Mdb ARCGIS ENVI * DAT xls csv XTF database GIS files Vector video
ANDS collection type
dataset
Collection start date
2005
Project name
Victorian Marine Habitat Mapping Project
Project Description
A critical requirement in marine ecosystem resource management is how to identify, define and characterise habitat types within the overall seascape architecture. Accurate information on seafloor structure and associated habitats is limited due to technological constraints in surveying. Using state of the art multibeam sonar, LiDAR and video systems to generate high accuracy remotely sensed data, this project will assess the spatial relationships between seafloor structural characteristics and biological communities in Victorian coastal waters. Novel multi-scale predictive modelling techniques will be developed to gain a better understanding of the distribution and complexity of temperate marine biological communities.
The core aim of this research is to discover the spatial relationships between geo-physical characteristics of our near shore marine environment and associated biological communities using data generated from new remote sensing techniques applied to state-of-the-art multibeam sonar and video systems. Innovative techniques will be used to integrate data from multiple sources and generate distribution and complexity models for marine biological communities.
Specific research questions are:
(1) What are the essential geo-physical characteristics of the seafloor that explain the distribution of biological communities in the near-shore marine environment?
(2) Is there significant longitudinal variation in the relationship between geo-physical characteristics and biological communities in Victorian coastal waters?
(3) Can geo-physical surrogates and biological observation information be used to characterise biological communities and predict their distributions using automated classification techniques?
Description of resource
Seafloor structure information, video information, and habitat maps; more then 6 TB of data (100's of items collected per annum)
- Seafloor structure information: Collation of seafloor structure information (bathymetry and softness hardness) collected using multibeam sonar systems as part of the Victorian Marine Habitat Mapping Project and bathymetric light detection and ranging data (LiDAR) collected as part of the future coats program. The geographic is Victorian State waters (~1400km2 multibeam sonar & ~4000 km2 for LiDAR as of 2012
- Video information: ~800 linear kilometres of precisely georeferenced towed video data from depths of 10-100m in Victorian coastal waters. 300 baited stereo video drops in Hopkins and Discovery Bay site locations. All video has been classified to the lowest taxonomic resolution possible with the video systems employed and converted to spatial data layers in the GIS environment.
- Habitat maps: Predicted habitat models integrating seafloor structure and video information developed using classification algorithms and remote sensing technologies.
General notes
This data was automatically generated by computer, from sensors and instruments, fieldwork, and laboratory notes. It is organised by site location.
This data collection was funded by the Australian Government through Caring for our Country, and the Deakin Central Research Grant Scheme.
Contact details (email)
daniel.ierodiaconou@deakin.edu.au
Contact details (physical)
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 45 Mahoneys Road, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280 Australia
Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au.