Video sampling for monitoring coral reef benthos

Video data collection has become increasingly popular as a tool for coral reef monitoring and assessment. It efficiently provides a permanent record for repeated analysis or multiple uses. Recent technological advances include; better resolution, increased compactness, battery life, and ability to obtain clear images with low light. Applications include broad scale surveys (Aronson et al. 1994, Vogt 1994, Carleton & Done 1995) and systematic collection of data on the relative abundance and percent cover of benthic organisms (Wheaton et al. 1996, Aronson & Swanson 1997, Sweatman 1998). The major advantages of video are the speed of data collection and the permanence of the data. The major disadvantages are the equipment costs and the time required for image processing and analysis.