Acropora Presence/Absence in Surveyed Waters of Florida 1996-2008

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Acropora Presence/Absence in Surveyed Waters of Florida 1996-2008
Abstract:
On May 9, 2006, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) listed staghorn and elkhorn corals (Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These two species qualified as ESA threatened species because there was evidence they have undergone substantial declines in abundance (from historic levels) throughout their ranges. NOAA Fisheries Service is now seeking to determine the extant spatial distribution of these two species throughout the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean to aid in the management and regulatory activities related to ESA listing. These data represent the potential locations of presence or absence for elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and staghorn coral (A. cervicornis).
Supplemental_Information:
Data submitted by investigators are converted into a series of flat files in dbf format with indices that show presence and true absence (where possible) of A. cervicornis and A. palmata for each U.S. State or Territory. True absence of an Acropora species means that an active search was made to locate the coral at the given GPS coordinates, but the species were not found there.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Unpublished Material, Acropora Presence/Absence in Surveyed Waters of Florida 1996-2008.

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -83.103000
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.015800
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.842000
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 24.442500

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning_Date: 1996
    Beginning_Time: unknown
    Ending_Date: 2008
    Ending_Time: unknown
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Entity Point (6049)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal Degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257224.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    AcroporaFL_presabs
    Presence or absence of Acropora palmata and Acropora cervicornis in Florida waters (Source: Unknown)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    ID
    point identifier (Source: NOAA/NMFS)

    Variable - point identifier

    YEAR
    Year in which the survey was conducted (Source: Varied sources)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1996
    Maximum:2008

    LAT
    decimal degrees latitude of point location (Source: Varied Sources)

    Range of values
    Minimum:24.4425
    Maximum:30.842

    LONG
    decimal degrees longitude of point location (Source: Varied sources)

    Range of values
    Minimum:-83.103
    Maximum:-80.158

    ACER
    A. cervicornis presence or absence: P = presence; A = absence (Source: NOAA/NMFS)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:P=Presence
    Codeset Source:NOAA/NMFS

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:A=Absence
    Codeset Source:NOAA/NMFS

    APAL
    A. palmata presence or absence: P = presence; A = absence (Source: NOAA/NMFS)

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:P=Presence
    Codeset Source:NOAA/NMFS

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:A=Absence
    Codeset Source:NOAA/NMFS

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Jennifer Moore
    NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service
    Acropora Coordinator
    263 13th Avenue South
    St. Petersburg, FL 33071-5505
    USA

    727-824-5312 (voice)
    727-824-5309 (FAX)
    Jennifer.Moore@noaa.gov

    Hours_of_Service: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm

Why was the data set created?

The overarching goal is to provide NOAA Fisheries Service with information on the extant spatial distribution of acroporid corals throughout the Atlantic Ocean to aid in management and regulatory activities related to their Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing. The purpose of these data is to visually represent the potential locations of presence or absence of Acropora spp. for GIS analysis and display.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: 30-Apr-2008 (process 1 of 1)
    digital GIS shapefiles were developed using ESRI ArcGIS software to show the distribution of A. cervicornis and A. palmata separately in each location where we have data. Data submitted by investigators are converted into a series of flat files in dbf format with indices that show presence and true absence (where possible) of A. cervicornis and A. palmata for each U.S. State or Territory.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    NOAA-NMFS
    Attn: Amanda Frick
    GIS Analyst/Contractor
    263 13th Avenue South
    St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505
    USA

    727-824-5312 (voice)
    727-824-5309 (FAX)
    Amanda.Frick@noaa.gov

    Hours_of_Service: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:30pm
    Data sources used in this process:
    • National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    Complete Pending NMFS PRD Review

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Not Applicable

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
Users be advised that the data identifies potential locations of presence of absence for Acropora spp. and does not definitively identify all locations of Acropora spp. To determine actual presence of Acropora spp., an in-water survey must be conducted.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    Jennifer Moore
    NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service
    Acropora Coordinator
    263 13th Avenue South
    St. Petersburg, FL 33071-5505
    USA

    727-824-5312 (voice)
    727-824-5309 (FAX)
    Jennifer.Moore@noaa.gov

    Hours_of_Service: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    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, 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 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. NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA can not assume liability for and damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. Is there some other way to get the data?

    Please contact the Distributor (see above) regarding data access.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 20-Dec-2012
Last Reviewed: 10-Apr-2009
Metadata author:
NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service
Attn: Amanda Frick
GIS Analyst
NOAA Fisheries Service
St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505
USA

727-824-5312 (voice)
727-824-5309 (FAX)
Amanda.Frick@noaa.gov

Hours_of_Service: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Generated by mp version 2.9.13 on Tue Jun 18 06:51:33 2013