The SEED enhanced search is an innovative and comprehensive way to search for environmental data.

SEED has improved the way you can search for datasets, including multiple options to search - using the search bar with keyword suggestions, the advanced search builder, query syntax and spatial search. These options can be combined to get the most accurate results.

You can customise and personalise the way you search, to look up the information that is important to you. Searches can be saved and shared with others.

The SEED enhanced search has been designed for users by users, and is focused on continuous improvement. If you have any suggestions to improve the search, we welcome your feedback.

Watch the videos below to view a demo on how to use the Advanced and Spatial search.

Help guides are also available for step by step instructions on how to use the advanced, query syntax and spatial search.

Header image: Jennifer Spencer/DPIE

Some datasets in SEED are now available as dashboards.

SEED dashboards are very useful as they allow interactive exploration of data in easily accessible visual formats.

Instead of independently obtaining data and conducting analyses, dashboards present complex analytics and combinations of data that you can adjust to obtain the insights you need.

These insights are vital to environmental decision making and research, and such insights may be unattainable without the time, expertise, and access to core datasets. 

Currently, the Soil Accounts dashboard has been added. The data in this dashboard presents accounts for soils and land use in NSW, and the degree to which different NSW Great Soil Groups are being used for activities that are compatible or incompatible with their physical capabilities.

SEED will consistently add new dashboards to expand the insights we offer, so check our Dashboards section regularly.

[Header image: DPE/Terry Cooke]

SEED is excited to share that the NSW Saving our Species (SoS) management sites dataset is available on SEED, and can be visualised on the SEED map.

It shows on-ground SoS management sites for threatened ecological species and ecosystems in NSW.

This spatial dataset, and the associated SoS conservation strategies, are important resources for local councils, land managers and community groups to find strategic sites for threatened species conservation activities and opportunities for collaboration.

Watch the video below to see how to load it on the SEED map and tips to use the dataset.

Access the dataset here

[Header image: Peter Sherratt/DPE]

World Oceans Day is celebrated on 8 June each year and is an opportunity to recognise the importance of protecting our oceans and conserving our marine resources.

SEED is marking the occasion by highlighting the NSW Seabed mapping dataset.

The NSW state-wide coastal bathymetry and landform data for the marine estate is accessible via SEED in unprecedented detail.

The SeaBed NSW program has created a high-resolution digital map of the seafloor, providing data on the structure and composition of the seabed adjacent to our beaches.

You can combine the data with other marine-related data, including marine protected areas and wave buoy data.

This spatial data supports councils undertake their coastal hazard studies, and enables the government, community and users to better understand marine management and make informed decisions.

Watch the video below to find out more and see how to use the data via the SEED map.

Access the dataset here

[Header image: Peter Robey/DPE]

SEED has improved the way users can search for datasets, by grouping and cataloguing lists of datasets by different themes.

Grouping datasets by common theme makes it easier to search and find curated lists of data.

Themes for dataset groups can include topic, project, organisation or company, and groups can be catalogued for a particular project or team.

Watch the video below to view a demo on how to use the Groups function.

If you would like to request a new group, please submit a request via our feedback page. SEED is focused on continuous improvement and will use your feedback to build on our list of groups.

[Header image: Nicola Brookhouse/DPE]

DustWatch is one of NSW’s largest and longest-running citizen science programs, playing a vital role in understanding and protecting our environment. 

Tracking dust activity across the state, the DustWatch database provides long‑term PM10 dust concentration data collected from a network across NSW. Dust levels are a key indicator of soil and catchment health, helping scientists, land managers and policymakers better understand wind erosion, land degradation and environmental change over time. With data available from 2005 and continually updated, the dataset supports research, planning and evidence‑based decision‑making for healthier landscapes and communities. 

DustWatch also delivers real benefits close to home, helping people with respiratory conditions like asthma protect their health and supporting farmers to care for their land. 

This important work wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of citizen scientists like Terry Koen, Melanie Barnes and Sally Ware, who generously contribute their time and knowledge. 

As Citizen Science Month comes to a close, we’re proud to celebrate the impact of citizen scientists across NSW. 

Anyone can get involved! Learn more about joining Community DustWatch through Environment and Heritage and the NSW data portal.

Update: As part of the release of the consolidated NSW State Vegetation Type Map, the older services are superseded. Web services in the following datasets will be removed in 14 days.

Affected datasets are:

• State Vegetation Type Map: Border Rivers Gwydir / Namoi Region Version 2.0. VIS_ID 4467
• State Vegetation Type Map: Central West / Lachlan Region Version 1.4. VIS_ID 4468
• State Vegetation Type Map: Riverina Region Version v1.2 - VIS_ID 4469
• State Vegetation Type Map: Central Tablelands Region Version 1.0. VIS_ID 4778
• State Vegetation Type Map: Western Region v1.0. VIS_ID 4492
• State Vegetation Type Map: Upper Hunter v1.0. VIS_ID 4894

The consolidated NSW State Vegetation Type Map (SVTM) is now available on SEED. This is the first comprehensive regional scale map of Plant Community Types (PCTs).

You can easily access the maps at one location, and the consolidation of the data makes it easier for users to access and navigate. This spatial data aids with strategic decision-making about vegetation management and conservation.

There are three key datasets for the SVTM:

• NSW State Vegetation Type Map (Pre-Clearing)
• NSW State Vegetation Type Map
• NSW BioNet Flora Survey Plots – PCT Reference Sites

Users are welcome to provide any feedback or report issues related to the vegetation maps.

Watch the video below to see how to launch and use the maps on SEED and a demo on how to provide feedback.

SEED is focused on continuous improvement based on user feedback, so your suggestions are valuable to us. We are committed to providing a quality response and will continually work to improve our portal.

[Header image: Nicola Brookhouse/DPE]

Every day, decisions are made about the environment around you. Where to build, what to protect, how to respond to flood or fire. Underpinning all these decisions is data.

When data is open and treated as a shared asset rather than a locked resource, it supports better decision-making, sparks new ideas, and drives economic growth. Closed data, by contrast, is restricted to specific individuals or organisations for reasons of privacy, security, or commercial sensitivity. 

SEED is the NSW Government’s open data platform bringing together environmental data from across the state, making it freely accessible to those developing real-world solutions to real-world problems – the community, planners, university researchers and businesses. 

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Our approach is guided by the NSW Open Data Policy and the Government Information Public Access (GIPA) Act, both of which set expectations for how government-collected data is shared and reused. As the NSW policy states, by making data open for all, it easily provides the intelligence for insight, intervention and exploration, translating into better products and services that improve everyday life and encourage business growth. 

Let’s explore further how SEED supports open data. 

The importance of open data

Research has shown that open data has a significant impact on four key areas: empowering people, creating opportunity, solving problems and improving government. 

In practice, this can mean better outcomes for vulnerable communities, safer roads, more accessible transport, stronger environmental protection and more transparent decision‑making. Open data also supports innovation by enabling new insights and ideas that may not have been possible before.

Internationally, it is seen as a measure of how governments are publishing and using open data for accountability, innovation and social impact.   

Data on SEED is open by default

SEED - Sharing and Enabling Environmental Data- is the NSW Government’s solution for open environmental data. The program contributes to achieving the NSW Open Data Policy principles in numerous ways, some examples are:

• Open by default and protected where required: All datasets published to SEED have been approved by data custodians. They have regulatory responsibilities to promote transparency of government while balancing the need to protect sensitive information.
• Prioritised, discoverable and usable: The SEED platform has been, and continues to be designed with the community to make finding the environmental data they need easy, meaning you do not require scientific expertise or specialist mapping software to find and gain insights from environmental data relevant to your needs. SEED also provides resources that help you to understand the data, and links to the data in various formats if you wish to download it.
• Primary and timely: The metadata statement used on SEED uses the ANZLIC metadata standard for geospatial information. Every dataset available on SEED includes information (as part of a statement) that helps you understand when it was collected, when it was published and when it was last updated. It will also provide information on what data was collected, why and what file format it is available in.
• Free where appropriate: Access to everything on SEED is free by default. This includes the data, metadata, and use of the tools and functions.
• Well managed, trust and authoritative: Every user of the SEED platform can access information on the quality and limitations of the data available. A data quality statement provides information on how a particular dataset could be used and descriptions about the data to help you decide whether the data will be fit for another specific purpose. As a user of the platform, you can make assessments about the fitness of the data, depending on how you plan to use it. 

