Melbourne Biodiversity Observations From 2016 Citizen Science Event

City of Melbourne Open Data provides species observations from the 2016 Melbourne BioBlitz, a 24-hour citizen science program. The event involved 744 public participants across 27 activities in parks like Royal Park and Fitzroy Gardens. Data is intended to establish a baseline for measuring future biodiversity changes.

Use Cases

• Map species distribution using spatial data in SHP or GEOJSON formats from park-based activities
• Analyze citizen science participation metrics across 27 documented event activities
• Establish a temporal baseline for biodiversity change using 2016 observation records against future data

Strengths

• Data originates from a structured 24-hour citizen science event with 744 participants
• Includes observations from 27 distinct activities across multiple Melbourne parks
• Multiple machine-readable formats available including CSV, JSON, and spatial formats

Limitations

• Unknown sample size and specific data fields limit analytical scope
• Data is from a single 24-hour period in 2016, limiting temporal analysis
• Potential observer bias from citizen science collection methods

Provenance

Source

City of Melbourne Open Data

Collection Method

Citizen science program where experts and community members documented species

Time Range

24 hours on 4-5 March 2016

Freshness

Data from 2016 event, last updated on platform in March 2026.

Geography

Melbourne, Australia (specific parks including Royal Park, Westgate Park, Fitzroy Gardens)