North Rona Seabed Habitat Map from Acoustic and Video Survey

North Rona seabed habitats were mapped using sidescan sonar, bathymetry, and ground-truthing video and photography in 2009. The survey aimed to characterize biotopes and substrata to form a baseline for future environmental management. Data was processed into a Geographical Information System (GIS) by Seastar Survey Ltd. for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Use Cases

• Classifying seabed substrata types based on acoustic backscatter and bathymetry data.
• Mapping biotope distribution based on interpreted video footage and digital photography.
• Creating baseline GIS layers for marine spatial planning and management.
• Identifying features of interest on the seabed from sidescan sonar mosaics.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple survey methods: acoustic mapping and ground-truthing video/photography.
• Data processed into a GIS for high-level interpretation and display.
• Survey conducted by a named contractor (Seastar Survey Ltd.) for an authoritative organization.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Collection Method

Acoustic sidescan sonar and single beam echo sounder survey, supplemented by drop-down video and digital still photography.

Time Range

2009

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 09:45:53.006391; freshness should be verified

Geography

Seabed around North Rona.