National Benthic Habitat Layer For Australia's Marine Estate

Australia's marine estate is covered by a national compilation of benthic habitat data from research, government, industry, and community sources. The dataset integrates disparate sources under a unified classification scheme managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network. It is a live asset, with the most current version updated in 2026.

Use Cases

• Train models to predict habitat_class from geospatial coordinates and remote sensing data for habitat mapping.
• Analyze spatial relationships between habitat features and other marine environmental layers for ecological research.
• Use the uniform classification scheme to compare habitat types across different state and territory provider datasets.
• Validate new remote sensing data against documented ground-truthing evidence from the source datasets.
• Apply the dataset as a baseline layer for marine spatial planning and impact assessment scenarios.

Strengths

• Integrates data from multiple sectors across all Australian states and territories into a single national layer.
• Employs a controlled vocabulary classification scheme ensuring consistent habitat terminology.
• Source datasets require documented ground-truthing validation and quality control prior to inclusion.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and sample size are not provided in the description.
• Data is only available in Geodatabase format, which may require specific GIS software for access and analysis.
• The compilation nature may introduce heterogeneity in original data resolution and collection methods.

Provenance

Source

Compilation from various research, government, industry, and community sources across Australia.

Collection Method

Integration of datasets meeting acceptance criteria, including remote sensing data with ground-truthing validation.

Time Range

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Freshness

Updated to a 2026 version, described as a live asset for future additions.

Geography

Australia's marine estate, national scale.