Natural Capital Measurement Catalogue’s user-friendly platform turns complex data into useful insights
For organisations managing natural capital assets and nature‑related risks and opportunities, having access to the best available science-backed nature data is essential.
But until now, Australia’s high‑value environmental datasets have been widely dispersed across different providers, requiring considerable time and technical expertise to access and use.
With support from the James N. Kirby Foundation, Climateworks Centre, in collaboration with Federation University’s Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), has created a data visualisation platform that brings key environmental datasets together.
It shows how natural capital data can be made accessible and decision‑useful for mainstream users.
From reference catalogue to practical tool
The Natural Capital Measurement Catalogue (NCMC) is an open‑source, science‑based reference of natural capital metrics, methods and data sources.
It was developed by Climateworks with technical input from a range of experts, supported by the Macdoch Foundation.
The Catalogue already links natural capital metrics to over 80 different data sources. While this saves users a lot of time in finding relevant data sources, it is still time-consuming and often technically challenging to access and integrate data from many different sources.
The new functionality extends the NCMC by integrating 26 datasets from 10 public data sources together into a single online environment. Here, users can view, analyse and report on data for a selected area without requiring specialist expertise.
For end users wishing to use natural capital data in accounting, assessment and reporting, this represents further significant time and cost savings.
However, the Platform is not just a map viewer. It helps users generate insights, not just access data.
Users can search by location, select data layers, save maps and generate automated spatial reports for a selected area.
This shifts effort away from data-wrangling and toward decision‑making.
The platform integrates and aligns with leading global frameworks including the UN System of Environmental‑Economic Accounting (SEEA), the Natural Capital Protocol, the Taskforce on Nature‑related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the Nature Positive Initiative (NPI).
Early users from banking, consulting and government say the platform is highly valuable – especially for teams without significant expertise in geographic information systems (GIS).
A first step in democratising national natural capital data
For the first time, the platform allows non-technical users to view data and generate spatial reports using two key national datasets that are essential for natural capital accounting in Australia:
Users can also generate reports on land use, soil type, fishing intensity, water scarcity and several other factors.
These spatial reports can support the development of natural capital accounts or be used as inputs to nature-related financial disclosures.
Every data layer is supported by clear metadata, including sources, revision dates, descriptions and links back to the original dataset.
This transparency helps users understand data quality and suitability for their needs.
Looking ahead to deeper insights
User feedback and emerging needs will guide the future development of the platform. Potential enhancements include additional datasets, improved analytical functionality and machine-readable, AI-compatible formats that can be integrated directly into organisational reporting systems.
A practical step toward nature‑positive decisions
The platform shows that complex public environmental data can be made easy to access, transparent and decision‑ready.
By bringing dispersed datasets into one intuitive interface and aligning them with global frameworks, the platform lowers barriers for organisations to act on nature.
It extends a reference catalogue with an easy-to-use, interactive tool that supports better decisions across a variety of sectors.
This project lays strong foundations for mainstreaming natural capital accounting and helps accelerate Australia’s progress toward nature‑positive outcomes.
Explore the NCMC Data Visualisation Platform here [data.naturalcapitalmeasurement.org] and share your feedback to help shape the next phase.
For more information on the platform and Climateworks’ work in the area, please contact Liam Walsh: liam.walsh@climateworkscentre.org
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