Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Hyperspectral Imagery

Hyperspectral imagery of the main eight Hawaiian Islands, focusing on Oahu, was collected for coral reef and benthic habitat mapping. The AURORA system captured 72 spectral bands in the visible and near-infrared range at 3-meter pixel resolution. This cooperative project involved NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, the University of Hawaii, and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, with data processed around 2000.

Use Cases

• Compare benthic habitat maps generated from 72-band hyperspectral imagery against maps from color aerial photography and IKONOS satellite imagery.
• Analyze coral reef community structure over time using the enhanced spectral resolution across ultraviolet to far infrared ranges.
• Delineate boundaries of benthic features using the 3-meter pixel resolution data optimized for shallow and deep water feature detection.
• Develop coral reef mapping methods by leveraging the controlled bandwidths of the multispectral data for improved coral health assessment.

Strengths

• 72 spectral bands in the visible and near-infrared range provide high spectral resolution.
• 3-meter pixel resolution offers detailed spatial information for feature delineation.

Limitations

• Data is from approximately the year 2000, which may limit analysis of recent coral reef changes.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and geographic extents beyond the main eight islands are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, University of Hawaii, Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC.

Collection Method

Data collected by the AURORA hyperspectral imaging system and processed to optimize band widths for feature detection.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Main eight Hawaiian Islands, with a focus on Oahu.