The SLATS project has lead the world in providing Queensland with accurate objective data on the entire State's vegetation cover and trend.

This has enabled the government to make important decisions based on scientifically sound information and use factual data as a basis for discussion, not from opinion or "guesstimates".

Data

SLATS provides accurately registered, rectified, and processed data which is used by other scientists, landholders and resource managers, for plant community mapping, coastal management, land degradation analysis, mangrove mapping, water resource planning, integrated catchment management and urban planning studies. This includes:

• An annual Land Cover Change Report which includes statistical data on clearing by shires, catchments, biogeographic zones, and land tenures.
• Land cover maps of tree foliage cover and land use for several previous years.
• Up-to-date vegetation change maps which assist Vegetation Management by providing:
  • information on rates of vegetation clearing
  • information for regional vegetation management plans
  • information to assist in updating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Ecosystems mapping
  • compliance checks on clearing permits
  • information for management of potential salinity risk

Details for calculating the State's Greenhouse Gas emissions include:

• Area of clearing
• Basal area of woodlands prior to clearing
• Current area of woodland and forest
• Rates of regrowth
• Soil carbon decline
• Carbon content of grasses and trees
• Delayed emissions factor

Products

Highly accurate and consistently processed satellite mapping productsare available from SLATS at low cost for use by landholders, community groups, local government agencies, State government departments, and educational institutions.

SLATS products are able to be combined with other ancillary information such the NR&M Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB) and be used for property planning and resource management.

These products are available as hardcopy-laminated maps or as digital data on CD and DVD.

Validity

Project staff have developed new techniques and methodologies at world best practice standards. These have been published as scientific papers at international conferences and adopted by other Australian groups and organsisations.

Stakeholders in SLATS have a high regard for the methods and technology used in the project.

A sizeable Advisory Committee from diverse groups such as:

• Department of Primary Industries (DPI)
• Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Queensland Herbarium
• Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland
• Queensland Conservation Council
• AGFORCE
• Queensland Farmer's Federation
• Queensland Canegrower's Association
• Australian Forest Growers
• The Local Government Association
• Brisbane Region Environmental Council
• University of Queensland academia

regularly monitor and continue to endorse the SLATS process (see contacts).

The future

The investment in SLATS infrastructure and satellite imagery will pay dividends for years to come.

The project has a complete statewide coverage of satellite imagery for multiple dates from 1972 and continues to acquire imagery from a number of satellite sources for all areas of Queensland.

Further enhancements to data quality are continually sought by SLATS and scientists are constantly investigating new avenues to assist in the natural resource management of Queensland.