GA353: AUV Seafloor Imagery from Gippsland Basin for Seismic Impact Study

Stereo image pairs were collected at 2 Hz from an AUV-Phoenix vehicle during a survey from 19-25 June 2015. The dataset contains post-processed geotiffs, track files, and compressed mosaics from 12 sites to analyze potential impacts of seismic operations on scallops. Data was collected by Australian Marine Ecology Pty Ltd and the University of Sydney as part of the Gippsland Marine Environmental Monitoring project.

Use Cases

• Assessing changes in scallop populations based on stereo seafloor imagery collected before and after a seismic survey.
• Analyzing seafloor habitat composition using high-resolution geotiff images with a target altitude of 2 meters.
• Mapping AUV survey tracks and coverage using provided geospatial track files.
• Evaluating image quality and data gaps caused by environmental conditions like strong currents mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Includes stereo image pairs collected at a rate of 2 Hz with high-sensitivity CCD cameras (1388 x 1038 pixel resolution).
• Data collection followed a specific protocol with camera calibration performed immediately prior to the survey.
• Provides multiple data products per station: post-processed geotiffs, track files, and compressed mosaics.

Limitations

• Strong currents resulted in truncated transects at Stations 14, 37, and 47, and strobe failure reduced image quality at Stations 40 and 47.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Collected by an Iver AUV (Phoenix) operated by Australian Marine Ecology Pty Ltd and the University of Sydney, using a stereo camera system, USBL, and sidescan sonar.

Time Range

Survey conducted 19-25 June 2015.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:52:59.067926; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Gippsland Basin.