Since 2007, the Integrated Marine Observing System's Animal Tracking Facility has collected quality-controlled acoustic detections of tagged marine animals across a continental network. This summarised version aggregates all publicly accessible detections to hourly resolution at the receiver and animal level, and is updated on a six-monthly basis. The dataset includes fish, sharks, rays, reptiles, and mammals, with mean hourly sensor values provided for animals carrying multi-sensor transmitters.
Use Cases
- Meta-analysis of broad-scale animal movement patterns based on continental acoustic receiver detections.
- Studying habitat use and species distribution shifts based on long-term, quality-controlled detection records.
- Relating animal presence and movement to environmental variables based on concurrent sensor data (e.g., temperature, pressure).
- Analyzing detection patterns and residency times based on hourly aggregated data at receiver locations.
Strengths
- Data spans from 2007 to the present, providing a long-term time series.
- Quality control procedures are documented per a 2018 publication (Hoenner et al.).
- The dataset is updated on a six-monthly basis, suggesting ongoing maintenance.
- Includes multi-sensor data (e.g., temperature, pressure) for some animals, providing environmental context.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific analytical needs.
- The dataset is a summarised version; the complete raw data is stored in a separate repository.
Provenance
- Source
- Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Animal Tracking Facility, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.
- Collection Method
- Detections collected by a permanent continental array of acoustic receivers operated by IMOS and independent research projects, centralized in a national database.
- Time Range
- 2007 - ongoing
- Freshness
- Updated on a six-monthly basis; last metadata update was 2026-06-16.
- Geography
- Australian coastal waters