Accuracy Assessment and Monitoring for NOAA Florida Keys Mapping AA ROI-I (Hawk channel near American Shoal)

摘要

As part of a regional mapping and monitoring effort in the Florida Keys, NOAA required an independent accuracy assessment to statistically test the accuracy of the GIS-based benthic habitat map recently produced for the Lower Keys. Resources, budgets, and logistical constraints precluded a comprehensive assessment of the entire mapped area, thus a biogeographically representative corridor within the total benthic habitat map area was selected for performing the accuracy assessment (Congalton, 1991; Stehman and Czaplewski, 1998). This corridor not only captured a wide diversity of habitats, but was also characterized by frequent transitions between habitat types. This method ensured that a well-distributed, representative set of monitoring locations were surveyed. The area of the accuracy assessment corridor (AA ROI-1) was approximately 179 km2, representing 20% of the total area of the Lower Keys benthic habitat map. This report details the procedures and findings of the accuracy assessment conducted by scientists from the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) at Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center between the dates of January 21-28, 2009.