Manual for the Sampling Design Tool for ArcGIS

The Biogeography Branch’s Sampling Design Tool for ArcGIS provides a means to effectively develop sampling strategies in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. The tool was produced as part of an iterative process of sampling design development, whereby existing data informs new design decisions. The objective of this process, and hence a product of this tool, is an optimal sampling design which can be used to achieve accurate, high-precision estimates of population metrics at a minimum of cost. Although NOAA’s Biogeography Branch focuses on marine habitats and some examples reflects this, the tool can be used to sample any type of population defined in space, be it coral reefs or corn fields

Biogeographic characterization of essential fish habitats affected by human activities in the coastal zone of Puerto Rico

The overall purpose of this project was to collect available information on the characteristics of essential fish habitats in protected and non-protected marine areas around the islands of Puerto Rico. Specifically, this project compiled historical information on benthic habitats and the status of marine resources into a Geographic Information System (GIS) by digitizing paper copies of existing marine geologic maps that were developed for the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) for areas around the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In addition, information on benthic habitat types, Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) requirements, and fishing and non-fishing impacts to marine resources were compiled for two priority areas: La Parguera and Vieques. The information obtained will help to characterize and select habitats for future monitoring of impacts of fishing and non-fishing activities and to develop management recommendations for conservation of important marine habitats. The project focused specifically on areas identified as priorities for conservation by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) and the Local Action Strategy Overfishing Group

A Characterization of the Shallow-Water Coral Reefs and Associated Habitats of Puerto Rico

We mapped bottom types and shelf zones of 1600 km2 or about one fourth of Puerto Rico’s insular shelf from the shoreline to the shelf edge. Overall map accuracy for these bottom types is estimated as 93.6% correct. Maps were produced through visual interpretation of benthic features using orthorectified aerial photographs within a Geographic Information System with customizable software. The maps are one component of an integrated mapping and monitoring program underway by NOAA and its partners in the US Coral Reef Task Force to assess all US reef ecosystems. Maps are currently being used to enhance coastal research and management activities in Puerto Rico such as fisheries assessments and designation of important fish habitats

Assessment of existing information on Atlantic coastal fish habitats: development of a web-based spatial bibliography, query tools, and data summaries

The primary objective of this project, “the Assessment of Existing Information on Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat”, is to inform conservation planning for the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP). ACFHP is recognized as a Partnership by the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP), whose overall mission is to protect, restore, and enhance the nation’s fish and aquatic communities through partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation. This project is a cooperative effort of NOAA/NOS Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) Biogeography Branch and ACFHP. The Assessment includes three components; 1. a representative bibliographic and assessment database, 2. a Geographical Information System (GIS) spatial framework, and 3. a summary document with description of methods, analyses of habitat assessment information, and recommendations for further work. The spatial bibliography was created by linking the bibliographic table developed in Microsoft Excel and exported to SQL Server, with the spatial framework developed in ArcGIS and exported to GoogleMaps. The bibliography is a comprehensive, searchable database of over 500 selected documents and data sources on Atlantic coastal fish species and habitats. Key information captured for each entry includes basic bibliographic data, spatial footprint (e.g. waterbody or watershed), species and habitats covered, and electronic availability. Information on habitat condition indicators, threats, and conservation recommendations are extracted from each entry and recorded in a separate linked table. The spatial framework is a functional digital map based on polygon layers of watersheds, estuarine and marine waterbodies derived from NOAA’s Coastal Assessment Framework, MMS/NOAA’s Multipurpose Marine Cadastre, and other sources, providing spatial reference for all of the documents cited in the bibliography. Together, the bibliography and assessment tables and their spatial framework provide a powerful tool to query and assess available information through a publicly available web interface. They were designed to support the development of priorities for ACFHP’s conservation efforts within a geographic area extending from Maine to Florida, and from coastal watersheds seaward to the edge of the continental shelf. The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership has made initial use of the Assessment of Existing Information. Though it has not yet applied the AEI in a systematic or structured manner, it expects to find further uses as the draft conservation strategic plan is refined, and as regional action plans are developed. It also provides a means to move beyond an “assessment of existing information” towards an “assessment of fish habitat”, and is being applied towards the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) 2010 Assessment. Beyond the scope of the current project, there may be application to broader initiatives such as Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs), Ecosystem Based Management (EBM), and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)

Where, What, When, and Why Is Bottom Mapping Needed? An On-Line Application to Set Priorities Using Expert Opinion

Globally, there is a lack of resources to survey the vast seafloor areas in need of basic mapping data. Consequently, smaller areas must be prioritized to address the most urgent needs. We developed a systematic, quantitative approach and on-line application to gather mapping suggestions from diverse stakeholders. Participants are each provided with 100 virtual coins to place throughout a region of interest to convey their mapping priorities. Inputs are standardized into a spatial framework using a grid and pull-down menus. These enabled participants to convey the types of mapping products that they need, the rationale used to justify their needs, and the locations that they prioritize for mapping. This system was implemented in a proposed National Marine Sanctuary encompassing 2784 km2 of Lake Michigan, Wisconsin. We demonstrate key analyses of the outputs, including coin counts, cell ranking, and multivariate cluster analysis for isolating high priority topics and locations. These techniques partition the priorities among the disciplines of the respondents, their selected justifications, and types of desired map products. The results enable respondents to identify potential collaborations to achieve common goals and more effectively invest limited mapping funds. The approach can be scaled to accommodate larger geographic areas and numbers of participants and is not limited to seafloor mapping

NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Prioritizing Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping, Research, and Exploration Offshore of California, Oregon, and Washington from 2019-03-01 to 2019-04-01

Spatial information about the seafloor is critical for decision-making by marine resource science, management and tribal organizations. Coordinating data needs can help organizations leverage collective resources to meet shared goals. To help enable this coordination, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) developed a spatial framework, process and online application to identify common data collection priorities for seafloor mapping, sampling and visual surveys offshore of the West Continental United States Coast (WCC). Twenty-six participants from NOAA’s West Coast Deep Sea Coral Initiative (WCDSCI) and Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) entered their priorities in an online application, using virtual coins to denote their priorities in 10x10 minute grid cells. Grid cells with more coins were higher priorities than cells with fewer coins. Participants also reported why these locations were important and what data types were needed. Results were analyzed and mapped using statistical techniques to identify significant relationships between priorities, reasons for those priorities and data needs. Ten high priority locations were broadly identified for future mapping, sampling and visual surveys. These locations were distributed throughout the WCC, primarily in depths less than 1,000 m. Participants consistently selected (1) Exploration, (2) Biota/Important Natural Area and (3) Research as their top reasons (i.e., justifications) for prioritizing locations, and (1) Benthic Habitat Map and (2) Bathymetry and Backscatter as their top data or product needs. This ESRI shapefile summarizes the results from this spatial prioritization effort. This information will enable NOAA WCDSCI, EXPRESS and other WCC organization to more efficiently leverage resources and coordinate their mapping of high priority locations along California, Oregon and Washington. This effort was funded by NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) through its WCDSCI. The overall goal of the project was to systematically gather and quantify suggestions for seafloor mapping, sampling and visual surveys for the WCDSCI and EXPRESS. The results are expected to help WCDSCI, EXPRESS and other organizations on the WCC to identify locations where their interests overlap with other organizations, to coordinate their data needs and to leverage collective resources to meet shared goals. There were four main steps in the WCC spatial prioritization process. The first step was to identify the technical advisory team, which included the 11 members of the DSCRTP WCDSCI Steering Committee and all of the participants involved in the EXPRESS campaign. This advisory team invited 37 participants for the prioritization. Step two was to develop the spatial framework and an online application. To do this, the WCC was divided into five subregions and 3,265 square grid cells approximately 10x10 minutes in size. Existing relevant spatial datasets (e.g., bathymetry, protected area boundaries, etc.) were compiled to help participants understand information and data gaps and to identify areas they wanted to prioritize for future data collections. These spatial datasets were housed in the online application, which was developed using Esri’s Web AppBuilder. In step three, this online application was used by 26 participants to enter their priorities in each subregion of interest. Participants allocated virtual coins in the 10x10 minute grid cells to denote their priorities. Grid cells with more coins were higher priorities than cells with fewer coins. Participants also reported why these locations were important and what data types were needed. Coin values were standardized across the subregions and used to identify spatial patterns across the WCC region as a whole. The number of coins were standardized because each subregion had a different number of grid cells and participants. Standardized coin values were analyzed and mapped using statistical techniques, including hierarchical cluster analysis, to identify significant relationships between priorities, reasons for those priorities and data needs. This ESRI shapefile contains the 10x10 minute grid cells used in this prioritization effort and associated the standardized coin values overall, as well as by organization, justification and product. For a complete description of the process and analyses please see: Costa et al. 2019.Total File Size: 19 files in 1 folder, 7.19 MB total (unzipped), 3.82 MB (zipped) Data Files: • WCC_Prioritization_GridwithResults_Projection.SHP • WCC_Prioritization_Subregions.SHP Documentation files: • NCCOS-West-Coast-Prioritization_BrowseGraphic.JPG • NCCOS-West-Coast-Prioritization_DataDocumentation.PDF Data File Format(s): ShapeFile .SHP (and ancillary files .CPG, .DBF, .PRJ, .SBN, .SBX, .SHX, .XML) Data File Compression: no compression Data File Resolution: 10x10 minutes (12x18 km to 15x18 km) GIS Projection: NAD1983 USA_Contiguous_Albers_Equal_Area_Coni

Prioritizing Seafloor Mapping for Washington’s Pacific Coast

Remote sensing systems are critical tools used for characterizing the geological and ecological composition of the seafloor. However, creating comprehensive and detailed maps of ocean and coastal environments has been hindered by the high cost of operating ship- and aircraft-based sensors. While a number of groups (e.g., academic research, government resource management, and private sector) are engaged in or would benefit from the collection of additional seafloor mapping data, disparate priorities, dauntingly large data gaps, and insufficient funding have confounded strategic planning efforts. In this study, we addressed these challenges by implementing a quantitative, spatial process to facilitate prioritizing seafloor mapping needs in Washington State. The Washington State Prioritization Tool (WASP), a custom web-based mapping tool, was developed to solicit and analyze mapping priorities from each participating group. The process resulted in the identification of several discrete, high priority mapping hotspots. As a result, several of the areas have been or will be subsequently mapped. Furthermore, information captured during the process about the intended application of the mapping data was paramount for identifying the optimum remote sensing sensors and acquisition parameters to use during subsequent mapping surveys