These data provide a baseline inventory of submerged aquatic vegetation within Long Island's South Shore bays. The data were derived from conventional-color metric film diapositives obtained in June 2002 from the New York Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources. Benthic classifications follow the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). The study area spans approximately 443 square kilometers, extending from the west end of Long Beach Island in Nassau County eastward to Heady Creek at the east end of Shinnecock Bay in Suffolk County. The creation of this baseline inventory was a critical need identified in the Comprehensive Management Plan for the Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve. Established following the state legislature's passage of the Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve Act in 1993, the management plan aimed to protect and improve the estuary's ecosystem, enhance public access, and support sustainable economic activities. Ultimately, the goal was to sustain existing high-quality habitats and restore degraded areas to support the productivity of commercially and ecologically important estuarine species. The management plan also mandated a long-term monitoring program to evaluate progress toward estuarine resource improvement goals, building upon this foundational benthic habitat data. The layers available within the data download include biotic, geoform, and substrate. Partners: New York Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources

These data represent benthic habitats in a coastal area of eastern Lake Erie. The area extends approximately 200 kilometers between Conneaut, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York, and covers approximately 289 square kilometers. Benthic biota and substrates were classified using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). The classification process involved object-based image segmentation of lidar bathymetry, cross-referencing geospatial data with the CMECS hierarchy, and expert interpretation. Biotic and substrate components were classified to the CMECS group or community level, with additional detail provided by co-occurring elements and modifiers. Mapping confidence was higher in areas with Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), as geomorphometric details from digital elevation models could often be directly linked to substrate types through professional geologic judgment. In areas lacking DEM coverage, object-based segmentation was not possible, leading to lower confidence and requiring manual interpretation of substrate and biotic data from available source and ancillary data. In some instances, with support from geologic judgment and imagery, CMECS Substrate Component classifications at DEM boundaries were linearly extrapolated across gaps in DEM coverage. The layers available within the data download include area, biotic, confidence, and substrate. Partners: Coastal States Organization

This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Lake Michigan. Vector polygons in this data set represent SAV. Species specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in relational data tables (described below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer. This data set comprises a portion of the ESI data for Lake Michigan. ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources.

These data provide several geoform data products for the Gulf of Maine derived from NOAA's BlueTopo bathymetric grid products. The spatial domain of these data extends from the landward limit of BlueTopo tiles seaward to the 24-nautical-mile Contiguous Zone boundary. These data support coordinated ocean planning among three state partnership agencies, between state and federal organizations, and for the public at large. The Gulf of Maine is an area rich in history, natural resources, and ocean uses. Effective planning for new infrastructure and changes in ocean use requires accurate data and collaboration among multiple stakeholders and resource management organizations. To address long-expressed regional needs, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management collaborated with the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts to develop a regional geomorphology dataset. This dataset serves as a framework for collaborative planning and assessment. Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) geoforms for the area were generated using NOAA's BlueTopo bathymetric products. Semiautomated methods were employed to ensure consistent mapping of features across the region. Following the semiautomated process, additional interpretation, guided by regional marine geology and mapping experts, was conducted to add and refine features of interest not detected automatically. Efforts to expand and update this product are planned. The layers available within the data download include: confidence_update, geoform, geoform_interpreted, and isobath. Partners: Maine Coastal Program, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, New Hampshire Coastal Program, and NOAA Office of Coast Survey

Maine's eelgrass (SAV) meadows form an important aquatic habitat for the state. These meadows provide shelter for juvenile fish, and invertebrates. In certain locations they also help stabilize unconsolidated sediments and shorelines. Maine's Department of Marine Resources has mapped the SAV habitat for the entire coast using the Coastal Change Analysis Protocol. This mapping was accomplished from aerial photography acquired between 1993 and 1997. The unified coastal SAV data set is a composite of these multiple year data. The benthic data is classified according to the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). This system is fully described in "Development of a System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) for Florida, Report to U.S. EPA - Gulf of Mexico Program, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute. Review Draft 12/04/02." Original contact information: Contact Org: NOAA Office for Coastal Management Phone: 843-740-1202 Email: coastal.info@noaa.gov

In June 2002, 200 1:20,000 scale conventional-color metric film diapositives for Long Island, New York were collected as part of an effort to map submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Long Islands South Shore bays. They were provided by New York State Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources. Photographs were taken at low tide and during times that the growth stage of the SAV allowed for clear identification. Care was taken to minimize the effects of turbidity, sun glint, wind, and haze on the photos. The photos were scanned at a resolution of 15 microns. Ground control points were collected primarily from NYSDS 2 ft orthophotos. Additional control points were collected from USGS DOQQs where coverage from the primary source was lacking. All elevations were derived from USGS digital elevation models. A bundle block adjustment was performed using Albany and exterior orientation parameters were calculated. Boeing/Autometric's Softplotter was used to orthorectify the photos. The images were then dodged and mosaicked using Z/I's Orthopro. No additional color-balancing was performed as the mosaic's intended purpose was the delineation of benthic habitats. The mosaic was then output into 1000m by 1000m tiles with a 0.5m pixel resolution. The naming convention uses the first 3 numbers of the UTM x coordinate followed by the first 4 numbers in the UTM y coordinate of the southwest corner. Stereo digital images were created and the habitat features were interpreted and digitized on screen using softplotter microstation resulting in accurate and efficient 3D extraction of the data. Habitats were delineated with a high level of detail with the minimum mapping unit (MMU) being 0.01 hectares(approx.10m x 10m).The digitized polygons have the following specifications: Vertex Distance less than 1.0 m Node Snap Distance less than 4.0 m Arc Snap Distance less than 4.0 m During August 2002, NOAA staff collected 95 field observations throughout the study area and this information was incorporated into the map. In June 2003, after reviewing the photography, questionable areas were visited by Greenhorne and O'Mara staff and the findings were subsequently applied to the map. The map layers show delineated polygons and lines representing benthic habitat data. Each polygon feature is given a 1,2,3 or 4 digit number representing 11 habitats. The item numbers are stored in the attribute table under Text. The benthic data is classified according to the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). This system is fully described in "Development of a System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) for Florida, Report to U.S. EPA - Gulf of Mexico Program, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute. Review Draft 12/04/02."The collected data was converted to an ARCGIS format for quality control and delivery. The data was assessed for horizontal spatial accuracy and thematic agreement during 2003. Original contact information: Contact Org: NOAA Office for Coastal Management Phone: 843-740-1202 Email: coastal.info@noaa.gov

