ABSAMP beach database

Background

The ABSAMP "beach" database has been linked to the smartline (shapefile) attribute tables.

The Australian Beach Safety & Management Program (ABSAMP) was established in 1990 as a joint program between Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) and the Coastal Studies Unit and the University of Sydney, and is the most comprehensive study ever undertaken on the beaches of any part of the world's coast. Detailed information on every beach in Australia has been amassed. This information pertains to 12, 219 beach systems, 2,615 barriers and 2, 433 coastal drainage systems. ABSAMP also contains the results of 3,440 beach and dune sediment samples and 17, 200 digital images of covering all beaches.

The main aims of the ABSAMP program were to:

  • develop a comprehensive, standardised and scientific information base (ABSAMP database) on all Australian beaches with regard to their location, physical characteristics, access, facilities, usage, rescues, physical and biological hazards, and level of public risk under various wave, tide and weather conditions. The safety aspects of ABSAMP are available at the Surf Life Saving Australia website.
  • expand and improve the management and safety services of all Australian beaches, and to assist other countries to develop similar programs

Data on each beach is acquired from a range of interrelated sources: topographic maps and aerial photographs, aerial and ground site inspections, beach conditions and published data. All information is filed as a hard copy, and all appropriate information then extracted for entry into the database.

If you use this data, please cite it as follows: SLSA (OzCoasts) 2009, Australian Beach Safety and Management Program database, Surf Life Saving Australia, Bondi Beach, 2009

View conceptual models of Australia beach types: Wave-dominated, Tide-modified, Tide-dominated, and Beaches plus rock/reef flats.

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