Comprehensive socio-economic dataset for Northern Mariana Islands including population demographics, economic indicators, geographic data, and social statistics. This dataset covers key metrics such as GDP, population density, area, capital city, and regional classifications.

Belt transects along 2 consecutively-placed, 25m transect lines were surveyed as part of Rapid Ecological Assessments conducted at 8 sites at Saipan in the Marianas Archipelago (MA) during 12 - 22 May 2007 in the NOAA Hi'ialakai Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise (HI0702). Raw survey data included species presence and relative abundance, colony counts and size classes by genus, and determination of benthic cover using the line-intercept method. Depending on colony density, 0.5 or 1 m on each side of the transect lines was included in the belt (for a total of 25-100m2 per site).

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 5 April - 7 May 2009, belt transect surveys of coral population and diseases quantitative assessments were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HI0902 and HI0903 in the Marianas Archipelago at biennial intervals by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, there were 23 surveys in total conducted at REA sites around Saipan Island in the Marianas Archipelago. At the specific REA sites, coral biologists along with fish biologists, algal biologists and marine invertebrate zoologist entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (~300 m2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution REA survey to assess and monitor species composition, abundance, percent cover, size distribution, diversity, and general health of fish, corals, macro-invertebrates, and algae in shallow-water (< 35 m) habitats. As a part of REA surveys, the coral belt surveys were focused on quantifying the diversity, abundance, density, and size-class distribution of the anthozoan and hydrozoan corals as well as the condition and health state of the coral reef populations. The surveys were conducted along two consecutively-placed, 25m transect lines. The belt width was dictated at the beginning of each dive by subjective perceived colony density: 1-m width was used in high density areas, while 2-m width was used in low density areas. Within each 25m transect, five 2.5-meter segments were surveyed (beginning at points: 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters), whereby in each segment, all coral colonies whose center fell within 0.5m of either side of the transect line were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (genus or species) and two planar size metrics were collected: maximum diameter and diameter perpendicular to the maximum diameter. In addition, the extent of mortality, both recent and old, was estimated for each colony. Observers paid special attention to identifying as best as possible the extent of the former live colony. When a coral colony exhibited signs of disease or compromised health, additional information was recorded including type of affliction (bleaching, skeletal growth anomaly, white syndrome, tissue loss other than white syndrome, trematodiasis, necrosis, other, pigmentation responses, algal overgrowth, and predation), severity of the affliction (mild, moderate, marked, severe, acute), as well as photographic documentation and sometimes tissue samples. Tissue samples were catalogued and fixed in buffered zinc-formalin solution for further histopathological analyses. Raw survey data included species presence and relative abundance, colony counts per taxon, size (width and length), mortality, predation, and health status. A surveyed area was ranging from 10m2 to 25m2 per site.

This data was originally developed for use in the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Saipan (www.climatecnmi.net). The data was used to create a Social Vulnerability Index, to quantify village susceptibilities to climate stressors. Some additional fields were calculated to identify percentages of certain population characteristics (e.g. Percent of population without health insurance). These calculations were made after joining Census data to the shapefile, and therefore do not reflect official Census Bureau calculations. This data is open to the public, and users are responsible for any applications of the data beyond its original intent (i.e. Climate Vulnerability Assessment).

Preface - This publication contains the result of the 2005 Household, Income, and Expenditure Survey (HIES) that was conducted in the last quarter of 2005 in the CNMI. The publication is organized into two parts and three appendices.

Part I is a short summary that profiles the general population characteristics, labor force population characteristics and income for the Commonwealth as a whole and for each of
the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota. Part I does not include all the possible topics that are covered in Part II, but only highlights reliable estimates considered to be of most
interest to most users. Included in Part 1 are population thematic maps for Saipan, Tinian and Rota that show how summary statistics can be used with GIS to display information by island in this format. It is left to users to do or request similar analysis with the statistical tables in Part II.

Part II contains detailed statistical tables on many of the topics covered in the 2005 HIES. At the beginning of Part II is a list of tables that may be used as a guide to the various
topics contained in the tables.

