Identification_Information: Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Branch Publication_Date: 2012 Title: Shallow-Water Benthic Habitats of Southwest Puerto Rico: Ground Validation Site Locations Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Silver Spring, MD Publisher: NOAA's Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Other_Citation_Details: Please use citation for “Shallow-Water Benthic Habitats of Southwest Puerto Rico.” Online_Linkage: https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e92swpr/default.aspx Larger_Work_Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Publication_Date: 2012 Title: Shallow-Water Benthic Habitats of Southwest Puerto Rico Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: shapefile Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Silver Spring, MD Publisher: NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Other_Citation_Details: Bauer, L.J., K. Edwards, K.K.W. Roberson, M.S. Kendall, S. Tormey, and T. Battista. 2012. Shallow-water benthic habitats of Southwest Puerto Rico. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA NOS NCCOS 155. Silver Spring, MD. Description: Abstract: Shallow-water (<30m) benthic habitat maps of the nearshore marine environment of two areas in Southwest Puerto Rico (PR), including the Guanica Bay/La Parguera region on the south coast and the Belvedere reserve on the west coast, were mapped and characterized using visual interpretation of optical and acoustic remotely sensed imagery. The objective was to provide spatially-explicit information on the habitat types, biological cover and live coral cover of the region’s coral reef ecosystem. These maps will be used to support marine resource management and conservation in the Commonwealth. In addition, the maps will enable change detection in an assessment of the effectiveness of restoration activities on the condition of adjacent coral reef ecosystems. The data contained in this shapefile denote the location of ground validation (GV) sites, which were explored by NOAA field scientists to further refine habitat map classification. In particular, this shapefile includes the location of 511 ground-validation sites that were explored either by video drop camera or by snorkel. Purpose: Extensive field work is needed to create high-quality benthic habitat maps because it enhances the accuracy of habitat attribution and (to a lesser degree) habitat delineation. Given the importance of field work, the primary purpose of this survey data was to explore and verify existing habitat information on the seafloor. In particular, these ground validation locations were targeted by the cartographer to satisfy the following objectives: 1. Explore features in the imagery with unknown or confusing optical or acoustic signatures 2. Confirm that the habitat type correlated with a particular optical or acoustic signature remained consistent throughout the entire study area. This information was incorporated into fine-scale maps of marine habitats of Southwest Puerto Rico. Direct implications to management measures include evaluation of management efficacy, a spatial framework for improved monitoring sampling design, improved assessment of human-use impacts, and marine spatial planning to support alternative marine protected area boundary alternatives. In addition, the maps will enable change detection in an assessment of the effectiveness of restoration activities on the condition of adjacent coral reef ecosystems. Supplemental_Information: The creation of high-quality benthic habitat maps required extensive field work to enhance accuracies of habitat attribution and, to a lesser degree, habitat delineation. Data were collected at 511 ground validation sites in March 2011 aboard a small research vessel. As anchoring at each site was not feasible for rapid assessment, wind and wave effects caused the survey vessel to drift along a transect. Post-processing of the GPS data allowed for a series of points to represent the actual survey location. Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 201103 Ending_Date: 201103 Currentness_Reference: ground condition Status: Progress: Complete Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned Spatial_Domain: Bounding_Coordinates: West_Bounding_Coordinate: -67.4 East_Bounding_Coordinate: -66.8 North_Bounding_Coordinate: 18.1 South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.9 Keywords: Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: NCEI Geoportal Filter Theme_Keyword: CoRIS_Metadata Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None Theme_Keyword: coral reef Theme_Keyword: benthic habitats Theme_Keyword: reef Theme_Keyword: submerged aquatic vegetation Theme_Keyword: unconsolidated sediments Theme_Keyword: zone Theme_Keyword: geomorphological structure Theme_Keyword: biological cover Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: NOS Data Explorer Topic Category Theme_Keyword: Environmental Monitoring Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CRCP Project Theme_Keyword: Mapping Shallow Benthic Habitats of the North East Reserves MPA, Puerto Rico Theme_Keyword: 793 Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category Theme_Keyword: environment Theme_Keyword: 007 Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Theme_Keyword: Geographic Information > Habitats Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Theme Thesaurus Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Habitats Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Mapping > Habitat Mapping Place: Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None Place_Keyword: United States Place_Keyword: U.S. Caribbean Place_Keyword: Puerto Rico Place_Keyword: Southwest Place_Keyword: Guanica Bay Place_Keyword: La Parguera Place_Keyword: Belvedere Place: Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Place Thesaurus Place_Keyword: OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea /North Atlantic Ocean > Puerto Rico > Puerto Rico (18N066W0000) Place_Keyword: COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Puerto Rico > Puerto Rico (18N066W0000) Place: Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Region Place_Keyword: PR Stratum: Stratum_Keyword_Thesaurus: None Stratum_Keyword: Seafloor Temporal: Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None Temporal_Keyword: 2012 Access_Constraints: Please cite any use of this data. Use_Constraints: Note: NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials. Point_of_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Contact_Person: Laurie Bauer Contact_Position: Project Manager Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 1305 East West Highway, N-SCI-1, SSMC 4, 9th Floor City: Silver Spring State_or_Province: MD Postal_Code: 20910 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 713-3028 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov Data_Set_Credit: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Native_Data_Set_Environment: Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.0.1770 Data_Quality_Information: Attribute_Accuracy: Attribute_Accuracy_Report: The points in this data layer were acquired by GPS data using a Trimble GeoXT receiver. All data point characteristics were recorded in the GPS data logger automatically and seamlessly transferred to ArcGIS shapefiles using Trimble Pathfinder Office software. Attributes are all expected to be correct. Logical_Consistency_Report: Data points were collected with mapping-grade GPS receivers. The data were post processed for differential correction to the Continually Operating Reference System (CORS) station at Coamo, Puerto Rico (PRN4). All attribute information was recorded by the GPS receiver and stored directly in the raw GPS files. This automated process was assumed to be error free. This file is believed to be logically consistent. Completeness_Report: 511 field positions were occupied and habitat characterizations were conducted for ground validation during this work. Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report: The true positional accuracy of individual epics was determined to be within 1 m for 96% of the logged points. However, it is estimated that horizontal accuracies may be 0 - 20m from the true position of the underwater camera assessment due to line "lay-back" during drift. Lineage: Source_Information: Source_Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: NOAA Publication_Date: 2011 Title: GPS Data Type_of_Source_Media: GPS data Source_Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Single_Date/Time: Calendar_Date: 2011 Source_Currentness_Reference: ground condition Source_Citation_Abbreviation: Trimble SSF files Source_Contribution: GPS data, which were originally recorded as code-phase signals in Trimble SSF format, were differentially post-processed to the Continually Operating Reference System (CORS) station at Coamo, Puerto Rico (PRN4). Process_Step: Process_Description: A first draft benthic habitat map was generated using heads-up visual interpretation and digitization to delineate features on the seafloor with discrete optical or acoustic signatures. During the creation of this first draft map, the cartographer placed discrete points on features in the map that had unknown optical or acoustic signatures. Points were also placed on features with known optical or acoustic signatures (evenly distributed throughout the geographic extent of the map) to confirm that the habitats associated with these signatures remained consistent through the area of interest. These two types of points were labeled as "ground validation" sites and were visited in the field. Process_Date: 2011 Process_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Contact_Person: Laurie Bauer Contact_Position: Project Manager Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 1305 East West Highway, N-SCI-1, SSMC 4, 9th Floor City: Silver Spring State_or_Province: MD Postal_Code: 20910 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 713-3028 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov Process_Step: Process_Description: NOAA scientists explored these ground validation locations using using a manually operated drop camera, underwater still camera and look bucket. The resulting GPS, video and photographic information was processed, analyzed and used to classify each distinct habitat polygon. At the start of every morning, the boat captain selected a general region to begin the day's work. Navigating to field locations was accomplished using a Garmin GPS 76 device with the uploaded GV site coordinates. The boat captain maneuvered the vessel to within 5 m of the target location and made every effort to maintain that location without jeopardizing crew and equipment safety. Once on site, NOAA scientists would simultaneously deploy a SeaViewer Sea-Drop 950 camera and begin logging a waypoint on a Trimble GeoXT GPS receiver. While the video camera was capturing bottom imagery, an observer viewed the video real-time on a Panasonic Toughbook aboard the survey vessel. They categorized each site according to the levels of the habitat classification scheme: major and detailed geomorphological structure, major biological cover, percent major biological cover and percent coral cover. Data was entered into a custom data dictionary generated in Trimble Pathfinder Office software and loaded onto the Trimble data logger. Process_Date: 2011 Process_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Contact_Person: Laurie Bauer Contact_Position: Project Manager Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 1305 East West Highway, N-SCI-1, SSMC 4, 9th Floor City: Silver Spring State_or_Province: MD Postal_Code: 20910 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 713-3028 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov Process_Step: Process_Description: Trimble Pathfinder Office software was used to post process and differentially correct the raw GPS data to the Continually Operating Reference System (CORS) station at Coamo, Puerto Rico (PRN4). Process_Date: 2011 Process_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Contact_Person: Laurie Bauer Contact_Position: Project Manager Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 1305 East West Highway, N-SCI-1, SSMC 4, 9th Floor City: Silver Spring State_or_Province: MD Postal_Code: 20910 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 713-3028 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov Process_Step: Process_Description: Precisely positioned GPS positions and its associated transects were viewed in a GIS to enhance the accuracy of the draft benthic habitat map. Polygon boundaries and habitat classifications were revised where field data necessitated changes. Process_Date: 2011 Process_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Contact_Person: Laurie Bauer Contact_Position: Project Manager Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 1305 East West Highway, N-SCI-1, SSMC 4, 9th Floor