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Appendix 9: Phases to the development of the National vegetation information system Framework and System

Partnerships and the specification of client needs for vegetation information

The Audit's Vegetation Theme Work Plan (Cofinas et al. 1999) was developed in collaboration with State, Territory and Commonwealth agencies and was designed to specify and schedule a series of project tasks to:

• collect and construct a consistent set of core vegetation data sets;
• derive data needed to prepare theme reports;
• develop methods to analyse these data;
• produce and communicate final outputs and reports; and
• provide a forum for negotiating methods, contributions, partnerships and synergy between the Audit and other activities at regional, State and Commonwealth levels.

The products specified in the work plan were:

• a framework for the National Vegetation Information System that includes nationally consistent specifications for data attributes and standards;
• an archive of all vegetation data received and translated into the data compiler according to the specifications and standards;
• metadata meeting Australian New Zealand Land Information Council standards (page 0) and agreed page 1 attributes;
• coverage to include both present and pre-European vegetation data (map and site) where available;
• development of methods, database specifications and compilation of existing data describing vegetation condition; and
• a final report reporting on Australia's vegetation; detailing gaps in digital vegetation data; and providing recommendations of priority activities to continue the initiative in the context of programs and activities underway across Australia in vegetation management.

Vegetation attributes and databases

Environment Australia as project leader, undertook to deliver the Australian Vegetation Attributes and National Vegetation Information System databases in preparation for the data collation phase.

Subsequent pilot testing and review of these with the Bureau of Rural Sciences as project leader and States and Territories on the Vegetation Attributes (Version 4) and Data Compiler (Version 1) resulted in development of the next versions of each. These later, more refined versions were used to develop Stage I of the National Vegetation Information System.

Available reports are listed in the References section.

Vegetation data audit

The Bureau of Rural Sciences coordinated the development of the National Vegetation Information System metadata requirements for use in the data audit and compilation projects.

The aims of the National Vegetation Information System data audit project was to:

• collect, collate and report on metadata on vegetation data through the Australian Spatial Data Directory;
• document metadata records comprising the best available vegetation data sets including maps and site-based surveys and time-series (pre-European to present);
• provide resources to enable vegetation data sets to access through on-line data query and mapping services via the nodes of the Australian Spatial Data Directory; and
• identify the best available vegetation data sets that comply with National Vegetation Information System Vegetation attributes as a basis for gap-filling in Stage 2 of the National Vegetation Information System (spatial, temporal and attribute gaps).

The data audit and compendium of metadata records represents an advance over previous exercises that have aimed to compile a national compendium of metadata records with input from State and Territory agencies. These metadata records will be available through the State Australian Spatial Data Directory nodes http://www.auslig.gov.au.

The majority of metadata records compiled in the National Vegetation Information System metadata compendium comprise site-based data sets with 763 records, 485 of which were sourced from digital data sets. Polygon-based data sets comprised the next largest number of records with 387 records, 275 of which were sourced from digital data sets. Raster-based data sets comprised the least number of data sets documented, with only 20 records, all of which were sourced from digital data sets.

Vegetation mapping data compilation

After the completion of the pilot projects and revision of the vegetation attributes and databases, the Bureau of Rural Sciences as project leader and the States and Territories undertook to populate the National Vegetation Information System with an agreed group of data sets. The data was sourced primarily from existing digital information with some additional interpretation from hardcopy reports.

This phase of the project was complicated and resource intensive. Extensive communication was required between the Bureau of Rural Sciences and each of the States and Territories to ensure that issues such as quality control were addressed as they arose. Translation and compilation of the large volume of data in each State and Territory and its integration into the national database proved a major task and represented a significant investment in time and resources.

The time frame allowed for this activity doubled with a large proportion of validation required by the Bureau of Rural Sciences to ensure each data set complied with the attribute standards. For most agencies the translation process was complicated and time consuming. The best quality data was received from those agencies that ensured vegetation mappers who were familiar with both the vegetation attributes framework and State and Territory data sets were directly involved with the project or had statewide mapping projects developed.

The scale, line work and attributes of the original data have been retained in the National Vegetation Information System to ensure that the best available information is used to derive a range of products.

Data checking and validation

An assessment was made of the quality and completeness of the data as it was received. Since most jurisdictions were consistent in their compilation of Levels I-III, these Levels I-III were validated in accordance with the vegetation attributes framework. Data for pre-European and the current vegetation attributes were validated. Levels IV-V were not validated because many of the States and Territories had either not compiled these levels in accordance with the vegetation attributes framework or these data were missing.

During the process of validating Levels I-III, a large number of inconsistencies were observed between the map units and data sets in Level IV. Due to these inconsistencies the process of validating Level IV is not yet completed. It is expected that the observed inconsistencies can be overcome by deriving an alternate Level V using available data in Level V and other attributes in the database:

• only half the States and Territories have successfully compiled Level IV (Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria) in accordance with the attribute standard. These data are internally consistent within the State and Territory and can be used in this context; and
• Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia have either not entered Level IV (e.g. Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia) or have entered the same data for Level III in Level IV (e.g. New South Wales and Tasmania). Western Australia has recently resupplied data for their Level IV.

Spatial data compilation

Spatial data transfer protocols were developed in consultation with data custodians to enable efficient transfer of the data in a consistent format. To enable the spatial and attribute data to be loaded into the database data custodians were required to establish a link between these attribute types.

The spatial data compilation proved to be one of the most time and resource intensive activities in the process. This issue arose in those regions of Australia where clearing has created a plethora of very small patches within a fragmented landscape. This resulted in very large spatial data sets that challenged the best geographic information system computer systems in Canberra.

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