Hawaiian Monk Seal Behavioral Observations for Disease Risk Modeling, 2015

Visual observations of Hawaiian monk seal haul-out patterns and social interactions on Oahu and Laysan Island from June to September 2015. The data was collected by the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service to support research into mitigating disease threats to this endangered population. The dataset likely contains records of individual seal behavior and contact rates to inform epidemiological models and vaccination strategies.

Use Cases

• Modeling disease transmission risk based on observed seal contact rates.
• Analyzing haul-out patterns and beach usage by seals mentioned in the description.
• Identifying high-risk demographic groups based on age/sex interaction patterns described.
• Planning targeted vaccination strategies based on behavioral interaction data.

Strengths

• Data collected by a federal science agency (NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service).
• Observations target a specific, critical conservation need for an endangered species.
• Temporal coverage is explicitly defined as 2015-06-01 to 2015-09-01.
• Geographic scope is specified as Oahu and Laysan Island.

Limitations

• Row count and column definitions are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Data format includes TAR and PDF, which may require extraction and manual inspection.
• Last updated date is 2026-03-14; freshness should be verified as the collection period was 2015.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Visual observations of seal behavior and interactions.

Time Range

2015-06-01 to 2015-09-01

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 23:02:21.821932; freshness should be verified

Geography

Oahu and Laysan Island, Hawaii