Rule-based semi-automated tools for mapping seabed morphology from bathymetry data

Seabed morphology maps and data are critical for knowledge-building and best practice management of marine environments. To facilitate objective and repeatable production of these maps, we have developed a number of semi-automated, rule-based GIS tools (Geoscience Australia’s Semi-automated Morphological Mapping Tools (GA-SaMMT)) to operationalise the mapping of a common set of bathymetric high and bathymetric low seabed Morphological Features. The tools have a graphical user interface and were developed using Python scripts under the widely-used proprietary ArcGIS Pro platform. The utility of these tools was tested across nine case study areas that represent a diverse range of complex bathymetric and physiographic settings. Overall, the mapping results are found to be more consistent than manual mapping and allow for capture of greater detail across a range of spatial scales. The mapping results demonstrate a number of advantages of GA-SaMMT, including: 1) requirement of only a bathymetry grid as sole data input; 2) flexibility to apply domain knowledge to user-defined tool parameters or to use default parameter settings; 3) repeatability and consistency in the mapping outputs when using a consistent set of tool parameters (user defined or default); 4) high-degree of objectivity; and 5) efficiency in mapping a large number (thousands) of seabed morphology features in a single dataset. In addition, GA-SaMMT generates 34 and 46 metrics to comprehensively quantify the characteristics of individual seabed bathymetric high and low features, respectively. Our results indicate that attribute metrics are invaluable in the interpretation and modelling of mapped Morphology Features and provide insights into their formative processes and habitat potential for marine communities.

Appeared in Front. Mar. Sci., 28 August 2023, Sec. Ocean Observation, Volume 10.

Identification info

Date (Creation): 2023-02-15

Date (Publication): 2023-09-13T23:22:11

Citation identifier: Geoscience Australia Persistent Identifier/https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/147718

Cited responsible party

Role	Organisation / Individual Name	Details
Publisher	Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)	Voice
Author	Huang, Z.	Internal Contact
Author	Nanson, R.	Internal Contact
Author	Mcneil, M.	Internal Contact
Author	Wenderlich, M.	Internal Contact
Author	Gafeira, J.	External Contact
Author	Post, A.	Internal Contact
Author	Nichol, S.	Internal Contact

Name: Frontiers in Marine Science

Purpose: This paper is written as a product of national seabed morphology and geomorphology mapping project in Marine sections. The paper describes GA-SaMMT tools developed for mapping seabed morphology and presents the mapping results of using these tools for nine case studies. We intend to use this paper as an effective way of promote the use of GA-SaMMT tools and the published morphology classification scheme which GA has a significant contribution to.

Status

Point of contact

Role	Organisation / Individual Name	Details
Resource provider	Place and Communities Division	External Contact
Point of contact	Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)	Voice
Point of contact	Huang, Z.	Internal Contact

Spatial representation type

Topic category

Geoscientific information

Extent

Maintenance and update frequency: As needed

Resource format

Title: Product data repository: Various Formats

Website: Data Store directory containing the digital product files

Data Store directory containing one or more files, possibly in a variety of formats, accessible to Geoscience Australia staff only for internal purposes

Keywords

seabed

Keywords

morphology

Keywords

GA-SaMMT

Keywords

mapping

Keywords

bathymetry

Keywords

ArcGIS python tools

Keywords

geomorphology

theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf

Marine geoscience
Geoinformatics not elsewhere classified

Keywords

Published_External

Resource constraints

Title: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

Alternate title: CC-BY

Edition: 4.0

Website

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Addressee

Role	Organisation / Individual Name	Details
User	Any

Use constraints: License

Use constraints: Other restrictions

Other constraints: © Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2023

Resource constraints

Title: Australian Government Security Classification System

Edition date: 2018-11-01T00:00:00

Website

https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Classification: Unclassified

Classification system: Australian Government Security Classification System

Associated resource

Association Type: Informed

Title: Bynoe Harbour Marine Survey 2016: GA4452/SOL6432 Post-survey report

Citation identifier: 100945

Citation identifier: f5ffb3d9-a0e6-4098-93ed-9a2883cea1e8

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/100945

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Informed

Title: Characterising Marine Abiotic Patterns in the Darwin-Bynoe Harbour region: Summary report, Physical Environments, Darwin Harbour Habitat Mapping Project

Citation identifier: 127386

Citation identifier: 80c85537-63d8-4932-b1f9-1d7545a1fe6d

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/127386

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Generated

Title: Bynoe Harbour Habitat Mapping Bathymetry Survey (SOL6432/GA4452)

Citation identifier: 144556

Citation identifier: 21ab9986-4289-44eb-9b2d-7db4b8f74d68

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/144556

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Informed

Title: Seabed Environments and Shallow Geology of the Petrel Sub-basin, Northern Australia SOL5463 (GA0335) Post Survey Report (NLECI Program)

Citation identifier: 74627

Citation identifier: c8c74d01-f382-572e-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/74627

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Generated

Title: Petrel Sub-basin Marine Survey (GA-0335 / SOL5463) (NLECI Program) - High Resolution Bathymetry Grids

Citation identifier: 74866

Citation identifier: cd5509ee-00c9-098d-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/74866

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Informed

Title: Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Timor Sea) Biodiversity Survey: GA0339/SOL5650 Post-Survey Report

Citation identifier: 76658

Citation identifier: e091142b-a617-0d43-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/76658

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Generated

Title: Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve - High Resolution Multibeam Sonar Bathymetry Grids

Citation identifier: 79006

Citation identifier: f21824a7-8db1-5c00-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/79006

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Informed

Title: Seabed Environments and Shallow Geology of the Leveque Shelf, Western Australia SOL5754 (GA0340) Post Survey Report

Citation identifier: 78749

Citation identifier: ef58506e-5ed1-7007-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/78749

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Generated

Title: Data package - Seabed environments and shallow geology of the Leveque Shelf, Browse Basin, Western Australia.

Citation identifier: 83727

Citation identifier: 180ea3b0-773d-569b-e053-10a3070aa65f

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/83727

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Informed

Title: Carnarvon Shelf Survey Post-Cruise Report

Citation identifier: 68525

Citation identifier: a05f7892-dbcb-7506-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/68525

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Generated

Title: MH370 Phase 1 Optimal Bathymetry datasets (GA-4421, GA-4422 and GA-4430)

Citation identifier: 82625

Citation identifier: 0bf01609-fde2-3d9c-e054-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/82625

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Informed

Title: Seabed Environments and Subsurface Geology of the Capel-Faust Basins and Gifford Guyot, Eastern Australia - TAN0713 Post-survey Report

Citation identifier: 68630

Citation identifier: a05f7892-dc28-7506-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/68630

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Generated

Title: Gifford Marine Park Bathymetry - 30m Resolution Grid

Citation identifier: 121193

Citation identifier: b941d108-5e80-41a4-aa86-4ec5e33ef994

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/121193

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Associated resource

Association Type: Generated

Title: Seafloor bathymetry of the Sabrina slope canyons, East Antarctic margin

Citation identifier: 144481

Citation identifier: daa5d147-0280-4512-9b35-c0003ee9b5b5

Website

http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/144481

Link to eCat metadata record landing page

Language: English

Character encoding: UTF8

Distribution Information

Distributor contact

Role	Organisation / Individual Name	Details
Distributor	Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)	Voice facsimile

OnLine resource: Link to Frontiers in Marine Science article

Link to Frontiers in Marine Science article

Distribution format

Resource lineage

Statement: <div>This paper is written as a product of national seabed morphology and geomorphology mapping project in Marine sections. This study used GA-SaMMT ( https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/146832) developed in Geoscience Australia for mapping the seabed morphology. The bathymetry datasets used in this study have been acquired through various funding programs (Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities Program; National Environmental Reseach Program; National Environmental Science Program; Offshore Energy Security Program; National Low Emissions Coal Initiative / National CO2 Infrastructure Plan).  </div><div><br></div><div>This study used nine case studies. The bathymetry datasets and publications of these nine case studies are listed below. Please see the paper for the details of these citations.</div><div>1. Bynoe Harbour: </div><div>a) Siwabessy et al. (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.11636/Record.2017.004. (eCat: 100945)</div><div>b) Nicholas et al. (2019) http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/127386. (eCat: 127386)</div><div>c) https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/144556 (eCat: 144556)</div><div><br></div><div>2. Bonaparte Shelf:</div><div>a) Carroll et al. (2012) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/74627 (eCat: 74627)</div><div>b) Spinoccia (2012) http://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/53DB119E95FA4 (eCat: 74866)</div><div><br></div><div>3. Bonaparte Basin:</div><div>a) Nichol et al. (2013) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/76658 (eCat: 76658)</div><div>b) Siwabessy and Picard (2014) http://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/562EC3D2542B1 (eCat: 79006)</div><div><br></div><div>4. Leveque Shelf:</div><div>a) Picard et al. (2014) http://dx.doi.org/10.11636/Record.2014.010. (eCat: 78749)</div><div>b) Picard et al. (2016) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/83727 (eCat: 83727)</div><div><br></div><div>5. Point Cloates Shelf:</div><div>a) Brooke et al. (2009) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/68525 (eCat: 68525)</div><div>b) Nichol et al. (2012)</div><div>c) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/77253 (eCat: 77523)</div><div><br></div><div>6. Broken Ridge:</div><div>a) Picard et al. (2018)</div><div>b) Spinoccia (2017) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/82625</div><div><br></div><div>7. Tasmanian Seamounts:</div><div>a) Althaus et al. (2009)</div><div>b) Williams et al. (2020)</div><div>c) Williams et al. (2016) https://data.csiro.au/collection/csiro:57308</div><div><br></div><div>8. Gifford Seamounts:</div><div>a) Heap et al. (2009) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/68630 (eCat: 68630)</div><div>b) Nanson et al. (2018)</div><div>c) http://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/5b3174bf2de9b (eCat: 121193)</div><div><br></div><div>9. Sabrina Slope:</div><div>a) O'Brien et al. (2020)</div><div>b) Post et al. (2020)</div><div>c) https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/144481 (eCat: 144481)</div><div><br></div>

Metadata constraints

Title: Australian Government Security Classification System

Edition date: 2018-11-01T00:00:00

Website

https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Classification: Unclassified

Metadata

Metadata identifier

urn:uuid/130781a8-0d1d-4778-a8e5-d5d3f5a32ba4

Title: GeoNetwork UUID

Language: English

Character encoding: UTF8

Contact

Role	Organisation / Individual Name	Details
Point of contact	Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)	Voice
Point of contact	Huang, Z.	Internal Contact

Type of resource

Resource scope: Document

Name: Journal Article / Conference Paper

Alternative metadata reference

Title

Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with

uuid

Citation identifier: eCatId/147718

Metadata linkage

https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/130781a8-0d1d-4778-a8e5-d5d3f5a32ba4

Date info (Creation): 2023-09-13T23:14:19

Date info (Revision): 2023-09-13T23:14:19

Metadata standard

Title: AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014

Metadata standard

Title: ISO 19115-1:2014

Metadata standard

Title: ISO 19115-3

Title: Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014

Edition: Version 2.0, September 2018

Citation identifier: http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/122551

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