OneBenthic: Modelled Macrofaunal Assemblage Map

Two vector shapefiles provide a modelled map of macrofaunal assemblage types and an associated confidence layer for UK waters. The classification is based on a random forest model applied to abundance data from the OneBenthic database spanning grab and core samples from 1976 to 2020. Both layers can be visualized and explored interactively in the OneBenthic Layers web tool.

Use Cases

• Habitat classification based on modelled macrofaunal assemblage types
• Assessing model reliability for specific regions using the confidence layer
• Marine spatial planning informed by predicted benthic community distributions

Strengths

• Model outputs are derived from a long-term database with data spanning 1976 to 2020
• Includes a separate confidence layer to assess prediction reliability
• Methodology is documented and results are viewable in an interactive web tool

Limitations

• Key metadata such as column names, row count, license, and author are not provided on any platform
• The dataset's spatial extent is not explicitly defined
• The 'last updated' metadata field shows a future date (2026-06-11), indicating potential metadata error

Provenance

Source

OneBenthic database

Collection Method

Random forest modelling applied to clustered abundance data

Time Range

1976 to 2020

Freshness

2026-06-11 08:12:30.878961 (Note: This is a future date, suggesting metadata may be incorrect)

Geography

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