Summary

Description

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) is tasked with the coral mapping element of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) under the authority of Executive Order 13089. NOS is responsible for coral reef mapping in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, the Main Eight Hawaiian Islands, and the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States of the Pacific. Space Imaging, Inc (SI) and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC (ALH) has produced GIS-compatible benthic habitat digital maps of the Republic of Palau using the classification scheme defined by NOAA. The map products produced through this project include baseline data of U.S. coral reefs, location of coral reef boundaries and overall coral reef cover, and the geomorphologic structure in and around coral reef systems. Maps include the 9 major and 23 detailed biological cover types, 4 major and 14 detailed geomorphological structure types, and 15 mutually exclusive zones specified in NOAA's hierarchical classification manual for coastal waters of the Republic of Palau. Benthic habitats are delineated from the coastline to water depths of 30 meters in GIS using manual interpretation techniques. NOAA utilizes IKONOS Multispectral (MSI) Satellite Imagery from Space Imaging, Inc., consisting of both newly acquired and archived imagery. The imagery consists of 1m panchromatic and 4m MSI with a horizontal accuracy of at least 5m CE95 at 1:4,800 National Map Accuracy Standard (NMAS). Once the imagery is processed, NOAA will use ALH's hand-digitize GIS approach to produce the benthic habitat maps at a minimum mapping unit of one acre, as well as NOAA's preferred random stratified accuracy assessment method.