Appendix A describes the methodology and data processing for the Survey. Appendix B contains the list of terms used in the report and Appendix C contains maps of Saipan,
Tinian and Rota that show the geographies used in the field data collection and in displaying results of the Survey.

Note that statistical tables in Part II do not include all the possible subject areas covered in the 2005 HIES. As an example, expenditure data was collected in the Survey, but no
tables on this topic is presented in this publication. It will require more resources and expertise to complete processing the rest of the Survey data.

Also, take note, when using the statistical tables in Part II, that some tables include estimates for the entire population while some tables contain estimates only for the sub
population that lived in household units and exclude those persons that lived in group quarters. This is because of the Survey methodology. Please see Appendix A for detail.

Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Service Protocol: Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Application Profile: Web Browser. Link Function: information

Abstract

The original State Broadband Initiative (SBI) was a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which is more commonly referred to as the Stimulus. The SBI's goal was to create a comprehensive broadband map that covered every state and territory in the United States. The uses of the map are manifold: as a tool for consumers, a centralized compilation of information for the federal and state governments to use in matters of regulation and public policy, and as a trove of data for think tanks and research institutions.

In addition to the mapping aspect of the SBI, there was also a planning component. The goal of the planning sect ion was to create a comprehensive plan to understand the extent of broadband usage and ownership, barriers to adoption, and to create a plan to overcome these barriers and to boost broadband usage through work with nonprofits, local governmental agencies, and public policy advocacy.

For the initial survey in 2011, One Global Economy was selected by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Commerce to fulfill the broadband mapping grant that was awarded to them by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). One Global Economy is a global nonprofit community development organization whose goal it is to help low-income people gain greater access to and utility from broadband Internet connect ions.

One Global Economy's final deliverable was a comprehensive report that will assess the current state of broadband in CNMI by determining how fast the connect ions are, what proportion of the population has access to broadband, what proportion of the population subscribes to broadband; identifying the most common barriers to broadband adoption and use; and creating a blueprint towards greater broadband usage wit h recommendations for the local governments of the three most populated islands: Saipan, Rota, and Tinian, the federal government, local NGOs, local Internet service providers, and the people of CNMI.

The first step in this process was to draw upon the information and maps that the local telecom providers had to share with the entities undertaking the mapping project. These maps showed the approximate reach of where each telecom can offer service, what the maximum advertised upload and download speeds are, and what type of service they offer-DSL or cable, for example. These maps gave us a rough lay of the land and provided us with a good jumping off point for further research.

Using these maps information as a starting point, and drawing upon the knowledge of a local liaison, we were able to hold a series of 14 community meetings and focus groups. The main purpose of these meetings was to help us customize the NTIA's community broadband survey to make it locally relevant, culturally sensitive, and provide us with more detail about the experience of going online for the people of CNMI. For instance, knowing that many young people in CNMI get online at the Mobil Station in Garapan helps get a better understanding of the role of unsecured wireless networks in public places in the online ecosystem of Saipan.

-- Except from 2014 CNMI Broadband Survey Report, Page(s) 1 - 2 -- See Attached.

Geographic coverage

National Coverage of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The 2014 Broadband Survey was developed to see change from 2011. Most of the questionnaire was the same as the previous one. However, because the CNMI had not had a labor force survey since the 2010 census, CSD decided to add additional variables to assess the current labor force situation. And, in order to obtain sufficient households for labor force participation and unemployment, the sample size was about 4 times as large as the 2011 sample. Also, since the 2011 questionnaire took up many pages, slowing coding and keying, the questionnaire was tightened both for easy of collection, coding and keying, and also to have it conform to regular CSD convent ions in questionnaire design.

Hence, the front page contained the geographic identifiers. Then the roster of household members included all members, their relationship to the head, sex, age, educational attainment, and labor force participation. After that, the person selected for the broadband quest ions followed on the backside of the questionnaire. Only one person was selected for the broadband items.

