Key terms to know for collecting data

Term

Definition

Site

A unique survey location in a project defined by latitude, longitude, name, and other reef characteristics.

Management regime

A set of rules governing a site at the time of survey (i.e., no-take zone, partial restrictions, or open access).

Sample event

A collection of sample units using a unique combination of site, date, and management regime—used to group observations for analysis.

Sample unit

A collection of observations from a single method at a given site on a specific date (e.g., one fish belt transect).

Observation

A single data point within a sample unit (e.g., a coral genus at 30 cm on a transect).

Benthic attribute

A benthic observation that can be either a top-level benthic group (e.g., hard coral) or a specific coral genus or species (e.g., Acropora tenuis).

Validation

Automated checks to ensure completeness and consistency of each sample unit before submission.

Error

A required value is missing or invalid (e.g., missing transect length). Must be fixed before submission.

Warning

A potentially unusual value (e.g., very large fish size). Can be reviewed and either corrected or ignored before submission.