gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:53404 eng UTF8 dataset GIS Files Office of Response and Restoration resourceProvider ESI Program Manager 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 orr.esi@noaa.gov pointOfContact 2026-03-04T19:17:18 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) geometryOnly complex 8725 Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia 2016 ESI BENTHIC Polygons Chesapeake Bay 2016 ESI BENTHIC Polygons 2016 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 53404 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/53404 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_guidelines WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ESI Guidelines Guidelines for developing ESI data content and overview of ESI data structure. Useful for data collectors and users requiring more in depth information on the ESI process. download https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ESI Overview Overview of ESI data content and uses. download mapDigital Prepared by Research Planning, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Emergency Response Division, Seattle, Washington. This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia. Vector polygons in this data set represent SAV distribution. 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 Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia. 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. The ESI data were collected, mapped, and digitized to provide environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources. This project was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), Emergency Response Division (ERD), Seattle, Washington. completed ESI Program Manager 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 orr.esi@noaa.gov pointOfContact ESI Program Manager 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 orr.esi@noaa.gov custodian asNeeded Data content is considered static once published. However, if issues with the Geodatabase linkages or table contents are identified, the Geodatabase and/or the associated Map Document may be updated. Assure most current data is being used by downloading from https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download and/or comparing modification dates provided at this site. https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/ESI-Browse-Graphic.pdf ESI Browse Graphic depicts the relationships between the spatial data layers and the attribute data tables for the Chesapeake Bay and Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia ESI data. pdf EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS > OIL SPILLS theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords 17.0 CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > MARYLAND CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > VIRGINIA place Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords 20.8 Coastal Zone Management Coastal resources Environmental Monitoring Environmental Sensitivity Index Oil spill planning Sensitivity maps Submerged Aquatic Vegetation theme Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia place DOC/NOAA/NOS/ORR > Office of Response and Restoration, 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 Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia, 2016 project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Office of Response and Restoration, [Date of Access]: Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia 2016 ESI BENTHIC Polygons [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/53404. 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 Access Constraints: None otherRestrictions Use Constraints: DO NOT USE MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES. Management boundaries are not to be considered legal boundaries. Edges may have been altered for cartographic processes. Note that the ESI database should not be used to the exclusion of other pertinent data or information held by state or federal agencies or other organizations. Likewise, information contained in the database cannot be used in place of consultations with environmental, natural resource, and cultural resource agencies, or in place of field surveys. Recognize that the information contained in the ESI database represents known concentration areas or occurrences of natural, cultural, and human-use resources, but does not necessarily represent the full distribution or range of each species or resource. This is particularly important to recognize when considering potential impacts to protected resources, such as endangered species, wetlands, etc. Besides the above warnings, there are no use constraints on these data. Acknowledgment of the originators, publishers, contributors, and sources listed would be appreciated in products derived from these data. otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: Although these data have been processed and used successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format, and will offer a replacement copy of the product when the product is determined unreadable by computer input peripherals, or when the physical medium is delivered in damaged condition. unclassified NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 53404 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/orr/dmp/pdf/53404.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference vector textTable eng; US biota environment The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS for Desktop 10.2(R) and SQL SERVER(R) (version 2005). The hardware configuration is PC's with Windows Operating System 7. -77.5418 -74.7942 36.5498 39.7215 This reflects the extent of all land and water features included in the overall Chesapeake Bay and Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia 2016 ESI study region. The bounding box for this particular feature class may vary depending on occurrences identified and mapped. Time Frame Range starts with ESI Project Start Year, and ends with ESI Atlas Publication Year. | Currentness: Publication Date 2014 2016 false eng false BENTHIC 2019-02-14 publication BIOFILE 2019-02-14 publication BREED_DT 2019-02-14 publication SOURCES 2019-02-14 publication ESRI File Geodatabase Zip Office of Response and Restoration 1305 East-West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ORR Home Page Website listed for Office of Response and Restoration information distributor https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ChesapeakeBay_2016_ESI_GDB.zip