DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3909728
title: NOAA NCCOS Assessment: Prioritizing Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping and Exploration in the U.S. Caribbean from 2019-06-28 to 2019-07-28

description: Spatial information about the seafloor is critical for decision-making by marine resource science, management and tribal organizations. Coordinating data needs can help organizations leverage collective resources to meet shared goals. To help enable this coordination, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) developed a spatial framework, process and online application to identify common data collection priorities for seafloor mapping, sampling and visual surveys off the US Caribbean territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Fifteen participants from local federal, state, and academic institutions entered their priorities in an online application, using virtual coins to denote their priorities in 2.5x2.5 kilometer (nearshore) and 10x10 kilometer (offshore) grid size. Grid cells with more coins were higher priorities than cells with fewer coins. Participants also reported why these locations were important and what data types were needed. Results were analyzed and mapped using statistical techniques to identify significant relationships between priorities, reasons for those priorities and data needs. Fifteen high priority locations were broadly identified for future mapping, sampling and visual surveys. These locations include: (1) a coastal location in northwest Puerto Rico (Punta Jacinto to Punta Agujereada), (2) a location approximately 11 km off Punta Agujereada, (3) coastal Rincon, (4) San Juan, (5) Punta Arenas (west of Vieques Island), (6) southwest Vieques, (7) Grappler Seamount, (8) southern Virgin Passage, (9) north St. Thomas, (10) east St. Thomas, (11) south St. John, (12) west offshore St. Croix, (13) west nearshore St. Croix, (14) east nearshore St. Croix, and (15) east offshore St. Croix. Participants consistently selected (1) Biota/Important Natural Area, (2) Commercial Fishing and (3) Coastal/Marine Hazards as their top reasons (i.e., justifications) for prioritizing locations, and (1) Benthic Habitat Map and (2) Sub-bottom Profiles as their top data or product needs. This ESRI shapefile summarizes the results from this spatial prioritization effort. This information will enable US Caribbean organization to more efficiently leverage resources and coordinate their mapping of high priority locations in the region.


This effort was funded by NOAA’s NCCOS and supported by CRCP. The overall goal of the project was to systematically gather and quantify suggestions for seafloor mapping, sampling and visual surveys in the US Caribbean territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The results are will help organizations in the US Caribbean identify locations where their interests overlap with other organizations, to coordinate their data needs and to leverage collective resources to meet shared goals.


