Coral Triangle Initiative Data
The map service links on this page is no longer avialable.

NGDC's Earth Observation Group (EOG) provides several data sets applicable to the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI).
  • Coral Triangle Initiative Nightly Mosaics
    -- WMS -- WCS -- Interactive Map -- Download Interface
    Visible and Thermal band mosaics are created using nighttime data from the DMSP-OLS. Mosaics are generated as 30 arc-second grids for each UT day from DMSP satellites F16 and F18. The most recent 30 days are available online.

  • Coral Triangle Initiative Annual Composites
    -- WMS -- WCS -- Interactive Map -- Download Interface
    Annual composites are averages of the highest quality nighttime DMSP-OLS visible band data within each orbital swath. The highest quality OLS data is free from solar and lunar illumination, cloud-cover, solar glare and auroral contamination. For annual composites, the OLS data is also constrained to mid-swath where the data is less noisy and has improved geolocation.

    The OLS composite product most applicable to the Coral Triangle Initiative is the normalized average lights, or "avg_lights_x_pct" product . This product is made by averaging the highest quality OLS data determined to be lights in the individual orbital swaths, and then normalizing this average by the percent frequency of light detection. Annual composites are generated as 30 arc-second grids and are currently available from satellites F10, F12, F14, F15, and F16 spanning the years 1992-2009.

  • Coral Triangle Initiative Super-max Composite
    -- WMS -- WCS -- Interactive Map -- Download Interface
    The "Super-max" composite is the maximum value of all the normalized average lights annual composites spanning years 1992-2009. It is included here for the Coral Triangle Initiative as a reference to show the maximum extent of lighting from boats, cities and fires.

What does WMS mean?
The Open Geospatial Consortium Web Map Service (WMS) protocol defines a simple interface for web based mapping applications. The WMS protocol is based on a simple query syntax for posting a request for the desired layers and region to the server, which returns a map as a standard image (PNG, GIF, or other format). The capabilities of a Web Map Service are described in an XML (Extensible Markup Language) document. The WMS link provides access to this XML document.

What does WCS mean?
The Open Geospatial Consortium Web Coverage Service (WCS) protocol defines a simple interface for electronic retrieval of geospatial data as "coverages", that is, digital geospatial information representing space-varying phenomena. The WCS protocol is based on a simple query syntax for posting a request for the desired coverage and region to the server, which returns coverage in a standard geospatial coverage format (GeoTIFF, NetCDF, or other format). The capabilities of a Web Coverage Service are described in an XML (Extensible Markup Language) document. The WCS link provides access to this XML document.

What does Interactive Map mean?
Interactive map services provide visual display of one or more data layers. Users can view layers containing different types of data, adding reference information such as continents, rivers, and political boundaries if desired. Zoom and pan capabilities are also available.
These maps may contain large graphics and may take a long time to load, especially over a slow connection. They also require current browsers with javascript enabled. Macintosh users, especially should make sure that they have at least Netscape 6 or IE 5. PC users should have either Firefox or IE 4 or higher.

What does Download Interface mean?
The download interface is a GUI for constructing WCS requests. It allows you to view avaialble imagery and select the bounding box and specific coverages you wish to download. It then generates the WCS requests for the coverages and region selected.