Tauranga Harbour Tidal Movements

This is a numerical model of Tauranga Harbour during spring tidal conditions, which shows a snapshot in time of a dynamic data set. The estuary model has been shown to predict the currents and sea levels accurately when compared to highly detailed measurements. With this information, a resource planner can view and use current and sea level information to respond to applications for coastal development, fisheries, and other environmental assessments. Approximately 1,300 vessels call at the Port of Tauranga annually, moving 12,104,000 tons of cargo. Should an oil spill occur, this information will assist environmental and marine scientists in assessing the flushing movements of the tides.

These maps were created using ArcMap software’s multiple attributes symbology, and each point displays information for speed, depth, and direction using color to show depth, size to show speed, and azimuth to show direction.

This project was a winner in the international Hewlett–Packard Best GIS Output competition held last year.