ArcGIS 8.x benthic terrain modeler: Analysis in American Samoa
Rinehart R, Wright D, Lundbald E, Larkin E, Murphy J, Cary-Kothera L. 2004. ArcGIS 8.x benthic terrain modeler: Analysis in American Samoa. In Author unknown: 24th Annual ESRI User Conference. San Diego, CA. 2004
The goal was to develop a systematic and robust methodology by which multibeam data can be transformed into a classified product that is useful for coastal and marine resource managers, scientists, and educators in American Samoa. This methodology analyzes bathymetry to derive slop, aspect, rugosity, and bathymetric position index. The NOAA Coastal Services Center has developed a new ArcGIS 8.x compatible tool tentatively named the Benthic Terrain Modeler (BTM), based on this methodology. This extension's wizard interface educates and guides the user through a series of analysis steps, resulting in a classified terrain that may be suitable for typing to benthic species distributions for the preparation of benthic habitat maps. This methodology has been used to produce the first benthic habitat map and 3-d visualization of Vatia Bay, American Samoa.