As in 2011, all residents of CNMI inhabit the three southern islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The northern islands were once inhabited but have been evacuated due to seismic and volcanic activity (although recently a few people have returned to at least one of them). In 2014, 1,542 surveys were conducted in total, 1,184 with residents of Saipan, 154 with residents of Tinian, and 204 with residents of Rota. Within these unit s, Saipan had 3,707 people, Tinian had 547, and Rota had 589.

Analysis unit

• Household Unit -- Labor Force Information
• Person Unit -- Internet Access Knowledge

Universe

Sample Survey of Occupied Households based on the 2014 Mapping Project.

As in 2011, all residents of CNMI inhabit the three southern islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The northern islands were once inhabited but have been evacuated due to seismic and volcanic activity (although recently a few people have returned to at least one of them). In 2014, 1,542 surveys were conducted in total, 1,184 with residents of Saipan, 154 with residents of Tinian, and 204 with residents of Rota. Within these unit s, Saipan had 3,707 people, Tinian had 547, and Rota had 589.

Household Definition - [Insert Here]

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

In 2011, One Global Economy created a survey aimed at understanding factors that influenced broadband access and use based on community input from a series of town hall meetings conducted in local areas throughout the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI). One Global Economy contracted with JSB Consulting, a locally based survey firm to carry out the survey. JSB Consulting collected the data using recruited enumerators. These local surveyors conducted the surveys in person, in respondents' homes, by asking respondents quest ions in the respondents' preferred language.

Respondents were selected to be representative of the population of CNMI, which consists of three main islands: Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. JSB Consulting (JSBC), as required under its contract with One Global Economy, selected a total of 867 Household (respondents) on Saipan, 100 on Tinian, and 100 on Rota, for grand total of 1,067 respondents. Although the task order under the contract calls for 1000 respondents, JSBC selected and additional 67 household (respondents) for Saipan to ensure that all areas on the island of Saipan are covered/represented. Selected sample dwellings that appeared vacant (upon survey period) were substituted with another occupied dwelling unit from the listing.

On the island of Saipan, a stratified sampling approach ensured that respondents proportionally represented the geographic distribution of the island's population. JSBC drew the samples by using the geographic boundaries assignments areas (AAs) and the block numbers within the AAs. The AAs and block numbers are the geographic numbers assigned by the U.S. Census Bureau and used in Censuses and Survey operations in the CNMI.

The Central Statistics Division has retained and maintained the same geographic structure since its inception. On Saipan a total of 328 assignment areas (AAs) out of 497 AAs were drawn. From these selected AAs, JSBC then randomly selected specific dwelling unit s in accordance with the population of those AAs. More dwelling units were drawn from AAs with larger populations, and fewer were drawn from those with smaller populations. Once a dwelling unit was drawn, it was then assigned to the field staff for enumeration.

On Rota and Tinian where only 100 sample subjects on each island were needed, the collect ions methodology was a straight forward random sample. Since each island has only a little over 600 hundred dwelling units, approximately 1 out of every 6 dwelling units was selected for inclusion in the sample. Tinian and Rota each have only two main villages; on each island, 50 respondents from these main villages were selected for the sample. The collection method used was the "keep right" approach, using the AA and block maps. The "Keep Right" approach is one is working on a block (the smallest geographic unit in data collection boundary) the enumerator/survey takers keep themselves on the right side of the road/boundary from any designated starting point. This prevents any selected house from being missed or going out of the designated boundary. This approach was used to ensure that the field staff does not cross over a certain boundary to cause a problem or any confusion in the process.

With each survey, surveyors noted the location of the respondent's dwelling according to the designated geographic areas. While respondents were also asked to say where they lived, this official designation allowed for more uniform aggregation of the data according to legal boundaries.

