gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:78516 eng UTF8 dataset Office for Coastal Management resourceProvider 2026-02-04T20:11:21 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) geometryOnly curve EPSG::4269 Maine Seagrass 1993 to 1997 2026-02-17 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 78516 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/78516 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information mapDigital These data represent eelgrass meadows in Maine, which form an important aquatic habitat for the state, provide shelter for juvenile fish and invertebrates, and help stabilize unconsolidated sediments and shorelines. The Maine Department of Marine Resources mapped the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitat for the entire coast per Coastal Change Analysis Program protocol, using aerial photography acquired between 1993 and 1997. The unified coastal SAV dataset is a composite of these multiple-year data and classified according to the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments. The state of Maine led this mapping and monitoring effort to assist in locating sensitive areas for protection in the event of an oil spill and to form a baseline to determine trends within this ecosystem. The layers available within the data download include biotic and substrate. Partners: Maine Department of Marine Resources To support the inventory of benthic habitat classification, extent, and health pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act. NOAA Office for Coastal Management completed NOAA Office for Coastal Management (843) 740-1202 2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston SC 29405-2413 coastal.info@noaa.gov https://coast.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Office for Coastal Management Website NOAA Office for Coastal Management Home Page information pointOfContact notPlanned EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords 17.0 benthic biotic coastal seafloor seagrass substrate theme United States of America place DOC/NOAA/NOS/OCM > Office of Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian MarineCadastre project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Office for Coastal Management, [Date of Access]: Maine Seagrass 1993 to 1997 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/78516. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Use Constraints: These data were created for planning and management. Users should be aware of temporal changes that may have occurred since the collection of original source data sets. otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: Any conclusions drawn from the analysis of this information are not the responsibility of NOAA, the Office for Coastal Management or its partners. All content is licensed under the CC0 1.0 Universal public domain dedication. unclassified NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 78516 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/ocm/dmp/pdf/78516.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference vector eng; US biota environment -70.8867 -66.9743 43.0552 45.1121 | Currentness: Publication Date 1993 1997 Bureau Code: 006:48, Program Code: 006:055 https://marinecadastre.gov/downloads/data/benthic/maine_1997.zip WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link https://marinecadastre.gov/downloads/data/benthic/maine_1997.zip download https://benthic-data-noaa.hub.arcgis.com/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link https://benthic-data-noaa.hub.arcgis.com/ NOAA Benthic Data Hub Registry download dataset Accuracy Thematic accuracy was checked using GPS controlled navigation to representative areas of the coastline. The vector polygon data was loaded into a field PC and displayed in ArcView software. A tracking software allowed the analyst to travel to specific points in the data with precision and to check the type of habitat in the field. Sample sites were selected based on their location and distribution along the coast. No empirical accuracy statistics were generated. Horizontal Positional Accuracy Horizontal accuracy meets national map accuracy standards. This was one of the most important factors in the initial field visit. Completeness Report All SAV habitat interpretable from aerial imagery was mapped. No gaps exist in the geographic distribution of the data. Conceptual Consistency Following interpretation and digitization, an Arc format polygon coverage was produced using the BUILD commands. An editing process was also conducted to ensure proper polygon labeling and closure. Aerial photography acquisition: Conventional color (Kodak Aerochrome 2448) film was acquired over the Maine coast at a nominal scale of 1:12,000. The coast was flown in an incremental fashion in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997. The film was flown according to the environmental parameters recommended in the C-CAP protocol. The mission specifications included 60% endlap and 30% sidelap for adjacent lines. A 153mm color corrected lens and Wild RC10 camera were used to collect the imagery. 1997-01-01T00:00:00 Photo-Interpretation: The duplicated film diapositives were interpreted monoscopically on a large-format light table. SAV habitat was annotated on acetate overlays attached to the film. The habitat was assigned to 1 of 4 density classes based on percent ground coverage by actual eelgrass. The photography was interpreted by a skilled analyst who was very familiar with the local environment. GPS controlled field work was used to develop signatures suitable form mapping. 1997-01-01T00:00:00 Data Vectorization: At the conclusion of the interpretation process, the diapositives along with overlays attached were placed on the light table below mylar USGS 7.5 minute quads. The photos were manually fitted to the USGS map and the habitat polygons were transferred to the quad mylars. Then the annotated mylar was scanned and an automated vectorization software was used to capture the linework as ESRI vectors. These vectors were manually edited and a polygon coverage was built using ArcInfo software. The benthic data is classified according to the System for Classification of Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). 1997-01-01T00:00:00 The data were converted from a single ESRI polygon data set classified according to the System for Classifying Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) to the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) 2012 format. This produced separate biotic and substrate feature layers from the original input benthic habitat dataset. Each of the two feature layers contain respective CMECS biotic and substrate component attributes where an "Equal" or "Nearly Equal" SCHEME value was present in the original data. Polygons for which no biotic or substrate information was present have been removed. No other changes to the original polygon boundaries or any other alterations of the original SCHEME data were made during this process. 2015-01-01T00:00:00 Standardized common design elements, cleaned up field content, repaired geometry, and projected to NAD83. 2025-08-01T00:00:00 Source Contribution: Aerial photography (color film diapositives), which were used to identify and delineate SAV habitat. In addition, the photos formed the backdrop for certain field operations. 12000 Conventional color metric aerial photography 1997-01-01 publication James Sewall Inc. originator 1993 1997