Description
The coral reef benthic community data described here result from the automated annotation (classification) of benthic images collected during photoquadrat surveys conducted by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD, formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). SCUBA divers conducted benthic photoquadrat surveys in coral reef habitats according to protocols established by ESD and NCRMP during the ESD-led NCRMP mission to the islands and atolls of the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) and American Samoa from June 8 to August 11, 2018. Still photographs were collected with a high-resolution digital camera mounted on a pole to document the benthic community composition at predetermined points along transects at stratified random sites surveyed only once as part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for corals and fish and permanent sites established by ESD and resurveyed every ~3 years for climate change monitoring. Overall, 30 photoquadrat images were collected at each survey site.
The benthic habitat images were quantitatively analyzed using the web-based, machine-learning, image annotation tool, CoralNet (https://coralnet.ucsd.edu; Beijbom et al. 2015). Ten points were randomly overlaid on each image and the machine-learning algorithm "robot" identified the organism or type of substrate beneath, with 300 annotations (points) generated per site. Benthic elements falling under each point were identified to functional group (Tier 1: hard coral, soft coral, sessile invertebrate, macroalgae, crustose coralline algae, and turf algae) for coral, algae, invertebrates, and other taxa following Lozada-Misa et al. (2017). These benthic data can ultimately be used to produce estimates of community composition, relative abundance (percentage of benthic cover), and frequency of occurrence.
Resources
| Name | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIFSC_H-17-02_2017_SOP_ImageAnalysis_CN.pdf | Unknown | PIFSC Administrative Report, January 2017: Analysis of benthic survey images via CoralNet : a summary of standard operating procedures and guidelines | Open resource |
| PIFSC_H-17-02_2017_SOP_ImageAnalysis_CN.pdf | Unknown | PIFSC Administrative Report, January 2017: Analysis of benthic survey images via CoralNet : a summary of standard operating procedures and guidelines | Open resource |
| PIFSC_H-17-02_2017_SOP_ImageAnalysis_CN.pdf | Unknown | PIFSC Administrative Report, January 2017: Analysis of benthic survey images via CoralNet : a summary of standard operating procedures and guidelines | Open resource |
| BIA_CNET_ROBOT_2018.csv | Unknown | Benthic community data generated from automated annotation of benthic photoquadrat images by a trained robot in CoralNet that were collected at random and permanent survey sites across the Pacific Remote Island Areas and American Samoa in 2018 by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Ecosystem Sciences Division as part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program. | Open resource |
| BIA_CNET_ROBOT_2018.csv | Unknown | Benthic community data generated from automated annotation of benthic photoquadrat images by a trained robot in CoralNet that were collected at random and permanent survey sites across the Pacific Remote Island Areas and American Samoa in 2018 by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Ecosystem Sciences Division as part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program. | Open resource |
| BIA_CNET_ROBOT_2018.csv | Unknown | Benthic community data generated from automated annotation of benthic photoquadrat images by a trained robot in CoralNet that were collected at random and permanent survey sites across the Pacific Remote Island Areas and American Samoa in 2018 by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Ecosystem Sciences Division as part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program. | Open resource |
| CoralNet | Unknown | CoralNet Home Page | Open resource |
| CoralNet | Unknown | CoralNet Home Page | Open resource |
| CoralNet | Unknown | CoralNet Home Page | Open resource |
| GCMD Keyword Forum Page | Unknown | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords | Open resource |
| GCMD Keyword Forum Page | Unknown | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords | Open resource |
| GCMD Keyword Forum Page | Unknown | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords | Open resource |
| Ecosystem Sciences Division | Unknown | NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center website | Open resource |
| Ecosystem Sciences Division | Unknown | NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center website | Open resource |
| Ecosystem Sciences Division | Unknown | NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center website | Open resource |
| NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program | Unknown | NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) website. | Open resource |
| NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program | Unknown | NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) website. | Open resource |
| NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program | Unknown | NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) website. | Open resource |
| Full Metadata Record | Unknown | View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. | Open resource |
| Full Metadata Record | Unknown | View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. | Open resource |
| Full Metadata Record | Unknown | View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. | Open resource |
| NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) | NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. | Open resource | |
| NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) | NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. | Open resource | |
| NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) | NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. | Open resource | |
| Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Website | Unknown | Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage | Open resource |
| Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Website | Unknown | Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage | Open resource |
| Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Website | Unknown | Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage | Open resource |
Tags
- 743
- algae
- american samoa
- american samoa (14s170w0000)
- aquatic habitat
- automated annotation
- baker island
- baker island (00n176w0001)
- benthic
- benthic biology
- benthic communities
- benthic habitat
- benthic species
- benthic species - taxa identities
- benthos analysis
- biosphere
- blue-green algae
- central pacific ocean
- climate change
- coastal processes
- coral
- coral communities
- coral reef conservation program
- coral reef ecology
- coral reef ecosystem division
- coral reef ecosystem program
- coral reefs
- coral reef studies
- corals
- country/territory
- cred
- crep
- crustose coralline algae
- doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
- earth science
- ecosystem sciences division
- encrusting macroalgae
- equatorial pacific ocean
- esd
- hi'ialakai
- howland island
- howland island (00s176w0001)
- image analysis
- jarvis island (00s160w0001)
- kingman reef (06n162w0001)
- line islands
- machine-learning algorithm
- macroinvertebrates
- manu'a group
- marine biology
- marine invertebrates
- microbiota
- national coral reef monitoring program
- national marine fisheries service
- nmfs
- noaa
- numeric data sets
- ocean basin
- ocean chemistry
- oceans
- ofu (14s169w0002)
- ofu island
- ofu island (14s169w0013)
- olosega (14s169w0016)
- olosega island
- olosega island (14s169w0014)
- other
- pacific islands fisheries science center
- pacific ocean
- pacific reef and assessment monitoring program
- pacific remote island areas
- pacific remote islands marine national monument
- palmyra atoll (05n162w0001)
- photograph
- photographic analysis
- pifsc
- pria
- primnm
- ramp
- rapid assessment studies
- reef assessment and monitoring program
- reef habitat
- reef monitoring and assessment
- rose atoll (14s168w0001)
- rose atoll marine national monument
- south pacific ocean
- stratified random
- strs
- swains atoll (11s171w0001)
- ta'u island (14s169w0012)
- turf algae
- tutuila island (14s170w0016)
- united states of america
- usa minor outlying islands
- u.s. department of commerce
- us doc
- vegetation
- zoology