AusSeabed achievements during 2020–2021
AusSeabed is working towards a mapped and accessible Australian seabed.
The below is just a sample of what we have achieved in the 2020/21 financial year. You can read our whole Annual Highlights Report and Annual Progress Report for more information. Our work plan for next year also outlines how we are continuing our work in the 2021/22 financial year. Thank you to the individuals and organisations who have contributed to our successes.
“My interactions with the AusSeabed program have been really positive. It is a really inclusive community that welcomes input and ideas from a diverse range of user groups and stakeholders.” – Paul Branson, Research Scientist at CSIRO/UWA
The future of AusSeabed is beginning to feel secure
Alongside a strong increase in contributed resources, a new Collaborative Head Arrangement is signalling a 5-year commitment to the AusSeabed initiative. Pictured, Commodore Stewart Dunne, Hydrographer of Australia representing the Australian Hydrographic Office, and Maree Wilson, Branch head of the National Earth and Marine Observations representing Geoscience Australia, signed the AusSeabed Collaborative Head Arrangement in July 2021.
More seabed data is now available
In 2020/21, over 2 million square kilometres of seabed data was published to the Data Portal - an area larger than New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania combined!
20,000 data downloads, a new quality assurance tool and more
AusSeabed data downloads quadrupled in 2020/21 compared to the previous years.
Coordinating seabed mapping efforts, at home and abroad
At home, the community can now request survey activities consideration to include in HydroScheme Industry Partnership Projects (HIPP): a data acquisition program facilitated by the Australian Hydrography Office. You can review planned HIPP surveys released for tender via the “Upcoming Surveys” layer on the Data Portal. These efforts at home contribute to the GEBCO global data compilation and the GEBCO-Nippon foundation Seabed2030 mission to map the gaps.
Bringing the seabed to you
Community engagement is the foundation of AusSeabed and its success. In 2021/22, 260 individuals participated in our webinar series, indicating that it was an enjoyable experience. We will continue to build an inclusive, collaborative AusSeabed community and support capacity building like the S-5B Hydrographic Surveyors Course, enabled by Deakin University and IIC Technologies Pty Ltd. (students pictured below).
