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Versatile agricultural land spatial datasets of the Fitzroy catchment WA, Darwin catchments and Mitchell catchment Qld generated by the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment

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Title Versatile agricultural land spatial datasets of the Fitzroy catchment WA, Darwin catchments and Mitchell catchment Qld generated by the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment
 
Creator Mark Thomas
 
Subject Agricultural Spatial Analysis and Modelling
 
Description This versatile agricultural land data is a collection of raster datasets used to provide a synopsis of the individual land suitability data of the 126 crops and their specific irrigation management systems and seasons generated by the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment (NAWRA). Five datasets are presented for each of the NAWRA catchments.
The definitive versatile agricultural land dataset was determined by identifying where the largest number of 14 selected land management options were mapped as being suitable (i.e. suitability classes 1 to 3, refer to report cited with this metadata record). This analysis summarised the suitability of the selected land management options for each pixel, and highlights those pixels that are potentially more versatile for agricultural development because they are likely to suit a larger range of land use options and enterprises eg the score of zero represents the least versatile land, while the score of 14 represents the most versatile. The data values represent the number of land management options suitable for that pixel. The selected land management options for each catchment are different relative to general agronomic experience and development stakeholders of the catchment and were derived in consultation with the agricultural viability activity in NAWRA. These selections are presented in Table 3-1 of the published report; Land suitability of the Fitzroy, Darwin and Mitchell catchments. A technical report from the CSIRO Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment, part of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund: Water Resource Assessments, CSIRO, Canberra, Australia Thomas et al 2018. Similarly. The selection of a different representative set of the 126 land use options for a particular study area would result in a different versatility map outcome for that catchment.
In addition to the selected set of 14 land management options for each study area, versatile agricultural land is also presented using the subsets of each of the irrigation types (and rainfed cropping). In this case, the 126 land management options were assigned to rainfed (20), furrow (42), spray (44) or trickle irrigation (20). The data values represent the number of land management options suitable for that pixel.
Analytical products like these help to identify land where particular types of irrigation-related infrastructure investment may be best targeted. This data provides improved land evaluation information to identify opportunities and promote detailed investigation for a range of sustainable development options. It is important to emphasize that this is a regional-scale assessment: further data collection and detailed analyses would be required to plan development at a scheme, enterprise or property scale.
 
Publisher CSIRO
 
Contributor Linda Gregory
Ben Harms
Jason Hill
David Morrison
Seonaid Philip
Ross Searle
Henry Smolinski
Dennis van Gool
Ian Watson
Peter Wilson
Peter Wilson
 
Date 2018-09-05
 
Type —
 
Format —
 
Identifier csiro:34398
 
Language —
 
Coverage —
 
Rights —