[Coral-List] Deep-Sea Coral Questionnaire

[Gabrielle Dorr]

Hi Everyone,

This is just a reminder that the Questionnaire regarding a National
Deep-Sea Coral Database is due by Oct. 19, 2005.  We have received some
great input so far and would like to make sure that we hear from as many
folks interested in this effort as possible.  The questionannaire and
the background information is below if you have not seen this request
yet.  Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond.

Sincerely,
Gabrielle Dorr


Deep Sea Coral Database-Questionnaire

Background:  Deep Sea Corals (also known as cold-water corals) have
received global recognition in the past few years.  The National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has enhanced its efforts to study
and manage these resources as part of this effort.  NOAA will publish a
status report on deep sea corals in the U.S., along with other Federal
and academic partners, later this year.  This report will summarize
current knowledge on the location and ecological function of deep coral
communities.  There is also a need to manage the increasing amount of
deep sea coral data and make it available to resource managers.  The
first step in this process is to understand the data needs of the
scientific community and how to address them effectively.

Purpose:  The purpose of this questionnaire is to 1) determine your
level of interest in a National Deep Sea Coral database, 2) determine
the types of data and/or databases already available, 3) understand the
types of data and information that would be useful to you for research
or management purposes, 4) gain input on a particular format for the
database that would be most user friendly, and 5) elicit comments and
suggestions on how else NOAA can support Deep Sea Coral management
needs.

Input Request: We ask that you please fill out this brief questionnaire
by copying and pasting the questions into a word document and then
sending it back to Gabrielle Dorr via email (Gabrielle.Dorr at noaa.gov) or
fax (301) 713-1594 by Wed, Oct. 19, 2005.  A summary of the results of
this questionnaire will be presented to the deep sea coral community at
the 3rd International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals in Miami.

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Before beginning this questionnaire please visit the CoRIS (Coral Reef
Information System) online database www.coris.noaa.gov.  This database
is maintained by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and currently
contains some deep sea coral data products.  Please visit the URL above
and follow the directions below:

1) Click on “Discover NOAA’s Data”
2) There are three options available to search the database: a) Browse
data descriptions, b) Text search, and c) Map search
3) Option-Browse data descriptions
    a) click on “Browse,” then “Browse data descriptions”
    b) to see an example of Oculina data, click on “Discovery Key Words”

    c) then click on “Numeric Data Sets-Biology” and scroll down to
“Central Experimental Oculina Research            Reserve, Oculina
Banks, Clelia Dive 612 Narrative 2001

4) Option-Text Search
    a) click on “Text-Search,” then “Text Search” again
    b) to see examples of Oculina data products, type “Oculina” into
“Place” under the  “Keyword Search” section
    c) The search should generate 4 publications and 30 data products on
the Oculina Banks
5) Option-Map Search
    a) click on “Map Search,” then “Map Search” again
    b) to see examples of Oculina Banks data, zoom into the southeast
florida region
    c) click “Visible” under “Marine Management Areas” on the right side
of screen
    d) use the “information” tool to click on the symbol displayed and
view the data available
    e) try this for other data selections on the right
6) You can also search for “Deep-water reefs” in the “Text Search”
section by typing under “Theme” in the “Keyword Search.”


Deep Coral Database Questionnaire

1) Do you think that a National Deep Sea Coral database will be useful
to the management and scientific community?  If you answer “Not very
useful” please explain why in the comment section.

___ Yes, very useful
___ Somewhat useful
___ Not very useful

 Please provide comments in the space below.




2) Do you currently manage or use a database that serves the same
purpose as the CoRIS database but is limited to a particular region or
data type (Please select one of the answers below)?

___ Yes, I have a database that is limited to a particular region
(please explain in comment section below).
___ Yes, I have a database that is limited to a particular data type
(please explain in comment section below).
___ Yes, I have a database that is both limited to a particular region
and data type (please explain in comment section below).
___ No, I do not have a database at this time.

 Please provide comments in the space below.






3) What type(s) of information are or would be useful to you in a
database (Please rank the following using 1-4 with 1 as the highest
priority)?  If you have other suggestions on types of data or
information that would be useful to you please provide these in the
comment section.

___ A database of deep sea coral contacts and publications
___ A database of technical reports and data types
___ A database containing an inventory of marine protected areas, trawl
closings, other management activities
___ All of the above

 Please provide comments in the space below.






4) What format would be the most user-friendly for the database? For
example, do you like the format of the CoRIS database?  If you use other
databases which ones are the easiest or most difficult to use?







5) Would you use a National Deep Sea Coral database and if so in what
capacity?

___ Yes, I would use the database as a manager
___ Yes, I would use the database as a researcher
___ Yes, I would use the database as a manager and researcher
___ No, I do not have any reason to use such a database

 Please provide comments in the space below.






6) Do you have any other comments or suggestions on the national
database project?






7) May we contact you by email to follow up on any of the information
you provided above?

Yes__
No__


Thank you for your help in responding to this survey.  Please send the
completed survey to Gabrielle Dorr at the email address below by Wed.,
Oct. 19, 2005.  If you have any further questions please contact:

Gabrielle Dorr
Knauss Sea Grant Fellow
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
Gabrielle.Dorr at noaa.gov