Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content
  • Feedback

    • Structure from Motion (SfM) Coral (Adult and Juvenile) Annotations derived from Stratified Random Site (StRS) Imagery across the US Pacific from 2019 to 2023 for methods comparison

    Metadata Updated: October 11, 2025

    Coral adult and juvenile coral colony demographic data described in this dataset are derived from the GIS analysis of benthic photomosaic imagery. The source imagery was collected using a Structure from Motion (SfM) approach during in-water surveys conducted by divers, and is documented separately here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/63095. The data were collected as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) and Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD; formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) led National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) missions around the US Pacific from 2019 for method comparison. Refer to Lineage and URLs for links to publication.

    The SfM surveys are part of the Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for corals and fish conducted during ESD-led NCRMP missions. Surveys were conducted at sites randomly stratified across sub-island sectors and three depth strata (shallow: 0-6m, mid: 6-18m and deep: >18m). These sites represent a broad range of depths (1-25 m), habitat types (aggregate reef, patch reef, pavement, rock and boulder and rubble), coral cover, and diving conditions. Allocation of sampling effort was proportional to strata area and variance in coral density. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than sampling more transects at a site. Therefore, site-level estimates and site to site comparisons should be used with caution.

    During each survey, an 18m transect line was deployed along the isobath and photographed using underwater cameras while swimming in a back and forth swim pattern for later processing using an SfM approach. At depths of 1-20 m, SfM surveys were conducted over a 3 x 20m area and at depths > 20m, a 3 x 13m area was surveyed, both with the transect running down the middle of the survey area. The photographs were processed using Agisoft Metashape software to generate orthomosaic images that were analyzed in ArcGIS for juvenile and adult coral colony demographic metrics. Data was collected for each site within four 2.5m2 segments, each 1m wide, along the transect (at 0-2.5m, 5-7.5m, 10-12.5m, and 15-17.5m). At deeper sites where a 3 x 13m area was surveyed, only the first three segments were analyzed in ArcGIS. For each adult coral colony (> 5cm in diameter), maximum diameter, ID (to lowest taxonomic level), and estimated percent old mortality were recorded. Bleaching extent (% of living tissue with reduced pigmentation) and severity were also recorded. Juvenile coral colonies (0.7 to 5cm maximum diameter) were recorded within the first 1 m2 of the first 3 segments. For juvenile colonies, only ID and maximum diameter were recorded.

    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 September 30, 2025
    Metadata Created Date September 27, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date October 11, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 2023 (creation), 2024-03 (revision), 2025 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date September 30, 2025
    Metadata Created Date September 27, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date October 11, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 2023 (creation), 2024-03 (revision), 2025 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:63097
    Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Structure from Motion (SfM) Coral (Adult and Juvenile) Annotations derived from Stratified Random Site (StRS) Imagery across the US Pacific from 2019 to 2023 for methods comparison [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/63097., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite NOAA Fisheries, Ecosystem Science Division (ESD) when using the data. Example: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2023: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Structure from Motion (SfM) Coral (Adult and Juvenile) Annotations derived from Stratified Random Site (StRS) Imagery across the US Pacific since 2019, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/63097., 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 -154.806789
    Bbox North Lat 28.455623
    Bbox South Lat -14.373615
    Bbox West Long 144.618287
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Harvest Object Id 8c3ba228-aa52-406b-8c85-9a66316d5853
    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 The benthic SfM survey methodology, employed by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD), began in 2019. Benthic imagery is collected at stratified random sites and generated into orthomosaic images using Agisoft Metashape software. Orthomosaics are imported into ArcGIS for annotation. Annotation of SfM belt orthomosaics is modelled after in situ diver adult and juvenile coral belt surveys employed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division and includes coral species identification, maximum diameter measurement, partial mortality estimates, and disease and condition identification.
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[144.618287, -14.373615], [-154.806789, -14.373615], [-154.806789, 28.455623], [144.618287, 28.455623], [144.618287, -14.373615]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2019-04-21
    Temporal Extent End 2019-10-31

    Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.