The enumerators collected the data at the selected housing units. Coders then coded certain items, and CSD office staff entered the data. For 2011, One Global Economy analyzed the data using SPSS, performing logistic and linear multivariate regression analyses, bivariate correlations, and cross-tabulations to better understand the patterns in the data and the relationships between key variables. Cross-tabulations and bivariate correlations showed the overall distribution of the population in relation to certain factors, and also the general relationship between different

The towed-diver method is used to conduct benthic surveys, assessing large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching) and quantifying benthic components such as habitat complexity/type and the general distribution and abundance patterns of live coral, crustose coralline algae (CCA), macroalgae, and macroinvertebrates. Surveys are conducted in the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). A suitable method for assessing relatively large areas of reef habitat, the method involves towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for approximately 50 min following the ~15-m depth contour and covering about 2–3 km of habitat. Each diver is equipped with a towboard and attempts to maintain a constant elevation above the surface of the reef (~1 m) for the duration of the survey. A complete towed-diver survey is divided into 10, 5-min segments, with visual observations recorded by 5-min segment.

The visual estimate data provided in this dataset were collected during towed-diver surveys which includes percentage cover of total live hard corals, stressed hard corals, soft corals, sand, coralline algae, and macroalgae, and the number of individual macroinvertebrates (crown of thorns starfish (COTS), sea urchins, and giant clams). Benthic habitat complexity and type data are also collected as part of the survey with the following habitat type categories: continuous reef, spur and groove, patch reefs, rock boulders, pavement, rubble flat, sand flats, pinnacle, and wall.

The data were collected around the Marianas as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) led mission in 2014. These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

description: To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20110407 to 20110509, belt transect surveys of coral population and diseases quantitative assessments were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruise HA1101 in Marianas at biennial intervals by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, there were 9 surveys in total conducted at REA sites around Saipan. At the specific REA sites, coral biologists along with algal biologists and marine invertebrate zoologist entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (approximately 300 m^2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution REA survey to assess and monitor species composition, abundance, percent cover, size distribution, diversity, and general health of corals, macro-invertebrates, and algae in shallow-water (less than 35 m) habitats. As a part of REA surveys, the coral belt surveys were focused on quantifying the diversity, abundance, density, and size-class distribution of the anthozoan and hydrozoan corals as well as the condition and health state of the coral reef populations. The surveys were conducted along two consecutively-placed, 25 m transect lines. The belt width was 1 m wide, 0.5 m on each side of the transect line. Within each 25 m transect, five 2.5 m segments were surveyed (beginning at points: 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters), whereby in each segment, all coral colonies whose center fell within 0.5 m of either side of the transect line were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (genus or species) and two planar size metrics were collected: maximum diameter and diameter perpendicular to the maximum diameter. In addition, the extent of mortality, both recent and old, was estimated for each colony. Observers paid special attention to identifying as best as possible the extent of the former live colony. When a coral colony exhibited signs of disease or compromised health, additional information was recorded including type of affliction (bleaching, skeletal growth anomaly, white syndrome, tissue loss other than white syndrome, trematodiasis, necrosis, other, pigmentation responses, algal overgrowth, and predation), severity of the affliction (mild, moderate, marked, severe, acute), as well as photographic documentation and occasional tissue samples. Tissue samples were cataloged and fixed in buffered zinc-formalin solution for further histopathological analyses. Raw survey data included species presence and relative abundance, colony counts per taxon, size (width and length), mortality, predation, and health status. A surveyed area was ranging from 10 m^2 to 25 m^2 per site.; abstract: To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20110407 to 20110509, belt transect surveys of coral population and diseases quantitative assessments were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruise HA1101 in Marianas at biennial intervals by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, there were 9 surveys in total conducted at REA sites around Saipan. At the specific REA sites, coral biologists along with algal biologists and marine invertebrate zoologist entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (approximately 300 m^2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution REA survey to assess and monitor species composition, abundance, percent cover, size distribution, diversity, and general health of corals, macro-invertebrates, and algae in shallow-water (less than 35 m) habitats. As a part of REA surveys, the coral belt surveys were focused on quantifying the diversity, abundance, density, and size-class distribution of the anthozoan and hydrozoan corals as well as the condition and health state of the coral reef populations. The surveys were conducted along two consecutively-placed, 25 m transect lines. The belt width was 1 m wide, 0.5 m on each side of the transect line. Within each 25 m transect, five 2.5 m segments were surveyed (beginning at points: 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters), whereby in each segment, all coral colonies whose center fell within 0.5 m of either side of the transect line were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (genus or species) and two planar size metrics were collected: maximum diameter and diameter perpendicular to the maximum diameter. In addition, the extent of mortality, both recent and old, was estimated for each colony. Observers paid special attention to identifying as best as possible the extent of the former live colony. When a coral colony exhibited signs of disease or compromised health, additional information was recorded including type of affliction (bleaching, skeletal growth anomaly, white syndrome, tissue loss other than white syndrome, trematodiasis, necrosis, other, pigmentation responses, algal overgrowth, and predation), severity of the affliction (mild, moderate, marked, severe, acute), as well as photographic documentation and occasional tissue samples. Tissue samples were cataloged and fixed in buffered zinc-formalin solution for further histopathological analyses. Raw survey data included species presence and relative abundance, colony counts per taxon, size (width and length), mortality, predation, and health status. A surveyed area was ranging from 10 m^2 to 25 m^2 per site.

