Skip to main content
Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

NCCOS Mapping: Bathymetric Lidar Waveform Metrics for Saipan, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), 2019-07-11 to 2019-07-31 (NCEI Accession 0294340)

browse graphicPreview graphic
This data package contains bathymetric light detection and ranging (lidar) Hawkeye-4X waveforms metrics (LWFM) for 0 to 50 meter depths around the island of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Bathymetric lidar waveforms depict the amount of laser light returned from the seafloor recorded during each laser pulse. Typically, only the leading edge of the seafloor return is used to calculate bottom depth. However, the shape of the seafloor return also contains novel information about the physical structure and biological cover on the seafloor (Collin et al. 2011, Wilson et al. 2019). To extract this information, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) partnered with Oregon State University (OSU), NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM), Woolpert and Hexagon Leica to develop software to export, process, normalize and rasterize 16 LWFM describing the shape of the seafloor return (Jung et al. 2024; Collin et al. 2011; Parrish et al. 2014; Kashani et al. 2015; Kogut et al. 2022). The resulting LWFM rasters were used to predict the distribution of key coral reef taxa and habitats west of Saipan (Costa et al. 2024). This effort marks one of the few studies that have used LWFM to predict tropical coral reef habitats to date. These processing workflows and associated software will also make LWFM creation easier and more routine for future Hawkeye-4X lidar collections by NOAA and its partners. This project was funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), and leverages significant investments made by NOAA NCCOS, NOAA National Geodetic Survey, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, and the U.S. Geological Survey in the region.
  • Cite as: Costa, Bryan; Jung, Jaehoon; Parrish, Christopher; Sweeney, Edward (2024). NCCOS Mapping: Bathymetric Lidar Waveform Metrics for Saipan, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), 2019-07-11 to 2019-07-31 (NCEI Accession 0294340). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/kwhk-bw94. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0294340
Download Data
  • HTTPS (download)
    Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.
  • FTP (download)
    These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).
Distribution Formats
  • Geodatabase
  • GeoTIFF
  • PDF
  • Shapefile
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2019-07-11 to 2019-07-31
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: 145.5872432
East: 145.8531463
South: 15.066787
North: 15.310783
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2024-06-29
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Purpose The purpose of this effort was to develop standardized processes and software to extract, normalize and rasterize bathymetric lidar waveform metrics (LWFM). LWFM have shown promise to enhance NOAA’s ability to predict and map the location of benthic habitats (Collin et al. 2011), including coral reefs (Wilson et al. 2019). The study site for this research was 0 to 50 meter depths around the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This area was selected because its shallow-water coral reefs include ecologically and economically valuable coral taxa, which have been stressed by multiple typhoons and warm-water bleaching events over the last decade. In response to these disasters, NOAA and USGS contracted Woolpert to acquire Hawkeye-4X topographic-bathymetric lidar data around coastal areas of CNMI, including Saipan (Woolpert 2019; NOAA and USGS 2019). These data were used to understand impacts from these disasters in the region, including the damage done to the surrounding coral reefs. The LWFM were used by NOAA NCCOS to create updated coral reef maps for local resource managers on Saipan (Costa et al. 2024).
