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.

This web service provides access to the National Judicial Courts dataset and presents the spatial locations of all the known Australian High Courts, Australian Federal Courts and the Australian Federal Circuit Courts located within Australia, all complemented with feature attribution.

Geographic extent: The study area covers Woody Island and the surrounding seabed, located approximately 15 km SE of the town of Esperance in Western Australia . Contents: Reson TM Seabat 8125 multibeam sonar data and associated backscatter intensity, sediment grab sample and core location data, Quickbird satellite imagery. Data Source: The visualisation contains data aquired as part of the Coastal CRC's Coastal Water Habitat Mapping project, during 2003 - 2005. Size: The total size of the model and all associated files is 2.7Mb. The initial download for the base HTML documents and the Woody Island surface is 970Kb.

X3D Earth is a planned virtual globe application from the Web3D Consortium. It will differ from Google Earth (GE) (and other existing virtual globes) in the following ways: it will use an existing open source standard 3D file format (X3D); be truly 3D (most other virtual globes do not currently handle sub-surface data); allow distributed storage of the 3D data; and allow agencies such as GA to create and distribute their own data. One motivation for developing X3D Earth is to provide a mechanism for long term and open access to public 3D geospatial data. Development is planned for 2006/07. This whitepaper is Geoscience Australia's contribution to the X3D Earth requirements workshop, November 2006.

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 culture, habitation, industry and utility themes from the Geoscience Australia 250K Topographic Data.

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.

Geoscience Australia has produced free Web-viewable 3D models of coastal data, for sharing data and information with project partners and coastal zone stakeholders. The models integrate a range of spatial data (including DEMs, multibeam bathymetry, sediment samples, benthic habitats and satellite imagery) within an easy to use interface. The models use the open source and ISO standard Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) file format. The model described in this paper is for the Keppel Bay and Fitzroy River area in Queensland, Australia. These 3D VRML models are a good method for integrating coastal data, for better interpretation, and are easily transferred to end users via the Web.

This web service provides access to the National Local Government Area Council Offices dataset and presents the spatial locations of all known Local Government Area council office facilities within Australia, all complemented with feature attribution.

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 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.