This feature class is part of the downloadable Esri Arc Geodatabase. download dataset Accuracy A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, contact the sources listed in the Lineage section. Horizontal Positional Accuracy Spatial components for the biological data layers can come from expert interviews, hardcopy, or digital sources. Some of the spatial components of the biological data layers may have been developed using regional experts who estimate concentration areas. It is difficult to estimate the positional accuracy of such data, except to state that they are compiled on hardcopy base maps with a scale of 1:24,000. Some of the spatial components of the biological data sets are developed from pre-existing digital or hardcopy sources and reflect the positional accuracy of these original data. Note that biological resource data by their very nature are considered "fuzzy", and this should be understood when considering the positional accuracy of vector digital objects representing these resources. See the Lineage and Process_Description sections for more information on the original source data and how these data were integrated or manipulated to create the final data set. Completeness Report These data represent a synthesis of sources of data, e.g., expert knowledge, available hardcopy documents, survey data, maps, and digital data on benthic species (submerged aquatic vegetation) distributions in the study area. These data do not necessarily represent all benthic occurrences in Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Coasts of Maryland and Virginia. The following species are included in this data set: (Species_ID, Common Name, Scientific Name [n/a if not applicable]): 609, Submerged aquatic vegetation, n/a. Conceptual Consistency A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute Accuracy Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies, and SQL SERVER(R) to ArcGIS(R) consistencies. A final review is made by the GIS manager, before the final Geodatabase and metadata are created. After the data are delivered to NOAA, they are again subjected to several consistency checks, and processed into the final delivery format. This atlas supersedes two separate first edition atlases, Virginia (2005, #25) and Maryland (2007, #47). Three main sources of data were used to depict benthic distribution and seasonality for this data layer: 1) personal interviews with resource experts from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), 2) digital survey data from VIMS and USFWS, and 3) published reports. SAV data for the Chesapeake Bay from 2010-2014 aerial surveys were provided by VIMS. VIMS categorized SAV density for each year for all survey locations using a scale from 1 = very sparse (<10% coverage), to 4 = dense (70-100% cover). For the ESI, VIMS provided five years (2010-2014) of SAV data to account for interannual variation in bed size and density. The five years of data were layered and the resulting polygons were categorized as either high or low density based on whether a majority of the years (three or more years) had high density categories (3 or 4) or low density categories (1 or 2). Areas with a density category of 0 for all five years were not mapped. Areas with one or two 0 density years were assigned to the ESI high or low categories based on the density categories of the majority of remaining years. All areas with at least one year of SAV presence, regardless of density value, that was not already covered by the high and low polygons were mapped with a concentration of ephemeral. High, low, and ephemeral polygons were dissolved to make contiguous polygons. Density of all SAV communities in Chesapeake Bay peak in the summer months, and some species are present year-round. The SAV survey data provided was not species-specific, so all SAV mapped in the Chesapeake Bay were mapped as present year-round. SAV in Back Bay was mapped where present using the SAV map of North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia originated by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and provided by Back Bay NWR. Freshwater SAV communities defoliate and are not present in winter, so SAV in Back Bay, an oligohaline bay, were mapped only during months present for freshwater SAV. The above digital and/or hardcopy sources were compiled by the project biologist to create the BENTHIC data layer. Depending on the type of source data, three general approaches are used for compiling the data layer: 1) information gathered during initial interviews and from hardcopy sources are compiled onto U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000 topographic quadrangles and digitized; 2) hardcopy maps are digitized at their source scale; 3) digital data layers are evaluated and used "as is" or integrated with the hardcopy data sources. See the Lineage section for additional information on the type of source data for this data layer. The ESI, biology, and human-use data are compiled into the standard ESI digital data format. A second set of interviews with participating resource experts are conducted to review the compiled data. If necessary, edits to the BENTHIC data layer are made based on the recommendations of the resource experts, and final hardcopy maps and digital data are created. 2016-09-01T00:00:00 ESI Program Manager orr.esi@noaa.gov processor Source Contribution: BENTHIC INFORMATION | Source Geospatial Form: vector digital data | Type of Source Media: online DISTRIBUTION OF SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION IN CHESAPEAKE BAY AND COASTAL BAYS 2015-01-01 publication VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE (VIMS) http://web.vims.edu/bio/sav/gis_data.html WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2010 2014 Source Contribution: BENTHIC INFORMATION | Source Geospatial Form: EXPERT KNOWLEDGE | Type of Source Media: PERSONAL COMMUNICATION ECOLOGY OF SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION 2016-01-01 publication VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE (VIMS)- BOB ORTH AND DAVID WILCOX 2016 Source Contribution: BENTHIC INFORMATION | Source Geospatial Form: vector digital data | Type of Source Media: EMAIL SAV MAP OF NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA 2008-01-01 publication NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES - HABITAT PROTECTION SECTION, ALBEMARLE - PAMLICO NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (SAV) MAPPING PARTNERSHIP 2007 2008