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Costa, Bryan; Jung, Jaehoon; Parrish, Christopher; Sweeney, Edward (2024). NCCOS Mapping: Bathymetric Lidar Waveform Metrics for Saipan, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), 2019-07-11 to 2019-07-31 (NCEI Accession 0294340). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/kwhk-bw94. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
Principal Investigators
Collaborators
Contributors
Resource Providers
Points of Contact
Publishers
Acknowledgments
  • Funding Agency: US DOC; NOAA; NOS; Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)
  • Funding Agency: US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus
  • Geographic Information > Backscatter
  • Geographic Information > Bathymetry
  • Geographic Information > LiDAR
  • Geographic Information > Marine Management Areas
  • Map Images > Backscatter
  • Map Images > Bathymetry
  • Numeric Data Sets > Backscatter
  • Numeric Data Sets > Bathymetry
  • Numeric Data Sets > Benthic
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > GIS
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Mapping > Habitat Mapping
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Backscatter
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Bathymetry
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Rugosity
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Slope
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Water Depth
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Habitats
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords NCCOS Research Areas
  • Marine Spatial Ecology > Habitat Mapping
NCCOS Research Data Types
  • Derived Data Product
  • Field Observation
  • Geospatial
Provider Keywords
  • Imagery
  • LWFM
  • Lidar waveform metrics
Provider Observation Categories
  • other - remotely sensed
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Contributing Organizations
  • Gyeongsang National University, Department of Urban Engineering
  • Oregon State University, School of Civil and Construction Engineering
  • US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
  • US DOC; NOAA; NOS; Office for Coastal Management
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords Provider Instruments
  • SINWav software
  • light detection and ranging
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS CoRIS Place Thesaurus
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Saipan > Chalan Kanoa (15N145E0012)
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Saipan > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Saipan Island > Chalan Kanoa (15N145E0012)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Saipan Island > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords NCCOS Regions of Study
  • U.S. States and Territories > CNMI
  • Waterbodies > Pacific Ocean
Provider Place Names
  • Lighthouse Reef Trochus Sanctuary
  • Mariana Islands > Saipan
  • Mañagaha Marine Conservation Area
  • Pacific Ocean
Project keywords NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS CRCP Project
  • 31309
  • Predicting coral morphology across space to inform the protective capacity of coral reefs in CNMI
Provider Project Names
  • NCCOS Project, [Characterizing Benthic Habitats Around Saipan, CNMI to Support RICHARD Campaign]
  • NCCOS Project, [Predicting Coral Morphology to Inform the Protective Capacity of Coral Reefs Around Saipan, CNMI]
  • NGS Project [USGS/NOAA Topobathy Lidar DEM: CNMI (Aguijan, Rota, Saipan, Tinian)]
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Keywords Send2NCEI Submission Package ID
  • 4LKG6E
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Costa, Bryan; Jung, Jaehoon; Parrish, Christopher; Sweeney, Edward (2024). NCCOS Mapping: Bathymetric Lidar Waveform Metrics for Saipan, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), 2019-07-11 to 2019-07-31 (NCEI Accession 0294340). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/kwhk-bw94. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2024-06-29T02:51:10Z - NCEI Accession 0294340 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • Parameter or Variable: Imagery (measured); Units: multiple (relative units); Observation Category: other - remotely sensed; Sampling Instrument: light detection and ranging; Sampling and Analyzing Method: The Hawkeye-4X lidar sensor was used to acquire bathymetric lidar waveforms in 0 to 50 meter depths around Saipan, CNMI. Lidar sensors actively pulse light to measure the elevation and/or depth of the landscape and seafloor. The shape of these waveforms can also be described to further characterize the seafloor. Here, bathymetric lidar waveform metrics (LWFM) were processed and normalized using software called SINWav (Jung et al., 2024) to produce seamless mosaics free of seamlines, discontinuities, and other artifacts. The input consists solely of an unorganized point cloud acquired by an airborne lidar system, without the need for supplemental data such as flight line trajectories. A sparse matrix representation was created to rasterize the bathymetric lidar point cloud data, and normalize LWFM among flight lines. The full processing methods are described in Jung et al., 2024. The resulting LWFM images are valuable tools for natural resource managers and researchers because they provide baseline information about the location, extent and physical composition of seafloor habitats.; Data Quality Method: The LiDAR data was collected for Saipan from 11 JUL to 31 JUL 2019. The bathymetry was geo‐referenced horizontally to the North American Datum 1983 (NAD83), Universal Transverse Mercator, Zone 55 North (UTM 55N, meters) and vertically to the Northern Marianas Vertical Datum of 2003 (NMVD03, meters) coordinate systems. All lidar data for this project were collected to meet National Geospatial Program Lidar Base Specification Version 1.3 QL1 standard, while simultaneously acquiring bathymetric lidar data at National Coastal Mapping Strategy 1.0 QL2b standard. The Root Mean Square Delta z (RMSDz) was 0.033 for Saipan when comparing adjacent flight lines. For more information, please see NOAA and USGS 2019..
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • LIDAR
Last Modified: 2024-09-17T19:16:00Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov