OzCoasts is a web-based database and information system managed by Geoscience Australia that draws together a diverse range of data and information on Australia's coasts and estuaries. Maps, images, reports and data can be downloaded and there are tools to assist with coastal science, monitoring, management and policy. A Tropical Rivers module is the newest major feature of the website and was developed in partnership with the Griffith University node of the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) consortium and Boab Interactive. The module contains the Australian Riverine Landscape Classifier (AURICL) and provides links to the TRaCK Digital Atlas. AURICL will assist researchers and policy makers make better decisions about riverine landscapes. It is a dynamic and flexible system (i.e. can be updated as new data layers become available) for classifying and comparing tropical catchments and their rivers based on the similarity, or dissimilarity, of a wide range of parameters. Importantly, AURICL provides researchers with: (i) data-sets to link stream segments from the National Catchment Boundaries database to estuary point locations for north Australia; (ii) a collection of riverine attribute data that sum their upstream contributions to an estuary; and (iii) an amalgamation of inputs for estuaries with multiple contributing streams. To date, researchers have only had access to very general data on the catchments that feed estuaries (e.g. catchment areas). The Mangroves and Coastal Saltmarsh of Victoria: Distribution, Condition, Threats and Management report is new to the Habitat Mapping module, and constitutes the first State-wide assessment of Victoria's coastal wetlands. The 514 page report, led by Prof. Paul Boon (Victoria University), examines the diversity of wetland types and plant communities along the Victorian coast and provides analysis of the ecological condition and major threats to coastal wetlands in Victoria. OzCoasts will also soon deliver the Coastal Eutrophication Risk Assessment Tool (CERAT) for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. CERAT will help identify and prioritise land use planning decisions to protect and preserve the health of NSW estuaries. A partnership between OzCoasts and the coastal facility of the TERN (Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network) is also currently under negotiation.

This Professional Opinion reports the interim findings of a consultancy undertaken for the Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) by Geoscience Australia in the period 15 December 2010 to 2 April 2011. Geoscience Australia was engaged by SPREP to assist in developing a business case for a Pacific Climate Change Portal. This portal will act as a focus for climate and climate change information relevant to the Pacific, provide up to date information for decision makers, and researchers, and improve communication and collaboration in adaptation initiatives by national, regional and international stakeholders. Geoscience Australia has consulted as much as possible in the time available with stakeholders for the portal identified by SPREP to be 'core'. These stakeholders include the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), United Nations organisations, notably the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with SPREP itself. The consultations allowed Geoscience Australia to identify key issues, recommend core functionalities of the portal and a preferred operational model and identify partnerships and resources required for sustainable, long term operation of the portal. As a part of this consultancy, Geoscience Australia constructed a 'demonstrator' Pacific Climate Change web portal to illustrate how users could operate the proposed key functionalities of the portal, and to give potential users an illustration of two 'look and feel' options. This demonstrator portal can be visited at http://www.pacificportal.com.au/ . It will be active until approximately the end of June 2011.

OPGGSA 2006 - Petroleum Blocks. This service displays the most recent realisation of the Petroleum Blocks as defined under Section 33 (3) of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGSA 2006) as realised in GDA94. Block data extends beyond the area of operation of the OPGGSA and includes areas of coastal waters and land within the constitutional limits of the States and Territories.

The regular release of offshore acreage is a key part of the Australian Government's strategy to encourage investment in petroleum exploration. This CD product contains six interactive 3D VRML models of the 2007 acreage release areas and was created for distribution at the 2007 APPEA conference and for later distribution via the web.

This service has been created specifically for display in the National Map and the chosen symbology may not suit other mapping applications. The Australian Topographic web map service is seamless national dataset coverage for the whole of Australia. These data are best suited to graphical applications. These data may vary greatly in quality depending on the method of capture and digitising specifications in place at the time of capture. The web map service portrays detailed graphic representation of features that appear on the Earth's surface. These features include the relief and physiography themes from the Geoscience Australia 250K Topographic Data. The service contains layer scale dependencies.

Advances in computer technology have provided the opportunity to present geoscience information in new and innovative ways. The use of web-based three-dimensional interactive models, animations and fly-throughs significantly enhances our ability to communicate complex geometries and concepts not only to the geoscientific community but also, just as importantly, to the general public. Projects within Geoscience Australia currently use a range of GIS, remote sensing, and modelling packages for visualisation of fundamental and derived data. In the main each of these packages also has the ability to produce, as an output, some form of model or animation sequence displaying the results of the visualisation. In most cases however, these outputs are generally not of sufficient quality or do not provide adequate functionality without further processing or editing. Geoscience Australia has adopted a multi-disciplinary approach to 3D visualisation encompassing cartography, GIS, remote sensing, graphic design, programming, web, and video editing to the post-processing of these visualisations. This paper examines the benefits of using models and movies for the visualisation of geoscience and briefly discusses the current workflows and presentation techniques used by the Geo-Visualisation team within Geoscience Australia.

Scientists within Geoscience Australia (GA) create complex 3D models of geological structures, using specialised 3D modelling software. Very few people outside of GA have access to this specialised software. To provide clients and stakeholders with access to 3D information GA has developed VRML-HTML-JavaScript interfaces. These interfaces allow GA to share large volumes of complex 3D geological information via the Web, with data volumes up to 22 MB. A number of methods are employed to allow users to interact with such large amounts of data. The geometric features within VRML are used to represent a wide range of geological features. The interfaces are user friendly and provide users with a high level of interaction with the complex information.

No abstract available

Petroleum Blocks cut to the AMB 2014a epoch. The service contains the Blocks as defined under Section 33 (3) of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006. Coverage includes indicative areas of coastal waters and land, within the constitutional limits of the States and territories.

This web service shows areas or locations occupied by an existing high-density urban development or known individual building structures in peri-urban and remote locations. Data used in this service is of varying levels of coverage and quality since it is aggregated from a variety of sources. The intended purpose of the service is to provide preliminary, first-pass information about urban environment, building structures and their distribution in landscape, as one of constraints on future development. Users should carry out further and more detailed investigations because this information is not meant to be a definitive source or support engineering phase planning. The service has layer scale dependencies.