Maritime Jurisdiction Map of Heard and McDonald Islands

One of 27 maps in the Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction Map Series, this geospatial dataset depicts maritime zones and the extended continental shelf around Heard Island and McDonald Islands. It was produced by the Australian Ocean Data Network, incorporating treaty data and a continental shelf boundary approved in April 2008. The map uses a Lambert Conformal Conic Projection with a WGS84 datum.

Use Cases

• Analyze the spatial extent of Australia's exclusive economic zone using the depicted maritime zone boundaries.
• Reference the approved continental shelf limits from 2008 for legal or policy research on seabed resource rights.
• Use the bathymetric background derived from Smith and Sandwell, 1997 for correlating jurisdiction with seafloor topography.
• Integrate the Lambert projection (Central Meridian 76°E, Standard parallels 50° and 65°S) with other regional geospatial data.

Strengths

• Part of a standardized series of 27 constituent national maritime jurisdiction maps.
• Incorporates legally defined boundaries including a continental shelf approved by an international commission in 2008.
• Uses a defined geospatial projection (Lambert Conformal Conic) and datum (WGS84) for consistency.

Limitations

• Primary data format is a static A0-sized PDF, limiting direct machine analysis without conversion.
• Background bathymetry is derived from a 1997 source, which may not reflect recent surveys.
• Sample data and specific column/feature attributes are unavailable from the description.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, part of the Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction Map Series (GeoCat 71789).

Collection Method

Cartographic compilation of treaties, maritime zone definitions, and a continental shelf submission approved by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Time Range

Maritime boundaries and shelf approval circa April 2008; background imagery from 1997 (bathymetry) and NASA Blue Marble.

Freshness

Metadata indicates a last update in April 2026, but the underlying treaty and shelf data is from 2008 or earlier.

Geography

Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory, and surrounding maritime jurisdiction.