• Subject to public input: The SEED team works hard to provide data in a way that is relevant to user needs. 
   

  Although SEED is not responsible for the data on the platform, it can help connect you to those who are, and enhance the user experience based on your feedback. 

  Get in touch by email: [email protected] 

Using the open data on SEED

People use SEED data in many practical ways, such as:

• supporting planning and reporting for projects or programs
• strengthening grant applications with reliable environmental evidence
• informing community education or monitoring initiatives
• contributing to academic or policy research
• supporting business or investment decisions

Open data collected for one purpose can often be reused in new and valuable ways. 

Sign up for the SEED newsletter to discover stories and case studies on how SEED is being used in practical ways every day. 

The value of open data

Every environmental dataset on SEED represents an investment in fieldwork, expertise, time and potential. When data is made open, it becomes an asset that appreciates through reuse over time. 

A water quality dataset collected for a regulatory purpose becomes a baseline for a research study, a community monitoring program or even an investment decision. 

A dataset describing vegetation gains value because more use means more scrutiny, more derived insight, and more return on the original collection investment. 

Share with us how you are using data found on the SEED platform: [email protected]

Explore SEED

Explore SEED, download datasets, and see what insights you can uncover: Dataset | SEED

For more information on SEED, metadata, data quality statement or just about the datasets on the platform, check out our help pages: https://seed.nsw.gov.au/need-help

SEED is making it easier for NSW Government teams to publish high-quality environmental data, supporting transparency, reuse and better decision-making across the state.

The need to publish

For the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), publishing the datasets behind the Climate Vulnerability Assessment was expected.

“Our decision to release the underlying data from our models was driven by scientific principles of transparency and by NSW Government open data policies. In short, it was a given that we would want to publish our data.”
David Allingham, Project Officer, Climate Vulnerability Assessment, DPIRD

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Around 50 datasets underpin the NSW Government’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment Summary Report. Together, they form a substantial body of scientific evidence, including maps and models showing how climate change may affect primary industries across the state.

Even before the report was released, there were requests for access to the data. Some datasets were published earlier in response to demand, while planning continued for broader publication.

Choosing the right platform

When it came time to publish the full collection, DPIRD assessed available platforms. SEED emerged as the best fit for the data and its intended use.

“We went looking for suitable systems to publish the open data in, and it quickly became obvious that SEED was the only logical choice. It contains environmental open data from across the NSW Government…It allows us to fulfil the FAIR data principles (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability), making it easy for others to obtain the data and analyse it.” 
David Allingham

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Publishing at scale

Each dataset came with five to six pages of documentation, making it clear that publishing nearly 53 datasets individually wouldn’t scale. After the SEED team published the first dataset and provided DPIRD with editor access, the team was able to manage publication themselves.

“From our point of view, this was ideal. We could quickly create datasets, fill in common metadata like project descriptions and timespans, customise individual fields such as model names, and upload the data.”
David Allingham

This self-service capability gave the team control over dataset creation and publishing, which was particularly valuable when working with large numbers of datasets.

“The self-service aspect was most appealing to us. It allowed us to work efficiently and at our own pace, while still ensuring every dataset met the required standards.”
David Allingham

Supporting confidence and reuse

Today, anyone can download the Climate Vulnerability Assessment datasets from SEED, see where the evidence came from, and apply it confidently in their own work. Making the full set of datasets openly available means users can explore the data behind the assessment, understand how it was produced, and reuse it alongside other information to ask new questions.

The datasets can support land use planning, agricultural adaptation and biosecurity planning as climate conditions change, helping decision‑makers respond using consistent, evidence-based information. By publishing trusted environmental data through SEED, agencies, researchers, and communities can work from the same evidence base, strengthening transparency and improving environmental decision-making across NSW.