Original provider: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)

Dataset credits: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)

Abstract: The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Cetacean Research Program has conducted research on cetaceans in the Mariana Archipelago since 2010 (Hill et al. in review). A cooperative effort with funding from U.S. Navy Pacific Feet and PIFSC has included summer and winter small-boat surveys off the southernmost islands (Saipan, Tinian, Aguijan, Rota, and Guam). Across all summer and winter small-boat survey efforts, PIFSC conducted 270 days of surveys. Most of the survey effort occurred in summer months (May–September) and there was no effort during October–December.

There were 362 groups (excluding within-day re-sights) identified to 14 species including (in order of frequency of occurrence) spinner dolphin, pantropical spotted dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, short-finned pilot whale, rough-toothed dolphin, sperm whale, false killer whale, dwarf sperm whale, pygmy killer whale, Bryde's whale, melon-headed whale, Blainville's beaked whale, and Cuvier's beaked whale. Humpback whales were encountered in January–March 2015–2019 when targeted surveys were conducted off Saipan. Across all PIFSC small-boat surveys, there were 19 mixed-species groups, each including 2–3 species. Some groups could not be identified to species, and are indicated as unidentified beaked whales, unidentified whales, and unidentified dolphins. The overall effort resulted in collection of 130,066 photos and 435 biopsy samples, and deployment of 44 satellite tags.

Purpose: The goal of these efforts has been to collect the data necessary to conduct population assessments for cetaceans within the Mariana Archipelago, including the determination of their occurrence, population structure, and abundance, movements, distribution, and habitat use. In addition, these data may be used to evaluate the potential exposure of cetaceans to human-caused stressors within the waters surrounding the Mariana Archipelago including U.S. Navy operations (e.g., sonar, use of explosives), fisheries interactions, and dolphin tourism.

Supplemental information: PIFSC has conducted visual surveys for cetaceans in the waters off the southernmost islands of the Mariana Archipelago (Saipan, Tinian, Aguijan, Rota, and Guam) aboard small vessels (5.8–12.2 m). Survey tracks did not follow a randomized design, but instead were spread out from day to day to ensure broad survey coverage over a wide range of depths and were also dictated by weather and sea conditions. The survey vessels traveled at a speed of 15–26 km/h, depending on the size of the vessel and sea conditions. Between 4 and 6 observers scanned for marine mammals with unaided eyes or, occasionally handheld binoculars, collectively searching 360-degrees around the vessel.

