Each site within the National Marine Sanctuary System conducts or facilitates characterization, monitoring, and research to protect the resources in the system. A series of questions are posed to all sanctuaries as a starting point for the creation of periodic condition reports that rate the status and trends of key resources, processes, and resource services provided. One way to determine how comprehensively we are conducting monitoring in a sanctuary, or gathering information for use in the condition reports, is to quantify the proportion of relevant questions and ecosystem services for which experts are able to provide ratings. The higher the proportion, the more adequate the monitoring program.