South Australian Marine Invertebrate Sightings With Community Reports

Redmap (South Australia) contains community-reported sightings of uncommon marine invertebrate species along the South Australian coast. The Australian Ocean Data Network manages this live dataset, which is subject to a three-year embargo on recent records. Sightings include verified photo submissions and anecdotal community reports.

Use Cases

• Analyze species_distribution changes over time using location and date_time fields.
• Model climate-induced range_shifts by correlating species sightings with environmental data like water_temperature.
• Assess data quality by comparing verified_sightings (with photo) to community_sightings (anecdotal).
• Study species biology using optional biological_data fields such as sex, size, and weight.

Strengths

• Live data updated over time, enabling tracking of recent changes.
• Includes both verified and community sightings, providing multiple data perspectives.
• Collects optional environmental data like water_depth and habitat.

Limitations

• Spatial elements have reduced accuracy, limiting precise geospatial analysis.
• Subject to a three-year embargo, preventing access to the most recent three years of data.
• Data quality varies between verified photo submissions and unverified anecdotal reports.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via the Redmap citizen science website.

Collection Method

Community-sourced sightings logged by the public, with a subset verified by marine biologists.

Time Range

Ongoing, with records older than three years available.

Freshness

Live data, last platform update recorded as 2026-04-04.

Geography

South Australian coast and marine regions.