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    • Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Geospatial, Temperature, and Depth Data Collected during Towed-diver Surveys of the U.S. Pacific Reefs from 2000 to 2017

    Metadata Updated: October 19, 2024

    The geospatial, temperature and depth data included in this dataset are from towed-diver surveys (also referred to as towboard surveys) of coral reef ecosystems conducted during Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruises to the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas from 2000 to 2017 by the Ecosystem Sciences Division (formerly known as the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC).

    Generally, the towed-diver survey method involved towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for 50 minutes, approximately following the ~15-m depth contour and covering a linear distance of about 2-3 kilometers per survey. A complete 50-minute towed-diver survey is divided into ten 5-minute segments, and up to 6 towed-diver surveys are conducted per day.

    Each diver was equipped with a towboard outfitted with instrumentation and used to record observations, and the divers attempted to maintain position ~1 meter above the surface of the reef for the duration of the survey. Both towboards were equipped with a SeaBird™ SBE39 temperature/depth sensor that recorded water temperature and depth every 5 seconds. The survey tracks were also recorded every 5 seconds using a GPS receiver located on the small boat. The survey tracks were georeferenced and a script was applied to adjust the GPS waypoints from the boat's position to the estimated positions of the divers while conducting the surveys, correlate the associated temperature and depth data, and lace the waypoints together into 5-min segments and tow tracks. The dataset includes the adjusted dive points, and the segments and tow tracks are provided as shapefiles.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date October 3, 2024
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date October 19, 2024
    Reference Date(s) 2019-05 (creation), 2019 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date October 3, 2024
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date October 19, 2024
    Reference Date(s) 2019-05 (creation), 2019 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:25298
    Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Geospatial, Temperature, and Depth Data Collected during Towed-diver Surveys of the U.S. Pacific Reefs from 2000 to 2017 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25298., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Example: Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2019: Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Geospatial, Temperature, and Depth Data Collected during Towed-diver Surveys of the U.S. Pacific Reefs from 2000 to 2017, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25298., Distribution Liability: While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
    Bbox East Long -168.13673
    Bbox North Lat -11.0449
    Bbox South Lat -14.91070487
    Bbox West Long -171.09329
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned
    Harvest Object Id 4a885620-547f-4fad-8eb8-e704dc0d96a5
    Harvest Source Id c0beac72-5f43-4455-8c33-1b345fbc2dfe
    Harvest Source Title NMFS PIFSC
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage Methodology to process the geospatial data (GPS points) from towed-diver surveys, including the associated SBE39 temperature and depth data, to generate the resulting files/shapefiles (Dive Points, Segments, and Tows). The geospatial data are processed using a layback script written in Python that uses various GIS functions to estimate the position of the diver.
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-171.09329, -14.91070487], [-168.13673, -14.91070487], [-168.13673, -11.0449], [-171.09329, -11.0449], [-171.09329, -14.91070487]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2010-02-23
    Temporal Extent End 2010-03-20

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