NOAA Bathymetric Lidar with Waveform Metrics for Saipan Coral Reefs

Bathymetric light detection and ranging (lidar) data for depths from 0 to 50 meters around the island of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The package contains .LAS 1.4 files with 16 Lidar Waveform Metrics (LWFM) describing the shape of the seafloor return, developed through a partnership between NOAA NCCOS, Oregon State University, and other agencies. This data was used to predict the distribution of key coral reef taxa and habitats west of Saipan.

Use Cases

• Predicting coral reef habitat distribution based on lidar waveform metrics.
• Analyzing seafloor physical structure and biological cover based on the shape of the seafloor return.
• Developing bathymetric models for coastal zone management around Saipan.
• Testing and applying novel LWFM processing workflows for future lidar collections.

Strengths

• Includes 16 Lidar Waveform Metrics (LWFM) providing novel information beyond basic depth.
• Data is associated with a published study predicting coral reef taxa and habitats.
• Processing workflows are designed to make LWFM creation more routine for future collections.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and data volume are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data coverage is limited to the specific geographic area around Saipan, CNMI.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via Chiroptera-4X bathymetric lidar system and processed with specialized software developed by NOAA NCCOS, Oregon State University, and partners.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:40:12.835955; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), for depths of 0 to 50 meters.