Dugong Aerial Survey Observations Across Northern Australia, 1984 to Present

James Cook University's dugong aerial survey database compiles occurrence records from systematic surveys conducted along the Australian coast since 1984. The dataset covers nine regions from Shark Bay, Western Australia, to Moreton Bay, Queensland, with temporal coverage extended to 2023. Records are standardized to Darwin Core conventions and enriched with Australian Marine Regions classifications and an H3 spatial index.

Use Cases

• Modeling dugong population trends based on long-term survey data from 1984 onward
• Mapping species distribution and density across nine defined Australian marine regions
• Conducting multi-scale spatial analysis using the provided H3 spatial index at resolution 4
• Aligning marine mammal observations with national marine reporting geographies via Australian Marine Regions classifications

Strengths

• Long-term temporal coverage from 1984 to at least 2023
• Spatial coverage spans nine distinct marine regions across northern Australia
• Data is standardized to Darwin Core conventions and includes a spatial index for aggregation
• Includes a separate set of rejected records for full traceability to source data

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the aerial survey methodology

Provenance

Source

James Cook University (JCU), aggregated by the Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN)

Collection Method

Systematic aerial surveys harmonized from historical Dugong Data Management System records and JCU geospatial datasets

Time Range

1984 - ongoing (data included up to 2023)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 05:57:50.442719; freshness should be verified

Geography

Nine regions along the Australian coast: Shark Bay, Exmouth (Ningaloo), Pilbara, Gulf of Carpentaria, Torres Strait, Northern Great Barrier Reef, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay, Moreton Bay