There were four main steps in the US Caribbean spatial prioritization process. The first step was to identify the technical advisory team, which included the 4 CRCP members: 2 from each the Puerto Rico and USVI regions. This advisory team recommended 33 organizations to participate in the prioritization. Each organization was then requested to designate a single representative, or respondent, who would have access to the web tool. The respondent would be responsible for communicating with their team about their needs and inputting their collective priorities. Step two was to develop the spatial framework and an online application. To do this, the US Caribbean was divided into 4 sub regions: nearshore and offshore for both Puerto Rico and USVI.  The total inshore regions had 2,387 square grid cells approximately 2.5x2.5 km in size. The total offshore regions consisted of 438 square grid cells 10x10 km in size. Existing relevant spatial datasets (e.g., bathymetry, protected area boundaries, etc.) were compiled to help participants understand information and data gaps and to identify areas they wanted to prioritize for future data collections. These spatial datasets were housed in the online application, which was developed using Esri’s Web AppBuilder. In step three, this online application was used by 15 participants to enter their priorities in each subregion of interest. Respondents allocated virtual coins in the grid cells to denote their priorities for each region.  Respondents were given access to all four regions, despite which territory they represented, but were not required to provide input into each region. Grid cells with more coins were higher priorities than cells with fewer coins. Participants also reported why these locations were important and what data types were needed. Coin values were standardized across the nearshore and offshore zones and used to identify spatial patterns across the US Caribbean region as a whole. The number of coins were standardized because each subregion had a different number of grid cells and participants. Standardized coin values were analyzed and mapped using statistical techniques, including hierarchical cluster analysis, to identify significant relationships between priorities, reasons for those priorities and data needs. This ESRI shapefile contains the 2.5x2.5 km and 10x10 km grid cells used in this prioritization effort and associated the standardized coin values overall, as well as by organization, justification and product. For a complete description of the process and analysis please see: Kraus et al. 2020.
description: Total File Size:	4.86 MB total, 5 files in 1 folder (unzipped), (4.54 MB zipped)
Data Files:
•	USCaribbean_Prioritization _Results_Table.CSV
•	USCaribbean_Prioritization_GridwithResults_Projection.SHP
•	USCaribbean_Prioritization _Subregions.SHP
Documentation Files:
•	NCCOS-US-Caribbean-Prioritization_BrowseGraphic.PNG
•	NCCOS-US-Caribbean-Prioritization_DataDocumentation.PDF
Data File Format(s):		Shapefile .SHP (and ancillary files .CPG, .DBF, .PRJ, .SBN, .SBX, .SHX)
Data File Compression:	no compression
Data File Resolution:		2.5x2.5 km and 10x10 km
GIS Projection:			WGS 1984 Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere)
Table 1: Data Dictionary
Variable Name	Code	Definition
Region	Region	Inshore/offshore regions used in U.S. Caribbean Prioritization
Territory	Territory	U.S. Caribbean territories designation: USVI or PR
Longitude	POINT_X	Longitude of the 10x10 minute grid cell centroid
Latitude	POINT_Y	Latitude of the 10x10 minute grid cell centroid
Number of respondents	Resp_Num	Percentage of respondents placing coins in a grid cell
Number of  justifications	Justif_Num	Total number of justifications identified in a grid cell
Number of products	Produc_Num	Total number of products identified in a grid cell
Total coins	Coins_tota	Standardized percentage of all coins allocated in a grid cell
Federal coins 	Fed_Coins	Standardized percentage of coins allocated to a grid cell by all federal participants
Non-federal coins	Nonfed_Coi	Standardized percentage of coins allocated to a grid cell by all non-federal participants
DOI coins	DOI_Coins	Standardized percentage of coins allocated to a grid cell by Department of Interior (DOI) participants
NOAA Coins	NOAA_Coins	Standardized percentage of coins allocated to a grid cell by DOC National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) participants
NOS coins	NOS_Coins	Standardized percentage of coins allocated to a grid cell by DOC NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) participants
NMFS coins	NMFS_Coins	Standardized percentage of coins allocated to a grid cell by DOC NOAA National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) participants
Geology Justification	Geol_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Geology, indicating a need for data describing erosion, deposition, sediment physical properties and critical mineral deposits.
Exploration Justification 	Expl_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Exploration, indicating a knowledge gap or general lack of seafloor information. This category was the default justification. 
Biota/Important Natural Area Justification	Biot_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Biota/Important Natural Area, indicating spawning/nursery areas, feeding grounds, key benthic habitats and other ecologically important areas.
Non-Consumptive Human Use Justification	Hum_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Non-Consumptive Human Use, indicating diving, boating, swimming and other recreational activities
Hazards Justification	Haza_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Coastal/Marine Hazards, indicating a need data to understand tsunamis, storm surges, sea level rise, faults, landslides and other hazards.
Cultural Justification	Cult_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Cultural Heritage & Historical Maritime Resources, indicating shipwrecks  and other cultural/historic resources.
Energy Justification	Ener_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Energy, indicating a need for data to inform potential and existing energy development and infrastructure (e.g. cable, pipeline, oil platform or wind turbine).
Commercial Fishing Justification	Cfish_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Commercial Fishing, indicating high bycatch areas, popular commercial or charter fishing destinations.
Recreational Fishing Justification	Rfish_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Recreational Fishing, indicating popular recreational fishing destinations.
Managed Area Justification	Manag_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Marine Managed Areas, indicating marine protected areas, essential fish habitat, rockfish conservation areas and other managed areas and permitting needs.
Research Justification	Resear_Jus	Standardized percentage of coins for Research, indicating scientific research and monitoring locations.
Other Justification	Othe_Just	Standardized percentage of coins for Other. These were designated by respondents as representing interest in either freshwater springs, or threat of coastal development. 
Benthic Habitat Map Product	Hab_Prod	Standardized percentage of coins for Benthic Habitat Map products.
Underwater Photograph/Video Products	Photo_Prod	Standardized percentage of coins for Underwater Photographs/Videos products.
Sub-Bottom Profiles Products	Prof_Prod	Standardized percentage of coins for Sub-bottom Profile products.
Samples Product	Samp_Prod	Standardized percentage of coins for Biological or Physical Sample products.
Inshore Cluster	Inshore_Cluster	Hierarchical clusters (#1-4) based on the standardized sum of all inshore coins, justification and products in a grid cell.
Offshore Cluster	Offshore_Cluster	Hierarchical clusters (#1-3) based on the standardized sum of all offshore coins, justification and products in a grid cell.