characterize priority deep water reefs and associated habitats. This derivative of bathymetry provides a GIS layer that may be used for benthic and essential fish habitat characterization, and for the study of geologic features. By combining the dataset with bathymetry, backscatter, other derivatives, and in situ data, they collectively compose benthic habitat maps which are designed to be used to understand and predict moderate depth (~20m - 150m) benthic habitats for different organisms that inhabit coral reef ecosystems.
Gridded multibeam data were collected aboard the R/V AHI (Acoustic Habitat Investigator), a 25' survey launch owned and operated by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu, HI. These data are integrated with bathymetry derived from multispectral IKONOS satellite data and multibeam and lidar bathymetry data provided by the US Naval Oceanographic Office. The metadata for the bathymetry is documented in the product metadata, TinMBLiDBmos_metadata.txt. References: Lundblad et al., 2006, A benthic terrain classification scheme for American Samoa, Marine Geodesy, 29(2):89 - 111.
ground condition
These data are not to be used for navigation purposes. Please acknowledge the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) and the Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center, and the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) and School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii as the sources of this information.
NOAA IRC
NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
e-mail preferred
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/CNMI_images/tinian_5m_BPIzones_440.jpg
NOAA PIFSC CRED and the Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center, JIMAR and SOEST
Data are collected for resource management and research purposes and are tested for internal consistency; however, no effort is made to compare these data to external references or to other published data.
These data are believed to be logically consistent though no tests were performed
Complete
Horizontal positioning system: GPS C/A Horizontal position accuracy: 25 meters
Range resolution of sonar: varies with depth Raw sounding resolution: varies with depth Vertical accuracy of gridded product ~ 1% of water depth
Bathymetric Position Index Zones were derived from the gridded bathymetry (TinMBLiDBmos) using the Benthic Terrain Modeler BTM). The BTM (written for ArcGIS 8.x or 9.x) may be downloaded from http://dusk2.geo.orst.edu/djl/samoa/tools.html. BPI Zones are derived from a focal mean analysis on bathymetry and slope. After testing 3 different scalefactors, a scalefactor of 250 was chosen as best identifying broad scale zones while minimizing noise and optimizing possible reef structures (also after Lundblad et al. 2006; see Supplemental_Information). Two ranges of slope define flat, and slope: x < 5; and x > 5. There may be edge effects at the outer extent of the data.
none
These data are not to be used for navigational purposes. NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.
Arc ASCII can be converted to Arc Raster using ArcToolbox Conversion Tools (ASCIItoRaster).
