Hawaiian Coral Reef Benthic Survey Data and Images from 2018

Six transects of digital still images and derived benthic substrate and species data were collected by the Hawaii Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (CRAMP). The data originates from 3 sites on the islands of Oahu and Kauai surveyed between July and October 2018. CRAMP, with historic data archived at NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI, has conducted quasi-annual statewide surveys since 1999.

Use Cases

• Classify benthic substrate type (e.g., coral, algae, sand) from digital still images using image recognition models.
• Analyze species identification data to model coral community composition across different isobaths (shallow vs. deep transects).
• Correlate substrate type with geographic site location (Oahu vs. Kauai) to assess regional reef differences.
• Use the time-series context (surveys since 1999) to benchmark 2018 data against historical coral reef conditions.

Strengths

• Data collection follows a standardized program (CRAMP) with a long-term methodology in place since 1999.
• Includes both raw image data and derived quantitative benthic data from analyzed points.
• Surveys capture reef conditions at two distinct depth ranges (shallow ~2-4m and deep ~7-13m) per site.

Limitations

• Limited spatial coverage from only 3 sites and 6 transects in a single survey period.
• Sample size is small for broad statistical inference, with an unknown number of analyzed images or data points.
• Data is from a single year (2018), limiting analysis of temporal trends without accessing other archived surveys.

Provenance

Source

NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI, from the Hawaii Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (CRAMP).

Collection Method

Digital still images collected along transect lines, with benthic data derived via PhotoGrid software analyzing random points on images.

Time Range

2018-07-11 to 2018-10-02

Freshness

Data is from 2018; the program updates quasi-annually, but this specific accession is not current.

Geography

3 sites on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Kauai.