Habitat condition data for Australia from expert elicitation

Collection description
These data relate to a project that aimed to construct and test a method for habitat condition data capture across Australia using expert elicitation. The data derived from experts are in two forms: (1) habitat condition scores for specified areas at a specified date range, and; (2) habitat condition scores based on images (photographs) of ecosystems. The image based habitat condition data were collected to enable cross-calibration of contributed site assessment data. These data represent the start of a continent-wide library of ecological condition data suitable for training and validation of model-based approaches to habitat condition assessment.

Methods – site assessments
Experts recorded their assessment of habitat condition for areas within Australia using a data capture tool hosted by the Atlas of Living Australia. Experts mapped site/s with which they have deep familiarity, using polygons. The sites may be small or large, depending on the area over which a consistent condition score can be applied. For each site, experts provided a condition score between 0 and 1 (1=pristine; 0=natural habitat completely removed), the time period of their assessment, and (optionally) disturbances influencing the score.

Methods – image assessments
Experts recorded their assessment of images using a data capture tool hosted by the Atlas of Living Australia. The image assessment scores are intended to be used to calibrate the site assessment condition scores contributed by experts. Experts were asked to provide a condition score for a suite of images allocated to them based on the Major Vegetation Groups (MVG) and Hutchinson bioclimatic classifications that they nominated familiarity with during the project registration process. The calibration images characterised each ecosystem in several different condition states.

Data products
The condition assessments of sites contributed by experts were formatted and prepared into the following files:
SiteConditionAssessment.csv - Site assessment data of on-ground habitat condition for the 314 sites contributed by experts.
Descriptor_SiteConditionAssessment.csv – A file describing the fields used in the SiteConditionAssessment data file.

The image assessment data were formatted and prepared into the following files:
ImageAssessment.csv – Data on the 278 image assessments of habitat condition, undertaken by experts.
Descriptor_ImageAssessment.csv – A file describing the fields used in the ImageAssessment.csv data file.

数据集说明

本数据集关联一项研究项目，该项目旨在构建并验证一种通过专家征询法在澳大利亚全境采集生境状况数据的方法。专家提供的数据包含两种形式：(1) 特定时间段内指定区域的生境状况评分；(2) 基于生态系统影像（照片）的生境状况评分。基于影像的生境状况数据采集目的在于对专家提交的样地评估数据进行交叉校准。本数据集为澳大利亚首个覆盖全境的生态状况数据资源库雏形，可用于训练及验证基于模型的生境状况评估方法。

研究方法——样地评估
专家借助澳大利亚生物多样性图集（Atlas of Living Australia）搭载的数据采集工具，对澳大利亚境内区域的生境状况开展评估。专家使用多边形工具，对其熟知的一处或多处样地进行空间绘制。样地面积可大可小，取决于可赋予统一生境状况评分的区域范围。针对每处样地，专家需提供0至1区间内的生境状况评分（其中1代表原生未受干扰状态，0代表自然生境已完全消失）、评估时段，以及（可选）影响该评分的干扰因素。

研究方法——影像评估
专家通过澳大利亚生物多样性图集搭载的数据采集工具，完成影像评估工作。影像评估评分的设计用途为校准专家提交的样地评估生境状况评分。专家需根据项目注册阶段自行申报的熟悉领域（主要植被群系（Major Vegetation Groups，MVG）与哈钦森生物气候分类（Hutchinson bioclimatic classifications）），为分配给自身的一组影像提供生境状况评分。本次校准用影像覆盖了各类生态系统的多种不同状况状态。

数据产品
专家提交的样地生境状况评估数据经整理格式化后，生成以下文件：
SiteConditionAssessment.csv - 收录专家提交的314处样地的实地生境状况评估数据。
Descriptor_SiteConditionAssessment.csv – 用于说明SiteConditionAssessment.csv数据文件中各字段含义的文档。

影像评估数据经整理格式化后，生成以下文件：
ImageAssessment.csv – 收录专家完成的278项生境状况影像评估数据。
Descriptor_ImageAssessment.csv – 用于说明ImageAssessment.csv数据文件中各字段含义的文档。