The Darwin Harbour Habitat Mapping Program provides a predicted seabed sand content grid for the greater Darwin Harbour region. This dataset contains spatially continuous predictions of seabed %sand (63-2000 µm) content derived from 395 samples and seven environmental variables from high-resolution multibeam sonar data. The grid is presented in 10 m resolution raster format and supersedes previous predictions with demonstrated improvements in predictive accuracy.
Use Cases
- Creating thematic habitat maps based on predicted seabed substrate composition.
- Underpinning marine resource management decisions based on baseline environmental data.
- Analyzing seabed sediment distribution patterns based on spatially continuous 10-meter grid predictions.
- Comparing sediment prediction accuracy against interpolation methods like Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW).
Strengths
- Predictive accuracy for sand content is reported as high with a VEcv of 39%.
- Predictive accuracy increased by 84.8% for sand compared to the commonly used Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method.
- Data is derived from a compilation of multiple surveys conducted between 2011 and 2017.
- Spatial predictions are provided at a 10-meter resolution.
Limitations
- Absences in predictions occur due to non-availability of associated predictive variables.
- 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, funded by INPEX-led Ichthys LNG Project offset funds with co-investment from Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).
- Collection Method
- Derived from a compilation of multiple surveys undertaken by GA, AIMS, and NTG-DENR between 2011 and 2017, using 395 samples and seven environmental variables from high-resolution multibeam sonar bathymetry and backscatter data.
- Time Range
- Survey compilation spans 2011 to 2017.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-05-05 00:26:12.702411; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Greater Darwin Harbour and Bynoe Harbour region, northern Australian marine margin.