South Australian Inshore Benthic Habitat Mapping

This dataset maps benthic habitats in South Australia's inshore environments, including the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, and Kangaroo Island. Data was captured between 2005 and 2013 using aerial photography, underwater video, and acoustic mapping.

Use Cases

• Analyze habitat boundaries interpreted from ortho-rectified aerial photographs for coastal management.
• Integrate species-specific information captured in the Kangaroo Island data schema for biodiversity studies.
• Compare benthic habitat data from different regions like Upper Spencer Gulf and Eyre Peninsula for spatial analysis.
• Use underwater video footage and field observation data to validate habitat classifications.

Strengths

• Data collection spans multiple years from 2005 to 2013, providing a temporal perspective.
• Combines multiple data capture methods including aerial photography, underwater video, and acoustic mapping.
• Covers several distinct South Australian regions including Kangaroo Island and the Upper Gulf St Vincent.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column structure, and sample data are unavailable, limiting analytical planning.
• Data from different regions and years were captured with varying methods, potentially creating inconsistencies.
• The dataset is provided in non-tabular formats like HTML and WMS, which may require specialized GIS tools for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, originating from a DEWNR (Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources) project.

Collection Method

Habitat boundaries interpreted from ortho-rectified aerial photographs, supplemented by field observations, underwater video footage, acoustic mapping, and sidescan sonar.

Time Range

2005 to 2013, with specific regional captures between 2005-2007, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2013.

Freshness

Metadata was last updated in March 2026, but the underlying data collection ended in 2013.

Geography

South Australian inshore environments, including Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, Upper Spencer Gulf, Upper Gulf St Vincent, South East, and Kangaroo Island.