An index depicting pasture crop versatility as Very High, High, Moderate, Moderate-Low, Low or Very Low is portrayed for private free-hold land in Tasmania. A heuristic integration of 10 state-wide enterprise suitability pasture datasets was undertaken to identify specific areas of the State that were suited to more pasture species than other areas. Pasture crops that participated in this analysis include Lucerne, Rye Grass, Cocksfoot Continental, Cocksfoot Mediterranean, Tall Fescue Continental, Tall Fescue Mediterranean, Red Clover, Strawberry Clover, White Clover and Phalaris. The output is represented at a spatial resolution of 30m with each pixel attributed with individual crop suitability ratings. Three versions of the Pasture Versatility Index dataset are available: current, 2030 and 2050. The 'current' version is based on pasture crops encompassing recent historical climate observations and part of the original suite of enterprise crop maps. For more information refer here: https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=c42945e3-d047-4b8d-bc5c-4eebad1934fc And here: https://nrmdatalibrary.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/FactSheets/WfW/ListMapUserNotes/Map_user_notes_pasture_versatility_index.pdf The '2030' and '2050' versions encompass Climate Futures Tasmania (CFT) projections that were incorporated into the enterprise suitability modelling framework to identify land areas prone to projected climate change impacts according to the RCP 8.5 scenario for years 2030 and 2050. For more information refer here: https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=e8c81063-2b51-4684-b407-d56d64788a93 And here: https://nrmdatalibrary.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/FactSheets/WfW/ListMapUserNotes/Map_user_notes_pasture_versatility_index_CFT.pdf Note that the Pasture Versatility Index dataset complements the Enterprise Versatility Index, which is similarly based, albeit from the integration of 24 enterprise suitability crops. Refer here for more information: https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=d58e529f-69de-4753-9363-8fdb84be1540

A heuristic approach was used to spatially identify the areas of the State that are suited for a diversity of pasture species, (the most agriculturally versatile), where each of the 10 pasture suitability datasets (refer here for 'current' enterprise crop versions: https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=c42945e3-d047-4b8d-bc5c-4eebad1934fc and here for '2030' and '2050' versions encompassing Climate Futures Tasmania (CFT) projections: https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=e8c81063-2b51-4684-b407-d56d64788a93) were added together, presuming the nominal scale as linear. Each suitability class was assigned a numerical value, where; Well Suited 6; Well Suited (with soil management) 5; Suitable 4; Suitable (with soil management) 3; Moderately suitable 2; Moderately suitable (with soil management) 1 and Unsuitable 0. The additive grids for all 10 pasture crop surfaces would therefore have a range between 0 (implying a pixel is unsuited to all enterprises), to a maximum of 60 (implying a pixel is well-suited to all enterprises). Thus, the resultant map was a raster dataset with a minimum-maximum stretch from 0 to 60 which was translated to a standardised index ranging from 0 and 100 (with versatility classifications set at 85>, 65, 50, 35, 20, 0 equating to Very high, High, Moderate, Moderate-Low, Low and Very Low (nil), respectively). Note that the index is represented at a spatial resolution of 30m, equivalent to each of the pasture suitability datasets, with each pixel attributed with individual suitability ratings. In this regard, the accuracy of the Pasture Versatility Index dataset is equivalent to the input soil and climate data provided to each of the enterprise datasets. Evaluation of these individual datasets confirmed acceptable prediction accuracies. Further reading: Kidd, D., Webb, M., Malone, B., Minasny, B., McBratney, A., 2015. Digital soil assessment of agricultural suitability, versatility and capital in Tasmania, Australia. Geoderma Regional 6, 7-21 Note that a map user note document is available explaining the inherent attribute information of these datasets (as presented on LISTmap) for both the 'current' dataset https://nrmdatalibrary.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/FactSheets/WfW/ListMapUserNotes/Map_user_notes_pasture_versatility_index.pdf And versions that encompass Climate Futures Tasmania (CFT) projections: https://nrmdatalibrary.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/FactSheets/WfW/ListMapUserNotes/Map_user_notes_pasture_versatility_index_CFT.pdf

Position Accuracy: 30m resolution. Attribute Accuracy: Each Raster cell is attributed with individual crop suitability ratings garnered from 24 enterprise crops. The accuracy is therefore limited by the precision of the input models of soil and climate data (refer here for information regarding the input soil maps: https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=ba62f124-5906-4471-a01c-9b57b6142055&draftCreateEdit=true and here regarding the input climate maps: https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=ba62f124-5906-4471-a01c-9b57b6142055&draftCreateEdit=true and https://www.thelist.tas.gov.au/app/content/data/geo-meta-data-record?detailRecordUID=0b2fe7a1-3f4a-4e2b-b9be-acae722be15a&draftCreateEdit=true). The result of the validation diagnostics can be made available for each surface on request. The input soil models validated to at least a reasonable level with the standard error within acceptable ranges. Preliminary field validation was carried out to ensure integrity had been maintained and from this, attribute accuracy of the suitability categories was estimated to be no worse than 70%. Attribute accuracy is expected to be optimal in the Meander irrigation scheme area of 45,000 ha, Flinders Island area of 10,000 ha and 27,000 ha in the Midlands where a greater soil and temperature logger reconnaissance effort was conducted during the pilot phase of the Wealth from Water project in 2011-2012 and in the extension phase in 2012-2014. (refer to: http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/agriculture/investing-in-irrigation/enterprise-suitability-toolkit). During the Water for Profit project in 2015-2017, an additional 400 soil sites were sampled and a further 100 temperature logger sites deployed to the Midlands area representing over 400,000 ha of improved mapping detail for the area. Logical Consistency: Each raster cell data is labelled via an accompanying look up table. There are no duplicates. Completeness: The spatial layers cover the entire state of Tasmania, excluding Macquarie Island. Additional: Component layers of Digital Soil Mapping components, modelled climate layers and crop rules are available upon request.