A Web-based System for Marine Fishes Mapping and Assessment

Estimating the abundance of fishes through underwater visual census (UVC) using the transect method contributes to the development of coastal resources management in the Philippines. The manual method of performing data administration and management of numerous marine fishes is time-consuming and arduous to researchers. Aside from that, it is also likely to human errors and may result in data inconsistency and redundancy if not done properly. Thus, a Web-based System for Marine Fishes Mapping and Assessment is developed using the Yii 2.0 Framework and Rapid Application Development to present a solution to those difficulties encountered. The system was implemented using MySQL for manipulating data, functions and queries were written using the PHP Hypertext Processor programming language, the user interface was designed and enhanced using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and Bootstrap Materialize, while the mapping feature was accomplished using Google Maps API. Furthermore, the system allows the administrator to manage fish species information, transect locations, and make an inventory of marine fish species. The administrator could also filter data using the search bars provided and could export data into files such as text CSV, PDF, and HTML. With this system, the data gathered can be visualized geographically through an interactive map. Moreover, map markers shown on the map could also be refined by the name of species, marine site, and environment using the filters provided. The system was populated and tested with data collected by the researcher. The system was also evaluated using System Usability Scale (SUS). The results show above average scores suggesting that users are satisfied with the system. Hence, with this system, marine fishes data can be handled by marine researchers effectively. The system is also a GIS-assisted resource mapping tool that is a fast and reliable technique for decision-making and data assessment.