Fine-Scale Vegetation Mapping of Coffs Harbour LGA, 2012

Fine-scale floristic vegetation mapping for the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia. The dataset categorizes vegetation into communities, classes, and formations, with species composition identified, based on work conducted between September 2009 and April 2012. It was created by the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage using 3-D PLANAR modelling, aerial photography interpretation, field assessment, and PATN statistical analysis.

Use Cases

• Regional biodiversity assessment based on categorized vegetation communities and formations.
• Land-use planning and environmental impact screening based on the mapped vegetation classes.
• Scientific research on floristic composition and vegetation structure based on field assessment data.
• Baseline mapping for conservation prioritization based on the fine-scale (1:5,000 nominal scale) vegetation polygons.

Strengths

• Mapping was conducted at a fine nominal scale of 1:5,000 with a minimum polygon size of 0.2 hectares.
• Overall thematic accuracy is reported at 66% (independent assessment) and 77% (OEH reviewed, weighted by area).
• Creation involved multiple methods including 3-D modelling, aerial photo interpretation, and field floristic assessment.

Limitations

• Thematic accuracy of 66% suggests potential misclassification for some vegetation types.
• The map is not recommended for property-level scale or development applications requiring a scale of 1:1200 or greater.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Collection Method

3-D PLANAR modelling, aerial photography interpretation, field floristic assessment, and PATN statistical analysis.

Time Range

Data collection occurred between September 2009 and April 2012.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-12 21:32:24.385914; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Coffs Harbour Local Government Area, New South Wales, Australia.