Collecting agriculture and water use census data at the mesh block coding level
Project details
| Objective: | To provide a form of small-scale, user defined reporting against the 2005-06 Agricultural Census which is referred to as mesh blocks. |
| Funding: | $1,000,000 |
| Jurisdiction: | National |
| Commenced: | 15 June 2007 |
| Completed: | 2008 |
About the project
A total of $1 million was provided to the Australian Bureau of Statistics to support the collection of agriculture and water use census data at the mesh block coding level. It provided a form of small-scale, user defined reporting against the 2005-06 Agricultural Census which, is referred to as mesh blocks.
This information is useful in providing a base set of social, economic and demographic information that is repeatable and can be updated every five years. By coding statistics to mesh blocks it is possible to produce summary statistics for a whole range of geographical regions not previously represented in statistical geography, including irrigation regions, catchments and NRM regions.
Questionnaires used in the 2005-06 Agricultural Census include a question seeking details of the physical location address of the property. This project used information on the physical location address to code each farm to a 'mesh block'. A wide range of tools were used, including the Geocoded National Address File (GNAF), ABS coding systems and matching to other information provided by state governments and industry organisations.
Project benefits
The aim of the project was to be able to provide information from the 2005-06 Agricultural Census for a wide range of different geographic areas, both 'standard' and user-specified. This information allows for a greater ability to monitor and review the implementation of the National Water Initiative (NWI). Specifically it provides:
- base data to complement performance indicators and be a valuable input to the 2010 comprehensive review of performance of the NWI
- base data to assist in the NWC Task 63 (vii) to review the impact of trade in the Murray Darling Basin
- an ability to gain an understanding of farming practices, in particularly water use, at detailed and flexible geographic areas (e.g. catchments, NRM regions, irrigation areas)
- an ability to link, for the first time, population census social and demographic characteristics to key areas of interest
- ability to monitor change in selected areas at 5 year intervals.
Progress
The information requested in the 2005-06 Agriculture Census was used to code each farm to a 'Mesh Block'. The Mesh Blocks were then used as a 'building block' to provide information on farming activity in a range of geographical areas that included information on production for a wide range of crops, fruits and vegetables, as well as stock numbers for livestock and water use.
This project is complete. Below is a link to the Australian Bureau of Statistics content: