This chapter discusses the uncertainties associated with sediment data, which are a commonly neglected obstacle in collaborative seabed-habitat mapping, complicating harmonization. Standardization of these data, although an important prerequisite in the harmonization of surrogate-based habitat maps, is not enough to achieve full map uniformity. Through time and between research institutes, data have been acquired, described, analyzed, and classified using a range of methods and protocols. The effects of differing error margins and indicative meanings remain hidden for most end users in environmental science and policy. The interpolation required to generate full-coverage data products from sedimentological point data creates additional uncertainty. Finally, small-scale habitat heterogeneity not captured by even the densest sampling places limits on the usability of sediment-based surrogates as well. Despite these limitations, there is much room for improvement when it comes to using surrogates in habitat mapping. Multiple visualizations generated from merged digital sediment datasets with flexible querying protocols are especially promising.
Flexible Querying Using Disjunctive Concepts