City: Silver Spring State_or_Province: MD Postal_Code: 20910 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 713-3028 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov Spatial_Data_Organization_Information: Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector Point_and_Vector_Object_Information: SDTS_Terms_Description: SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: Entity point Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 511 Spatial_Reference_Information: Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition: Planar: Grid_Coordinate_System: Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator Universal_Transverse_Mercator: UTM_Zone_Number: 19 Transverse_Mercator: Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600 Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -63.000000 Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000 False_Easting: 500000.000000 False_Northing: 0.000000 Planar_Coordinate_Information: Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair Coordinate_Representation: Abscissa_Resolution: 0.000001 Ordinate_Resolution: 0.000001 Planar_Distance_Units: meters Geodetic_Model: Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983 Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80 Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000 Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222 Entity_and_Attribute_Information: Detailed_Description: Entity_Type: Entity_Type_Label: SWPR_GV_Mean_Site_Locations Entity_Type_Definition: Shapefile attribute table Entity_Type_Definition_Source: None Attribute: Attribute_Label: FID Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number. Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. Attribute: Attribute_Label: Shape Attribute_Definition: Feature geometry. Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Coordinates defining the features. Attribute: Attribute_Label: Site_ID Attribute_Definition: Unique site ID Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned during digitizing character field Attribute: Attribute_Label: Assessment Attribute_Definition: Type of equipment/method used to characterize the seafloor Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned based on what survey method was used Attribute: Attribute_Label: X Attribute_Definition: Longitude of site in decimal degrees Attribute_Definition_Source: NOAA Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Variable Attribute: Attribute_Label: Y Attribute_Definition: Latitude of site in decimal degrees Attribute_Definition_Source: NOAA Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Variable Attribute: Attribute_Label: M_STRUCT Attribute_Definition: Major geomorphological structure Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned during digitizing character field Attribute: Attribute_Label: D_STRUCT Attribute_Definition: Detailed morphological structure Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned during digitizing character field Attribute: Attribute_Label: P_HARD Attribute_Definition: Percent hardbottom Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned during digitizing character field Attribute: Attribute_Label: M_COVER Attribute_Definition: Major biological cover Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned during digitizing character field Attribute: Attribute_Label: P_COVER Attribute_Definition: Percent cover of major biological cover Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned during digitizing character field Attribute: Attribute_Label: P_CORAL Attribute_Definition: Percent live coral cover Attribute_Definition_Source: Habitat classification scheme Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Assigned during digitizing character field Attribute: Attribute_Label: Type Attribute_Definition: Type of site (i.e., GV or AA) Attribute_Definition_Source: NOAA Attribute_Domain_Values: Unrepresentable_Domain: Type of site Distribution_Information: Distributor: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Contact_Person: Laurie Bauer Contact_Position: Project Manager Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 1305 East West Highway, N-SCI-1, SSMC 4, 9th Floor City: Silver Spring State_or_Province: MD Postal_Code: 20910 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 713-3028 Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (301) 713-4384 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov Resource_Description: Downloadable Data Distribution_Liability: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Biogeography Branch does not guarantee the accuracy of the geographic features or attributes. Please see the written report and metadata records for each data set for complete information on the source, limitations, and proper use. Standard_Order_Process: Digital_Form: Digital_Transfer_Information: Format_Name: ESRI Shapefile Transfer_Size: 0.143 Digital_Transfer_Option: Online_Option: Computer_Contact_Information: Network_Address: Network_Resource_Name: https://products.coastalscience.noaa.gov/collections/benthic/e92swpr/default.aspx Fees: None Custom_Order_Process: Contact NOAA for distribution options (see Distributor). Metadata_Reference_Information: Metadata_Date: 20200329 Metadata_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch Contact_Person: Laurie Bauer Contact_Position: Project Manager Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical address Address: 1305 East West Highway, N-SCI-1, SSMC 4, 9th Floor City: Silver Spring State_or_Province: MD Postal_Code: 20910 Country: USA Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 713-3028 Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (301) 713-4384 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Laurie.Bauer@noaa.gov Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998 Metadata_Time_Convention: local time Online_Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html ESRI Metadata Profile Online_Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html ESRI Metadata Profile Online_Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html ESRI Metadata Profile Online_Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html ESRI Metadata Profile Online_Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html ESRI Metadata Profile Online_Linkage: http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html ESRI Metadata Profile CoRIS: CoRIS_Metadata_Link: https://www.coris.noaa.gov/metadata/records/html/metadata_swpr_gv_site_locations.html CoRIS_Tracking_ID: 6636