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Abstract
An Online GIS for the Oculina Banks Marine Protected Area
Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources
Author(s): Christopher Manning, Joanne Halls
A GIS is being developed to assess habitats and disseminate data for the Oculina Banks marine protected area (MPA). Sidescan sonar imagery from 1995 provides an image of the marine habitats, and in May 2002, a survey will collect multibeam echo sounding imagery and sidescan sonar imagery. These images will be contrasted and compared to create a change detection habitat assessment of the MPA. In addition, digital video from submersible dives (collected in September 2001), habitat photographs and quantitative data of habitat types and species abundance are currently included in the GIS via
GPS-collected locations of the submersible vehicle. The GIS application is available both online (www.uncwil.edu/oculina) and via a CD-ROM product. The user can query a dive transect for corresponding videos and still photos as well as the traditional GIS layers created from the imagery and attribute databases. To investigate anthropogenic impacts and restoration activities in the MPA, a comparison of historic fisheries information and current conditions will be compared with the change detection image processing results.
Christopher Manning
UNCW
Marine Science Department
5600 Marvin Moss Lane
Wilmington , NC 28409
USA
Phone: 910-962-6200
E-mail: cb_manning@hotmail.com
Joanne Halls
UNCW
Earth Sciences
610 S. College Rd.
Deloach Hall
Wilmington 28403
USA
Phone: 910-962-3490
E-mail: hallsj@uncwil.edu