All cetacean groups encountered were approached for species confirmation, group size estimates, photo-identification, and biopsy sampling/sloughed skin collection. In 2013, satellite tagging was implemented to investigate movements and spatial use of individuals of some species. Additional data collected during each sighting included the location (latitude/longitude), behavior, and estimates of calf numbers. Survey conditions (e.g., Beaufort sea state, swell height) and effort status were recorded regularly as conditions changed. A handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) automatically recorded the vessel’s track at 1-minute intervals.

description: To support NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) long-term goals for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, towed-diver surveys (aka. towboard surveys) were conducted by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) as part of the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruises. 14 towboard surveys (31.07 km in length), were conducted at Saipan during the Mariana Archipelago RAMP Cruise HA1401 from 20140325 to 20140518. Towboard surveys are a good method for obtaining a general description of large reef areas, assessing the status of low-density populations of large-bodied reef fish, large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching), general distribution and abundance patterns of macro-invertebrates (e.g., Crown of Thorns sea stars, giant clams), and for assessing trends in these populations and metrics. A pair of scuba divers (1 fish and 1 benthic diver) are towed 60 m behind a small survey launch at a speed of 1-2 knots and a depth of approximately 15 m. Each survey is 50 min long, covers about 2 km of habitat, and is divided into ten 5-minute survey segments. The fish diver records, to the lowest possible taxon, all large-bodied reef fishes (greater than 50 cm total length) seen within 5 m either side and 10 m in front of the towboard. Length of each individual is estimated to the nearest cm. The fish towboard is also outfitted with a forward-facing digital video camera to record the survey swath. The benthic diver records percent cover of coral and macroalgae, estimates benthic habitat type and complexity, and censuses a suite of benthic macroinvertebrates including Crown of Thorns sea stars and sea urchins. The benthic towboard is equipped with a downward-facing digital still camera which images the benthos at 15-second intervals. These images are analyzed for percent cover of coral, algae, and other benthic components. Both towboards are equipped with SEABIRD SBE-39 temperature/depth sensors set to record at 5-second intervals. Latitude and longitude of each survey track is recorded at 5-second intervals using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver onboard the tow boat. A layback algorithm is applied to more accurately map the position of the divers with respect to the reef environment. This algorithm calculates the position of the divers based on the position of the tow boat taking into account the length of the tow rope, the depth of the divers, and the curvature of the survey track. This metadata applies to the benthic characterization observations.; abstract: To support NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) long-term goals for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, towed-diver surveys (aka. towboard surveys) were conducted by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) as part of the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruises. 14 towboard surveys (31.07 km in length), were conducted at Saipan during the Mariana Archipelago RAMP Cruise HA1401 from 20140325 to 20140518. Towboard surveys are a good method for obtaining a general description of large reef areas, assessing the status of low-density populations of large-bodied reef fish, large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching), general distribution and abundance patterns of macro-invertebrates (e.g., Crown of Thorns sea stars, giant clams), and for assessing trends in these populations and metrics. A pair of scuba divers (1 fish and 1 benthic diver) are towed 60 m behind a small survey launch at a speed of 1-2 knots and a depth of approximately 15 m. Each survey is 50 min long, covers about 2 km of habitat, and is divided into ten 5-minute survey segments. The fish diver records, to the lowest possible taxon, all large-bodied reef fishes (greater than 50 cm total length) seen within 5 m either side and 10 m in front of the towboard. Length of each individual is estimated to the nearest cm. The fish towboard is also outfitted with a forward-facing digital video camera to record the survey swath. The benthic diver records percent cover of coral and macroalgae, estimates benthic habitat type and complexity, and censuses a suite of benthic macroinvertebrates including Crown of Thorns sea stars and sea urchins. The benthic towboard is equipped with a downward-facing digital still camera which images the benthos at 15-second intervals. These images are analyzed for percent cover of coral, algae, and other benthic components. Both towboards are equipped with SEABIRD SBE-39 temperature/depth sensors set to record at 5-second intervals. Latitude and longitude of each survey track is recorded at 5-second intervals using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver onboard the tow boat. A layback algorithm is applied to more accurately map the position of the divers with respect to the reef environment. This algorithm calculates the position of the divers based on the position of the tow boat taking into account the length of the tow rope, the depth of the divers, and the curvature of the survey track. This metadata applies to the benthic characterization observations.