"In collaboration with TNC, we use satellites to identify reef areas for more detailed airborne mapping. With our specialized aircraft, we then generate 3D habitat and live coral cover maps that guide conservation efforts." -Greg Asner, director of the ASU Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science.

Hyperspectral imagery was collected by ASU's Global Airborne Observatory (GAO) for The Nature Conservancy in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. ASU derived high-resolution maps from this aerial data representing: bathymetry, live coral cover, fine habitat complexity, algal cover, seagrass cover, and sand cover. TNC scientists used water surface drone imagery to collect high-precision GPS data and to predict percent live coral to train the machine learning model. These maps are made available here for use by resource managers and conservation scientists.