Maine's eelgrass (SAV) meadows form an important aquatic habitat for the state. These meadows provide shelter for juvenile fish, and invertebrates. In certain locations they also help stabilize unconsolidated sediments and shorelines. Maine's Department of Marine Resources has mapped the SAV habitat for the entire coast using the Coastal Change Analysis Protocol. This mapping was accomplished from aerial photography acquired between 1993 and 1997. The unified coastal SAV data set is a composite of these multiple year data. The benthic data is classified according to the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). This system is fully described in "Development of a System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) for Florida, Report to U.S. EPA - Gulf of Mexico Program, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute. Review Draft 12/04/02." Original contact information: Contact Org: NOAA Office for Coastal Management Phone: 843-740-1202 Email: coastal.info@noaa.gov

Maine's eelgrass (SAV) meadows form an important aquatic habitat for the state. These meadows provide shelter for juvenile fish, and invertebrates. In certain locations they also help stabilize unconsolidated sediments and shorelines. Maine's Department of Marine Resources has mapped the SAV habitat for the entire coast using the Coastal Change Analysis Protocol. This mapping was accomplished from aerial photography acquired between 1993 and 1997. The unified coastal SAV data set is a composite of these multiple year data. The benthic data is classified according to the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). This system is fully described in "Development of a System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) for Florida, Report to U.S. EPA - Gulf of Mexico Program, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute. Review Draft 12/04/02." Original contact information: Contact Org: NOAA Office for Coastal Management Phone: 843-740-1202 Email: coastal.info@noaa.gov

In June 2002, 200 1:20,000 scale conventional-color metric film diapositives for Long Island, New York were collected as part of an effort to map submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Long Islands South Shore bays. They were provided by New York State Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources. Photographs were taken at low tide and during times that the growth stage of the SAV allowed for clear identification. Care was taken to minimize the effects of turbidity, sun glint, wind, and haze on the photos. The photos were scanned at a resolution of 15 microns. Ground control points were collected primarily from NYSDS 2 ft orthophotos. Additional control points were collected from USGS DOQQs where coverage from the primary source was lacking. All elevations were derived from USGS digital elevation models. A bundle block adjustment was performed using Albany and exterior orientation parameters were calculated. Boeing/Autometric's Softplotter was used to orthorectify the photos. The images were then dodged and mosaicked using Z/I's Orthopro. No additional color-balancing was performed as the mosaic's intended purpose was the delineation of benthic habitats. The mosaic was then output into 1000m by 1000m tiles with a 0.5m pixel resolution. The naming convention uses the first 3 numbers of the UTM x coordinate followed by the first 4 numbers in the UTM y coordinate of the southwest corner. Stereo digital images were created and the habitat features were interpreted and digitized on screen using softplotter microstation resulting in accurate and efficient 3D extraction of the data. Habitats were delineated with a high level of detail with the minimum mapping unit (MMU) being 0.01 hectares(approx.10m x 10m).The digitized polygons have the following specifications: Vertex Distance less than 1.0 m Node Snap Distance less than 4.0 m Arc Snap Distance less than 4.0 m During August 2002, NOAA staff collected 95 field observations throughout the study area and this information was incorporated into the map. In June 2003, after reviewing the photography, questionable areas were visited by Greenhorne and O'Mara staff and the findings were subsequently applied to the map. The map layers show delineated polygons and lines representing benthic habitat data. Each polygon feature is given a 1,2,3 or 4 digit number representing 11 habitats. The item numbers are stored in the attribute table under Text. The benthic data is classified according to the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). This system is fully described in "Development of a System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) for Florida, Report to U.S. EPA - Gulf of Mexico Program, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute. Review Draft 12/04/02."The collected data was converted to an ARCGIS format for quality control and delivery. The data was assessed for horizontal spatial accuracy and thematic agreement during 2003. Original contact information: Contact Org: NOAA Office for Coastal Management Phone: 843-740-1202 Email: coastal.info@noaa.gov

This dataset has been developed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management (OCM) as a collaborative and cooperative project with the National Park Service (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore). A workflow combining photointerpretation, object-based image analysis, field verification, and expert manual interpretation has produced benthic habitat maps including CMECS Substrate and Biotic Components for a 42km2 project area at South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan. The Substrate and Biotic Components were classified to at least the CMECS Subclass level. For both components, Co-Occurring Elements and Modifiers (i.e. Percent Cover, Induration, Surface Pattern) were added to provide further detail to CMECS units. Refer to project report for example images and corresponding CMECS classifications. This file geodatabase contains the Substrate and Biotic components as separate feature layers. Several existing data sets formed the source for the mapping effort, including underwater photography, aerial imagery, and acoustic backscatter (side-scan and multi-beam sonar). High-resolution LIDAR data was also collected around the island in 2016 which also was used to support the mapping. Field observations were collected over 2 days in August 2017 to assure the accuracy of the map products. In addition to the Substrate and Botic data, this file Geodatabase also contains field validation points collected during summer of 2017, a GPS navigation track for each field site, and digital video clips for many of the sites.