Images posted on these web sites correspond to the data set used to map coral reefs through end of 2008. Landsat images available on this web site are provided in raw format, or in a format trimmed of the bands useless for shallow water processing (band 6 and 7) and provided in GEOTIFF format, UTM, WGS-84 projections, at a 30 m spatial resolution. These normalised images are named as, RNL1PathRow_Date.tif.gz, for instance RNL71069070_07019990706.tif.gz. If several images exist for one path-row, it may mean that several images were required to complete the mapping, due to cloud cover.
Users should be aware that with the USGS release of the Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 image archive in late 2008, it is possible to find images of better environmental quality at no cost. Images can be browsed and ordered through http://glovis.usgs.gov. For Landsat 7, we recommend to use the SLC-ON archive (1999-2003) only. If images are downloaded from this site and used for publications or presentations, a credit mention could be "courtesy of http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi/landsat.pl, SeaWiFS Project, Millennium Coral Reef Mapping Project, NASA."
Products are provided in the form of vector products for regions, countries or group of countries. Products are in Shapefile format to be used with most GIS software. Products are delivered in geographic coordinates, datum WGS-84. These validated products correspond to the final standard of Millennium Coral Reef Mapping Project products. They can evolve according to minor corrections and modifications, but no major changes should be expected. All products include polygons and their attributes. These attributes provide 5 levels of coral reef geomorphological description, and a number of attributes specifically created for the Reefbase on-line GIS web-site (http://www.reefbase.org). The .xml metadata file provides general information on the project and product-specific information for the selected area.
To date, nearly 40 institutions and scientific groups have used these products for a variety of applications. To assist us to continue monitoring the impact of this global mapping project, please provide us with the following information when you download the data.
You can include the above information in an email to:
It would also be appreciated if reports, publications and presentations that make use of the Millennium validated datasets are forwarded to the aforementioned email addresses to help the primary investigators assess the impact of the project.
A full documentation describing all the different hierarchical geomorphological classes for the different areas available worldwide is not yet available. Since most applications are fairly specific and regional in scope, they may need specific handling and processing of the different reef classes. Please direct any questions regarding the use of the data for your application to Serge Andrefouet: serge.andrefouet@noumea.ird.nc
We request that products should not be redistributed by third parties, especially if they have been altered. Third parties should provide links to the data on this web site, where the current authorized version is accessible. Other sources of distributions besides NASA, University of South Florida and Institute de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD) are not endorsed.
If validated products are downloaded from this site and used for publications, presentations or derived products credits should be: "Millennium Coral Reef Mapping Project, University of South Florida and Institute de Recherche Pour le Developpement with funding from NASA".
Products are provided in raster format, Landsat path-row by Landsat-path row, in GEOTIFF format. The products are georeferenced, UTM, WGS-84. No mosaicks for regions, countries or group or countries are provided. The spatial domains match the original Landsat images used to derive a first unvalidated geomorphological classification. "Unvalidated" means that contours of polygons and final labels have not been entirely determined, in contrast with validated products. Thus, these products should be used with caution, and overlaid to the original Landsat image to assess if they match the user's expectations. The codes that appear on the images have no thematic meaning, and can not be compared from one area to another, from one path-row to another, and to a validated product.
To date, nearly 40 institutions and scientific groups have used these products for a variety of applications. To assist us to continue monitoring the impact of this global mapping project, please provide us with the following information when you download the data.
You can include the above information in an email to:
We request that products should not be redistributed by third parties, especially if they have been altered. Third parties should provide links to the data on this web site, where the current authorized version is accessible. Other sources of distributions besides NASA, University of South Florida and Institute de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD) are not endorsed.
If unvalidated products are downloaded from this site and used for publications, presentations or derived products, credits should be: "Millennium Coral Reef Mapping Project, University of South Florida and Institute de Recherche Pour le Developpement with funding from NASA".
Although the period of NASA funding has ended, there is the possibility for further validation of remaining unvalitated products over the coming years. Users can contact Serge Andrefouet: serge.andrefouet@ird.fr with their interests in obtaining priority validated products, with a letter stipulating the same information as above. We invite collaboration from the scientific community in incorporating and updating the unvalidated products so that some day a complete validated map of reefs of the world will be available.