Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Hyperspectral Imagery

Hyperspectral imagery data was collected for coral reef mapping and benthic habitat analysis around the main Hawaiian Islands. The project involved NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, the University of Hawaii, and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii. Data collection and processing occurred around the year 2000.

Use Cases

• Compare benthic habitat maps generated from hyperspectral imagery against those from color aerial photography and IKONOS satellite imagery.
• Analyze coral health and reef community structure over time using the 72 spectral bands in the visible and near-infrared range.
• Delineate boundaries of underwater features using the 3-meter pixel resolution for shallow and deep water feature detection.
• Optimize feature detection algorithms by utilizing processed band widths selected for the AURORA hyperspectral imaging system.

Strengths

• Imagery contains 72 spectral bands, each with a 10 nm bandwidth in the visible and near-infrared range.
• Data offers a 3-meter pixel resolution for detailed spatial analysis.
• Project is a cooperative effort among NOAA, University of Hawaii, and a commercial analytical laboratory.

Limitations

• Data is from approximately the year 2000, making it temporally stale for analyzing current reef conditions.
• Specific sample size, geographic extent for Maui, and file size are unknown.
• Class distribution and potential label noise from photointerpretation are not quantified.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment.

Collection Method

Data collected by the AURORA hyperspectral imaging system and processed to optimize band widths for feature detection; habitats were delineated via photointerpretation using software like the Habitat Digitizer.

Time Range

Approximately 2000.

Freshness

null

Geography

Main Eight Hawaiian Islands, specifically Maui.