Ecological data for oil spill response planning from the Florida/Alabama border to Cape Sable, Florida (NCEI Accession 0000598)

The following supplemental information is from the data provider:

This letter is to inform and caution you about any caveats inherent in the Gulf Wide Information System (GWIS) data!

The data you have requested were developed for Oil Spill Response, therefore, from an Oil Spill Response perspective. The intent is to give Oil Spill Responders a general idea of the 'possible' resources that may be impacted by a spill; allowing quicker deployment of appropriate equipment to critical areas. There are many serious limitations when using these data for analyses other than those of original intent. These limitations include, but are not limited to, the following:

1) The characteristics the data represent are inconsistent across the state. For example, sea turtles are more prominent on the east-coast than the west-coast of Florida. Therefore, ten sea turtles within an one-mile stretch may be considered a dense population on the east-coast, however, two sea turtles within a one-mile stretch may be considered a dense population on the west-coast.

2) The data representing seasonality are generalized and imprecise; i.e., the months - January, February, and March are represented by winter. If a species of bird is found only in January - not in February or March - it is classified as being present in winter. Viewing the seasonality table, one can only infer that the bird is present at least one of the three months represented by winter; however, it is incorrect to assume the bird is present in any specific month or all three months.

3) Some data, i.e., bird presence, are not based on scientific sampling. The samples represented by the data were gathered on an impromptu basis. There was neither an organized nor thorough effort to gather a scientifically based sample for any area the GWIS data represent. (Simply, the data have elements based on expert 'hearsay.')

4) The data represent one instant in time. For example, if a bird species is reported as being sited in an area it was included in the data. However, this does not indicate the area is a suitable habitat for that bird species.

5) The GWIS data do not represent all species of plants or animals for an area. For example, a GWIS map not showing a species of plant or animal in a region does not indicate they do not exist. It may simply mean that the area has not been visited. Or, when visited, the species of plant or animal may not have been recognized or seen, and therefore, not reported.

The Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) cannot and will not support any use of the GWIS data other than for their original intended purpose. Please make any and all users of the GWIS data aware of their intended purpose and that serious limitations exist, especially for scientific analyses. The Florida Marine Research Institute asks that you attach a copy of this letter to all distributions of the GWIS data. If you have questions or would like further information, please contact Tara Morgan by telephone at (727) 896-8626 or by e-mail at Morgan_T@fmri.usf.edu.