Another update of the Australian Tree Crop Map has been completed following the recent field validation of the Northern Territory, which is now available for peer review via the Industry Engagement Web App.

This milestone marks the completion of field validation in every state and territory. Local experts are encouraged to review the map and provide their feedback which is interpreted by AARSC and used to inform and validate the final map.

This information is critical especially for new plantings which cannot be mapped with satellite imagery alone.

Nationally, the Australian Tree Crop Map Dashboard presents the latest metrics (area of production in hectares), interactively based on the view extent of the user. The dashboard also includes functionality to return area statistics by state/territory and local government area in a pop-up window.

Users can navigate the map with the bookmark tool, type a location into the search box or simply pan and zoom around the map (see image above).

In response to feedback from industry, AARSC have developed ‘industry-specific’ maps, which present the same information as shown in the dashboard but are filtered for each tree crop type.

For example, a map of avocado crop locations is hosted on the Avocados Australia homepage (avocado.org.au). Other participating industries hosting their industry-specific maps include the Australian Mango Industry Association, Australian Macadamia Society, Australian Olive Association and soon Citrus Australia.

These maps also include a link directly to the Australian Tree Crop Map Survey, which allows users to provide feedback if something is missing or incorrect, via a simple survey form (see headline image), which is then interpreted and actioned by the research team in updating the map.

All the apps and maps mentioned in this article can be accessed from une.edu.au/webapps.

*Written by Craig Shephard, Joel McKechnie and Andrew Robson are researchers at the Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC), University of New England, Armidale NSW. Email: cshepha2@une.edu.au