Benthic Habitats of the Florida Keys derived from color aerial photography collected between December 1991 and March 1992 (NCEI Accession 0143928)

• Main Author: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: NOAA NCEI Environmental Data Archive 2016
• Subjects: DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; 0143928; 143928; BENTHIC COMMUNITIES; CORAL; SEA GRASSES - DENSITY; camera; benthic; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Fish and Wildlife Research Institute; US DOC; NOAA; National Ocean Service; CORAL REEF STUDIES; Coastal Waters of Florida; Gulf of Mexico; North Atlantic Ocean; oceanography; Geographic Information > Ecological Characterization; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat > Description; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > In situ biological; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology > Habitats; aquatic vegetation; coral reef; coralline algae; cover; habitat; macroalgae; point; reef; seagrass; structure; submerged; unconsolidated sediments; zone; COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida; COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Alligator Reef (24N080W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Big Pine Key (24N081W0004); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Key Largo (25N080W0010); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Key West (25N080W0016); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Looe Key Reef (24N081W0002); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Marathon (24N081W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Molasses Reef (25N080W0003); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Rodrigues Key (25N080W0025); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Summerland Key (24N081W0005); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Western Sambos (24N081W0014); OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida; OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Lower Florida Keys > Key West (25N080W0016); OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Lower Florida Keys > Marquesas Key (24N082W0002); OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Lower Florida Keys > Summerland Key (24N081W0005); OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Lower Florida Keys > Western Sambos (24N081W0014); United States; Monroe; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/{C525DEF3-4BEE-49A3-9DE0-06949A29C8AC}

This project was a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Marine Research Institute (now called the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute).The goal of the effort was to produce shallow-water (from 0 to approximately 30 m water depth) benthic habitat maps of the Florida Keys and adjacent waters. The maps were generated by expert visual interpretation of 1:48,000 scale color aerial photography and subsequent photogrammetric, stereo, digital compilation of interpreted habitat polygon boundaries from aerial photography. The Minimum mapping unit = 0.4 hectare (4,047 sq m; 1 acre) for all habitat. Patch reefs may be <0.5 ha. The aerial photography was acquired using a NOAA jet from December 1991 through March 1992. The photography was acquired with 60% side and 80% forward overlap to facilitate stereo compilation. Approximately 450 aerial photographs were acquired and used for the mapping project. Ground validation of interpreted habitat polygons was performed by visual verification at actual field sites prior to compilation. Aircraft Inertial Measurement Unit data were used to correct photography positioning in photogrammetric analytical plotters. The analytical solution used in the photogrammetric plotter for positioning was applied to bundles of 30-40 adjacent, overlapping aerial photographs. The stereo positioning of the photography was < 1 m. Digital data for bundles of compiled aerial photographs from the photogrammetric stereo plotter was imported into the ESRI ArcInfo GIS. The GIS was used to merge and edit the vector and attribute features of the 15 bundles to generate a mosaic benthic habitat map of the Florida Keys and adjacent areas covered by the aerial photography. Field validation of digitized habitat features visible in the aerial photography mosaics was performed to ensure correct interpretation. An assessment of the correctness of the interpreted digital map was performed by experts familiar with the the seafloor habitat found in the Florida Keys.